Do you ever go to a book store and read manga? without buying

[Gaming_Bum]

I usually see people sitting on the floor reading manga at barnes and noble. They should just go to borders, since there are chairs and tables to sit at.

I personally haven't read any manga in a book store. I was going to go read rurouni kenshin volume 28 in the store, but the damn thing was wrapped up!

[Suiko Eiji]

I usually see people sitting on the floor reading manga at barnes and noble. They should just go to borders, since there are chairs and tables to sit at.

Perhaps it may be selection? The Mall of Georgia over by my parents has a HUEG Barnes and Noble's, complete with plenty of sitting, but I'll still see people sitting on the floor at Walden's. If I'm looking at manga in a bookstore like B&N, though, it means I've gone through the history, current events/political ramblings section already and am still waiting on someone else to finish.

I personally haven't read any manga in a book store. I was going to go read rurouni kenshin volume 28 in the store, but the damn thing was wrapped up!

Most of the stores where I buy my Japanese books have them all wrapped up, so I typically only buy manga I know I'll like or what the clerk (a friend of mine) recommends.

[Shawaazu]

When I first got into manga, I read Shaolin Sisters Barnes and Noble. But I never had a chance to come back and finish the first volume.That was a couple of years ago, and now I own all of the books. :D

Now I don't have time to read at the store, so I just buy them or download them (I'd rather not read at the store, anyway).

[kiyomi]

I buy my manga..leave the store..and read them at home.

[Leader Desslock]

People who read books in stores should be shot. I'll look through something just long enough to see if I want to buy it. That's it. You want to read books, go to the library. You want to buy books, go to a store. There's a difference. Learn it.

[Gaming_Bum]

People who read books in stores should be shot. I'll look through something just long enough to see if I want to buy it. That's it. You want to read books, go to the library. You want to buy books, go to a store. There's a difference. Learn it.


I owe money at the library

[Chef Wun]

I read it once in the shop and got shouted at. After that i just flick through it but the clerk still gives me the evils.

[Scandiadream]

I used to, but I have not in a very long time. Mainly due to lack of time. I borrow stuff from the library. And I do buy a lot of manga.

[Japhyl]

I only read manga once I buy it. I've never read it in a store.

[hiei_kurama27]

I dont think it's right to read manga at the bookstore and not buy it. What I do is read a few pages of the beginning and a few in the middle to see if I would like it, then buy it and read it at home. I have a couple of friends who read at the store. >_<

[kiyomi]

It's all right in my opinion to just take a quick look at what the book has to offer as in content and whatnot..but to outright just sit there and read the entire thing in the store without buying it..well..that just isn't right.

[throughhim413]

I've only read one volume of manga at a bookstore. It was Full Moon wo Sagashite Volume 1. I liked it and couldn't seem to put it down. So you know what I did? I bought it despite having finished it.

[Sushikins]

Nope, I've never read manga in a book store, usually when I go to a book store, the plan is to buy manga. When I see people sitting in front of the shelves reading, I have a tendency to want to yell at them and kick them out of the way.

[Hisoka]

I've never read a full volume in a book store. I mainly just flip around to get a feel for the art style and such. If I'm interested I just pick it up and read it when I get home or at a later date.

[MonkeyBoy0314]

All the time! How will I know if what I am getting is of good quality unless I preview it?

[IcyInferno]

in seventh grade i used to do it all the time. but now... i just leaf through. i mean, the ppl who work at the waldenbooks i usually buy manga at don't seem to mind it, because i've seen other people just sit down and read but... i guess i'd feel guilty. i stopped because i could actually *afford* the manga i'd been reading but a lot of my friends still do it. it's not fair to judge people who read manga without buying!! they're probably just broke!

[Crazy Tenchi]

Wow everyone here is just cracking me up. Acting like it's some big deal to read manga at the bookstore. My goodness people that's what the chairs are there for. They want you to spend time there and they would much rather you read in there store then at a library because you might buy something. If someone who works there asks you to stop than do that but otherwise I guarantee they don't care. Now it's a completely different story if someone bends the cover or tears a page, then they should buy the book.

[kenshinbebop]

I buy my manga..leave the store..and read them at home.

