Digital v Physical Manga

[ExtraMana]

So I read a lot of manga and I was wondering which you prefer. I opt for digital because reading it on my tablet is free, but I recently picked up the Genshiken omnibus collections on amazon and tracked down a complete collection of Death Note for cheap on Ebay and I gotta say there are big advantages to physical. What is your preference?

I added a poll for you to vote.

[Polycentric]

Of course the benefits of digital manga are accessibility, but the feel of actually having a book and flipping pages is priceless. I used to not be able to stand reading books on some sort of digital device (I've gotten over it now), but having an actual physical book is infinitely better. Everything seems less flat, maybe partly because the physical book pages literally aren't flat. Idk, it's probably just something weird, but I find having an actual physical book is so much nicer than reading on a digital device.

[ExtraMana]

1 hour ago, Polycentric said:

Of course the benefits of digital manga are accessibility, but the feel of actually having a book and flipping pages is priceless. I used to not be able to stand reading books on some sort of digital device (I've gotten over it now), but having an actual physical book is infinitely better. Everything seems less flat, maybe partly because the physical book pages literally aren't flat. Idk, it's probably just something weird, but I find having an actual physical book is so much nicer than reading on a digital device.

I also find the slight offset white color of the physical page gives it a very different feel then a hyper defined pure backlight white. I think it's worth getting physical for really good series but I have to really want them to track them down on ebay etc and wait for a deal.

[Bolverk]

Digital is free 

[Dergonu]

Physical all the way. I can't take reading the digital versions most of the time, not to mention that you support the creator by purchasing physical versions- everybody wins. 

[Arcadeotic]

As much as I love actually reading manga, I'll take digital anytime

It's more convenient, easier in more ways than just one, they're more defined and colorful, actually easier for me, as I've been reading pdfs, epubs, and whatnots for a much longer time than manga, which I started 3-4 years ago, so I don't have those attachments to paper and pages, as well as I much prefer the way manga-pages move on digital platforms.

Of course, I see the appeal of physicals, but I've not cared about physicals for a long time, on many different alterations.

Digital shizzle is more suited for me

[Lucius]

I don't really see the point of going through the inconvenience of holding a book in your hands as opposed to reading it on your computer. Even when you compare reading it on your iPad, the zooming function would still make it far more useful than reading it from a book, not to mention screen-capping and sharing a particular panel from the comic on the Internet. Digital just have more functions and is more useful than old paper and page.

I guess you can be nostalgic about it, talking on a primetime talkshow for washed up retired 60 year old men with dementia how digital manga just lack that pungent stench of rotten paper that you cherish so much, how that 'feel' of paper makes you spasm into an orgasmic convulsion... But in my frank opinion, I think it's all rubbish and is based sentimentality with no practical reasons whatsoever.

Honestly, the only real advantage physical has over digital is how you could show off to your friends your embarrassing weeaboo collection of manga, placed alongside your equally cringey waifu figurines and Naruto DVD set. Yes, DVD, not blu-ray, 'coz you're nostalgic like that and refuse to succumb to those new-age hipsters that have evolved with the times.

[Nosebleed]

>Digital is free
Uh, no it's not. Unless you're pirating things.

As far as which medium is better, I don't think there's a clear answer since it heavily depends on the user's habits. I enjoy reading digital manga a lot, but I also own multiple physical books that I enjoy reading just as much. I think digital is convenient for binging things instead of having multiple volumes to bring along with you, for example. But physical has that nice feel to it when you flip pages and stuff. I generally enjoy reading off of a physical book more but I definitely rely on digital versions for most of my manga needs because of the ease of accessibility.

[Narcosis]

I want to feel the paper. I love the smell of printing ink.

Digital gives none of these; you have to also use an external device to read them, which uses up energy and most of all - they don't really exist

[pual]

Physical since paper feels good and doesn't strain eyes. There's a limit to storage size and what is officially translated so I use digital extensively too.

[andzalot55]

I can't read Japanese so having a physical copy wont do. Of course I can read the physical copies in English but the kinds of manga I read are fan translated and are unavailable in physical English copies.