How To Start An Anime/Manga Collection

Keep in mind that every collection starts somewhere. When you see other people’s collections on the internet, their collection wasn't like that from the beginning. A lot of collectors aren't rich either. A collection just doesn’t happen over night or even over a week, unless you actually are rich lol. Building a collection can take years to build so don't worry if yours is small now. Over time, it will grow as large as you want it be.

To start with, collect series that you have an emotional connection with and you know that you will enjoy later on. It could be a series that you grew up with as a child and really loved or even as an adult. Stick with series that really speak to you and or series that has tons of rewatch/reread value upon your standards. 

As your collections grows, so will the value of it. Over time, your favorite series will eventually go out of print (OOP) which could increase its value. From my experience, being an anime DVD collector since the early 00s, I have acquired tons of OOP DVDs and tons of DVDs from my collection that have become OOP. The same goes for my manga collection. I end up appreciating those series even more because they are hard to find and not sold in stores anymore. For this reason, I can’t stress it enough that you take extremely good care of your collection. The value of your collection will always greatly depends on the condition of your items. The better condition it’s in, the more valuable it will be when it becomes OOP. This rule can apply for pretty much anything that you buy/collect. Comics/manga, DVDs, CDs, video games, etc. I always try to keep my items as if it were just taken out of the shrink wrap or taken off the store shelf. I strongly suggest that you do the same with your collection if you want it to have any value later on.

Limit yourself on blind buys because shelf space is limited. If you’re unsure on an anime, watch a few episodes online to see if you like it before you buy it. If you're unsure about a manga, read 2 or 3 chapters at Barnes & Nobel before you buy it to see if you like it. You definitely don’t want too many blind buys that you may end up not liking as it would take up space on your shelf. You will feel more proud of your collection with the more anime/manga you have that are based on your own tastes. I tend to find myself many times admiring my collection because of this reason. I feel so happy to have so many series that I really appreciate owning in my collection. I also find myself wanting to rewatch/reread series within my collection just from admiring it. 

Make sure that you aren’t buying bootlegs. For a beginner collector, it can be hard to tell what’s a bootleg and what isn’t. Look for legit US company names on the DVD. If it says, Geneon, ADV, FUNimation, Sentai, Discotek Media, VIZ, etc. then you’re probably pretty safe. If it says region 1 or Region A/B (for bluray) that’s also another sign that it’s probably an official copy. If the DVD says Region 0 or has Chinese subtitles/dub then it’s 100% a bootleg DVD copy. It’s important that we support US or Japanese official releases of anime. That way, we will get more anime licensed and brought here to the US. If you can afford it, feel free to buy anime from Japan itself. Though anime from Japan always tends to be more expensive than buying here in the US.

Set rules for yourself. For example, if you don’t see yourself watching a series more than 5 or 6 times or more than that, then don’t buy it. Don’t buy stuff that you probably would never open from the shrink wrap either. Sure those limited edition copies would be pretty sweet to have and only to sell later on but in the long run, they do take up space on your shelf. Unless that’s what you want to do then feel free to go for it, it’s your money after all. Another rule I always set for myself is, get series that represent you and your own tastes. Just because someone has Dragon Ball Z or Lucky Star in their collection, doesn’t mean you have to have it in yours too. Get those series because its one you enjoy watching and would watch more than a few times. Also, don’t over spend all the time. It’s ok to treat yoself once in awhile but don’t let buying and collecting anime have control over your wallet. Priorities always come first. 

Patience is a virtue, good things come in due time. Don’t always purchase DVDs upon release day. Sometimes, you can save a lot of money on anime DVDs that you’ve had on your wishlist for awhile. Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are a great time to save money and buy anime DVDs. Rightstuf anime (now part of Crunchyroll's online store) and amazon tend to have decent deals on anime DVDs around that time of the year. Sometimes, companies will announce when a series of theirs is going out of print and that would be a good time to go ahead and buy it or even buy extras and sell them. DVDs tend to sky rocket in price much faster once they're OOP. Sometimes they will have discounts on DVDs that are about to go out of print.

Oh and one more important thing I should probably mention is, do not (I repeat), DO NOT let people borrow your stuff. In my experience with this, my items always came back damaged and/or I never saw it again. One thing I learned is that you just can’t trust other people (even your best friends) with your stuff. Majority of the time, they won’t return it in the condition they received it. People just don’t understand that as a collector, you want your items in the best shape possible. So if you want to enjoy your anime collection with friends, make sure you’re there to supervise. It’s absolutely ok to say no if someone asks to borrow something and don’t feel bad about it either. 

And that just about covers it. You are now ready to begin your anime collection! Remember to not treat collecting as a competition and just have fun with it!

Last updated: 10/20/24