Sundai Paper

When you want to own not necessarily everything, but an ample amount, and it’s still too much.

I’ve been collecting manga for a few years now.

In fact, I think some of the first manga I ever bought were a couple volumes of the OG Dragonball manga I stumbled across while studying abroad. They were in a very small store, sitting on a shelf that had nearly nothing else on it. The store itself was actually going out of business, so while I can’t remember the exact price I paid for them, it definitely wasn’t more than 2 euros. The volumes are in Spanish (I was studying in Granada), and I hoped it would give me more reading practice. Instead, it created a hobby that would only grow as the years kept coming.

Today, I have my own humble collection of manga. It features many of my favorite series, a few volumes in various languages, and also some cool vintage finds I’ve spotted at my local shops. Slowly, but surely I’ve been beginning to build what I believe to be a good, solid foundation to what can become an awesome manga collection. So what, you may be asking, could be the issue?

Too Many Manga, Not Enough Space

From all of the manga I’ve bought thus far, I don’t think I have a single complete collection. Not. A. Single. One. I’m missing a volume or two from this series, or maybe half the collection from another. This is a frustrating realization, but this reality doesn’t stem from the lack of a desire for a complete collection; but instead it’s the hard truth that I simply don’t have the space to accommodate for them.

Maybe this is a situation that many people can relate to. Whether it’s a person that lives in a very tight living space, or maybe there’s someone who travels often and has to pick up and move fairly often, it could even be a third thing I’ve not considered. But, if there’s two things a physical hobby is going to take away from a person, it’s 1. Money, and 2. Space.

I see people with the Ikea shelves and I feel a little envious because I just do not have the space for one. It sucks and unfortunately for the time being my collection is growing very leisurely because of it. But one day, I’ll be able to buy all the manga I’ve ever wanted! Speaking of which…

Maybe I don’t need every manga…

Due to this issue regarding space and becoming more conscious about my growing collection, I’ve discovered something about myself. I am an impulse buyer. Like, I am looking at some of the manga I’ve bought and am experiencing serious buyer’s remorse.

-I don’t particularly love Spy x Family, but I have volume one.
-I have a couple volumes of various older manga with the expectation that I’ll eventually read them (I have not and probably will not)
-I have mismatched series collection (3 different types of Sailor Moon manga publications and 2 different Ranma 1/2 ones)

Starting a manga collection can be fun and excited, but it can be super easy to get swept up and to buy things that maybe you didn’t actually want. Fortunately, I’ve been able to donate and give away many of the manga I didn’t actually want in my personal collection, but it’s still a bit of learning curve. I still find myself having to pause before picking up every cool looking manga I see or one’s that are popular just for the hell of it. It’s so easy to get wrapped up when your overwhelmed by all the titles and pretty covers, though it’s gonna be more meaningful for yourself if you take your time and choose the ones you truly want to keep in your possession.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of these hiccups, the process of finding the manga you love and supporting the creators that have worked so hard to create these stories makes all the waiting, all the money and time completely worth it. So let me know, what are your experiences with manga collecting? Do you have one or plan to start one?