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Is There Such A Thing As Bootleg Manga? (Find Out)

The licencing page is the greatest way to determine whether the Manga you buy is a knockoff or not.

The majority of the time, it’s simple to distinguish a bootleg Manga from its authentic equivalent because it lacks a license sheet and an ISBN. 

However, the problem with pirated Manga is that it may take on any form. 

Therefore, everything that the genuine ones will have will also be present in the counterfeit versions.

It’s impossible to predict whether or not the license page will remain on the counterfeit copies. However, the counterfeit ones do carry the ISBN. 

How can you tell whether the Manga you buy is a bootleg or not when the fake ones look exactly like the genuine ones?

What is Bootleg?

The term bootlegging currently most frequently refers to the act of creating, disseminating, and reselling unlicensed copies of works protected by intellectual property rights, trademarks, or patents. 

Although neither piracy nor bootlegging has any legal significance, the behavior is frequently referred to as piracy. The word copyright infringement is frequently used in court.

Though not always, bootlegs are prohibited in most jurisdictions. However, for a long time, it was acceptable in Taiwan (Republic of China) to manufacture unlicensed copies of foreign works that had not been distributed in Taiwan within 30 days after their initial publication. 

While the importation of these bootlegs into most other nations was lawful in Taiwan, it was always prohibited in North America. 

The act is no longer valid in Taiwan as of its entry into the World Trade Organization on January 1st, 2002.

Fan translations, such as fansubs and fandubs, are typically only regarded as bootlegs if they are either sold for profit and/or distributed after the title has been domestically licensed, even though they are technically illegal the moment they are sold, distributed, traded, or even given away for free.

What is Manga?

Manga is a catch-all name for a wide range of comic books and graphic novels that were first created and published in Japan. 

Japanese Manga is generally published in black and white, in contrast to American comic books, which are typically printed in full color

Full-color prints are frequently reserved only for exceptional releases. 

Chapter-by-chapter manga is normally released in Japan on a monthly or weekly basis by magazines like Weekly Shonen Jump.
Chapter-by-chapter manga is normally released in Japan on a monthly or weekly basis by magazines like Weekly Shonen Jump.

Unlike most English-language publications, Japanese Manga is read right-to-left instead of left-to-right. If you have only ever read English-language newspapers, this might take some getting used to, but after some practice, you won’t even notice.

Manga is typically published in Japan on a monthly or weekly basis, chapter by chapter, through publications like Weekly Shonen Jumpa series’ chapters may be collected and published into volumes known as tankobon volumes if it is sufficiently well-liked. 

These volumes typically include a selection of the series’ overall story’s chapters.

The majority of Manga series are lengthy and may include several volumes. When beginning a new series, bear this in mind because it’s crucial to read the books in the right sequence. The majority of Manga series are lengthy and may include several volumes. When beginning a new series, bear this in mind because it’s crucial to read the books in the right sequence. 

This might be simpler for shorter-running series, like Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi, which has only 12 volumes, as opposed to longer-running series, like Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama, which has 42 volumes.

How can you tell if a Manga is Bootleg?

Finding the book’s ISBN is the first thing you must do. 

Since the ISBN usually appears on the book’s back cover, finding it is not that difficult. 

All books have the ISBN in the form of a barcode, though some will display it on the back cover or the license page. 

Once you have the ISBN in your possession, you should utilize it to access the book’s details. 

If you know the book’s ISBN, you can use a website like ISBN Search to find out more about it.

That’s the website I use to research books, both the ones I own and the ones I don’t. And that also applies to TR Media’s Manga.

What does volume mean in Manga?

A Manga volume is a compilation of all the chapters from a Manga series that have been released in periodicals. 

To make it easy for fans to access their favorite Manga in its entirety, all the available Manga chapters are either compiled in a single Manga book or a tankobon volume. 

To cut expenses, Manga volumes are typically printed in black and white. 

The number of volumes in a Manga can vary depending on the length of the story as determined by the Manga artists and publishers. 

One Piece, for example, is a well-known Manga with a detailed storyline. 

It currently has over 100 tankobon volumes, and there will undoubtedly be additional volumes in the future.

The accessibility of a Manga is the primary justification for its volume release. 

