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Recently 36 of the largest manga publishers in Japan and the United States joined together to combat the growing threat to the manga and anime industry that is bootleg manga made available for download, more commonly referred to by anime fans as "scanlations." The coalition is pursuing legal action against 30 of the most popular "scanalation aggregator" sites.

Link to original article: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-...anga-scan-sites

Shortly following the announcement One Manga, one of the aforementioned scanlation aggregators has announced that they will be removing all unauthorized manga from their website by "early next week" in reference to the week of July 25-31, 2010.

Link to original article: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-...ll-remove-manga

members of this coalition are as follows:

• Square Enix
• VIZ Media
• TOKYOPOP
• Vertical Inc.
• Tuttle-Mori Agency
• Yen Press
• Akane Shinsha
• Akita Shoten
• ASCII Media Works
• East Press
• Ichijinsha
• Enterbrain
• Okura Shuppan
• Ohzora Shuppan
• Gakken
• Kadokawa Shoten
• Gentosha Comics
• Kodansha
• Jitsugyo No Nihonsha
• Shueisha
• Junet
  
• Shogakukan
• Shogakukan Shueisha Production
• Shodensha
• Shonen Gahosha
• Shinsokan
• Shinchosa
• Take Shobo
• Tatsumi Shuppan
• Tokuma Shoten
• Nihon Bungeisha
• Hakusensha
• Fujimi Shobo
• Fushosha
• Futubasha
• France Shoin
• Bunkasha
• Houbunsha
• Magazine House
• Media Factory
• Leed sha
• Libra Shuppan

Highlighted in bold above are the companies that publish the works of Tanemura Arina, the mangaka that this site is focused around.

Scanlations have for a long time been crippling the manga and anime industries both in Japan and the United States and this is the first step in combating a problem, that without being addressed would surely bring the end of the manga anime industry as a whole.

So-called "fans" of the manga and anime would use these scanlation aggregation sites to read translated works for free in order to avoid having to support the creator of the works. A fan is someone who supports what they love and support so that more works can be created. Nobody has defined why these people are not anime fans better than Answerman from the famous site AnimeNewsNetwork. To quote:

Original Article: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2007-09-28

Yeah, I've heard about One Manga shutting down. I understand why it's been done, but I have my own reasons for using this site. I do respect the admins of One Manga for listening to these demands.

I don't like to read scanalations very often. In fact, the only times I've ever used One Manga is because I can't read a manga in English yet, or if the series is too long for me to complete in my collection. Otherwise, I go all-out to buy manga, even if the actual translators suck at it because the profits do go towards the creators (or so I think; tell me if I'm wrong).

I always do my best to buy manga and support the creators. It's just a bit difficult to always do that because my parents are generally against the use of credit cards online, (it takes me a long time to persuade them into buying anything online, even if it's discounted from the in-store prices,) so getting some titles is difficult, especially if it's not released in English, or it's hard to find in bookstores. My family also doesn't have a lot of money we can "throw around" these days, not that anyone does due to financial circumstances...

However, I do try my best to buy manga as soon as I can. Unfortunately, it's hard to do when it's an ongoing series, because new releases are always coming out.

What I would like is if there was a way to get an English version subscription to the Japanese manga magazines, at the same time as the Japanese releases, or even a week or two behind. It's a bit annoying to have to wait so much longer than the fans in Japan. I would definitely get a subscription to Ribon or WSJ (the two manga magazines I read current manga from the most) but I prefer to read my favorite manga in English because I can understand it... I mean, even if, somehow, the releases weren't quite as HQ, I wouldn't mind - after all, I don't mind the quality of scanlations, even speed-scans such as those by SleepyFans. Anyway, I don't see why it can't be possible to do. I mean, the folks at SleepyFans are capable of doing such things at the rate we all like, so I don't see why it can't be done officially. I understand that it could be a problem financially, but I'm sure there are some people out there who would be willing to do this for a fairly lower wage, such as the scanlators who currently do such things. All I'm saying regarding this, is that the task is technically possible, and it's not unreasonable to think that some people just want to help out the manga-loving community, even if they're not paid. (I do realize it may not be actually "helping" but I know their intentions of making their favorite manga popular is pure, even if these people are not doing things in the right ways.)

