QUOTE (Kid-Wolf @ Jun 14 2013, 05:50 AM) Oddly enough it seems everything is going to these fancy e-reader books like the Nook and other bookish related devices/apps now. Although it's best to keep things in print incase the worst happens to your device. I mean there are chances of loosing everything you've bought if you aren't too careful though.
Presonally I still prefer the paperbacks if it's a series that I
really enjoy. Unless I'm actually reading the scanalated portion becuase I'm impatient at times, or if it's an overly long series, or if it's one of those series that will never see the light of day outside of Japan.
I've never understood the argument that it's best to keep things in print incase something happens to your device. Surely the reverse is more correct that it's better to buy digitally incase something happens to your print?
Reason being, I buy books digitally from Amazon, Warhammer books from the Black Library - publisher - site, Comic Books from the Marvel App and the Comixology app. Now for each of these, I have to have an account to buy from them and when they do buy they get linked to my account. So that I can download what ever I've brought as many times and to as many devices as I wish.
Now let's assume Tokyopop and Viz did release Manga digitally, presumably the same would apply. You would most likely have to create an account and you brought One Piece, Rozen Maiden and Futari Ecchi aswell, they would then be linked to my my account once I've purchased them. So if my Tablet did implode right before my eyes, all I'd have to do is log onto my Viz and TP accounts on my new tablet and I can read them like before. Yet if you lost all your printed volumes it would be harder to just go out and buy an entire run of One Piece/Rozen Maiden/Futari Ecchi, especially if one of those series is now longer being printed.
Don't get me wrong I love printed Manga, especially complete runs stacked on the shelf. But I've just had to get rid of my collection - they went to a good home - because of its size. So if Viz and others did do e-published Manga for the space alone I'd consider it. Take the big 3 in WSJ both are well past 50 volumes so even if they were the only Manga you brought and read having completed runs will be at of space especially if you read and buy other series. Because of the format of Manga 2 or 3 series take up more space than the same number of book series'.
In many ways reading Manga digitally would be business as normal for me because I've been reading Scanlated Manga for ages now, I'm used to reading it on my tablet, so if it were ever released Digitally I'd have to seriously consider buying digitally over print.
With Viz using their WSJ app, they are attempting to at least walk down the digital path, - though it's not available in the UK sadly -