the manga habit is a blog about one woman’s hobby (read: addiction) which involves excessive amounts of shoujo, josei, and boys love (BL) manga, as well as BL and otome games. The author has been reading manga since 1997 and owns over 5000 volumes of Japanese manga. Most content on this blog will come from that collection, so don’t ask where to download anything.
This blog will be informative and exploratory in nature, so don’t expect long-winded reviews, but short introductory posts. The goal is to spark interest, not to give everything away nor to analyze it piece by piece. Lesser known manga and games will be covered, mostly in hopes of finding others to wildly spaz with. All content is subject to the author’s limited, rusty, and (most of all) lazy knowledge of Japanese. Certain posts tagged NSFW contain suggestive images and link to graphic images kept off-site.
What to expect from this blog? Previews and snippets of random shoujo, josei, and BL manga, both old and new. Perhaps a random, ridiculously detailed post on a favorite topic. And what to expect most of all? Hot guys from manga, of course.
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My user name, shinkeikaku, is unwieldly, so feel free to address me as “shin.” I’m not a fujoshi, otaku, or any other label (inevitably in Japanese) that people like to throw around. I’m just a manga slut who won’t be shamed for my boundless lust for pretty manga of all types. ♥
Fair warning: I don’t take myself seriously when it comes to my hobbies and you probably shouldn’t either. Life is already full of enough srs bsns and I’ll have none of that nonsense here. Finally, bear with me and my writing–I have a Ph.D. in chemistry, not literature and composition.
I can be e-stalked on these various sites:
shinkeikaku@LibraryThing ~ Where I track my manga collection
shinkeikaku@Bookmeter ~ Where I track my reading progress
shinkeikaku@Tumblr ~ Where I post truly random manga/game images
shinkeikaku@Backloggery ~ Where I half-assedly track my entire video game collection
shinkeikaku@Visual Novel Database ~ Where I’m attempting to track my visual novels–emphasis on “attempting”
shinkeikaku@Twitter ~ Where I sometimes spaz about manga, but mostly ramble about how I torture college students for a living
the manga habit 
OMG, I don’t wanna sound so fangirl but I adore you, seriously. Haha, it’s just that I’m 18 and I love BL and shoujo mangas…. and Kazuhiko Mishima is my favorite mangaka and I found your page with the Unlucky Strike post *-* Gosh, I wished I could have the mangas you do, because in Mexico (Oh yeah, I’m from Mexico) it’s difficult ;_; And then I start reading your other entries and OMG you have a Ph.D. in Chemistry and you’re a teacher, right? I love chemistry too ♥ You are now some sort of example to me. Hope I’m not being too creepy D:
Well, I just like you so much and I’m grateful because I’ve known new artists and mangas (:
Haha, cool–glad you found your way here 😀 Thanks for the kind words and I hope you find lots of promising new manga to check out then!
Yup, I teach college-level chemistry. That’s great that you enjoy chemistry. Keep it up–we need more BL/shoujo loving fans who also love science
I do like being a reminder that teachers are human too–we often forget that. A few students have caught on to the fact I like manga since I have a Japanese volume of Harry Potter in my office. They tend to ask me about anime and Naruto/Bleach, which I can thankfully play ignorant to. Unfortunately that much is somewhat necessary to remain “professional” and not become your student’s new bff. I give just a little away and hide my power level, so it’s hard not to say “put Bleach down and go read obscure series X!!!” It’s nice that I can rant about any type of manga I want here!
I’m a little bit sad that I didn’t pay more attention to your blog when I first stumbled upon oh, who-knows-when ago. ;__; Found you through LibraryThing, btw. 😀 I wish I had your collections, but since I also like manga a little bit too much, it might possibly reach yours one day. I can only hope to be able to afford them all. ^^;; Unfortunately, I shouldn’t even be here since there are stuff I have to do. ;_; Will browse later. 😀 Wheee.
Nice, you’re on LibraryThing too? I love that site–it’s invaluable for organization! What’s your username there?
You just need time to build a collection. Then your own manga habit can grow into a monstrous collection too.
My updates are slow unless it’s summer, so you got plenty of time to catch up on what’s here. Thanks for stopping by!
