We've Taken Away Your Excuses.

During the past year, I’ve talked with people who have all kinds of excuses as to why they won’t pay for legal digital SJ manga. In all honesty, there is no legitimate excuse. But people make them! Since we’ve launched, Weekly Shonen Jump has improved quite a bit and one-by-one nullified people’s excuses. Here’s a quick list of common excuses, and what we’ve done to “take them away!”

I don’t want to wait two weeks!
That excuse is gone. When we dropped the “Alpha,” we went simultaneous with Japan. We now come out on Monday, the same day the print Weekly Shonen Jump comes out in Japan. If you are reading Weekly Shonen Jump manga before it comes out on Monday, you are doing so illegally, and in essence supporting criminals who steal the manga and release it for profit before it’s officially released.

I Can’t Keep the Manga Forever!
That’s long gone! You can keep every issue of SJ forever! The rental model we used in the past is no longer! So long as you have space in your hard drive, you can keep each issue as long as you want.

It’s too expensive!
Not if you break it down. The average issue of Weekly Shonen Jump has about 200 pages, and ten different series. Let’s do the math: with a year subscription you get 48 issues, which comes out to about 9,600 pages of manga for only $25.99. The digital graphic novels have an average of 200 pages and cost $4.99. If you were to buy 9,600 pages of manga in that format, it would cost you $240.00! Plus, you wouldn’t get four free Yu-Gi-Oh! cards a year!

Shonen Jump Gets Their Manga From Japan For Free, Why Should I Pay?!
We don’t get our manga for free. Japan charges us for the manga in the form of royalties. And that royalty money makes its way back to Japan and eventually all the way to the hands of the artist who makes the manga.

I Don't Have an iPad!
Believe it or not, some people still think this. You do not NEED an iPad, or any other iOS device to read Weekly Shonen Jump. You can read it on your computer (PC or Mac), iOS, Android Phones and Tablets, and Kindle Fire all with the VIZ Manga app. And currently iOS has the WSJ specific app, but that's coming to Android Phones and Tablets soon. 

VIZ Media is a Giant Evil Corporation, I Won’t Support Them! 
For one, VIZ isn’t giant, it is a small to medium sized company at best. As far as being evil, let me ask you this—what’s more evil, a company who plays by the rules and supports the artists in Japan, or one who steals the art, gives the artist nothing and keeps all the money for themselves? And if you think these sites are doing this for some altruistic reason, you’re dead wrong. They’re stealing and profiting from a mangaka’s hard work, and giving them nothing in return.

It’s Not Available in my Country!
We’re working on this one! In fact, we’ve already begun. Weekly Shonen Jump has recently launched in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. And that’s just the beginning! Our long game is to be available in as many countries as possible, so hold on!

If you really believe in manga and you want it to succeed in America, then support it by signing up for Weekly Shonen Jump, or buying the digital or print graphic novels. Be a REAL fan. Support the artists who make this wonderful thing we’ve all fallen in love with called—Shonen Jump manga.

by Urian Brown