If you are a fervent fan of manga of all kinds, the news could be brutal. Indeed, a wave of increases is expected for very soon concerning several manga collections. We take stock of this news, its consequences, and above all, the reason behind this increase.
A price increase
In a tweet published on December 3, Panini Manga France warned his readers of an upcoming increase. We let you discover the communication in question :
[COMMUNICATION]
Following the generalized crisis in paper and cardboard and in general the soaring prices of other raw materials (such as ink), but also of transport, we are forced to modify the price of certain publications.
Subsequently, the account gave details regarding the new manga prices published by Panini :
For series in 115×175 mm format (like Demon Slayer), the price will drop from € 6.99 to € 7.29.
For the 130×180 mm series published this year (ALMA, Ookami Rise, Sidooh or Mars Red), the price will drop from € 7.99 to € 8.29.
For the Perfect range (Banana Fish, Eden, 20th Century Boys + titles to come in 2022), the price will drop from € 16 to € 16.99.
We hope that these explanations are clear, do not hesitate to ask us all the questions you wish in order to remove any doubt.
As you may have read, this increase has an impact on many publications, and it stems from the paper crisis.
A paper crisis?
We have been talking for a few months about “shortage of papers”. In fact, publishers are currently experiencing great difficulty in obtaining supplies. Since the Covid-19 crisis indeed, the world paper market is very tight. Delivery times have been increased, ranging from eight weeks to 4 normally.
It must be said that with confinement, the number of trees cut has greatly decreased. This therefore impacted the paper production companies, then the publishing world in general.
And on the side of other publishers?
Panini Manga France is not the only manga publisher who has warned of an upcoming increase. Pika Edition also tweeted about it December 6 :
[CHANGEMENT DE PRIX]
As of December 1, our price code PK41 goes from € 7.75 to € 7.95 including tax.
The impacted series are: “Happiness”, “NeuN”, “Origin”, “Pumpkin Scissors”, “To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts” and “Yozakura Quartet”. pic.twitter.com/4NJaIfBNlQ
For Pika Edition, this is a “harmonization at the margin of its tariff schedule”, which currently only impacts six series (while the publishing house publishes a hundred). In an interview with our colleagues of the dayl The world, the French publishing house assured that:
For the moment, we are not passing on the increase in the price of paper. on the price of our manga.
It remains to be seen who will be the next players in the sector who will increase their prices, because of this crisis. For their part, manga enthusiasts have already commented on these first increases.
Reactions from readers
On Twitter, many Internet users have already reacted to this announcement. Here is a panel of these reactions :
C SUPER DEAR PITIÉ NN JV BE RUINED
Well, we’ll stop buying ptdr manga
Panini is the first to draw on the rise in prices. It was obvious, and it will concern all publishers, even outside the manga https://t.co/GzuVti4qJF
Increase in manga prices I spend in the team scan / j
Breaking News: A paper crisis causes manga prices to increase …
Senku: pic.twitter.com/vrVcT7h604
if the prices increase in a general way among manga publishers I will totally drop several series without any moods, eh, we must not cry that your series will not sell afterwards
And you, on your side, this price increase which currently only affects certain collections does it impact you ? Are you going to change the way you consume following this announcement? Do not hesitate to answer our survey on the question, and to support your answers via our comments area ! And if you want to know what is the best-selling manga of the year 2021, you can refer to our previous article on the subject.