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Is There Such A Thing As Fake Manga? (Answered)

Since the Manga industry has become more well-known, many people have developed an interest in buying and collecting Manga. 

While some simply read on websites that offer pirated copies, others purchase original Manga to support their favorite Mangaka and amass a collection for themselves. 

However, the issue arises when you come across a Manga that is being offered for a far lower price than the original and you are unsure whether it is a cheap knockoff or simply a used Manga.

Origin of Manga

Manga, which can be loosely translated as whimsical pictures, has its roots in sequential art, which is a story told through a series of images. 

Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga from the 12th century is regarded to be the first example of Japanese sequential art. 

Katsushika Hokusai, a well-known 16th-century woodblock print (Ukiyo-e) artist, is credited with coining the term “Manga” first.

Together, Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga and Ukiyo-e influenced the creation of the inexpensive illustrated Kibyoshi (yellow-backed) volumes from the late 18th century, which are where the earliest examples of contemporary Manga initially emerged. 

The well-known early 20th-century works by Kitazawa Yasuji for the weekly comic strip Jiji Manga in the Jiji Shimpo daily newspaper greatly contributed to the term Manga becoming widely used to refer to this new kind of art.

Adults began to love inexpensive Akabon (red books) in the middle of the 1940s. 

Because of his efforts to incorporate cinematic techniques, sound effects, lengthy story arcs, and in-depth character development across a variety of Manga genres, Osamu Tezuka—one of Akabon’s most well-known authors—became recognized as the grandfather of Japanese Manga. 

Manga’s growth into an unrivaled mass media industry by the 1970s was fueled by the appearance of more somber Manga Gekiga volumes in the 1950s.

Dragon Ball Manga by Akira Toriyama
Dragon Ball Manga by Akira Toriyama

How to spot Fake Manga?

Even from the cover, it might be difficult to identify fraudulent Manga. To determine whether a Manga is authentic or a fake, a buyer must delve in and examine numerous factors such as the graphics, translation, print quality, and unusual scenarios. 

Speaking of low-cost Mangas, a business named TR Media is gaining popularity for doing so, but the question is: Are these Mangas authentic or merely bootleg? 

Due to the conflicting views expressed online, the question is not simple to answer. 

The issue that is frequently noticed in the Manga sales by TR Media is that the physical components are a little wrong but the content seems to be the same.

According to our research, some of the customers who were purchasing Manga from TR Media decided to ask the company about the rumors that they were selling fake Manga and sought their explanation, but the business simply disappeared without ever returning their calls. 

The content of the Mangas sold by TR Media, according to some, appears to be the same, so they must be authentic.

Finding a license page in the Manga that can be found at the beginning, middle, and end of the Manga is the only legitimate way, in my opinion, to determine the originality of the Manga offered by TR Media or any other vendor. 

The license will demonstrate the Manga’s validity because it shows that the publisher is authorized to publish the author’s Manga anywhere in the world when it has a license page.

Difference between Fake and Authentic Manga

The pricing is the first and most obvious distinction between a fake and a legitimate Manga. 

The official publishing rights to a particular writer’s work are included in the original Manga, which is sold for a relatively higher price. 

The high price also supports Mangaka’s labor-intensive process. 

The second distinction is the print or graphic quality since Manga’s high-quality images cost a lot of money to produce. 

The original one had pictures created by the publisher, including Viz, Yen Press, Kodansha, and Shueisha. However, the imitation Manga might have subpar paper and artwork.

The third distinction is the absence of crucial story arcs and pointless sequences. The original author’s scenes and story arcs are found in the real Manga, however, some of these elements are omitted from the false Manga in order to reduce the cost of printing and paper.

Check out this video for more details:

Real VS Fake Manga

Impact of Fake Manga on the Orginal Manga Industry

As we can see, there are pirated Manga websites functioning to offer free Manga reading options, which is a horrible thing because it will have an unimaginable influence on the Manga industry

It is a serious criminal and copyright violation. The industry is having a lot of financial issues as a result of these bootleg and pirated Mangas, which eventually hurts the writers and artists. 

In comparison to the amount of effort they put into their work, the creators of our favorite Manga receive very little compensation. 

Most importantly, it is unethical to make personal advantages from someone else’s intellectual property without making any remuneration to the owner.

Dragon Ball Manga by  Akira Toriyama

How does Piracy impact Manga?

Manga still has a huge global audience, but the problem of piracy is severely harming the industry. 

The core of Japanese media is Manga, which supplies fresh and creative content to almost all of it. Almost every other type of media in Japan is in danger if the Manga is.

Manga was a niche market in many nations when it was first released abroad. 

However, it quickly sparked the interest of readers all over the world, creating a passionate worldwide fan base that grew dissatisfied at not having access to the same material as their Japanese counterparts. 

Manga’s international release was inevitably delayed by the requirement to translate them from Japanese. 

Additionally, a lot of titles were never made available outside of their home countries because they were deemed unsuitable for particular markets, failed in Japan, or were only released locally by independent publishers.

The Internet provided a fantastic answer for enthusiasts. Many people who studied Japanese bought the original Manga, had it scanned, translated, and altered, and then released it online for free download. 

Unfortunately, what started as a practice supported by passionate fans has become into a significant blight on the business. 

Manga’s very existence is in danger due to the practice of “scanlation,” which involves scanning, translating, and uploading Manga on the Internet.

Unauthorized book scanning, also known as “raws,” is a behavior known as “jisui,” which translates to “to prepare for oneself.” 

With the adoption of e-readers and computing tablets, jisui has developed into a full-fledged industry thanks to the rise of well-known scanlation aggregator websites that host thousands of Manga episodes and make them freely available online. 

Scanlators make money through advertising on their own websites and from the money-earning points they receive for each download from an aggregation website.

The biggest Manga publishers, though, are retaliating by interacting with readers in novel ways. This year, Kadokawa Group Publishing Co. Ltd. (Kadokawa) released numerous well-liked books simultaneously in significant Asian markets. 

In addition, the Japan Book Publishers Association launched a number of initiatives earlier this year to crack down on unauthorized scanlation activities. 

Organizations like Tezuka Productions offer legal, electronic English-language versions of popular Manga for tablet computers.

List of some famous Manga

 MangaManga Artist
One PieceElichiro Oda
Golgo 13Takao Saito 
Dragon BallAkira Toriyama
NarutoMasashi Kisimoto
Detective ConanGosho Aoyama
Black JackOsama Tezuka
Slam DunkTakehiko Inoue
Crayon Shin ChanYoshito Usui
List of some popular Manga.
Slam Dunk Manga by Takehiko Inoue

Conclusion

  • Manga makes up a sizable portion of the Japanese publishing market, so there are comics available for all ages, genders, and interests. This is the main distinction between them and American comics.
  • Fake Manga is quite cheaper compared to real Manga. You won’t have to spend a lot of money on fake Manga. 
  • Graphic quality is different in fake and real Manga. The real Manga will have high video quality compared to the fake Manga.

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