Gantz Creator Urges Fans to Buy Manga New, Not Used

Gantz manga creator Hiroya Oku should be enjoying the upcoming premiere of his series' latest film adaptation but a recent tweet shows he has other things on his mind. Oku took to Twitter recently to discuss how the different avenues to read his manga are in some ways harmful despite the convenience they provide for readers. Specifically, Oku mentioned the used manga market and "manga grazing" and how both hurt creators' profits.

This might shatter some kids' illusions, but no manga creators can keep producing comics if people are just going to read through them at the store without buying them, or buy them from Yahoo! Auctions or used book stores. Creators just can't do it. But there are so many adults who get their manga that way, even though they know the situation. If you want to support a manga creator, please buy your manga new, at list price, as often as you can.

Oku is referencing the way manga sales and rentals pay out to original creators, while used book sales do not. His tweet has opened discussion on whether there's a way to compensate creators through resale. As of now, the concept seems tricky. Fans who want to check out a series but don't want to pay full price could check legal, e-book purchases. The price is often lower than an actual volume but readers can ensure the money makes its way to the writers and artists.​