Mangakas: People Who Read Manga for Free Think They Control the Story

Did you see what happened to the author of Go For It, Nakamura!? After being harassed by Western readers complaining about “problematic” aspects of her story, she decided to leave Twitter, deleting her account.

It seems this effect made other manga authors realize something: “fans” from overseas who read their works illegally want to “control the story.” Two mangakas shared their impressions after seeing comments from readers who pay for manga, and those who read legally but for free.

It all started when Yuiko, author of the manga Yaoi Zenryaku, Oniichan wa Seijo ni Narimashita, posted the following on her account:

“If we compare the ratings from those who read through official channels, those who read legally for free, and those who read on pirate sites, there are clear differences. I won’t say exactly what they are, but the result is probably what you imagine.

Many people who called me and Teo harsh things and constantly complain about Ujin and Momo are precisely those who read on pirate sites.

The impression is that people who read on pirate sites have a major lack of ability to understand other cultures, grasp the ‘atmosphere’ of the work, and imagine the thoughts of characters that are not explicitly shown.”

Her tweet reached more than 900,000 views, and another mangaka responded. Nakayama Michiru, responsible for the story of the romantic comedy manga Make Heroine wo Katasetai, said the following about the issue:

“It seems that many people who read on free international sites think they have control over the story, so they end up sending a lot of suggestions (like ‘pair X with Y or you’re not fit to be an author’). I’m happy to have fans overseas, but since they are reading for free, they end up speaking too much. I wish they would at least contribute financially.”

Now that X automatically translates everything, I increasingly see Japanese authors getting irritated by the audacity some foreigners show toward manga.

But what they said is interesting, because as authors themselves, it is likely much easier for them to see the difference between comments from paying readers and those who read for free, so pointing this out is quite memorable.

Apparently, those who read for free think they have control over the story.