I was waiting for an email from your blog but never got it. O_O Oh well. 😀 Thanks for the reply! My username on LibraryThing is kuinni, although I haven’t been buying much of anything lately. =/ There’s no time to read much of anything nowadays. I usually click around until I find big collections such as yours or Emily’s and then sigh enviously, ahaha. 😀
Hi there. I’m was googling for a manga title and ended up here and I gotta say, I love your manga musings. I’m still such a noob so I’m glad that your manga summary helps in introducing manga to read which I otherwise wouldn’t have known. And wow, I’m amazed at the number of volumes you amassed. My own collection is still small but slowly growing as I’m still in the discovering phase. I really hope you don’t mind me lurking & uhm ya, stalking your blog from time to time. xDD
Hi, thanks for stopping by! That’s mostly what I’m trying to do here.. present enough info to others so they can judge if something previously unknown to them looks interesting. Share the wealth and all that.
The collection is a bit out of hand admittedly, but things add up over time (is what I tell myself at least). I’m still discovering too technically.. it’s a good place to be. Collections naturally grow over time and reflect your own evolving tastes. I sometimes look back and wonder things like “why the hell do I own 18 volumes of Naruto and Negima each?!” It’s a lot of fun.
Ha, I don’t mind at all–thanks for lurking about. 😀
I just want to say you’ve got an awesome blog, an even awesomer collection but -you’re- the awesomest for sharing with the rest of us manga-loving folks!
And hurrah for professionals who love/obsess/breathe manga! I run a business but its more language barriers that keep me from amassing. I’m severely picky about translated manga >_<
Hi and thanks! You run a business?! That is so cool 😀 It’s always good to hear from others like us–just because you’re a hard-working adult doesn’t mean you can’t have fun or read awesome comics.
Aw, I hit those barriers too. 😦 I pass up quite a few titles because I don’t want to struggle with the language. But at least you’ll amass an impressive, high quality collection. I’m just gonna go hide my 18 volumes of Naruto now, cough.. I wish you luck in the great hunt for the best manga!
Fucking Fujoshi bitch.
I love it when angry little man-children from MAL stumble onto my blog, so I’m leaving this here for all to enjoy. It’s been a while. School must be out and the little ones are bored~
Technically, I’m not a fujoshi. No more so than you are some nerd-raging, smelly otaku. Oh.. that didn’t quite come out right. Oh well. You can take away every BL manga I’ve ever read (some of which are fantastic, more so than the shit you likely read) and I still would have read more and better titles than you. Deal with it, but do so in your sad, dank corner on MAL. Don’t bother doing so here. Go find something better to do than post to blogs outside your narrow interest, like finding something unique to read for once. Then you might recognize some of the other titles I post about here.
Eer…is there something wrong with being a fujoshi?
And if the guy really look into your blog, he would have known that the titles you read are not only BL. This is really amusing. =P
Every now and then, it’s like an angry drunk stumbles onto my blog and screams at the wall, lol. Apparently they are too scared to confront me on MAL~ And it’s way too much work to look around and see that there’s lots of types of manga. They love throwing around fujoshi like an insult for some reason. I don’t personally care for otaku/fujoshi/etc labels, but it’s amusing nerd rage… aimed at someone else in the same hobby. Nerd on nerd hate crimes?! Silly kids.
Hello~! ^_^
I’ve stumbled on your blog through Twitter. I’m enjoying reading your previous posts. It’s a good thing I found it since I’m already loving your blog! Gosh you’re awesome! 😀
You have a huge manga collection! ^O^ I’m starting to start my own but I like lots of manga, I don’t know which one should I start collecting first. Not to mention, I’m not sure which site to choose when buying. ^^;; Do you know a good site? ^^;;
You also play otome games? *o* and you also have a Ph.D in Chemistry? You’re cool~! *o*
My parents are always asking me why do I like manga (they say comics) and games when it’s not related to my field of study (I am a Pharmacy graduate). What’s so wrong about that? :O
Sorry for the vent. ^^;; Anyway, I hope you don’t mind if I follow your blog and add you to my blogroll. Hope that doesn’t sound creepy. xD;;
Hi and thanks–I’m glad you took a look around here. 🙂
All collections have to start somewhere! I only know about purchasing raw manga and my favorite site is http://www.bk1.jp/ Good stock and cheaper shipping options. http://www.mangaoh.co.jp and amazon.co.jp have a bit more, but only do expensive shipping. Those are good places to start!