Dido.

yadayadayadaya(message too short)

[Suiko Eiji]

^^While I may not be as militant as Leader Desslock about it, there's a difference between flipping through a book (to see if it is interesting) than just reading it in the store. I think flipping is okay; the closest library to me is the University and it's good for research but not current releases, so a quick flip through a book to see if it is worth buying is okay. Libraries are there for a reason and bookstores are there for a seperate reason. If you flip through a book at the store and can't afford to buy it, go to the library.

[Bisu]

^^While I may not be as militant as Leader Desslock about it, there's a difference between flipping through a book (to see if it is interesting) than just reading it in the store. I think flipping is okay; the closest library to me is the University and it's good for research but not current releases, so a quick flip through a book to see if it is worth buying is okay. Libraries are there for a reason and bookstores are there for a seperate reason. If you flip through a book at the store and can't afford to buy it, go to the library.

I Agree.

Though, I only visit my local bookstore unless I'm certain of what it is I'm going to purchase...otherwise I just won't go. So my answer is obviously no. I've never read anything before purchasing at a bookstore.

[Ageha]

^^While I may not be as militant as Leader Desslock about it, there's a difference between flipping through a book (to see if it is interesting) than just reading it in the store. I think flipping is okay; the closest library to me is the University and it's good for research but not current releases, so a quick flip through a book to see if it is worth buying is okay. Libraries are there for a reason and bookstores are there for a seperate reason. If you flip through a book at the store and can't afford to buy it, go to the library.

Sorry, but I honestly find this confusing. Moreover that Lesser Deadlock thinks someone "should be shot" (an exaggeration I understand, but an unnecessary one) for sitting and reading in a bookstore is mind boggling to me, especially when the bookstore provides seating areas. I'm sure there are people who abuse this bit of customer service and come time after time to sit and read without buying, but there are exceptions to every rule.
I wish going to the library was as easy as you make it sound, but even where I'm from (twin city of 100,000+, 2 city libraries, 1 very large university library) finding up-to-date books in my favorite genre (fantasy) was often next to impossible. To be honest, I can't honestly remember the last time I even read a book in a library (can't recall that many people did, outside of research, and I was a frequent visitor growing up). I'm not saying that people shouldn't buy books, but I enjoy the fact that bookstores don't discourage their customers from reading inside the store. Honest people are going to pay for the books, even if they've read half the novel before they leave.

As for manga, while I don't buy it in the U.S....in Japan you can't read new releases at a bookstore because they're shrink wrapped...but just go to a used bookstore and you have all KINDS of people reading in the aisles. It's so common here that it has its own word, "tachiyomi" (in this case standing and reading, not sitting ;p). It's quite common with regular novels and works of non-fiction as well (which are not shrink wrapped).

[Smith]

Leeches!! I don't so much mind people sitting down to read a manga or look at it, as long as they don't get in the way of me looking at titles on the manga shelf.. I do flip through a manga here and there to get an general idea of it. Still, I agree with Desslock that these people should be shot. There's no stopping them though, and I will look over the quality of what I'm buying, and if it appears thumbed through or whatever, I try to find another copy or go to another store, or go order it online.

[Mikadzuki Tatsu]

I almost always leaf through a new manga to see if I like it, before I buy it. But I never sit down and read an entire volume. If I get through half of a volume and still want to read more, I buy it. Or, it goes down on my list of books to buy next time.

It irks me to see people sitting in the aisle in front of the manga shelves just reading (and getting in the way). It also irks me to see books that are dog-eared or bent. It really does bother me, so I'd be a hypocrite if I did the exact same thing.

[DazzleKitty]

I've never read an entire manga in the store. What I do is just flip through it too see the art and a bit of the dialogue to see if I want to buy it or not.

I hate when people sit on the floor of Waldens or Borders. When you want to get in the aisle, they look at you like you are insane. And sometimes they tear and wear out the books.

[ghed]

Just recently I was looking for a new series in BN and ended up reading through about 1/2 of the first HunterxHunter. I felt kinda guilty, but I ended up buying volumes 1-3 so I think I made up for it.
Typically though I will read the first 1-2 chapters of it then skim over the pictures in the rest of the book. If I like what I see then I buy it, if not look for another title.

