Where to Buy Manga Online, Even the Japanese Ones

There’s no doubt that Amazon is the best place to buy manga online since you can get pretty much any manga you want and in whatever format you prefer.

Heck, you can even get my books in digital or print too.

The only downside with Amazon is that the shipping can be rather pricey for the international order. But if the Kindle version of the manga is what you prefer, you can buy the digital manga just fine with no region restriction whatsoever.

Just to let you know that I don’t buy manga and light novels on Amazon. But I do buy many nonfiction books, particularly by indie authors there.

Unlike Amazon, Bookwalker only sells manga and light novels in digital format. However, the good thing about Bookwalker is that you can accumulate points, which you can use to deduct from your future purchases.

Of course, Amazon also has a point system. But unlike Amazon, Bookwalker tends to have a point-back promotion where you can get more points than usual during their point-back campaign.

How many points you receive will depend on your rank, though. The higher your rank, the more points you’ll get during your purchase.

If you want to increase your rank, all you need to do is to meet the minimum purchase requirement and you’ll see yourself moving to the next rank after you complete your purchase.

Keep in mind that the points you accumulate will expire after some time. So, you may need to use them all if you don’t want the points you accumulate to go to waste.

The only issue with Bookwalker is that they do place region restrictions on some manga and light novels. But that won’t be a problem since you can buy the same manga and light novels on Amazon.

In case you’re wondering, I get most of my manga and light novels from Bookwalker, save for the ones that have region restrictions in place.

If there’s a place to buy the print edition of manga and light novels in Japanese, then you can bet that CDJapan has them all.

Looking for the character and illustration books of your favorite anime or manga series?

Well, CDJapan has them too.

Of course, CDJapan doesn’t just sell manga and light novels in Japanese. But they also sell other things such as anime and video game merchandise, anime, and video game soundtracks, figurines, plushies and even CDs and Blu-rays by Japanese artists.

Pretty much CDJapan is your one-stop website for your Japanese entertainment needs.

I usually buy the Japanese manga in print at CDJapan if Kinokuniya no longer has them.

What I like about Kobo.com is that it serves more countries than Amazon. So, if you’re not a fan of buying manga and light novels on Amazon and prefer to buy them in your local currency, then Kobo.com is for you.

Just like Amazon, you can buy any manga and light novels that you can think of, even the ones that have region restrictions on Bookwalker.

I can’t say much about Kobo.com since I never bought any books from Kobo.com before.

Perhaps I should consider buying them on Kobo.com since they do have a wide selection of books just like Amazon.

Well, except for books by indie authors considering that a handful of them are only available exclusively on Amazon.

If the idea of installing another app doesn’t sound appealing to you, then you can always choose to buy your favorite manga and light novels on Google Play Books.

Just like Amazon and Kobo, you can buy most titles on Google Play Books in your local currency.

But the only downside with Google Play Books is that the Shonen Jump and Jump Plus titles aren’t available on Google Play Books.

I can’t say for sure if it has something to do with the region restriction due to the licensing rights.

So you may want to buy them on Amazon or Kobo if you’re thinking about buying any Shonen Jump or Jump Plus titles.

Alternatively, you can also buy manga on Apple Books if you’re using Apple device. The reason why I’m including Google Play Books in the list is that I’m using an Android device.

Are you a fan of TL, BL, and Yuri manga and wondering how to read these genres legally? If so, EbookRenta! has you covered.

Unlike other platforms like Amazon, Bookwalker, and Kobo, EbookRenta! allows you to purchase individual chapters using points.

In some cases, you can also rent chapters, giving you access for three days. The only exception is with Harlequin manga, where you can purchase a single volume instead of just a chapter.

It’s important to note that you must purchase points first, as the platform no longer allows you to use a credit card to buy single chapters directly.

While I’m not particularly a fan of BL and Yuri manga, I do enjoy reading TL manga from time to time.

For those who may not be familiar, TL manga is essentially a romance genre with smut.

Coolmic is similar to EbookRenta! in that you can purchase BL, TL, Yuri, and Hentai manga by the chapter.

But unlike EbookRenta!, Coolmic offers a vertical reading experience on your phone. 

In terms of manga selection, both platforms provide similar titles. The choice between them mainly depends on personal preference, as some of us prefer to read manga vertically rather than horizontally. 

Just to let you know I read TL manga on Coolmic as well.

MANGA Plus isn’t really a place to buy manga online per se. Rather, it’s more of a place to read the latest Shonen Jump and Jump Plus manga chapters for free.

While the Basic plan allows you to read the first three and the five recent chapters for free, upgrading to their Standard or Deluxe plans allows you to read the chapters in between.

Want to read completed manga such as Naruto and Bleach? Well, you can do that with their Deluxe plan. 

You can read the manga on the MANGA Plus website if you’d like. But you will need to install the app for commenting and upgrading to their paid plans.