I haven’t done this for a while, and last month’s Previews had some tough choices for me, so I thought I’d talk about it a little. There were a lot of titles I collect/want that were up for ordering last month. It’s very hard to keep my numbers down when publishers do this to me. (Yes, I do think they are all out to get me.)
It isn’t that publishers had a lot coming out. There were just a lot of publishers that had titles I wanted. Bandai, CMX, Del Rey, Tokyopop, Viz and Yen Press all had an average of 2 books. Well, except Viz who always has at least 5-7 alone that I want. Doing a quick tape of everything (less the Naruto wave I already said I would have to pass on), if I had ordered everything I read, it would have come to over $100, and that with my 30% discount! Even in a good economy, that’s a lot for one month! 15 titles in all!
I ended up flip-flopping a lot on this list. I could have run for office with the number of times I changed what I would order! Code Geass: Lelouche of the Rebellion Volume 4 was on there for a while, until I saw I wasn’t going to get a discount on it. I don’t know why, the other Bandai title, a Code Geass Light Novel did. But, with having to pinch every penny, that one had to get crossed off eventually.
Another factor that affected by decision making was whether I thought the titles might need help making Previews new minimum. I’m really bummed that Seven Seas has already become one casualty of this change. Inukami! is a series I want to follow, and since my new manga buying is done through Previews, not having the option to order it really sucks. So, the two CMX titles I read that were available, King of Cards and Two Flowers for the Dragon, got an order. They don’t get nearly the love they deserve. Fairy Tail is a must buy no matter what now. Petshop of Horrors: Tokyo got an order, but Sgt. Frog didn’t. The Petshop before the pet.
In Viz, I had to get Dr. Slump and Black Cat. These are the final volumes for both series, and I am determined to see them to the end. The two Shonen Jump graduates had to take a pass. This is the first Shaman King I’ve missed since it left, but Hikaru no Go, I only just realized I missed 14, so skipping 15 wasn’t as hard. Nana I really struggled over, but eventually I gave up on. Full Metal Alchemist is still a must have, so it got an order as well.
Yen Press threw me a conundrum. Night School and Pig Bride both had their volumes 1’s for
With no bottom in sight for this bad economy, you can bet choices as illustrated here will just get worse. I afforded myself on extra volume, because one volume I’d previously ordered, Tactics, got canceled, and I had a little extra. I might push it through the next Previews, as it’s Manga Month, but even my $50-60 limit is going to have drop until things get better.
It would just be easier if publishers did the same with their releases so I wouldn’t have to make these choices.