I play otome games occasionally. BL too, but not much lately. Usually just one or two a year I guess. The last ones I played were AkaAka, Tsubasa no Oka no Hime, some of the Alice games, and Real Rode. I like the Tokimeki GS games too.
Haha, thanks. Well, I read this stuff precisely because it has nothing to do with my field. I think it’s important to work the other parts of your brain. Especially at the PhD level, you get so *focused* on your niche that it’s a good idea to step back and remember the big picture. To relax from a hard day of doing chemistry, I’m not going to do MORE chemistry. I’d want to shoot myself. Work hard, play hard. I certainly think there’s nothing wrong with enjoying this hobby and it shouldn’t be a poor reflection on intelligence level by any means. That’s great you’re into pharmacy–I hope your parents will eventually see how harmless and even enriching this hobby can be. Mine do, but I’ve lived on my own for years now and they only see the mountain of books when they visit. They’re a bit bemused, but that’s about it.
No problem in venting and you’re welcome to follow and not feel creepy. It’s always fun meeting more people. At least I have fun reverse-stalking once someone wanders in
Thanks for the links! I’ll start ordering one of these days. ^_^
Wow you like TMGS too! My favorite otome game! XD Will you be playing TMGS 3 premium for PSP?
“I certainly think there’s nothing wrong with enjoying this hobby and it shouldn’t be a poor reflection on intelligence level by any means!”
— True. 🙂 Some of my colleagues think like that. That having anime or manga as your hobby will make you a dull person. Meh. I guess some people are a little too conventional, it’s clouding their judgment on unconventional things. ^^;;
Thank you for following back! ^_^
TMGS 😀 I’m not sure if I’ll be playing the PSP version yet. For all the times I’ve played the first two, I’ve admittedly barely played the third (which I bought for the DS a while ago). I’m not sure if the differences will be worth buying it yet again.
Ha, I think people who judge hobbies like that are dull themselves. Especially considering anime/manga requires language ability when you deal with raws. Whenever I mention when I read comics in Japanese, I swear the color drains from their face and they shut up. They’re like:
“You can read that?”
“Yup”
“HUH! Really?!” *eyeballs the book, eyeballs me*
After that, I get the lovable but odd nerd treatment, which isn’t too off the mark anyway.
Hi Shin. Would you be interested in reviewing any BLBangBang localizations? Our latest titles are listed here.
Hi, thanks for the offer 🙂 I’m kinda strapped for time as is trying to cover the stuff I get (I’m probably averaging one a month? terrible!), so I tend to only review titles I’m particularly crazy about. If you guys ever cover one I love, I’ll think about it! Although I tend to cover stuff that has no exposure.. I figure other (and better lol) people can cover less obscure stuff.
Hello! I stumbled upon your blog via other blogs (lol) and was happy to read a blog where we share things in common, especially BL and otome games ^^ Nice to meet you! And if it’s alright, can I add you to my blogroll? 🙂
Hi there and nice to meet you too 🙂 I always enjoy talking to people who also love this stuff. My BL/otome gaming is a bit neglected lately, but it’s still something I like. I don’t mind being linked–in fact, thanks for doing so. I’ll have to check out your blog too.
Ah, I just got a librarything lately due to my growing collection (only 3 shelves though) and I was wondering if you could take a picture of how you store your books? Like your bookcase with manga/magazines/artbooks in it? It seems like you buy so many books so do you have any tips on saving money while buying them? Thanks! 😀
I have a bunch of shelves. Since you mentioned LT, I’m guessing you’re asking more about organization on those shelves? I organize by author, publisher, demographics, whatever fits shelf-wise in that order. It might not be a problem yet, but you always want to organize by however you personally categorize/think about your manga. That way, I can find anything in all the shelves if I haven’t shuffled recently.
I took pics of the two biggest shelves. It illustrates the system decently.
This has the art books and a concentration of Hana to Yume comics and some author collections.
This is the biggest shelf. It has all Tousuisha manga, more Hana to Yume, a number of shoujo imprints (Aria, Zero-Sum, Margaret, Flower, Avarus, B’s Log), Feel Young, some more author collections). Close-up https://shinkeikaku.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/shelf05.jpg
I hope that was a bit helpful. No matter the number of books, the biggest thing is just to have enough room so it looks nice and not too cluttered/haphazard. No one wants to look at a mess. I need to go buy another set of shelves soon to hold myself to that.. need to reorganize.