[shin_gyokakuran]

:thumbsup: there are book stores in singapore >and a great deal of library too for those hard to find manga or books< in which the store allows you to read them in. Guess its just a matter of courtesy if your gonna buy it or not :lol:

[kitzu]

I think it's kind of annoying when people read the entire book in the store. Isn't the point of a bookstore to buy something? It's kind of like stealing.....maybe...? More like eating half a candy bar in a store then puting it back on the shelf(okay, my examples aren't great). You could walk down the street and go into a library to get it for free, if you don't have money.

[zero beat]

yesh!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Soluzar]

What the hell would be the point? Half the fun of manga for me is sticking a stack of them in my rucksack on a summer's day, along with a soft drink of somekind, and then creeping off to somewhere quiet, shady and a moderate distance from the nearest sentient lifeform, and reading them in peace and seclusion. I read about four times as much manga in the summer as through the rest of the year because it's just too damn hot to be inside.

EDIT: Oh damn, did anyone think that I was talking about shoplifting, or something? Is that why Char asked me what I mean. :lol:

Let me clarify that I like to read my own collection of manga, legally purchased and paid for, on a summers day, outside in a shady spot where there aren't many people around.

[Smith]

You mean outside, don't you, Soluzar?
There is one instance I recall that I did read the first half or so of a manga and it discouraged me from buying it, and am glad I did read\leaf through first. Samurai Deeper Kyo. While it was actually pretty good, it judt didn't hook me enough.

[Soluzar]

You mean outside, don't you, Soluzar?
Yep. There's plenty of secluded spots near my home where a guy can get a cozy spot and read manga until the sun goes down. I fill my bag with manga, sandwiches and something to drink, and I don't go home until the manga runs out, or the sunlight does. :D

It's the best way to fill a spare afternoon that I can think of.

[Gerudo Grunt]

I have done it a few times, but I try not to make it a habit. When I go into a store, read it, and leave I don't usually plan on it when I walk in. I just end up deciding to spend my money at the Best Buy next door or save my money up for something else.

[cyborgaaron]

Those people are 3vil they all sit in a huge row by a wall near the manga bookcases. I'llflip through the first page or two and last page and decide if its good or if its from a series I already got some of I will buy it without really even giving much of a second look.

[Shiroiyuki]

*Reads title of thread*

OH NO!! NO NO SINNERS!

I hate when people sit there and read books in a book store! Not only are they in fact stealing (hey if you don't pay for it...you are stealing, even if you don't take it out of the store. Using is using), but they are tarnishing whatever they are reading for the next person.

Say someone didn't care about the manga they were reading. Say they had absolutely no respect for the book or the store. They would probably destroy the binding (or worse) making the book practically worthless to someone who might have actually bought it. I'm sorry but I've had people borrow my books and not take care of them, so I know first hand how most people just don't care about how they handle other's things. If it isn't theirs, they don't think twice about damaging it <_<.

Now, I'm not saying everyone is like this--but I'd rather not take the chance. If you go to a book store--don't just sit there and read a book cover to cover! If you think it is interesting, go and BUY it...otherwise go to your local library and see if you can't rent it out. I don't want a used book at full price. I want something that hasn't been violated by whoever handled it before me, unless of course I'm shopping for used goods...that is a different story.

But book stores don't generally mark down their items if people touch (or read) them inside the establishment. Reading manga thoroughly without paying for it is (in my opinion), the equivalent of shoplifting. Shoplifting inside the store, yes....but shoplifting just the same.

[EdWorshiper]

People who read books in stores should be shot. I'll look through something just long enough to see if I want to buy it. That's it. You want to read books, go to the library. You want to buy books, go to a store. There's a difference. Learn it.

Exactly. Once a girl at the store was there reading manga, like, all day. (I came back later in the evening and she was still there.) And then she got mad when I gave her a funny glare . . .

[StXopher]

Luckily, we have several major chain stores nearby (overlapping, B&N, Borders) so the midweek book checking is a consistent routine. This means I get to see maga leechs at their, er, best. My favorites would be a tie between those that sit leaning against the racks themselves so that no one else can get to them (what? how dare you disturb my reading! I COULD be a paying customer you know!) and those that grab a stack (yes, a stack), get comfortable in a chair and set camp. The second group actually annoys me more since it makes it harder for me to accidentally drop books on their head while reaching around them.

