Every long-time manga fan knows the struggle of getting your hands on the latest manga book. There was a time when you had to depend on fan translations to read a manga chapter or there was no guarantee that your favorite manga title would ever be licensed in your area.
Now, however, things have changed. As the popularity of manga has increased, it has also become easier to buy manga books online and offline.
You can now buy manga from comic book shops near you or get a subscription to a platform like Funimation that will give you access to the latest manga chapters mere hours after they are published in Japan.
The bottom line is there are now many places from where you can buy manga legally. To elaborate more on this, we have compiled this list of places where you can read and buy manga online. We have also listed a few places where you can buy manga in-store for cheap.
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7 Websites to Buy Manga Books Online (Legally)
Amazon
The first place that anyone turns to when they want to buy something is Amazon. This includes things like comic books and manga too. The Jeff Bezos-giant is super convenient, has great shipping speed and even offers easy returns in the case of damaged goods.
Amazon also offers good deals on manga box sets and special editions during sales. For preorders, it usually has a preorder price guarantee which means that you pay the lowest price offered on said order. You also aren’t charged until the release day for preorders which is another benefit of buying manga from Amazon.
However, one thing to remember while buying manga from Amazon is to check the ratings and reviews of the seller. There are a lot of third-party sellers on it and not all of them are reputable. To be on the safe side, only buy the manga whose both seller and shipper are listed as Amazon.
Crunchyroll
Wait, isn’t Crunchyroll an anime streaming website? Yes, it is. But you may not know that it also offers a decent selection of manga titles that you can read with its premium membership. You will usually find manga published by Seven Seas Entertainment, Kodansha and Vertical on Crunchyroll as VIZ has its own app.
You can find both full volumes of certain manga as well as the recent chapter published in Japan for the newer ones. One thing to note about Crunchyroll is that it removes serialized chapters of a manga once they are collected into a volume. So, you have to always make sure to finish reading the chapters before they are removed.
Viz Manga
As Viz Media releases most of the manga published in English, it might be a good idea to buy the series directly for them. To give you an idea, some of the biggest manga like Naruto, One Piece, and Tokyo Ghoul have been published by them.
It offers both paperback and digital copies of manga titles and you can even check out the preview of new releases or read a few chapters for free. You can also easily explore manga by genre on Viz’s website. Therefore, it is the best website for you if you mostly read manga from Viz’s catalog.
Manga Plus
Every manga fan has heard of Shonen Jump. It is, after all, one of the biggest manga anthology magazines in Japan. Iconic series like My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen were first published in this magazine. Shonen Jump is published by Shueisha which also co-owns Viz Media.
The conglomerate’s official service Manga Plus is available on both Android and iOS devices. Its advantage is that you can get a look at not just Shonen Jump titles but also those from other Shueisha magazines.
One thing to note about Manga Plus is that while it is a free service, you have to be at the top of your reading while using the app. It caters more to readers who follow titles as they’re being serialized. The usual format here is to offer the first 3-6 and the latest 3-6 chapters of an established series.
Book Walker
Book Walker is basically the Amazon of manga and light novels. Based out of Tokyo, it is a great repository of new and established titles. You can also pre-order the latest manga titles here. You can browse manga by genre or based on categories like new releases, simulpubs of the latest chapters, and popularity on Book Walker.
This makes discovering new manga much easier than other websites like Amazon. However, remember that you may be charged some foreign transaction fee while purchasing titles from Book Walker as it is based in Japan.
It kind of offsets that by offering back a certain percentage of the amount paid in the form of coins. You can then use these coins for future purchases.
Kobo.com
Like Amazon and Book Walker, Kobo.com is another website from where you can buy manga and light novels. The choices available, however, vary from country to country based on distribution rights. You can check it out once to browse the titles available in the country of your residence and then decide.
Therefore, if you prefer to have digital versions of your favorite manga and light novels, then Kobo.com is the way to go. The downside here is that it does not offer many discounts and the prices are pretty much the same as the print version.
If that is not an issue for you, then Kobo.com is the perfect website to buy manga books.
Renta
Looking to get your romance manga fix? Then check out Renta. It is a great place to read all sorts of romance manga in English. Not just classic romance, you can rent all sorts of shoujo, erotica, boys’s love, and girls’ love manga on Renta.
It has many exclusive titles and its own translation and adaptation team. The system of renting manga, however, is slightly different on Renta as compared to other websites.
Firstly, you can either rent a title for 48 hours or for an unlimited period. You also have the option to upgrade a 48-hour rental to an unlimited one. For this, you can either pay directly or buy points for the same.
Paying directly is better if you’re an occasional reader but buying points in bulk gives more value for money if you’re a frequent Renta user.
List of 4 Stores to Buy Manga Books Locally
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble is one of the biggest book retailers in the United States. It also offers a great manga collection for you to explore. You can browse and check out the quality of the manga volume in-store which is something you cannot do while buying stuff online.
Plus, online shopping cannot replace the feeling of wandering and discovering manga titles with other shoppers. However, do not that Barnes & Noble generally sells manga at full cover price which can be quite expensive. If price is a concern, buying manga books is a better option.
The stores sometimes run sales like Buy 2 Get 1 Free on manga and give crazy discounts on occasions like Black Friday. Barnes & Noble also has a membership program with which you can get 10% off in-store and online along with free shipping.
Location: New York, New York(HQ)
Number of Branches: 590+ stores across the United States
Customer Reviews
Half Price Books
Used bookstores like Half Price Books are a great place to get manga if you’re on a budget. You can often find manga volumes in good condition at half the cover price here. Again, if you’re on the hunt for some rare or out-of-print manga, your local Half Price Books is the place you should check.
However, while shopping at used bookstores, you should keep an eye out for prices as these places don’t usually price manga based on its quality. The selection of manga books available will also vary from location to location.
Location: Dallas, Texas(HQ)
Number of Branches: 120 stores across the United States
Customer Reviews
Comicopia
Comicopia in Boston is a niche bookstore for comics, graphic novels, and of course, manga. A store run by people who love comics, you can find a sizeable collection of translated manga here. You can find the latest releases as well as quite a few underrated gems at Comicopia.
The store’s floor-to-ceiling shelves full of manga are something that will delight every fan. It has a relaxed atmosphere and the staff is polite, friendly, and knowledgeable about comics. Comicopia also has a big presence at the Anime Boston Convention and is in general an inclusive store.
Location: Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Number of Branches: 1
Customer Reviews
Midtown Comics Grand Central
Midtown Comics Grand Central is part of the Midtown Comics chain founded in 1997. The Grand Central store is located on Lexington Avenue and is named after its proximity to the Grand Central Terminal.
While it is mainly a comic book store, you can find some great manga classics here. Sometimes you may even stumble across some special editions that are particularly hard to find. The prices are reasonable and predictable and the store has some of the most polite and helpful staff.
Location: Lexington Avenue, New York
Number of Branches: 3
Customer Reviews
Where Can I Read and Buy Manga Online?
There are many websites and apps where you can read and buy manga for cheap. You can check out Amazon and Book Walker for physical copies or just get a Crunchyroll subscription to read manga on a budget. Manga, particularly romance manga, can also be rented on websites like Renta.
These days, offline retailers like Barnes & Noble also sell books including manga through their official website. You can grab some good deals there during Black Friday and other sales.