In terms of saving money, I don’t have many tips. It’s a stupidly expensive hobby. The only option most have is to pick a cheap shipping option like SAL when ordering online. Before, I had access to used manga and got a ton cheap (jpqueen, bi-annual Book-Off trips). Between limited access and the weak dollar, saving money is much harder these days.
Thanks so much for sharing! I live vicariously through you~ (but manga is a little bit cheaper compared to the English licensed ones) Right now, my shelves are in alphabetical by title (except BL), with new books stacked sideways on top. When I eventually get enough JP manga, I’ll probably organize it your way! 😀
No problem, I’m glad you enjoy them too 🙂 Maybe I’m weird, but the organization of the books is another fun aspect of collecting them.
When I first started buying manga, raw was WAY cheaper than English translated ones. However, depending upon English publisher/pre-orders, you can find rare treats around $6-7. I got Samejima-kun & Sasahara-kun, Castle Mango (a rebuy), Docchi mo Docchi (a rebuy), Sailormoon volumes all for less than 7 bucks each and free shipping–awesome prices, especially for BL! If discounted, you can save some money that way since there’s no yen->dollar/overseas shipping involved. It’s something I watch for more these days. Never guessed I’d be buying translated manga.
Maybe you have read one too many replies but still want to leave an imprint here. I will visit your blog every now and then as a source of reference on any manga to read, take note of etc… thank you once more for taking the time to share your love!
Oh no, I like hearing from all sorts of people 🙂 So thanks for leaving a comment. I hope you find some new good stuff to read–it’s all about spreading the manga love.
Yea, just when I thought there is all there is about manga reading, I stumbled upon more titles or heaps and heaps of manga… o.O
Hey just stumbled upon your blog from MAL and I have got to say you have an amazing collection and this blog is very informative. I was just wondering how you started learning to read (and maybe even speak??) Japanese? I’ve always been pretty interested in the Japanese language and if you have any tips for just starting to learn I will be forever grateful! ^_^
Thanks! I learned Japanese at a large university. I was studying chemistry, but my degree required several years of a language as well, so I went with an interesting one. That was a while ago, so I keep up by just reading. I’m sure there’s lots of others out there with better advice for self study. I built a foundation and practiced a lot with fun stuff like manga and video games.
You’re a breath of fresh air.
Thank you–I try to keep things interesting around here.
Hello. I was really impressed at your manga collection. Now i’m interested in having a collection of my own since there’s a lot of mangas that I would love to read. So it would be great if you would give more information on how you get them.
Thanks. Honestly, I’m sure there’s other guides out there about buying manga. Everyone is going to have different preferences. I can’t even endorse my old favorite store, bk1, because their shipping is now too unreliable to recommend in good conscience. I’m just buying mine through more expensive shipping methods for now (EMS) so I don’t have to worry about my books being lost. http://www.mangaoh.co.jp/ has been good to me.
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Hi! WOW, you’ve a great collection! I’m collecting points in Ichijinsha tankobon and artbooks of series published in ZeroSum and WARD magazines. The points are contained or in the “obi” of tankobon and artbooks or in the latest pages of magazines (ZeroSum and WARD). I’ve seen you’ve some of the items in which points are included. Are you interested in selling the points?
Hi and thanks 🙂 Sorry, but I’m not particularly interested in selling the points. I avoid exchanging any type of address/name information online, even in private, with people I don’t know.
I see. Thanks for your reply ^_^
Hello, nice. I like very much your site. My question is, if you supply the raws.
Supply yourself:
http://honto.jp/
http://www.mangaoh.co.jp/
http://www.amazon.co.jp/
I spend a lot of money not only on the books, but also the shipping. It’s not cheap.
Thanks to your site, I’ve become an oyaji-fan. Before, I was more interested in younger guys x main lead, but now, I’m all for younger lead x older men 😀
By the way, impressive manga collection you have there. You live in the US? I know shipping from amazon.co.jp to the US costs more than the book itself.
I’m glad you’ve come to the dark side. We have lots of hot old guys with more and more are showing up in manga.