Regualr trips also means that the store managers actually know me. (Old man, wide purchasing variety since buying for the club, usually not to surly to the clerks. They remember.) About two weeks ago one came up to me while I was checking what they got in and started chatting. We ended up on the subject of increasing manga sales at the store and she asked if I had any suggestions. Uh, gee, let me think....

Basically, I gave her two. (Yes, just two. I save my longwinded otaku ramblings for places like this.)

First was to get new releases from high selling series when they COME OUT, not 4-8 weeks later. I can kind of forgive them this problem since manga marketing is different from general books. (Gave her a list for the last 6 months of when mangas were released, when I ended up ordering them online or at another store, and when they received them in store. She was surprised at the time lag. She now has some new data on why manga from the best selling lists don't sell at the store as well as they should.)

The second suggestion (and the one that deals with this thread)? Wrap all the manga except the first and every forth or fifth in the series. If people are going to check a series out to see if they like it, they will generally base it on the first volume. If there are a lot of volumes, leaving some of the later ones open for perusal will let them see if it would still hold their interest later. The only people who this will end up bothering in the long run wil be the camp-readers. People who buy them will still buy them. In fact, they will probably end up buying more since they will be able to get to them without fighting floor readers and they will be able to buy volumes that don't have broken spines, torn and bent pages (occasionally missing pages).

To back up the second suggestion, I pointed out 3 people in seperate areas, each with a small stack of manga. I predicted that none of them would buy anything and that several of the books would be in worse condition than they started. I came back the next day and asked her if any of them did buy anything. She said they hadn't and that I was spot on about several books being broken or tattered. Seems one of the readers has the nasty habit of folding the covers around like a magazine.

End result? They're thinking about wrapping manga (leaving the first open and wrapping alternating volumes after that). Enough to stop series readers but not enough to stop people actually looking to buy.

[aoishonen7]

Yes I do and i'm proud of it. Is quite economical (and sometimes I just don't have the money to buy them.) and if book stores didn't want people to do that they would'nt put so many comfy chairs and a Starbucks conneced to it. Not only do I read the manga, sometimes I read novels too. And no I would'nt want to go to the library because you can't eat there and there is no good manga. :P

[Stafal-chan]

:P yup...all the time...i walk down to Barnes and Noble and sit on one of their comfy chairs ^_^

[Suiko Eiji]

Sorry, but I honestly find this confusing. Moreover that Lesser Deadlock thinks someone "should be shot" (an exaggeration I understand, but an unnecessary one) for sitting and reading in a bookstore is mind boggling to me, especially when the bookstore provides seating areas. I'm sure there are people who abuse this bit of customer service and come time after time to sit and read without buying, but there are exceptions to every rule.

I've always used the coffee bar/seating areas as a place to chat or take a stack of books that look interesting to flip through and make final decisions on a purchase. Would I do this without the furniture? Most likely. But, since they are providing the furniture and services there to customers, I'll make use of it when available.

I wish going to the library was as easy as you make it sound, but even where I'm from (twin city of 100,000+, 2 city libraries, 1 very large university library) finding up-to-date books in my favorite genre (fantasy) was often next to impossible. To be honest, I can't honestly remember the last time I even read a book in a library (can't recall that many people did, outside of research, and I was a frequent visitor growing up). I'm not saying that people shouldn't buy books, but I enjoy the fact that bookstores don't discourage their customers from reading inside the store. Honest people are going to pay for the books, even if they've read half the novel before they leave.

Each library is different, pending on the clientel, available shelf-space, and the staff. I had really diverse interests when I was younger and my mom was always trying to urge me to read something other than comics, so I usually found something at the library (though, whether or not it got read was another story). Both the libraries I went to before I went to Uni were fairly well stocked in most areas and decent size, so perhaps I may have been lucky.

Also, when I said that the University library is the closest, it's also the only one I know of. Even now, it's only if I'm bored out or my gourd or need a lot of print sources for a research project that I end up heading to that library. (One of the best books I have ever read was from there and it was over 40 years old when I read it), so if one is only looking for non-academic, relaxing reading, I don't recommend the Uni libraries, either.

Whether the bookstore discourages it or not, that's their perogitive - afterall, it is all their property. I just feel it is wrong to go to a retail outlet, use their product, and return it to them without purchase.

