I'd like to thank all of you for participating in last week's poll about why you come here to Japanator. Not surprisingly, anime, manga and weird Japan news are our biggest draws -- but for everyone that comes here for that coverage, half of you stick around for all the other parts of Japanese culture. We sure have a diverse group. Oh, and it seems that some of you are in love with Josh and Colette. Don't worry, I am too.
And, like I promised, we have a winner for the box set of Rozen Maiden: Traumend: zhalfim. A roll of the dice picked you as the lucky winner, so email your address to brad[at]japanator[dot]com and the DVDs will be on their way!
So this week, I've got something a little different I'd like to ask: what store do you primarily buy your anime and manga from? Do you bulk up on orders over at Amazon for their free shipping and cheap deals, or do you turn to Right Stuf for some of their bargains? Of course, not everyone has a credit card to order online with, so do you just go to some of the big-box stores like Borders, Best Buy, and Barnes and Noble to get your otaku fix?
Let us know where you shop down in the poll after the jump, and give us your thoughts after the jump. Once again, a random commenter will win a prize from our deep well of box sets. See? We make it worthwhile to talk with us!
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Amazon Amazon Amazon!
Great shipping, good prices. And 98% of the time the product comes in perfect condition, which I can't say for buying things in person like at Borders. I like knowing my manga is brand new and not manhandled by oh so many manga cows. Plus, they almost always have what I want in stock.
On the rare occasion I go to a comic book store, I can't help but leave with something, but most of the time it's Amazon!
I don't really buy manga anymore since there are various websites where you can read it for no cost at all.
The last manga that I bought was Yu-Gi-Oh! Volume 3 and that was last November for my birthday
I buy most of my manga at Kinokuniya. I make a few trips each year down to the Book-Off stores in SoCal for cheap used manga, and I also sometimes order stuff (mainly artbooks) from www.bk1.co.jp
Manga I get primarily from Barnes & Noble. It's just a bike ride away, $11 per volume and smells like Starbucks cinnamon.
I mostly get my anime from Cons. Other than my Gurren Lagann fixes that I pre-ordered and needed ASAP, I just wait for my nearest Con. I usually have some kind of friend/hook-up, so I get stuff cheap
i buy my manga at barnes and noble, even though i hate the bus ride there and my anime comes mainly from my local fye but im starting to go to the best buy up mt vernon which is like an hour car ride from me. good thing i have friends with cars
Mine completely depends on any deals going on, like I got all 3 seasons for Full Metal Panic at best buy earlier tyis year during their 60% off sdale or w/e it was. I'm not really making any money so i only USUALLY get one SEASON of anime a year (i only buy boxsets), so that best buy sale was a godsend.Last year, I got GITS season 1 at best buy and havnt been able to find season 2 anywhere except amazon so ill prolly get that next...tho i think ill wait and see if its on bluray witin the year
I have no real loyalty, though it's most convenient to pick up manga at the nearest Barnes n Noble or Borders as I have membership cards to both. I'll occasionally pick them up wherever there are huge sales though, so when BookCloseouts (or something) had their $0.99/manga sale a while back, I couldn't resist.
I don't buy anime nearly as often, but when I do it'll probably be right either Amazon or Right Stuf, though I hate that Right Stuf won't ship anywhere but the address on your credit card. Makes for inconvenient I'm-at-school-goddamnit purchases.
Usually I just drive to the local Borders or B&N. But when they don't have it Amazon is usually the place to go. Also whenever there is a epic online deal I just go straight there.
Borders for manga. I could count on one hand the number of manga I own that I bought from anywhere else. Anime though I've bought at Best Buy, RACS, and rightstuf pretty randomly, so it's hard to just vote one.
Its Amazon for me. Sometimes I went to Best Buy for my fix but recently they made the Anime section significantly smaller. I need a new retail store...
Oh and I pass buy Big Lots for $3 anime. Eureka Seven the series for $35
Whatever is cheapest, my loyalty relies nowhere. I do frequent more Amazon and Right Stuff since they usually have good prices, but if I can find it even more cheap then they get my money.
