Comments on: Sidetracked: Let’s talk about comics shops.

By: Tivome

Tivome — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:04:04 +0000

Okay, first of all, Animate is NOT a comic book store – it’s mainly an anime shop for the otakus. They have floors which are dedicated to comic books, but mostly doujinshi and not-so-mainstream stuff. A lot of them are not for the kiddies. The rest of the animate is for anime DVD, figurines, assorted otaku-culture items, and games. It’s a super-store for the otaku.ã€€ã€€

Chris, the store you went to in Akiba is “Tora no Ana” or Tiger’s Lair. It’s a store famous for it’s massive doushinji collection, so that’s why it’s all just porn to you. They’re mostly works drawn by amatures and first sold in Comic Market; stores like Tora no Ana and Animate then carry them for the rest of the year. Again, not exclusively comics, but TnA is more famously associated with doujinshi.

http://www.animate-world.com/
http://www.toranoana.co.jp/

By: Halliday

Halliday — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:47:43 +0000

Chris>Which floor do they keep the jizz covered gashapon on?

By: Abhay

Abhay — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:17:49 +0000

Yes: there’s porn/strange-imagery everywhere, not just in the comic shops, if anyone thought I was implying it was … comic’s fault or something. I wasn’t there long enough to guess what it “means” or what judgment if any should be passed. But: yeah, I’m a prude and it made me hella-squeamish. Anyways: I’m enjoying the photo essays; thanks.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 02:04:26 +0000

Abhay- Dude you know there’s porn here everywhere. I went to a store in Akihabara called Comic No Tora that fits the experience you describe. Comics, comics, comics, PORN!!!! for 4 floors. I can understand how that makes you squeamish, but porn comics are still comics, it’s still just product and there are plenty of ‘actual’ porn stores kicking around too. Granted, the subjects of the porn are generally a little more extreme than you find in porn comics here (ok: much more extreme. MUCH.) but… again, if that’s what Japan has decided is okay for their market, then I’ve got no problem with retailers deciding to make a buck off it. For example: Right Now I am eating French Consume flavoured Pringles, and I can’t tell if they’re good, bad, or simply never should have been a flavour of potato chips. But I don’t really care that they’re being sold…

Pakaal- I’m pretty sure what you’re saying is exactly what I wrote, except for the “injustice” part which seems a little hyperbolic to me. My point is that comics HAVE entered the mainstream here, and are available everywhere. But, despite that, there is still a clear need for dedicated comics stores. There’s an idea that comic stores are what is “holding back” comics from entering the mainstream, but really if that were the case, there would be no comic stores in Japan, Hong Kong, France, the Netherlands, etc.

By: pakaal

pakaal — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:51:19 +0000

Just had to point out that comparing Japan’s manga stores to US comics stores is a bit of an injustice. I don’t remember the statistics but I guarantee you there’s a double digit difference in the percentage of people in the US who read comics, and those in Japan who read manga. Japan doesn’t suffer from the same “comics are for kids” stigma that still pervades the US. With the rise of indy publishers and titles in the US we’re starting to crack the mainstream market, but we’ve got a long way to go before we’ll see the average guy on the subway in the US reading a comic book, whereas it’s almost impossible in Japan to find someone NOT reading one.

By: Jason Marcy

Jason Marcy — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:03:03 +0000

EIGHT floors??
Holy christ…that is like, comic HEAVEN even if I’m not into the Manga stuff. All the pictures you’ve shown by the way are brilliant. I can’t believe all the awesomeness Japan has to offer. I’d be in a jaw dropping induced stupor…

By: Journalista - the news weblog of The Comics Journal » Blog Archive » Sept. 12, 2007: Dollman steals dentures

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 08:53:38 +0000

[...] “I am in Japan, and there are comic book stores everywhere.” – Christopher Butcher [...]

By: Abhay

Abhay — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:50:50 +0000

I didn’t go into an Animate store, and maybe I went into the wrong place– but the comic store I went into in Tokyo was amazing and heartening and whatever for floors 1-to-3, then the most horrifying numbing cartoon porn imaginable for floors 4-to-I-can’t take-this-anymore. I don’t know. I had very mixed feelings because of that.