Though, I only visit my local bookstore unless I'm certain of what it is I'm going to purchase...otherwise I just won't go. So my answer is obviously no. I've never read anything before purchasing at a bookstore.

Nine times out of ten, I'm like you, I'm getting a specific book and I only go when I can either afford it or have completed my current reading pile. My last girlfriend went through reading piles faster than I did, so on many of our shopping ventures, we stopped in a bookstore. Rather than stare at her checking out ChickLit, I ran over to the history section and flipped through a couple books.

[Manafairy]

Ooooh, major pet peeve, that. Manga cows are the main reason I hate buying books in a book store rather than over the internet. Not only do these people disrespect people who actually intend to buy the books by clogging up the aisle, blocking the selves, and sometimes even occupying a last copy of a particular volume, allowing no one who's actually there to shop a chance at it, but they disrespect the books themselves and make it so people who are anal retentive about the condition of their books (like me, for example- if I'm paying for something new, I want it to look that way, thank you.) have to pass up on purchasing the book they want, as all of the remaining copies end up torn, or bent, or sometimes even stained (including books that were shrink wrapped, for the record. A good manga cow also knows how to tear off the shrink wrap without having to purchase the book). I don't do it, and I find people who do to be intensely irritating. It's just one of those things that makes me want to rant and rave, you know.....

[Loopy]

Do it all the time when I'm on an iffy series and I don't know if I want to continue it or not. It gives me an easy way to see if I'm going to be running into crap without wasting my money.

[Milky Mixer]

I think most of us have probably made enough bad manga purchases to know if you're uncertain about a series, it's perfectly fine to take the time to read a bit of the story and flip through to see if the artwork is enjoyable. Who wants to get home with a bomb just 'cause it has a pretty cover (Pieces of a Spiral, anyone?)? It's a whole other deal to simply get your manga fix at the bookstore... yknow, read every volume of a series from cover to cover without paying for it.

My biggest requests to those who read in the aisles: 1) take care of the book you are looking at, don't crack the spine or crease the pages or get sticky fingerprints all over the cover... especially if you don't end up buying it, because someone else may want that book and will want it to feel brand new... and 2) most importantly, if you see someone come down the manga aisle and they're standing right in front of you trying to read the titles on the shelves you're blocking while you're sitting there on the floor, please have the courtesy to excuse yourself and move out of the way. It's the people who just sit there and keep reading and block everyone else from shopping who annoy me.

[Ariel Tsuki]

I do it, but not as often as I buy them. I usually read the series that are too many volumes and/or not good enough for me to want to buy them. I usually borrow books from friends or buy them either English-translated or in its original Japanese form (which I can read also). But eventually I'll end up buying the thing if its good enough, for example I read 20 volumes of Kare Kano, and I plan either buy it in Japanese or English, but it's a definate buy in the near future. However, there's some series that I won't consider buying like Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden because of Yuu Watase's penchant of ruining good stories with crappy Harelquin-ese romances. However most series that I read in bookstores I do eventually start collecting them. And I don't read in stores that forbids reading in them.

However, I do think they need a monitor for the manga sections and forbid food and drink except certain areas. When I read them, I treat them as if their my own books and put them back in the same pristine conditions I got them, respecting the bookstore and for the next customer who might buy them. When I go to a certain bookstore in New York City, they always, always leave the manga section a mess, which upsets me greatly...which I rarely buy from a major bookstore chain and buy from a comic book store or Japanese book store which sells English-translated manga.

And about people who block the sections, just say "excuse me" and they'll usually move. People block sections all the time in bookstores and it doesn't bother me in the least.

[Olin of Xephon]

Yes, of course, I can spend a whole day at Barnes and Noble, sifting through novels, art books, and of course, Manga.
However I do not condone, Indeed I HATE, those people sitting in the middle of the manga section, blocking everybody's browsing and making outright jackasses of themselves. You like Manga? Good for you, but enjoy responsibly, they have couches! (and a little cafe)

[gameoffreak8]

I've never read the manga in any store. If I haven't see or knowledge on manga before, so I read it for few minutes if it's good.

[Gabs]

I have never read manga inside the bookstore and probably never will. I buy the book and take it home to read.