My point with the whole subscription thing is that it should be possible, and even if it's a digital copy, it's still a release at the speed the English-speaking fans would like.

I know about the OpenManga platform that's supposed to come out sometime soon, but I do have to wonder if they'll offer magazine subscription packages... I kinda hope so, but I also kinda doubt it. I guess we'll have to wait and see... One thing I really hope is that they'll release all the really popular manga (such as those in WSJ) as they're published in the Japanese magazines...

If I have to pay, I'm okay with that. I just want the manga when it's released, not three years later. I can understand that it takes some time to release manga in another language (such as English) but considering that many anime are simulcasts now, it's not unreasonable to think manga (even if only the really populare ones) could be "simulcasted" as well.

What I'd really like is a manga version of Crunchyroll. I mean, I'm a paying member of CR, and it's only around 20 cents per day...

(Umm sorry I said so much but I just keep typing without realizing how much I've alreayd written! Sorry if you fell asleep during this post. LOL)

I heard about that. I was annoyed, I'd usually buy it, but some series are hard to find, especially one's that are out of print. Or some sreies that aren't published in English.

I read what I cannot buy. You should just LOOK at how hard it is to get non-mainstream manga in england. But anything that I can actually buy, I will buy it!

I never have ANY money anyway, I'm 100% struggling to get by. If I had the money, then I'd defiantly buy more manga.

Saying that I have quite a few manga, massive shelf full XD. Even with alice 19th, which I read online, I started buying the manga after I'd read it. It takes me a while though ^^ I make it a rule, ANY manga read online, I WILL eventually buy.

I'm involved in a few manga scanslators, and we have all decided that if any of the manga we are translating get licensed, we will drop them immediately. The industry is struggling, A LOT. So we're all going to put our 3 cents in!! (Or was it 2? British person + American Expression = WTF)

You can also buy manga with a translation sheet online, for those manga you can't read. I think this is good, where this service is available.

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Have you noticed, that anime that ONLY just aired in Japan, like high school of the dead and shiki, they got licenced by Funi before they where even broadcasted? Yeah, this is the industry fighting back at fansubbers. Most of us are fans, and drop a series once it gets licensed, so we basically can't touch Shiki or HSOTD for moral reasons. Saying "we", I've only ever fansubbed 1 thing, and it was a jdrama clip. So yeah, I may scanslate, but I don't sub anymore.

Also, in the fandub AVA community, MOST of us won't touch an anime that has been licensed anymore. That's why I dropped most of my projects. Otherwise, we're killing the industry in which we want to work in in the near future...Irony. Some people that I know are actually Pro VA's that still AVA, and they are always stating the importance of helping the industry.



So yeah, The industry may be getting back on its feet, but we all have to help with that!

Wow!! I can't believe that they didn't do this earlier. I feel bad that they are doing this though. I've been reading a lot of manag online, but I always buy it afterwards and I never download the manga.

I actually think this is rather silly of them to do. I always buy the manga after I have read it online and I never download it. Kind of a shame, really..

Well, ADV shut down because of the dramatic loss of profit. And this is ADV, considered one of the top top anime licence/anime misc studios. ADV, funimation, Beez, all names we've heard of.

Its also illegal, just to clarify. SO I can understand perfectly WHY they chose to do so.

I mean, if you where loosing thousands of dollars a year due to this, I'm sure you'd choose to stop it right? For the money.

However from our point of view, its a sad occasion.

Since we as good fans, buy afterwards. However 90% of people DON'T. This is the problem.

Well yeah that does make sense. I guess in a way I understand why they do it. The only problem is now I may not be able to read manga's that A: Haven't been released in the US yet and B: Are old and not being sold anymore.

Yeah High School of the Dead is actually being broadcast on The Anime Network

There are few series I've read online. Tsuabasa Reservoir chronicles and Cardcaptor Sakura would be some of my favourites, I am currently working on collecting TRC, but it's hard as I can't really find them anywhere. Cardcaptor Sakura seems to be that its getting reprinted, but they keep delaying it...

