Is manga collectible?

[Flatliner1313]

 

From my brushes with the Manga scene, it seems very different than our western comic scene, and the way we collect things.

 

Now, I've never been to Japan or spoken to anyone from Japan about how the collectible side of things works over there. However, we have a very large Asian population here and a number of stores that deal specifically in Manga books. Everything I see in the stores looks to be the equivalent of TPBs.

I've been told that some of the series were originally run in magazines, and are later collected in to a TPB type format.

 

How would one go about collecting these, and would it be worthwhile?

Considering the enduring popularity of Dragon Ball Z, and the explosion of Attack on Titan, it seems like having first issues (or whatever) of these would be valuable, either now or later.

[Firespitter]

I only collect what I REALLY like. Collecting something I can't wrap my brain around seems counter intuitive to me. I have tried many times to get into anime shows because I have friends that think it's the most awesome stuff ever invented by mankind. But I find it, at most, only mildly entertaining (Howl's moving castle, Steamboy, Akira, Cowboy beebop, spirited away, et.al). It definately doesn't make me foam at the mouth for more. And a lot of the series stuff borders,imo, on pedophilia, which as an old dude, gives me the creeps.

Manga is what Anime was born out of, and if I can't wrap my brain around anime, I don't see how I could like manga. Even modern comic books; if I don't like the first few comics I look at, I pretty much give up on the series as a whole. Do I miss out on more than a few gems? Yes. But, I also don't have 100 terrible comics for every one that I actually enjoy reading more than 1 time.

I say stick to what you enjoy and inspires you to want more.

-Terry

 

[Oakland Pride]

It's an interesting question. A few factors would come in to play:

 

1) Japanese culture puts little value in things considered obsolete.

 

If something isn't considered useful or something better comes along, the obsolete item gets thrown out. While this sentiment exists it many cultures, it's especially true in Japan, where space is at an absolute premium and there's little room for items considered unnecessary. The desire to replace obsolete with the new is so strong that the market value for houses actually depreciates over time; most Japanese houses get razed after 30-40 years for new ones, regardless of the older house's condition.

 

How does this affect the market? Well I'd imagine "keys" like the 1984 debut of Dragon Ball in Weekly Shōnen Jump would be very rare, and most likely affordable since there's not much of a market (A #2 Dragon Ball just sold 10 days ago for $35: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Weekly-Magazine-Shonen-JUMP-Vol-52-1984-Dragon-Ball-2-JAPAN-MANGA-/181482383635?pt=US_Comic_Magazines&hash=item2a41316913).

 

2) The worldwide emotional connection with anime does not necessarily translate to manga.

 

The comic market relies upon collectors' emotional connection with comics themselves. While TV & movies certainly pump up demand for key comics, it's more likely the person who grew up with comics as a kid who's going to shell out thousands of dollars for a TMNT #1 first print. Without that nostalgia, comics are inherently worthless.

 

American audiences, and I would assume worldwide audiences outside Japan as well, don't have that childhood nostalgia for manga. They didn't grow up with the giddy anticipation to pick up Nakayoshi every week for the next Sailor Moon serial; they were anticipating the next episode of the anime. They were playing with the anime action figures and video games. And as a literary medium, manga relies so heavily on language that the emotional connection of a Japanese manga to an English reader doesn't translate as strongly as, say, a Japanese action figure to an American collector. As a result, you have collector's markets for anime action figures and vintage video games, but manga not so much.

 

At least not yet, anyway. For decades people didn't think Action Comics #1 would be collectible either. Manga doesn't need a big market to appreciate; it just needs a few passionate collectors willing to pay premium dollar for the most pristine collections. Maybe members of that Asian population as they mature will become those collectors. But it might be years or decades before that comes to fruition.

 

That being said, my suggestion is what Firespitter Terry said so succinctly: collect what you REALLY like. The last thing you want is a collection you don't value just because others don't value it as much as you think that should. Collect for your satisfaction and enjoyment, and let the market go where it may.

[dupont2005]

1) Japanese culture puts little value in things considered obsolete.