[Lemina]

I actually do most of the time just to see if it interests me and if the series itself is worth buying. If it does, I'll sit down and read it a little. I don't own many manga series myself so I'm always considering getting into manga series. If it doesn't interest me, I'll carefully put the book back where it belongs. People who sit down to read on the floor don't bother me as I mostly do the same thing, but just as long as they don't completely clog up the asle.

[riceavenger]

I'm one of those douches that go to Borders and read an entire book (or several books...) without buying it.

Sorry, but just reading 4 or 5 pages isn't really enough for me to get a sample of whether the book is any good. I do however, buy the book if it sparks me interest enough. I've bought ever volume of Negima and I's so far.

Btw, in Taiwan there's manga stores where you pay a hourly fee to sit down at the store and read whatever manga you please. They'll even give you free soda/water while you're enjoying your book.

[Suiko Eiji]

Btw, in Taiwan there's manga stores where you pay a hourly fee to sit down at the store and read whatever manga you please. They'll even give you free soda/water while you're enjoying your book.

They have places like that in Japan, too. And, to be honest, I'm not sure why they've not caught on in the US, unless no one's really heard of them.

Oh, on a related note, I stopped by my local Japanese grocers last weekend (for the first time in what felt like forever) and in thier used books section they forbid tachiyomi. Just noticed the sign this time around, too...

[Gasaraki]

Well, my local Borders has no problem with people sitting and reading ANY books, so yes, I've read manga without buying them. However, I've also purchased series that way where if I had only read the first volume, I would definitely NOT have bought it. Although on the other hand, I've read entire series without buying anything.

[HitokiriShadow]

I do sometimes. I read the first few volumes of Hot Gimmick in the store without buying them, although I went back and bought them and the rest of the released volumes a about a year later.

There are some series I am interested in reading but not in buying. I plan on reading all of FullMetal Alchemist and Chibi Vampire in stores.

[Ariel Tsuki]

[QUOTE=Suiko Eiji]They have places like that in Japan, too. And, to be honest, I'm not sure why they've not caught on in the US, unless no one's really heard of them.[/in thier QUOTE]

I don't think it would be successful in the US unless every comic book store in the nation shinkwrapped their titles. As long Barnes and Noble let their customers read their books or similar bookstore, it will not work unless there's a gimmick that make people stay. Like a cafe with a manga library or the such.

[Suiko Eiji]

I don't think it would be successful in the US unless every comic book store in the nation shinkwrapped their titles. As long Barnes and Noble let their customers read their books or similar bookstore, it will not work unless there's a gimmick that make people stay. Like a cafe with a manga library or the such.

That's more or less what I was referring to. Many of the Manga Cafes in Japan have a full-service type of restaurant to go along with them, more than just the coffee bar type of deal. A place that one could go in, sit down, and grab like a sandwich and some snacks over a couple hours and just read.

[Soluzar]

That's more or less what I was referring to. Many of the Manga Cafes in Japan have a full-service type of restaurant to go along with them, more than just the coffee bar type of deal. A place that one could go in, sit down, and grab like a sandwich and some snacks over a couple hours and just read.
Don't the manga get horribly stained and marked up?

[Suiko Eiji]

Any more than someone reading something else that doesn't belong to them?

I mean, I'm sure accidents happen, whether in B&N, Manga Cafes, or what have you but I would imagine most people would take a little extra care of something that's not theirs, much like borrowing a book from the library.

[Animematt55]

I buy my manga..leave the store..and read them at home.
Good, more people should do this.
When i worked at Media Play. There was this group of three girls that came in about once a week. They would each get a pile of manga, and sit (they actually sat in chairs amazingly) and read them for hours. Pissed me the F*** off to, since they never bought any of them. I wanted to yell at them. Buy it, or GTFO!

[Soluzar]

Any more than someone reading something else that doesn't belong to them?

I mean, I'm sure accidents happen, whether in B&N, Manga Cafes, or what have you but I would imagine most people would take a little extra care of something that's not theirs, much like borrowing a book from the library.
Reading while eating never seemed like a great idea to me. Still, I'm sure you're right. I'd love the idea of a Manga Cafe, personally, but I wouldn't trust myself to eat anything while enjoying the merchandise.

