This section is spread across three pages, as it's quite long.

  This is a guide to the most common types of purchases you're likely to make in terms of anime & manga, as well as information on the types of shops you're likely to find it in. If you're looking for a list of names & addresses of shops in the UK, I'd suggest using the BritAnime Guide as a starting point.

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What Can I Buy? (Part One)

-DVDs
---Japanese DVDs
---American DVDs
---UK DVDs
---Other DVDs
-VHS Videos
-Video CDs

-Manga
---Original Japanese Manga
---English Language Manga

-Books
---Artbooks
---Manuals
---Drawing Guides
---Magazines
---Other Books

What Can I Buy? (Part One)
DVDs.

You will most likely find yourself faced with original Japanese Region 2 DVDs, US Region 1 DVDs, and UK Region 2 DVDs.

Japanese DVDs

The Japanese DVDs probably aren't worth getting unless you have a specific reason for collecting them - you generally get fewer episodes per DVD than with the English-language releases, they are mainly in NTSC rather than PAL format, and more importantly there is usually no English language option for audio or subs.

Yes, I know it's obvious, but if people actually thought about obvious things, you wouldn't get warnings on the back of boxes of matches saying "Fire kills children". No, I'm not joking. You have to marvel at the kind of consumer complaint that lead to the printing of that note being necessary....

Anyway, in my experience, the only time it's worth buying a Japanese DVD is if it comes with a really cool freebie: I once got hold of a Chobits DVD that included a beautiful little stationary set, but I later sold it on to someone who liked the show more than I did. If you really must have EVERY product ever made with series whatever plastered on the front of it, then go ahead, but it's probably not the best thing to blow your hard-earned on. Obviously this doesn't apply as much to those of you who speak fluent Japanese...

American DVDs

Ok then, US Region 1 releases. Initially, this was all you could get if you wanted anime on DVD in English. As long as you're not fussed with the business of actually buying from the US (more on this later), there don't appear to be any drawbacks. But I'm afraid it's not quite that simple...

Anime is a growing market in the UK, and the industry relies on people buying their stuff to allow them to expand. Bluntly, every US DVD bought by someone in the UK instead of the UK buggers this up something rotten, because it means one less DVD sold by the UK arm of the company who own the licence, and it's their sales figures that dictate how much they'll be bringing over next time.

Now, if you want to buy something that simply isn't going to be released over here (such as some Central Park Media releases), fair enough. But if the show you want is likely to be released in the UK, be patient and wait. In the long run, more UK sales mean more and more anime available in high-street stores. And that, my friends, ROCKS.

Remember what I said about cool stuff with Japanese DVDs? Well, a similar situation exists with US discs. They tend to get more toys, models, number plates (Kino's Journey), size 12 panties (Najica Blitz Tactics) etc. with their releases. Also, what you tend to get more of in the US is the practise of making the first DVD in a set available with a box to put the other DVDs in as you buy them. We tend not to get them over here for two basic reasons: One, the UK fanbase that would buy this over a DVD only version isn't big enough to cover the costs happily; and Two, the BBFC require that set boxes have the classification of the content printed on them, so the UK market would need it's own boxes, which can't really be justified by the manufacturers.

So, should you buy the US version in this instance? I'd say yes, but only the first disc so you get the Shiny New Cool ThangTM. Then when the UK version comes out, fill your box with the DVDs. That way, you get your box set, the industry gets it's UK sales, and someone gets an unused R1 DVD cheap when you sell it on Ebay or something.

UK DVDs

Right, the UK Region 2 DVDs. This is what we want: The anime we want in large stores in our town centres, where we can get it easily. No waiting for mail order packages, no trying to remember how the hell you change the region on your DVD player, and enough sales to justify to the big guys in the industry that our little sceptred isle is worth shipping stuff to.

Now, if only life was this rosy, we'd all be very happy bunnies. Unfortunately, it's not perfect. Nowhere near Watership Down levels of not-happy-bunnyness, but imperfect all the same. People have three main bitches about UK DVDs:
1 We don't get everything the Americans do:
OK, fair enough, some stuff isn't available over here at all. I can't suggest much other than checking that what you want isn't actually banned in the UK, and getting it from the US. See notes above about US Region 1 DVDs.
2 UK releases don't get the cool freebies and boxes:
See above. Buy the US version of the first disc with the cool stuff, then get the UK DVDs after that.
3 Some titles are dub-only over here:
Two reasons for this: One, back int'day, you got a VHS release. Only one audio option, so companies went for the dub to reach the widest possible market. Two, unless your subs are exactly the same script as your dub (AKA dubtitles. A lot of people don't like them.), you have to get BBFC certification for both versions, which obviously costs more, so companies simply don't do it.