I read Tsubasa's last two volumes online. I got the first 25 for Christmas from my dad. Wait they are reprinting Cardcaptor Sakura? Really?

well, as BWR said it IS hard to get manga in england, same in scotland!
if I read a manga online, I can't promise to buy it, because I rarely get the chance to buy manga, it was sheer luck that I managed to get 3 volumes of GA+ to start of my love for Arina-sensei (I read one volume of FMWS before that, but I forgot who made the manga -shot- XD)
I have never downloaded manga, ever, it's not fair ttht we don't buy it, that's why the manga books an anime DVDs are on the shop's shelves, to SELL. They are not free hand outs.

I really wish I could buy the manga/anime DVD's if I could, but it's hard when you're in a low-funded family.very hard.

and ONEMANGA/COM CLOSED ?! D;

ADV? What does that stand for? (Having a temporary brain fart..)
That is a huge bummer, though. Oh, well...I can live with waiting to buy the books, but still...it's kind of sad.

Neku, I find Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles at my local Barnes and Noble all the time. (Sorry, that sounded really weird...)

Yeah so do I, but Neku doesn't live in the US.

Yeah, manga in Ireland is EXPENSIVE and the selection is really bad. You can only get really, really popular ones. Or the ones I already have. I got ones I liked in Edinburgh when I was there and I they were really good ones in the shop Forbidden Planet. We have one here but the manga is nearly twice as much. >:(

Darkhorse manga is meant to be reprinting Cardcaptor Sakura, they reprinted Clover and Chobits and they said they were reprinted Cardcaptor Sakura and one other CLAMP series. You can preorder Cardcaptor Sakura but they keep delaying it....

I have the most random volumes of TRC and XXX Holic. I just find them randomly and buy them. I did that with Tokuo Babylon too.

It's true manga is pretty much impossible to get here. I've recently found a shop about an hour away but I can't go often because my parents are usually working during it's opening times :(. Also sadly they only have a small selection. The only other place to buy manga is in Dublin city and I haven't been there in like ten years. And I'm almost never aloud to buy stuff online.
I think the darkhorse CCS will be released in November and it's rumoured that both volumes might be released together (and it'll have coloured chapter images apparently :D)

Is onemanga shutting down D: I need it to make wallpapers/sigs T_T

Urk, sorry! I keep forgetting not everyone here lives in America. >_>

And yes, OneManga is shutting down. Wah! :(

YAY!! I have Clover I bought it at Barnes and Nobles. I can;t wait for CCS to come out again!!

BlueLionHeart: It's ok I forget that sometimes too!

It sucks that we can't get out-of-print stuff anymore.

And also considering the fact that many fans do buy the series once they've previewed it. I for one never go into a bookstore and buy a series I never read before, I flip through it or even read the first chapter or volume! But then I'll buy it. And if I don't have enough money to buy it, I make sure to bring enough the next time.

It really is a shame that it had to come to this... But I think it would be cool if there was a manga version of Crunchyroll or something like that... Just along those lines.

I know OpenManga is gonna be a way to read some manga but I doubt it'll be as convenient as CR... It's just because anime is 30 minutes minus commercial time. Manga is varied lengths from around 20 pages to around 50 pages for a chapter, depending on the publication schedule. So pricing is a bit different, therefore making things confusing. If only there were digital subscriptions to English versions of Japanese magazines, available around the same time as the Japanese magazine is sent out to subscribers. When I say I'd like them around the same time, I mean a few days to a week later. Not many years later. I know it's technically possible to translate in that short period because the scanlators do it, and for free. I'm not saying they're doing a good or bad thing, all I'm saying is that they can do that effectively within the given time period I'm talking about, and they're able to get it to as many people who visit manga streaming sites right away. Again, I'm not judging these actions at this point but I'm just saying that if the scalators can do it so fast and are willing to do it for free, why can't the official people do that? It's crazy to me...