[Animematt55]

People who read books in stores should be shot. I'll look through something just long enough to see if I want to buy it. That's it. You want to read books, go to the library. You want to buy books, go to a store. There's a difference. Learn it.
here here! :cheers:

The whole manga cafe thing sounds like a good idea. Pay a small fee, get a drink and read books. maybe order soem food. Then of course, there is the problem of people making a mess of the books. I mean, this IS america, we aren't the neatest peopel around.

[Mikadzuki Tatsu]

The whole manga cafe thing sounds like a good idea. Pay a small fee, get a drink and read books. maybe order soem food. Then of course, there is the problem of people making a mess of the books. I mean, this IS america, we aren't the neatest peopel around.There's also the problem of some people not respecting what's not theirs. I know of too many people who are more careful with their own things than they are with someone else's (even though it should be the other way around <_< ). That's the only problem I see with a manga café--people who are more likely to be careless with the books because they aren't theirs.

Now, if people were forced to pay for books they messed up, that might change things. Then people would be more careful with books they don't plan on buying.

[Meganly-chan]

Very rarely, but I have done it. Mostly to 1) pass the time 2) see if I want to buy the series 3) read a series I would otherwise not want to collect and pay for

[xxdreamergirlxx]

People who read books in stores should be shot. I'll look through something just long enough to see if I want to buy it. That's it. You want to read books, go to the library. You want to buy books, go to a store. There's a difference. Learn it.
I completely agree.

Plus the jerks reading stuff on the floor always seem to be in my way. <_<

[Caine]

hmm, apparently I should begin wearing a kevlar vest.
I will get books/manga and simply read them. There usually aren't any free seats at the B&N i go to, but I make sure to move when anybody comes, and I almost always wind up buying something. I started reading Deathnote and HunterxHunter because I read them in the store. I freely admit that I have not yet bought all of the volumes that I read (though I plan on doing so when money is less of a problem), but had I not read in the store, i would not have bought any volumes. Yes, some people abuse it, but they provide a starbucks (in true starbucks fashion, there is another starbucks right across the parking lot) and chairs, not to mention AC, which is the real reason I abuse this right/privelage/oversight.

[Thousand Eyes]

I've read Blame Vol. 2 and 3 at the book store as well as Dragon Head Vol. 1 and 2, which I ended up liking so much that I purchased them. I also read Dead End Vol. 2 and The Abandoned Vol. 1.

[Carmel]

but had I not read in the store, i would not have bought any volumes.You know, you could download the volumes for both of those easily, and that would take up less space in the store and less pre-reading of a book before someone who actually wants to spend money on books comes around.

[Zeb]

I really really hate it when people read the books in the store but don't buy it. Not only do they treat the book REALLY REALLY badly (bending it back, breaking the spine, pulling out pages etc.) they have the gall to NOT buy it afterwards.

If you love manga, why not support the industry by BUYING?
And if you can't afford, I think you should atleas treat the book properly ~_~

[Caine]

You know, you could download the volumes for both of those easily, and that would take up less space in the store and less pre-reading of a book before someone who actually wants to spend money on books comes around.

legally?

Anywho, as I've said, I almost always buy. It's not as if I don't spend any money.

@zeb, yes that happens, but not everybody does it (damaged books are fairly rare in the B&N I go to). Please don't blame all for the actions of a few.

[Zeb]

Oh Caine no I am not pointing fingers :)
It's just a niggly annoyance, because it always ends up being the book I want to buy!
And the Borders here in NZ won't order in brand spanking new copies, until the shop copy is sold :/

[HitokiriShadow]

I really really hate it when people read the books in the store but don't buy it. Not only do they treat the book REALLY REALLY badly (bending it back, breaking the spine, pulling out pages etc.) they have the gall to NOT buy it afterwards.

If you love manga, why not support the industry by BUYING?
And if you can't afford, I think you should atleas treat the book properly ~_~

I agree with you that people need to treat the books well for the people that actually buy it. But don't assume that everyone that reads the books in the store isn't also buying others. I'm collecting 40+ series and there are some that I want to read but not buy, so I read a few in the store.

[Carmel]

legally?Well, no, but it's not like you're going to be locked away for it. :rolleyes: Adding to that the fact that as you'll be purchasing the manga later justifies your pre-reading of downloaded manga far more then most who just read it online and leave it at that.