This last point is a bit of a sore one. Now, you know you should buy the UK version to support the home market, but at the same time you want both dub and sub (AKA a hybrid disc). Salvation comes from the fact that most DVDs that are dub-only are now very cheap, so you can buy the UK version and the US version. I already had the original (VHS) release of Riding Bean, but when the time came to get the DVD, I got the US version, as it has the subtitle track as well. I didn't get the UK DVD simply because it was the same price as a regular release (£18), not the bargain that most dub-only titles now are (around £7). And no, I don't lose any sleep over it.

If the series you want is available in the UK, try and buy the UK release. It's good for the industry (they make money), and it's good for fandom (the industry bring more stuff over for us to buy). You know it makes sense....

Other DVDs

Ok, what about other countries? Well, anywhere in europe that has anime DVDs has the mild problem that they're unlikely to be in English. It's up to you, but I can't see the point myself...

Australian DVDs are Region 4. Everything stated about US DVDs applies, but there's nothing available from Oz that isn't available from the States. I wouldn't bother with this one, either, but at least it's in English.

Oriental countries such as China, Korea and Singapore will sell you damn near anything on a Region 0 (no Region coding) disc. Sounds tempting, and the prices are low, but as will be mentioned again later, the quality is truly suspicious. Bluntly, expect to see taped-from-tv, misspelled-dub shite. I'm sure that there are people in these countries who export genuine, licenced anime DVDs, but I have no idea where either of them can be contacted. Guess what? I wouldn't bother....

In general, be sensible. For starters, buying your DVDs from a country where English is the first language is a sensible idea, and make sure you know what you're getting. I'll leave it at that for now, as there's a section on this stuff later.

VHS Videos

Not really a major force anymore (no UK distributors bother producing on VHS nowadays), but it still serves a purpose. A lot of older stuff is available on VHS, either as new-old-stock, or secondhand. This is particularly useful if you like an older series that hasn't been given a DVD re-release.

Obviously, there are drawbacks: Tape degrades a lot more than DVDs, you don't get any extras or language/sub options, and they're bulky. Also, anything from the US will be in NTSC format, so you need a VHS player that can deal with this.

Incidentally, a lot of VHS tapes (especially older US-market ones) are found in cardboard slipcases rather than the more usual plastic cases. This doesn't necessarily mean they're pirate copies, it's just how they were made. I'm not sure why, but I expect that it's to do with either the low production volumes involved, or transportation/storage costs (bigger box = fewer packed into each shipment).

But hey, it's cheap....

Video CDs (VCDs)

I'll keep it short: Not worth the effort really, buy the DVD. Everything ever said about dodgy DVDs applies threefold, avoid.

For the sake of completeness, I'll also mention Laserdiscs (LDs). Generally not worth bothering with, except for the fact that the popularity they used to enjoy in Japan means you can get some pretty nice special editions, especially for older series, that can be kinda cool to have.

Manga

There isn't quite as much variation in format for manga as there is for anime, but there are a couple of small nuances that you should be aware of:

Original Japanese Manga


Obviously, all Japanese comics start in Japan. Now, most people would there isn't really much point in collecting something that you aren't going to be able to read, and they're probably right to a certain extent, but it doesn't seem right to leave out the source of all the translated material.

First of all, pretty much every original manga will be in right-to-left format, as you would expect. What may surprise you, though, is the lower quality paper that is often used compared to the English-language versions. A lot of manga is very much pulp fiction in the truest sense, originally compiled into weekly collections that contain, say, one chapter of several different stories. Like newspapers, they are often purchased as disposable time-killing for train journeys, lunchbreaks etc.

What is more relevant are the collected versions, where the serialised stories are published in a normal-sized paperback format. It is usually these that translations are made from. You won't find many of them in the UK, but you can get them quite easily from Ebay etc.

You will occasionally come across bilingual manga, with both original and translated dialogue: I've never bought any myself, but I can see how it could be useful if you're attempting to learn Japanese.

English Language Manga


If you go into a shop that sells manga in the UK, this is what you're most likely to find. English language translations of manga are most usually based on the collated versions of the original stories, and sold as paperbacks. These are normally referred to as "Trade PaperBacks (TPBs)". The paper used for them tends to be of decent quality, better than that normally used originally.

The main segregation in translated manga is between reading direction: Japanese style right-to-left, or western style left-to-right. Most often, companies will settle for one format or the other for all their publications. Although reading left-to-right feels more natural to a western audience, a lot of people don't like the way that the pages are mirrored to allow this: Right-handed people become left-handed, cars are on the wrong side of the road, and so on. However, if you want to read publications from companies like Dark Horse Manga or Viz (No relation to the long-running smut cartoons, by the way), you are just going to have to live with it. Incidentally, Dark Horse also publish their stories initially as regular-sized American comics before proceeding to the more normal TPB.

