America vs. UK

[Chiaki]

How come, with the releases of Manga, lets take Fruits Basket 13 for example, there is like a months difference between the release dates.
Is there so much difference between the books?!?!
I mean F.B 13 has been released in the U.S.A but we (england) don't get it till April 30th
(it makes me sad, all I want is Furuba:( )
I'm just joking ya (though I do want Furuba)

[Cojiro]

I dunno. We don't have much manga here in England. I order mine online from Up1.co.uk I think they sell American manga though.....
Our local book store has hardly any manga.
Other than that I shop in London's forbidden planet which has SO much manga.

[AnimeDudde]

Im wondering why it takes so long to translate manga :P In japan they draw the whole thing out and stuff in a week, well, a chaoter. and considering most books have like 8-10 chapters, it would take 8-10 weeks.. BUT, all they need to do is translate, which can be done in just a week.. so why so long between releases? :(

[Chiaki]

I mean isn't Furuba 20 volumes and we have 12 here?!?! Yet America has 13.
I wish is was out. I have tried some scanlation site but it's not the same as having the book in your hand

[Murasakivie]

The thirteenth volume of Fruits Basket hasn't been released in the US yet.

[PeNCILz]

When I first read the title I thought there was a war a brewin'...

[slyabnye]

Im wondering why it takes so long to translate manga :P In japan they draw the whole thing out and stuff in a week, well, a chaoter. and considering most books have like 8-10 chapters, it would take 8-10 weeks.. BUT, all they need to do is translate, which can be done in just a week.. so why so long between releases? :(

Because you know once you come up with all those fancy words from Japanese to English, you're done.

Really, they have to send the book to someone to be translated. Wait for the book and translation to come back. Edit all the words into the book, make the cover, get it approved, edited about a billion times so Tokyopop will look good. Get approved with the nice people in Japan. Edit some more, send it to the printers, see how it looks, make changes, order more copies, send to the stores and so on. And then we get it in our greedy hands.

This is how I understand that Tokyopop works. I'm sure one of the nice editors there will fill me in if I got something wrong or am missing something.

[Gaara]

yea the editing is what really slows it down, i know japanese and when i read american manga i sometimes write it out in japanese which dosen't take long so it can't be the translating.....and if your wondering why i do that........it's because i compile a book of great mangas...for the ultimate manga book!!!

[chousenjin]

Um, the Japanese studios just add the text after the panels are all drawn, right?
Wouldn't it be a lot more convenient for the English editors to ask for the Japanese to send them over copies before the text was added? So that they don't have to go to the trouble of erasing everything.
Or is that done already...

[PeterAhlstrom]

It would be more convenient, except it costs money. Also, the Japanese manga industry is usually not digital. They do everything using film instead of scans--and they can send film over for us to scan, but this again costs money. The slight added convenience and quality over a well-tuned scan on our side is not judged to be worth it economically.

[Chiaki]

What I really meant to get at was why America seems to get some Manga releases before the UK does. I know someone there who has F.B 13 but amazon is being weird and saying we can't get it till april 30th :(
I do understand it would take a long time for the japanese-english translation though

[Simmons-chan]

Maybe the demand is just higher in America, so they are released here sooner? You said that your bookstores don't really have manga, and you need to order it online. Well, every bookstore in the states that I've been to is chock full of manga. Maybe its just that because there is more of a demand here, and more books need to be printed for the US, we get them first.

[Chiaki]

Maybe the demand is just higher in America, so they are released here sooner? You said that your bookstores don't really have manga, and you need to order it online. Well, every bookstore in the states that I've been to is chock full of manga. Maybe its just that because there is more of a demand here, and more books need to be printed for the US, we get them first.
Lucky, we really only have one major supplier that is a chain store. The rest are either smaller chains or independent stores :(

[YamPuff]

Im wondering why it takes so long to translate manga :P In japan they draw the whole thing out and stuff in a week, well, a chaoter. and considering most books have like 8-10 chapters, it would take 8-10 weeks.. BUT, all they need to do is translate, which can be done in just a week.. so why so long between releases? :(

It's not that easy; they have to translate and format the text to fit in the bubbles, edit it, check for mistakes, make it sound natural etc. In earlier manga, they even had to do the sound effects. In Japan, the artists are making the manga with the words in mind; Japanese words. In English they have to work the text around the bubbles.

[sonia]

Most english language manga companies are based outside the UK, and primarily in the US. So yeah - it has to come out there first before it makes it way to UK as an import.

[GracieLizzy]

It's just the way the industry works. In theory they could sell them simulationously, or as near to simulationously (like what happens with the Harry Potter books and films) but they don't for reasons I'm not sure of but probably have to do with cashflow or maybe just industry practice.

[Aratos]

Becasue the US is the place to get the big money. If it fails in the US, ya don't risk it in the UK.

[Mitzuki]

As far as i know FB 13 is set to be released on April 11th. Also i get what you mean because where i live were still at FB 12 to. If you are impatient and dont see the difference between the translations I recomend you purchase them online like most of the fans do anyway.

[GracieLizzy]

That is a downside to me as I tend to like magical girl show which, while the have a cult-following (within a market itself that is somewhat niche) they don't do as well as normal shojo or shonen. So they aren't as likely to come over T_T I hope when Tanoshimi comes out over here they bring Sugar Sugar Rune and Pitchi Pitchi Pitch with them. Not that I can't get them but it'd be cheaper (£4.99 rather than £6.99).

[franchan]

When I first read the title I thought there was a war a brewin'...

FIGHT! (Harry Hill's tv burp-style, for my fellow UKers)

[Chiaki]

I have read some scanlation sites but I will still buy the books, it's not the same as reading it off a screan. Half the time you can't see all the minute details that the book brings etc
Also didn't mean to start a fight *oops* just thought the title might draw people in xp

[YamPuff]

Also didn't mean to start a fight *oops* just thought the title might draw people in xp

That's what they all say.

:p

[Chiaki]

That's what they all say.

:p
Heh heh, my plan worked though, got an idea of how the amazing world of Manga works. Also vented some frustration since I so badly want Furuba 13 it makes me look obsessed (which may be a cause for concern)

[sera404]

Speaking of US vs UK, Rip Off Britain syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rip_Off_Britain) strikes again concerning prices. o_o I got stung by the prices in the shops. I should have just brought my manga online like I normally do. ^^;

[franchan]

I generally pay between £6 and £8 for my manga (in my local shops).

It's a bit of a double edged sword: on the one hand, it's pretty expensive - especially for thinner books - , but on the other super-thick books seem like such a bargain.

[GracieLizzy]

I'm in the Ottakar's manga club, if you have an Ottakar's in your town/city you should join as you get a free manga for every three you buy. It's really good as both TokyoPop and Gollancz (British form of Viz manga) manga are included in the deal!

[franchan]

There are manga clubs in bookshops? Well, there's one in Leeds i think but I never noticed anthing avdertising a club.

The manga there is just hidden away next to the other graphic novels. I buy mine mostly from the Travelling Man in Leeds. Although, my local Waterstones now sell (albeit a small selection) of manga - score! Smiths had like 5 manga on sale once and then I've never seen them there again. -.-

My school library is starting to get manga, but only shounen so far... which are put on the 'boy's books' stand.

I suspect when we do get shoujo they'll end up there too.

[franchan]

Bleh still no sign of shoujo. ¬¬

Ah well I'm leaving there anyway.