Honestly, I see reading in book stores far worse then downloading something, especially when someone is going in the store to buy a new book and it's been read by 1-50 people beforehand.

[Caine]

Well, no, but it's not like you're going to be locked away for it. :rolleyes: Adding to that the fact that as you'll be purchasing the manga later justifies your pre-reading of downloaded manga far more then most who just read it online and leave it at that.

Honestly, I see reading in book stores far worse then downloading something, especially when someone is going in the store to buy a new book and it's been read by 1-50 people beforehand.

So in other words, I should break the law even though I have an alternative that is legal, practical, and costs the same amount, plus gets me the bonus of being in an air conditioned building?

[kerotanbox]

lol i always find like 8 asians at the manga section at borders. the aisle is like 4 feet long. they're all crammed up. I havent been into manga or anime until now.

[goddessofanime]

I'll usually just take a quick looksy just to see if it's good and something I might like.

I don't have the patience to sit there and freakin' read it. I'm slow.

[Carmel]

So in other words, I should break the law even though I have an alternative that is legal, practical, and costs the same amount, plus gets me the bonus of being in an air conditioned building?Yup, you sumed it up, at least that way you're not reading something that another person is going to be spending their money on. If they wanted to buy a previously read book, they might as well find a place to pay half the price for it.

[Caine]

Yup, you sumed it up, at least that way you're not reading something that another person is going to be spending their money on. If they wanted to buy a previously read book, they might as well find a place to pay half the price for it.

We aren't dealing with collectable editions here, we're dealing with regular books/manga. Few people can tell the difference between a book that's been respectfully read two or three times and a book that's never been read without a good deal of effort. Also, breaking the law for the convenience of others doesn't strike me as a great idea.

[Danzoh Katoh]

We aren't dealing with collectable editions here, we're dealing with regular books/manga. Few people can tell the difference between a book that's been respectfully read two or three times and a book that's never been read without a good deal of effort. Also, breaking the law for the convenience of others doesn't strike me as a great idea.

I'm with Carmel. Stop messing with the books I'm going to buy! I constantly need to order things online just to make sure the book isn't ruined when I get it (it's a hassle). I'm sure some people are careful but most people are careless merely because they figure they're not going to buy it and thus have no respect for it. I can totally tell which books have been thumbed through versus completely read.

*By the way reading books without buying is actually considered stealing in the same way downloading is. There is absolutely now difference according to law. The only reason that you're allowed to do it is because the law is not enforced (sorry to burst your bubble).*

[Carmel]

*By the way reading books without buying is actually considered stealing in the same way downloading is. There is absolutely now difference according to law. The only reason that you're allowed to do it is because the law is not enforced (sorry to burst your bubble).*They do try to enforce it in several stores actually, many wrap all their manga in plastic (all because of the people who sit around reading), and others - like most of the stores I visit - have removed all their lounging chairs. One store has a roped off section with chairs which before entering has a sign stating "Only read if you have purchased your book", and those are in the nation wide stores that are making all the money, if people were to try and read a book in a small store it wouldn't work, at least not without feeling very uncomfortable from the looks you'd be getting...

I was in a store once when an employee walked up to a kid and asked if they intended to purchase the manga, or something along those lines, I was pretty surprised they went that far, but maybe the kid had been reading them all day and the employee was getting ticked off... not that I'd blame them.

[Animematt55]

I was in a store once when an employee walked up to a kid and asked if they intended to purchase the manga, or something along those lines, I was pretty surprised they went that far, but maybe the kid had been reading them all day and the employee was getting ticked off... not that I'd blame them.
I have wanted to do that to the group of girls that came in once aweek to read the manga.
I was talkign to her about one series and she was liek "yeah, I am reading that series right now!" THen i see her putting the whoel series back on the shelf...

[master terrence]

I see people doing that, but honestly I don't because I don't go out to read, that's something I prefer to do in the own comfort of my home. I still see people sitting on the floor reading between the isles :rolleyes:

[shin_gyokakuran]

when purchasing books about almost anything try buying at a bookstore in singapore :thumbsup: not only are the personnel very friendly but if you problems with a book your purchasing, they will attend to it immediately. You can even read an entire book there >till closing time, no kidding< and just buy a poster or nothing still the personnel will still be kind to you.