Please Boycott MangaFox and Other Manga Aggregators
Updated:
See below for more information from someone who was a staff member at MF.
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MangaFox has shut the part of their forum that allows scanlation groups to request takedowns of their materials. MangaFox, also, removed take down privileges from their moderators. (more info) After doing this, the owner of MangaFox, NOEZ, has been reposting materials that groups have specifically asked to be removed. MangaFox clearly has no respect for scanlation groups or manga in general. It clear to me that it is MangaFox’s intent to suck English translated manga dry and when it’s dead, move on to the next victim. I realize that MangaFox makes it easy to read a wide variety of manga series and I realize that this group’s existence enables MangaFox. However, it was never my intention to enrich anybody else but the creators of the series we translate. This leaves me in a difficult place because I want to give unknown artist and unknown titles exposure, continue having fun discussing manga with fans, and create wonderful translations, but at the same time, I can’t stop parasites like MangaFox.
The truth of matter is only the artists and the Japanese publishers can put an end to sites like MangaFox. I have no rights in the matter (beyond the use of my translation). As I see it, there are only two things I can do. One: I can close this group and effectively quit supplying MangaFox with content, and two: I can encourage each and every one of you not to visit MangaFox and instead read licensed manga series legally through purchase or at the library and for unlicensed manga, get the materials directly from the scanlation group’s website. Baka Manga Updates is a good resource for finding unlicensed manga: http://www.mangaupdates.com/releases.html
I know I’m asking a lot of you, but sites like MangaFox rely on your clicks to get money from advertising. If you love manga and you want to see more of it in English, don’t support sites like MangaFox. Support the publishers and the artists and if you see something you like being scanlated, let the publishers know that there is an eager audience.
Comments are welcomed, but any hostile or inflammatory comments will not be published.
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Reprint of some comments from and ex-MF staff member:
Being a former staff member on MF, this does make me feel sad seeing things come down to this. People who upload your manga most likely do it with the intention of trying to get that top contributor spot on MF’s main page. I doubt that most of them even care about any scanlation groups’ hosting policies now that NOEZ controls the backend. They’ll just accept every chapter or series uploaded.
As for NOEZ, it’s frustrating trying to get them to do anything. They could care less about scanlation groups who offer very little profit to their site. The big 3 mangas are the ones that generate majority of MF’s profit. While NOEZ is openly breaking every scanlator’s hosting policies, the volunteer staff often takes a lot of the blame. I remember having staff members removed from staff due to NOEZ because they were trying to follow the policies of the scanlation groups. At this point, I doubt that any volunteer staff will truly have control over the Backend in the future.
If you really wanted to show NOEZ something then I suppose you could try to get groups that are scanlating any of the big 3 to hold it back for some time. I do recall NOEZ staffers going ballistic in the past over not having a steady source of scanlations for Naruto. Whether or not others want to do that really depends but it’s worth a shot.
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From what I recall, MF and mangareader are competing hosting sites and Red Hawk has them both as affiliates. I don’t think Red Hawk is paid by them in any way. The only way for MF to shut down is for, as you said in your first post, for Japanese publishers to file a lawsuit. I know Viz basically slapped down onto MF a letter stating they would take legal action if any of the manga on their list of mangas they published remained up. I don’t know how Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece are up. I’m assuming they pay the company a fraction of what they make from ads but who knows what is really happening.
If you are going to boycott any NOEZ sites then I can list a few:
Mangahere
Animehere [ZOMG]
Otakuzone
Otakushop (I personally think this is the worst site NOEZ has come up with so far. They basically sell counterfeit merchandise made by their factories in China. I had heard from a friend of mine that the shipping was free but I haven’t confirmed it since I would probably rip apart most of the people who purchase items from there. I suppose that’s a nice way to reel in ignorant customers. Yay free shipping -_-)
If you want to spread this message, maybe it would be a good idea to include a page on being against hosting sites rather than it being together on the credit page.
Posted on October 26, 2011, in News. Bookmark the permalink. 12 Comments.