If you want a better preservation of the original style and artwork, go for the right-to-left publications from companies like Tokyopop and ADV Manga. Once you're used to it (which takes about 5 minutes), you won't even notice the difference, and will be able to switch between reading directions quite happily.

One thing that all companies do, to a certain extent (ADV Manga being a notable exception), is re-size the printing to fit in with what they consider to be a "standard" size. Some people find it annoying, but personally I don't mind. The methods used don't give any noticable quality changes, and it means everything fits on your (and more importantly for the publishers, bookstores') shelves nicely.

It's also not unknown for manga to be edited for western release. I've used the Ghost in the Shell manga as an example of the kind of changes that might be made, including flipping, re-sizing and editing.

Translation is a sticky issue, as with anime. I'm not going to have a debate about it here, but I would like to point out that most companies to a pretty good job of making a direct translation, only changing linguistic points that only work in Japanese. And often there's a translators notes section in the back pages (ADV Manga are nicely consistent about this), explaining either why a change was made, or what the direct translation of a joke, reference etc actually means. The chances of you reading something that makes you annoyed because the translator has changed the substance of the original work are absolutely miniscule.

I'll also mention Super Manga Blast, which presents a single chapter of several stories in each issue, in the same way as Japanese publications like Shonen Jump. Some people like that, but I've always been inclined to wait for the collated TPB release instead. You pays your money & you takes your choice.

Books
As well as manga, there are other books associated with anime and manga that you'll commonly find:

Artbooks

An artbook is a collection of artwork from something (most usually anime), and can contain either images from the work itself, or standalone images, or a combination. They often have preliminary character and background sketches, "making of" type articles, and so on. They can range in size from small, A6-sized paperbacks to A3 hardbacks.

Most artbooks are Japanese publications, although inroads are being made into translations (such as some of the artbooks for series licenced by ADV, and the Intron Depot series of artbooks by Masamune Shirow). As such, most people in the UK who purchase them do so for the artwork. For a popular series, it's not unusual for there to be several art collections published, and out-of-print or limited editions can command quite a hefty price.

Manuals

Much like an artbook, the most common kind of manual is a reference work for character designs, clothing, poses etc. The main difference is that manuals tend to be more black and white line drawings, and quite wordy in places, with specifications for equipment, machines etc. Again, you will mostly find them in Japanese rather than English. While extremely useful if you want to learn how to draw a set of characters, much of the detailed information is lost if you are unable to read Japanese. They can still make a nice addition to a collection, however.

If you're not sure whether what you're buying is an artbook or a manual, ask if you can have a look through it (they tend to be sealed in bags in shops). Obviously this is impossible over the internet or on Ebay, but a simple email can help clear up any confusion.

Drawing Guides

There are several books available whose purpose is to teach you how to draw in anime/manga style, the most prolific of which is the burgeoning How to Draw Manga series, often abbreviated to HTDM. Some of the titles available are quite useful, written by people who really understand the features of anime/manga stylings (the HTDM series is actually a translation of Japanese drawing guides), while others are evidently the work of jobbing American comic book artists trying to make a quick buck.

As with artbooks and manuals, it is recommended that you have a look through if possible, and try to guage whether the guide is the right level for your current drawing ability (be honest!), and whether or not it's the kind of thing you're looking for.

Magazines

With the popularity of anime and manga back in Japan, it's hardly a surprise that you can buy numerous magazines dedicated to the subjects. You'll probably be able to pick some titles up from a Japanese bookstore, or get them mail order. Obviously, they're written in Japanese, but the artwork is beautiful, and you often get free posters etc.

Of more interest, however, are the translated magazines and English language productions. Aside from the regular, more child-biased Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh comics you'll see in WHSmiths, you can get magazines in English that go into some detail about the hobby. Chief among these is probably the ADV-backed Newtype USA, which translates it's Japanese counterpart, keeping the right-to-left format, and including the posters, free episodes on DVD etc. Most decent comic stores should be able to get hold of a copy for you. Newcomer NEO seems to be aimed at a wider market, and is available in many larger "regular" magazine stockists. However, I have to say that I wasn't impressed - the concept of the magazine seems to have been to appeal to both newcomers and dedicated otaku, but unfortunately it falls between these two stools. Hard. Although NewType USA is a little pricey (C. £9 per issue), you do get a hell of a lot for your money. NEO's £3.50 cover price may be a third of this, but you're not getting anywhere near a third of the product.

Other Books

There are some books associated with anime and manga that don't quite fit into the previous categories. These include books on the history of anime and manga, retrospectives on the work of particular artists or groups/production houses, examinations of advertising posters/covers and so on. It's not really possible to offer much advice on these titles, but as with everything else, buy it if you like the look of it.

You will also occasionally find novels related to anime/manga, either based on the anime or manga storylines or characters, or books that have formed the basis for a series.

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