Errr...I actually get most of my physical copies of things from my childless uncle, who drowns his barren sorrows in a continuous flood of impulse purchases. He stocks the unread volumes in my grandmother's house, and I abscond with them on my way home from college for Christmas and summer vacation. (This extends beyond anime and manga. His video game and sci-fi/fantasy collections are most impressive.)
DVDs usually from RightStuf (their specials are too tempting to pass up) or the local Best Buy (sometimes they mark down stuff). I get manga mostly from Amazon.co.jp because I haven't found anywhere else online that has all the minor stuff I read. Anybody know any other good online stores for Japanese manga?
Lets see, I buy all my anime online. I don't bother with brick and mortar stores. Not all of them have what I want but online I can always find what im looking for.
The places I usually buy are from Right Stuf and RACS. I used to stick strictly to RAC because they have fast shipping and good customer service. Right Stuf I would shop from time to time, usually when a good sale. Nowadays, I'm starting to buy a little bit more from Right Stuf. I still buy from RACS but not as much.
95% from Right Stuf, for the sales & customer service. I'll pick up the occasional item at a con or physical storefront, but those are strictly impulse purchases.
I usually save up my money and then splurge at an anime convention. I occasionally pick some stuff from a Barnes and Noble or somewhere, and there's a Kotobukiya store not far from me that I go to when I get the chance, but that's much more the exception then the rule. The vast majority of the anime and manga that I buy comes from conventions.
Mostly I wait for anime expo to roll around for cheaper prices on manga. at $10 a pop, it's not the best way to spend money since tankubon are considerably cheaper. So I'd have to say wherever it's cheaper, although it's important to be able to look at the volume before you buy it because of paper quality degradation these days.
@Saki That's interesting -- I always wondered how many people bought anime/manga at conventions. Obviously quite a few, because there are so many booths selling it there. Do you usually pick up the latest titles, or look for hard-to-find stuff there?
I don't live near any decent stores, so my process is:
1. Watch Japanator for reviews
2. Check Wikipedia for details
3. View a couple eps at YouTube or AnimeCrunch
4. Order from whoever has it
a. Amazon or B&N if it's out in the US
b. Someplace like AnimeCollector if it's not
Don't like Funimation 'cause they've messed up the site with too many frames, flash and popunders. It's essentially unusable.
I mainly hit up online places for my anime needs. I recently found Rightstuf but I mainly get things from Shopanimedvd.com as they have great pricing and a rewards program for repeat customers. I also get alot from Deepdiscount.com when I can't find what I want elsewhere. But I am known to hit BestBuy from time to time just to see things in person and look for sale items. It's always nice to see a full row of anime for sale at a store. :)
I have no credit card to shop online with, so I borrow my cousins sometimes if there's a huge sale online.
Otherwise, I usually buy at Barnes and Nobles only. There's no other stores in this tiny city that carry a good selection.
I have no loyalty, though I do perfer Borders and Bestbuy because I have membership/whatever cards for those so they occasionally email me some nice discounts. Like I got a coupon for 40% off of any box DVD set.
Suffice to say, now I'm the proud owner of the Samurai Champloo: The Complete Collection, and I paid 15$ less than normal.
Right Stuf seems to be my staple. I can't resist the bargin bin. Although, Amazon is number one with box sets and new releases. B&M is nearly all from Kinokuniya, or... Gamestop, lol.
I get most of my anime from RightStuf with a few things from BestBuy (mostly impulse buys). My manga is a different story. I get most of it from Borders and a local comic shop, with some pre-orders coming from RightStuf and Amazon. Then there is always Ebay for the out of stock or the rare items.
Borders for me, though sometimes I do go to Kinokuniya. I wish I had a more local one though...
Also I wish stores offered more incentive to buy in bulk, like buy 2 get one free sales (fuck yes I love those_
If i can get it locally i will i really don't care about the cost if i want it i will find a way to afford it. but i live in a small town the stores here dont carry that much good stuff so i usually have to buy from the interwebz alot, but i hate waiting.
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