Ask John: Is It Bad to Buy More Manga Than You Read?

Question:
I have a habit of buying manga (and sometimes even anime) and never getting the chance to read it. Then I see more that I want and end up buying more while I still have some left to read! Do you think this is a problem?

Answer:
My initial response may seem obvious, but stating it clearly is necessary to answer the question. Buying too much manga or anime is a problem if it’s causing problems for you. If your interest in collecting manga is so compulsive that you’re compromising your financial situation, causing yourself mental or physical stress, or compromising your relationships with other people, then your obsession is clearly problematic and you should ask for advice and help from parents or friends.

But if you’re not suffering any ill effects because of your hobby, then it’s probably not a problem. You may feel guilty about buying manga that you don’t get around to actually reading. That feeling of guilt is generated by a stubborn but inadequate sense of responsibility. I think it’s fairly normal for consumers to believe that products should be purchased in order to be used. In particular, books should be purchased to be read, and purchasing books that you don’t read is wasteful and unnecessary. But that belief is an incomplete perception that only sees the act of buying a product from a single perspective. The sense of responsibility to actually read the books you purchase fails to consider the satisfaction that comes from merely owning manga.

Having a large manga library is gratifying. For a manga or anime fan, it’s pleasing to look at a bookshelf full of manga; it’s satisfying to know that you own a large collection of manga. Actually reading the individual books doesn’t necessarily have any bearing on the joy of simply owning a large library. Anime and manga are designed to entertain. If you feel happy just knowing that you own a large collection of manga, then the manga are serving their intended purpose, and there’s no problem. There’s nothing wrong with keeping manga as mere decorations instead of keeping them as reading material. Obviously manga are intended to be read, but if they bring you happiness without you needing to actually read them, then there’s no problem.