For or Against "Online manga scanlations"

[elebe11y]

Online manga scanlations, a means of getting manga virtually free of the internet for non-japanese readers. Are you for or against? Why? Why hasn't it been fully banned?

-I thought a good amount people like to keep the higher-quality manga. So it acts like advertisment. But I reaserched and found out that as the popularity and size of online manga scalations increased so the American sale rates went down.

[deidara#1]

To be honest if I was forced to buy Naruto manga to be able to read it, I would probably not read Naruto at all.

[Bacon]

It's unfortunate,but online scanlations are an unintended consequence of the internet, just like youtube videos of copyrighted material and roms for emulators.

[ILIKEPIE]

this is a difficult debate online allows people to read the mangas faster and for free but on the other hand it hurts the manga companies and causing less mangas to be made

[sharingangirl]

I buy the volumes when I can, but I like to be up to date on Naruto and online scanlations are the way to do that.
The youtube debate is a hard one. I mean, on one hand I think we should be able to make amv's without the music being removed, but on another, my friends don't buy music anymore. They just download it off youtube, which is wrong imo. Same with this, we should be able to be up to date, but true fans would buy the manga's, just like true fans would buy the music.

[zerosameri]

I for one fined it fine, but as long as you compensate the coast with an Naruto related items so it's not 100% free.

[Apollo Justice]

I buy Box sets and the Naruto Manga for collection as well as box sets for other anime so I'm still contributing to the industries. But think about it this way online manga websites got me into other manga/anime so it is somewhat advertising.

[mrsticky005]

For.

It may be illegal but I'm still cool with it.
I like reading the latest chapters.

I also like actually owning the volumes.

But aren't I reading the scanlations INSTEAD of buying the volumes?

No. I read the scans and then when I can I buy the volumes.
While others may be satisfied with just the scans I'm not.
I want the volumes and I'm happy to pay for the volumes.
Even if you remove the scans all that means is I'm not
going to be able to read the scans. It doesn't mean I'm
all of sudden going to be able to buy all the volumes I want.
My buying the volumes is dependent on how much money I have.
Not whether or not scans exist.

Even as a creator I'm cool with manga scans.
If people scanned/copied my comics I'd be fine.
I don't see it as "losing" anything because in
order for me to "lose" I would have to assume
had my comics NOT been scanned/copied
then it is 100% certain that those who
read the scanned/copied version of my
comic would buy my comic if the
scanned/copied version did not exist.

There are two reasons why people don't buy comics or manga.

1. They can't

2. They won't

Now scans not existing isn't going to change the first one.
If someone is unable to buy a volume then they are unable to buy a volume.

Even the second one doesn't necessarily change with no scans existing.
There are series that I don't think are worth owning. I won't buy them.
Might I read them online? Possibly. But usually if a series is worth reading
it is also worth buying and then I buy it. However other series I'll read
and I don't like them. I'm not going to buy them. Instead of scanlations
think of reading books in stores. That's pretty much what scanlations are.
I use to always read books in stores. I bought some of them. I also didn't
buy others of them. Two things decided if I would buy the book or not.
1. Could I buy it? 2. Is it worth buying? Some books were. Others weren't.

So am I reading scans instead of buying volumes?

No. If I don't buy the volume it's because 1. I can't 2. It's not worth buying.

And again if it's worth reading. It's worth buying.
Though just because I read something doesn't mean it's worth reading.

I suppose there's the argument that if I'm unable to read it before
buying it then I will have to buy it to read it and therefore I will buy it.

However I disagree. Sure in some cases I might "take my chances"
and buy a book I've never read any of it before. But not likely.
Maybe if it has a nice cover I'll buy it (yes I DO judge a book by it's cover.)
and maybe I won't. It's a toss up. However if it doesn't have a nice cover
then I don't buy it. However sometimes books don't have nice covers
but great stories. I read them and I buy them in spite of the bad covers.

I read scans.
I buy volumes.

Peace.

[ItachiAnbu]

I also ready scans and buy volumes.