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Straight up DMed one of these bootleg publishers to see what they have to say about it, and they straight up ghosted me.
Hey, Malaysians? Please don't give your money to these publishers, seriously. If you're going to shell out money to buy the comic, don't do it here. https://twitter.com/ryuathome/status/1317382452030001153
Hey, Malaysians? Please don't give your money to these publishers, seriously. If you're going to shell out money to buy the comic, don't do it here. https://twitter.com/ryuathome/status/1317382452030001153
You're essentially paying for scanlations that other people read for free online :/ There's just so many things to unpack from just that one thought.. you're essentially being cheated out of your money to fill their pockets.
If you just want the books for the sake of the books, i'd recommend getting the japanese tankobon that can (depending on titles) be cheaper than the US publisher translated ones.
I know the ENG transl. from the US can be 3-4 times more expensive but at least you know some of it goes back to the hardworking comic artist that worked their bones off day and night to make your favourite characters come to life.
We might be fans all the way here in Malaysia, but ever cent counts. The artists have brought us so much joy, it's the least we can do to return the favour ): Starve these bootleg companies from robbing you and your favourite comic artists of money.
We're not fans if this is where our money is going to.
The company I referred to is TR Media and or @/komikMsia on FB. They are NOT licensed by Shueisha or Kodansha or any JP affiliates. They're literally ripping off hundreds of comic artists AND publishers by selling the books for 1/3 the price and for even lesser quality.
Stop buying from them. It's a literal waste of money.
TR Media Fakes (left) versus Viz Media Original (right)
They copied it fully and changed slapped their logo on the spine of the book (highlighted in red).
They copied it fully and changed slapped their logo on the spine of the book (highlighted in red).
Demon Slayer / Kimetsu no Yaiba isn't the only titles they've done this to. So far I'm only scratching the surface but, all of their famous english tranlsated SJ titles (Tokyo Ghoul, Dragonball, Promised Neverland) are all direct rip-offs of Viz Media's publishing.
They just slap their logo onto it, essentially. ): Which is horrible.
While we're talking about bootlegs, chances are if you see it in Century Bookstores, it's probably a bootleg. Please stop supporting these companies. They are only filling their own pockets.
If you are interested in purchasing OFFICIAL and ORIGINAL comics and manga locally, please check Kinokuniya, MPH, and Border outlets! In some cases, you can even go to the customer service counter and place your orders through them if you don't see your favourite titles there!
If you're alright with waiting, then i suggest http://BookDepository.com (if you're not averse to an Amazon subsidary) as they have free worldwide shipping and deals that can be cheaper than Kinokuniya.
Another option, if you're only collecting and not looking into rereading it, buy the original JP tankobons! They're cheaper at times and its a more direct streamline to contributing money to your favourite artist! Mangakas earn mostly thru royalties and tankobon sales.
Let's start channeling our money (whatever little we can afford to shell out) to companies that actually help make the content we love come true. Let's start putting our money to the right people so the industry can flourish here in Malaysia!
EDIT: the counterfeits are the ones that they label as "local publishers" or "import lokal". especially. on their ig account (@/mangakomikmalaysia) Please do not purchase these!
They seem to also do group orders for original goods AND licensed english books on their instagram so please read their descriptions carefully! Their FB seems to only sell counterfeits.
EDIT: reached out to them on instagram and got this response, "I am an agent, for clarification. For distribution check with Comic Paradise (CP)"
That spells to me "I don't care if its fake or not, not my problem. i'm only here to make money." :/ ok.
That spells to me "I don't care if its fake or not, not my problem. i'm only here to make money." :/ ok.
This is how little they care about the original artists and publishers who, without them, these "agents" wouldn't even have anything to sell :/ please don't feed these money hungry roaches.
EDIT3: I also contacted Gempak Publishings since i notice this "agent" uses their hashtag to bring in customers on instagram and gives false pretence of association. Gempak officially says they have nothing to do with TR Media or Comic Paradise.
EDIT4: @/komikMsia on FB and @/mangakomikmalaysia on ig is NOT TR Media's corporate page, as it seems, but an agent that helps sell their books online. Aka, they're not responsible for the Production of the counterfeit books it seems BUT they are responsible for selling them.
They are WILLFULLY acknowledging that they know these are counterfeits and still sell them without caring of the consequences of ripping off customer's money or the original artists'. Please do not buy from them. This helps no one.
UPDATE: @/komikmsia's Facebook page has been brought down/deleted/hidden.
They either have caught wind of people catching onto them but please be aware they'll probably pop up again under a different name :/ please be careful!
They either have caught wind of people catching onto them but please be aware they'll probably pop up again under a different name :/ please be careful!
Their instagram page is still up though they removed the "Local Versions" (a.k.a the bootlegs) on the first few recent posts but if you dig lower, there are some remaining.
As usual, a reminder that 99% of any anime merch and books you find on places like Shopee and Lazada are bootlegs. (Games are different bc of authorized resellers). But merch and books in particular would most probably be duplicates made from cheap knockoff factories from China.
Just be careful and reaffirm with the dealer if you have to about the authenticity of what you are buying.
UPDATE: MKM's instagram page has removed most of the "local release" aka TR Media's title copies. They probably caught wind of this twt thread. Please be aware of anything that has TR Media or CP/CH publisher logo on it! Those are DEFINITELY not original.
MKM's ig has a mix of bootleg and original products. I haven't gone through ALL their merch, but just to be safe, please don't buy anything from this supplier. I'm not sure how much of it is trustworthy now that they're going out of their way to hide things. Be safe when you buy!
Update tweet on this particular "agent". Also bonus harassment reply tweets from the said "agent" in the replies if you know where to look. https://twitter.com/ryuathome/status/1319816704151543810?s=20
I'm aware that sometimes dealers and resellers on places like Shopee tend to sell TR Media books under Gempak Starz or Komik-M which is VERY confusing, but you can always cross check both company's list of titles on their official website if you're unsure!
I know Gempak Starz at least DOES have licensing for a few Japanese titles like Bungou Stray Dogs and Yotsuba&! so just be sure to cross-check on their official channels before making a decision!