 

If something isn't considered useful or something better comes along, the obsolete item gets thrown out. While this sentiment exists it many cultures, it's especially true in Japan, where space is at an absolute premium and there's little room for items considered unnecessary. The desire to replace obsolete with the new is so strong that the market value for houses actually depreciates over time; most Japanese houses get razed after 30-40 years for new ones, regardless of the older house's condition.

Japan is buying American classic cars like hot cakes. They have a thriving hot rod, lowrider, and chopper culture. The best in the world. Either built there or bought from American builders. Either way, they all tend to end up there. Also classic exotics. The Ferrari F40 is probably more common in Tokyo than it is in Dubai. Or Italy for that matter.

 

Their home values could do with their standard of building code. I see a lot of tatami mats and sliding paper walls. I don't know what their building code is like, but maybe their homes just aren't good for more than 40 years?

[Oakland Pride]

Freakanomics Radio did a story two-months back on the depreciation of Japanese housing (despite the land maintaining its value). One factor cited was culture, but it wasn't the only reason: http://freakonomics.com/2014/02/27/why-are-japanese-homes-disposable-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast-3/

 

The Japanese put a huge premium on quality, so it doesn't surprise me that Japanese would collect high quality cars. Food, too; Tokyo restaurants have more Michelin stars than those in Paris.

[DougC]

Speaking from a bit of a different perspective, I lived on Okinawa for a year and half and can absolutely agree with the "view of considered value". Collectable items in japan are made specifically to be replaced by the next hot thing, cell phone straps change on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis and the old ones are usually thrown away.

 

Over the last decade Anime and to a lesser extent Manga has become very Americanized where otaku focus is expressly seen as mainstream when in fact it is not; it is the exact opposite and NEETs are very much looked down upon.

 

Specifically on the subject of Manga the Western idea would be to collect the who series on a book case. The predominant Eastern thinking is read it and sell it back to the bookstore for a discount or just throw it away. Rarely would you keep an entire run of a manga unless it was valuable to you in a personal way (also due to lack of space).

 

 

[the blob]

I can understand that with an apartment in Tokyo running 88 square feet, not a lot of room to hoard comics.

[the blob]

Maybe they can keep their manga collection in the trunk of their Ferrari?

[dupont2005]

I can understand that with an apartment in Tokyo running 88 square feet, not a lot of room to hoard comics.

This actually makes a lot of sense, and space is a huge factor with my collection as well. I sometimes consider getting rid of everything. Just can't bring myself to do it yet.

[Toz]

The only manga I've read and enjoyed was Cobra.A 12 issue run from back in the 1980's.I believe Marv Wolfman translated it.Pretty killer story & art and seems like Eagle was manga inspired.Neal Voks did that I believe.Pretty cheap reads to try and see if you like it.

 

Now the question is do they collect manga there or is it more of read & toss thing?

[the blob]

Maybe having most of their cities firebombed in WW II and burnt to the ground has also played against an obsession with hoarding "stuff", especially stuff that can go "poof" very easily (not that there isn't a big collecting scene for vintage japanese art and nick nacks, so maybe my theory doesn't make sense).

 

(Not a political comment on WW II. My father was a marine in WW II and would have been on the ground in any invasion of Japan, so I'm happy it wasn't necessary as I might not be here.)

[the blob]

I have the first 3-4 or so years of Pulp Magazine. It looks cool, but honestly, I just don't have the time to get into it. I should probably do something with them.

[dupont2005]

I paid about $300 for two issues of Akira. It appears I may have overpaid a bit, but it must have taken me four to six months to make my move, and at the time it seemed like the going rate.

[DeadpoolJr.]

I think there are certain exemptions to the rule, since there are a few pieces that are collectible, but the whole I don't thing Manga Magazines that the characters first appeared in are thought of as valuable, at least in Japan. From my understanding that stuff once it was read isn't really kept, and is recycled. Also if you think getting a back issue magazine is hard, try getting a piece of OA.

[dupont2005]

I had one of those thick manga phonebooks featuring the Mermaid Scar story. It was cool but I'd probably rather have the American releases. The original was on colored construction paper and only had about ten pages worth of story. It was a very large anthology, which is probably cool if you can read it and reliably get the sequential issues, but is not practical at all for us across the pond. If there isn't a market for it, I can see there being a market for it among American manga fans. If you can find an associate in Japan willing to track it down for you, maybe in exchange for Western comics?