Paper comics sold like American comics, one coin per episode (starting at 100 yen).

Hello there! 😃

 

Japan, the manga superpower.

You can find all sorts of manga volumes and magazines anywhere, for just a few hundred yen per copy.

It's fascinating, isn't it?

Manga is the best, isn't it? 😆

 

The world's three major manga markets

By the way, do you know about the world's three major manga markets?

• Japanese manga
• American comic books (Americomics)
• Bande Dessinée from French-speaking countries (Tintin is a famous example in Japan)

These are said to be the three.

Lining them up, it's interesting how different they are, even though they're all "manga." ☺️

 

Japanese manga and American comics have slightly different release methods

Actually, Japanese manga and American comics have slightly different release methods.

In Japan, it's common to compile a certain number of chapters into a book and sell it, whereas in America, there's a format where individual chapters are sold.

This is what's known as a "leaf."

American comic leaves are a bit more voluminous than Japanese manga, they're A4 size, in full color, and usually cost around 2-5 dollars.

They're easy to buy casually, and they also have a collectible aspect, which makes them quite interesting.

Sometimes there are different versions with just a different cover.

 

Wouldn't it be great if individual chapters could also be bought cheaply on paper in Japan?

If Japan could also sell individual chapters cheaply on paper, just like this, wouldn't it be possible for people to read them during short breaks or pick up works they're curious about?

You might not want to buy an entire volume, but you could just casually pick up a single chapter at a bookstore or convenience store near the station.

If there was a system like that, I feel like the distance between people and manga would shrink even further.

It's also a common sentiment to hear, "I'm curious about the続き, but I don't want to collect several volumes all at once."

That's why I thought paper single-chapter sales could actually be a surprisingly good entry point.

 

A rough look at pricing

Let's calculate the pricing.

As mentioned before, American comics are 2-5 dollars per issue.

On the other hand, a typical Japanese manga volume has about 10 chapters and costs around 500-700 yen, so that's a price range of around 50 yen per chapter or more.

 

If each chapter were bound, shipped, and retailed separately, 150 yen would be the absolute minimum, and it would be realistic to lower it to around 100-120 yen by including advertisements.

 

2-5 dollars, at 150 yen to the dollar, would be 300-750 yen, or if we assume 100 yen to the dollar, it's 200-500 yen.

 

So, I don't feel like the amount is that out of place.

Of course, it's not simple given the realities of printing and distribution, but it doesn't seem impossible.

 

The strange feeling that 100 yen for analog feels cheaper than 100 yen for digital 😂

In the world of digital manga, the one-chapter purchase model is also common.

But I feel like there's a bit of a hurdle there. 💦

It's very strange, but don't you feel like 100 yen for digital seems more expensive than 100 yen for analog?

It's been quite some time since in-app purchases were invented for smartphones, but I feel like this sensation hasn't gone away yet.

Perhaps with paper, there's a stronger sense of "having acquired it" or "being able to read it right here, right now," which makes it easier to pay for.

That's why I think selling it in analog format is important.

It's casual, yet you still get to keep it.

That feeling, I think, is greater than we imagine.

 

Why doesn't this exist in the first place?

I imagine that a major reason why single-chapter sales aren't common in Japan is that it might make manga magazines sell less.

Like Jump, Magazine, Sunday, and so on.

 

We are in the golden age of digital.

People who want to read a lot, even children, are now buying subscriptions instead of paper magazines.

And on web manga platforms like Jump+, you can read a large number of works for free from the start.

In other words, paper magazines themselves will gradually struggle even if nothing changes.

So, on the contrary, I thought that analog single-chapter sales could be a good entry point for convenience.

 

Those who read a lot go for subscriptions.

Those who want to try out a work they're curious about go for paper single-chapter sales.

 

Doesn't that sound a little exciting?