Bakeneko's Lair 
I thank all scanlators for their efforts. But some scanlators do have too many rules before i can actually read their scanlations. I was an owner of a group before and i know it was no easy work to scanlate. However i dont understand why some of them now has to go so far to have at least 10 posts or make an essay to read their scanlations? It is a huge burden to me and i think thats the reason why people go to sites like mangafox mangahere etc. I know its a way to prevent people from updating on mangafox and it doesnt work. You can resolve to delaying releases instead of making it harder for peoples to read them. I had been reading yaoi and following some really old groups out there. It really hurts when they kick you out for not being active enough. I dont bother asking people to thank me on my group. I only asked them to follow our rules and the groups nowadays all about thanking them? Its not even about rules anymore. Its dissappointing. I mean not everyone has all the time to register and make 10 posts and thank in every releases to prove they are thankful grateful and a hardcore yaoi fan. Oh well unless you re not working adults i guess. I only wish that these groups can be more understanding and lenient on the yaoi readers. If i have direct access to download them i wont bother checking out the online reading sites.
These sites want readers to be an active part of the community rather than just a leech. Try starting up a conversation or participating in the conversations. You’ll find it much easier as an actual ACTIVE part of the community. I don’t think they want a “thanks” for every release. A thoughtful comment is much more gratifying than and perfunctory “thanks, now gimme ‘my’ free stuff.”
Glad i took time out to read this article, and i am sorry to say yes I was 1 of the ignorant masses. That all changed a few mins ago, ty for giving me an inside peek at what was truly the issue.For sometime i was wondering y the manga scripts kept reading diff, but now i know better.
I’m well aware than there are rules that scanlation groups have for the manga they translate, but I guess it was naive of me to expect them to follow the rules.
Though quite abit of readers neither respect or care for the work the scanlators put into translating the manga, all they care about are updates. Which as a fellow reader I find just plain irritating.
I’m not yet aware of all the groups that scanlate the manga I read because some of them are small, but I suppose I’ll go look for them and try to read from their sites.
Though I have to admit, mangafox is irritating, I would typically use mangahere for the updates but their watermarks cover up the translator notes that are left to explain words and phrases in the story. >_<; But when I see a series I've read in store I plan to add it to my list of manga to buy, I like to read the artists notes that are occasionally on the sides of manga. ^-^
It’s very sad to see that mangafox actually does this. but MF is quite well-known and used by a lot of people so it’s not going to be easy to persuade all of them to stop using MF.
Well just reading this post persuaded me, so that’s one person down. I just got to find a new source now. Perhaps I’ll pay those scanlation groups a visit and let them now they’re doing an awesome job.
I usually try and use Batoto, I hear they aren’t that bad with the scanlation groups. I hope you guys decide to keep releasing, I love the series you work on. That being said, I can understand completely how NOEZ can get you down. Best of luck!
i mostly use mangaupdates to find manga now, they are really handy, you can mark the manga into list and they have lots of scanlation group website too,so i can just go straight to source.
Hnngh. It’s pretty disgusting, rather exploitative behaviour there. Most people I know don’t go on MangaFox anymore (though they used to), but it’s hard getting the message out for those others who still don’t use it. Especially since MF does not resepct anyone’s wishes at all. >8|
But the message is getting out there, albiet slowly. I prefer to get my manga from the scanlator sites and read it with CDisplay, and wish other people would too (the quality is so much higher *__*) but for those who don’t, at least they’d hopefully move onto another more ethical manga reader. ><"!
The uploaders are in great to blame for not respecting a scanlator’s wishes too! Top uploader Title? Really?
I too, wish there was a way for online readers such as MangaFox and MangaHere and all others to respect SCANLATORS’ WISHES!
Anyhoo, I just want to thank you for all your hard work in putting out chapters for manga lovers like myself and others. Hugs! xD
Really, almost every scan group i visit has those notices, its sad how far can mangafox go for a few more ads money, well im not giving them any, ad block ftw, and besides their site lags.
Ive seen how other scan group avoid them, or tried, using giant wetmarks, releasing only on the irc, or the 10 post in forum to download rule (i really hate that 1, please dun do it ><, but it seems to work)
what we really need now, is a few good hackers that can make mangafox database burn D:<
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