I’m in the US. Amazon.co.jp does have ridiculous shipping. To get it to even out (and cost less than the book itself), you have to order quite a few books. Even then, it’s still pricey. http://www.mangaoh.co.jp/ is better because it has less fees, but it’s still expensive shipping. Before, I got hundreds of books from bk1/honto and shipping was more reasonable, but after it changed to honto, my packages get lost for weeks at a time.
Over the years, I was able to build my collection using bk1, the defunct jpqueen and Sasuga bookstore, grabbed a few hundred in person during a few random trips to Book-Off, and also enjoyed a better dollar/yen exchange rate during the early days of my collecting. There’s still plenty of hidden costs with shipping.
Hi,
Discovered you through your “Fantasy” review as I’ve been considering buying it for a while now. Myself being a fan of Manga Erotics F! I wanted to ask where you purchased all your books hoping you somehow found a good shop that circumvents the expensive shipping rate but alas I think I’ve gathered from previous answers that you still have to paaaay. BK1 was also my last bastion of hope:( Anyways I love your taste and looking forward to reading more of your reviews:)
Unfortunately, as you guessed, I don’t really have any options for cheap shipping anymore. Honto can’t deliver packages to my address properly, so forget them. If I order enough books at a time, EMS shipping costs are comparable to the air shipping cost I used to pay.
Thanks for the comment and sorry for the late reply! I hope you get some new ideas on good manga to read around here. I’m definitely a big fan of Manga Erotics F myself.
Hi, I noticed you seem to have a few of your manga protected by plastic covers and was wondering where to get them online (or somewhere in the US). I know there’s something called Book-kun, at least on Amazon.jp, but the vendors don’t seem to ship internationally (and if they would, the shipment prices are hefty – in that case I’d rather make do with my crappy DIY ones I cut out from plastic Daiso gift bags). /kindofneurotic
Thank you!
Sorry, it sounds like you might want DIY then. I buy mine internationally and the shipping is expensive because they are heavy. I’ll buy enough covers to last me a few years at a time, so I don’t really think it’s a big deal in comparison to the protection my books get. I’ve had several books saved by them and the cost to replace those books would have exceeded any shipping (not to mention the time required to cut your own). If you’re interested, I buy from Comicomi http://www.comicomi-studio.com/boys/mainFrameShowInit.do?share_frame_url=boys/goodsComicomiSearch.do&go_sea_share_genre_type=0015&go_sea_share_keyword= They run a sale about once a year on their covers.
Thank you very much for the fast reply, as well as the tips! Yeah, I’ve just started scavenging the Book-Off fairly recently, so my “collection” is pretty small u_u Definitely going to keep my eye on those, though. Knowing myself it’s just a matter of time before I do cave in. :’D
Hey there! 😀
Because your blog needs more love I’ve nominated you for the Liebster Award! Here’s the link to my nomination post: http://pantasticpanda.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/liebster-award-nomination/
(I apologize if I posted this in a bad area >_<;; )
Info about the Liebster Award: http://wordingwell.com/the-liebster-award-the-official-rules-my-first-blog-award-and-a-few-personal-secrets-revealed/
I hope you can pay it forward, too. ❤
Hello Shin, i’m really really glad to find your blog here~
First, i found a great place for my recently found karesen. I’ve always liked things like Kore wa koi no hanashi, usagi drop etc. but around month ago i found the manga & and got sooo excited over oyaji stuff that i’ve craving for it a lot, so your blog gonna be really really helpful. Well, josei generally doesn’t get scanlated as often as shoujo/BL so i’m also looking for unknown josei to buy. I will explore blog carefully from now on, but any sugestions will be welcomed ❤
Btw, i totally understand the love for the pretty manga. Like omg i want to embrace it all and have a shelves like yours in teh future. (well i just started a real job, so slowly i will build my own kingdom, haha)
Thank for doing this blog ❤
Hello, thanks for leaving the kind comment 🙂 It’s late, but I’m revisiting my manga lately and if you want a good older man title, Nodoka no Niwa by Akiyama Kaori is my current favorite. It’s beautiful! If I can get some momentum, I plan on updating my list with more recent titles. It seems to be growing in popularity.
Hi. I’m sorry to bother you.
Can I ask you if you own any hana to yume magazines from 90s that you would be willing to sell? I’ve been looking for them anywhere… ;_;
Either way, than you very much for your attention (and sorry for the random question >_<).