Buying Manga vs Reading Online: 7 Clear Pros and Cons you Didn’t See

Did you know that manga used to be restricted to print media? Even when e-books were on the rise, the manga industry refused to switch to digital. In recent years marked a turn as publishers finally decided to ride the trend.

This article will consider the pros and cons between print manga and digital manga. You can buy print manga in physical form and online bookstores. Meanwhile, you can only access digital manga via online websites.

Of course, there are many more differences between them than just that. We uncover all the positives and negatives.

Read on!

Buying Physical Manga

Buying physical manga is an experience that involves bargain hunting and quality checking. The prices differ between different bookstores and sellers.

Example:

Compare the price of this Boruto manga on Amazon and Barnes and Noble:

Amazon listing

Barnes and Noble listing

They’re selling the same paperback volume, but there is a $2 price difference. It is also possible that other websites and physical bookstores have varying prices.

Thus, you have to check the price with different sellers to find the best deal for physical manga.

You also have to ensure the quality of what you’re buying. When you’re buying brand-new from a bookstore yourself, you get to check then and there. Ensure that the cover has no marks, that the pages are crisp with no folds, and there are no printing errors.

But if you’re buying a manga from an online seller, you have to make sure that it’s of good quality before shipping. You also have to make sure that it is packed well to avoid mishaps caused by shipping couriers.

Buying Digital Manga

Buying digital manga is very easy and seamless. You don’t need to go to a local bookstore to check if they have the title you’re looking for. You also don’t need to worry about getting a bad copy if you purchase used online.

When you buy digital manga, you know what you’re getting. What’s even better is that you don’t need to compare prices. For the most part, unless an online platform has a sale or a promo, prices for digital manga are standard. If there is deviation, it’s only for a few centavos.

Example:

Take a look at this digital Demon Slayer manga on Amazon and Barnes and Noble:

Amazon listing
Barnes and Noble listing

The price difference is very negligible at $0.20.

However, there is one thing to consider when you’re planning to read digital manga: you first need a device. If you’re buying one for the sole purpose of reading digital manga, the cost can be high.

How Do Physical and Digital Manga Compare?

1.) Digital Manga is Cheaper

As you can see from the above starter comparison, digital manga is the way to go if you are mainly into catching up on new manga don’t want to pay the heavy price of a collection.

And if you want, you don’t even need to pay for each copy digital. You can join a subscription service and pay once and get access to every single manga chapter that has been released. This brings me to my next point.

2.) You can access unlimited digital manga by paying a flat subscription fee

Meanwhile, you have to purchase a physical copy for every volume you want to read.

When manga went digital, publishing companies decided to release subscription plans.

For example, Shonen Jump charges $1.99 a month for their subscription plan. It would give you access to their entire vault. This includes manga like One Piece, Dragon Ball, and My Hero Academia.

When you think about it, this sounds like a great deal. You get to read as many mangas as you want without having to shell out a lot of money. There’s just one downside you don’t get to own your copy of the manga.

This may not be a big deal to you if you’re a casual fan. But if you’re a dedicated manga reader, this can be a setback. Sure, buying a new volume each time can be expensive. But nothing beats knowing that you can go to your shelf anytime and grab your favorite tankobon.

Example:

Crunchyroll has such an app you can download and read manga only paying a monthly fee of less than $10.

3.) Reading Physical Manga Gives an Authentic Reading Experience

One advantage of physical manga is that it gives you a sensory experience. Digital manga doesn’t have this. When you read physical manga, you get to touch and smell the pages. These contribute to a more authentic reading experience.

4.) Reading Manga Online is More Convenient

Digital manga allows you the ease of access that physical manga does not. For example, if you want to read a particular manga, you get your digital copy almost immediately after purchase.

Meanwhile, if you want to buy physical manga to read immediately, you have to go to a bookstore to get a copy. You can also buy online, but shipping can vary from one day to one week.

5.) Digital Manga Takes up Less Room than Physical Manga

When you’re a manga collector, the physical volumes will quickly take up a large portion of your room. This isn’t a problem if you have the space. However, if you don’t, the area can become quite cramped. And the more you read, the more room you have to allow for your manga books.

In contrast, the digital manga will never take more space than what’s available on your laptop or tablet. Whether you have one manga or one million manga on there, the physical space it takes up does not change.

You may have to purchase cloud storage or a hard drive to hold your digital manga, but that’s as far as it goes.

6.) You can access unlimited digital manga by paying a flat subscription fee

Meanwhile, you have to purchase a physical copy for every volume you want to read.

When manga went digital, publishing companies decided to release subscription plans.

For example, Shonen Jump charges $1.99 a month for their subscription plan. It would give you access to their entire vault. This includes manga like One Piece, Dragon Ball, and My Hero Academia.

When you think about it, this sounds like a great deal. You get to read as many mangas as you want without having to shell out a lot of money. There’s just one downside you don’t get to own your copy of the manga.

This may not be a big deal to you if you’re a casual fan. But if you’re a dedicated manga reader, this can be a setback. Sure, buying a new volume each time can be expensive. But nothing beats knowing that you can go to your shelf anytime and grab your favorite tankobon.

6.) Physical Manga is Easier on The Eyes

It’s no secret that spending too much time in front of electronic screens can be straining to the eyes. Staring at screens in excess has been linked to sleep issues and eye problems. This is why digital reading manga can damage your eyes over the long run. And the more digital manga you read, the more you worsen the strain.

In contrast, reading physical manga is not as harmful to the eyes. As such, you can read as many manga books on end as you want without worrying about eye damage.

7.) Digital Manga Makes Some Scenes Look Better

When you open a physical manga book or any book, there is a fold between the two pages. This is caused by the spine, which can hamper your reading experience. You don’t get to appreciate double-page spreads as much because there is a loss in detail. Yellowed manga pages can also detract from the reading experience.

Digital manga lets you see all the details because it’s just flat on your screen. You also don’t have to worry about folds in the spine or yellowing pages.

Here’s a table of the differences between physical and digital manga

Physical MangaDigital Manga
Shipping times and delaysConvenient and accessible at any time
Provides a sensory experienceLacks the feeling of turning pages and holding a book
It takes up a lot of space in your roomYou only need a device and memory storage
Need to buy one volume for everything you want to readHas subscription services
Easy on the eyesEmits blue light, which damages the eyes
Can have folds on spine and yellowed pagesShows all the detail in double-page spreads. It does not deteriorate in quality

Now, it’s time to hear from you:

Did I miss anything?

Do you prefer print manga or digital manga?

Whatever your answer is, let’s hear it in the comments below.

Buying Manga vs Reading Online: 7 Clear Pros and Cons you Didn’t See

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