This is due to the fact that foreign readers are unable to keep up with the weekly or monthly releases of Manga chapters in Japanese magazines. 

The same is true for Japanese readers, who may prefer to read the entire volume as soon as it is published rather than waiting for Manga chapters to be released on a weekly or monthly basis.

These People Are Selling BOOTLEG Manga!?

How long is a Manga volume?

The length of a manga chapter largely determines the length of the manga volume. 

A manga volume is a compilation of manga chapters that have been published in magazines on a weekly or monthly basis, as previously indicated. 

For instance, One Piece manga volumes typically contain 200 pages, though this amount can vary depending on the Manga series. 

Since a Manga volume is published after the original release of Manga chapters, its page layout can be compared to the format used by publishers of magazines. 

This could imply that a Manga volume could contain significantly more or significantly fewer pages.

A Manga volume would also be published along with some additional extra chapters, trivia, entertaining quizzes, and comic routines for readers. 

This might result in more pages being printed, which would lengthen the Manga volume as a whole.

How many Volumes are there in a Manga?

The answer to this question totally depends on how many Manga chapters have been released. 

This is due to the fact that a Manga volume isn’t truly finished until every published Manga chapter is compiled into a single Manga book or tankobon volume. 

If the Manga has a continuing storyline, a series can have between 80 and 100 volumes. Some well-known Manga series have even published additional volumes to reach the 100-volume threshold. 

Short Manga stories are any Manga series with fewer than ten volumes. 

There is no set requirement, nevertheless, that a Manga volume must have a certain number of Manga chapters in order to be considered a finished Manga volume.

For example, the ongoing Manga series Golgo 13 includes 552 chapters and 203 Manga volumes. Similarly, the Manga series Kochira Katsushika-Ku Kameari Koen-Mae Hashutsujo only has 201 Manga volumes despite having over 1900 chapters. 

Golgo 13 is an animated series written by Takao Saito.
Golgo 13 is an animated series written by Takao Saito.

So, regardless of the number of chapters, this shows that a Manga can have a high chapter count and still have low volumes. Additionally, the number of volumes, not the number of chapters, determines the ranking of the Manga series.

What does a chapter mean in Manga?

A chapter, as we are all familiar with, is a section of a story that is later continued in a number of further chapters. 

In the same way, a Manga chapter represents one section of the story, and each Manga chapter represents the development of the story plot. 

The Manga’s chapters are released on a weekly and monthly basis, which is an interesting fact about them. 

Monthly Manga’s chapters are only published once a month, whereas the publishers of weekly Manga release chapters every week in magazines.

Additionally, a weekly Manga chapter has fewer pages than a monthly Manga chapter because monthly Manga readers can only read their favorite Manga once every month, therefore Manga artists and publishers provide them with more comic content to keep them entertained. 

This is not a requirement, and depending on the publishers, editors, and Manga artists, the number of pages for each chapter issued by weekly and monthly Manga might vary.

Naruto, One Piece, Attack on Titan, Hunter X Hunter, Death Note, Berserk, My Hero Academia, and other well-known weekly Manga series are some examples. 

Before publishing the Manga volume, most Manga books initially release Manga chapters.

Are volumes and chapters the same thing in Manga?

Despite the fact that Manga is only reading material, unlike books, I had some reservations when I was initially introduced to it. 

However, I discovered that Manga is significantly more intricate and protracted than the English storybooks or novels we read. 

Manga volume and Manga chapter are two of the most frequently used phrases in the genre, and one wonders if they have the same meaning.

Here’s a table that shows the difference between these two:

VolumeChapter
A Manga volume, often known as tankobon volume, is a collection of all Manga chapters bound into a single book.A Manga chapter, which is published weekly or monthly in magazines, is a single episode of the tale that drives the plot over the entire series. 
Difference between volume and chapter in Manga.

Conclusion

  • Bootlegs are imitations or copies of legitimate products that have not received license holders’ approval. As a result, none of the proceeds from your purchase will go to the actual creators of your favorite series. 
  • The phrase typically refers to illicitly produced goods, frequently made from subpar materials and works of art that have been stolen.
  • A Manga volume is a group of chapters bound together into a single Manga book. 
  • When a Manga series is deemed popular, all of its chapters are collected into a volume known as the tankobon volume. 

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