'DR.STONE' Manga Artist Boichi shared his thoughts on readers who say they cannot afford manga, discussing the financial struggles of both fans and creators while highlighting issues of access and pricing
"Most Japanese readers do not have much money either. Most Japanese mangaka do not have much money. Most aspiring manga artists do not have much money."
"Many readers carefully save a small allowance to buy a single tankōbon volume."
"They do it because they want to support creators. They do it because they want manga to continue existing. They do it because if nobody pays, manga cannot continue to be made."
"Manga did not become successful because Japan was rich. Manga grew during the 1950s, when Japan was still a very poor country."
"It grew because people chose to buy manga. Because they valued it. Because they believed it was worth supporting."
"Of course, there are exceptions. There are always exceptions. Some people genuinely face circumstances far more difficult than most of us can imagine. I do not want to dismiss those realities."
"I began my career as a poor mangaka in a country that was still poor. I care deeply about people who struggle financially. I am on their side."
"Many creators sacrificed comforts in order to draw manga."
"The real problem is not whether people have money to buy manga. The real problem is that many people have no practical way to buy it."
"Officially licensed foreign editions are often far too expensive for readers around the world. I believe that is a genuine problem."
I just got off the phone with someone who works in defense policy in Washington. What they told me should end every "Trump is reckless" argument permanently.
"Every single president since Clinton received the same intelligence briefing on Iran's nuclear timeline. Every single one was told the window was closing. Every single one chose to kick it down the road because the political cost of acting was higher than the political cost of waiting."
Trump got the same briefing. 60kg of 90% enriched uranium. 4 weeks to breakout. Material for 2 bombs.
He chose to act knowing it would tank his approval to 35%.
He chose to act knowing his own base would split.
He chose to act knowing NATO allies would refuse to help.
He chose to act knowing gas prices would spike.
A senior analyst I know at a major think tank put it this way: "The difference between Trump and every president before him isn't intelligence. They all had the same data. The difference is courage."
Read that again.
Every president had the same file on their desk. Only one opened it and did something.
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