I grew up at a time when manga (Japanese comics) was considered scarce, at least in the Philippines. Outside of Japan, there’s barely any access to manga, or if there were, it was quite costly! When I bought my Kindle, originally for e-books, I wondered if there was a way to put an entire manga series in it!

And there is!

For starters, you can buy manga from the Kindle store as well, but to be honest, I haven’t tried it. Also, the selection might not be as complete versus manga sites.  This maybe bordering on “piracy” but as these manga are easily accessible from different sites already, using a different device to view them shouldn’t be any more wrong. Here are the steps:

1. Download and install a Manga Downloader software such as HakuNeko. This will allow you to download manga off from different manga sites and save a copy on your PC. If, for some reason this doesn’t work for your PC, you can try other applications – just search “Manga Downloader” on Google!
2. Using your manga downloader, download your favorite manga from any of the available sites on your application. You can do this per chapter, or just download everything all at once!
3. Download and install Kindle Comic Converter. It’s a free application you can use on your Windows/Linux/OSx laptop that allows you to “transform your PNG, JPG, GIF, CBZ, CBR and CB7 files into EPUB or MOBI format e-books.”  That said, if you have a different e-Ink device (such as Kobo, Nook, etc), you should also be able to convert manga files that will be compatible with your device as well.
4. The installation process will prompt you to download KindleGen and install it in the same folder where your Kindle Comic Converter is installed. This would normally be in this path: C:\Program Files\Kindle Comic Converter
5. Convert your downloaded manga files (usually in JPG/GIF format) to the right ebook format using Kindle Comic Converter. Select the right device so that the app will convert it to the correct format.
6. Use your e-book manager (if you don’t have one, try Calibre) to transfer the “ebook” files from your PC to your Kindle (or any other ebook device).
7. Enjoy reading your manga!

I know some of you might say – why go through all of this trouble when you can just read it off an internet browser? Well, I have two main reasons for you:

1. Reading on an e-book reader (Kindle) means you don’t need to be connected to the internet. So, even if you are in the middle of a mountain, with no signal – camping or whatever, you can read your manga once you’re done appreciating nature.
2. Devices with LCD/LED screens are bad for your eyes, especially when you’re about to sleep. Blue light emitted by these devices make your eyes strained and stressed. Reading on an e-book reader which does not emit any blue light is more relaxing to the eyes, just as if you’re reading from paper!

If you’re still not convinced, then you’re probably better off not doing this. I mean, this is really just for folks who want to be different – it takes a little effort (downloading and converting and transferring), but I’m sure your friends will be amazed seeing you read manga on an e-book reader like a pro!

Of course, if you really want to support the mangaka, don’t hesitate to pay for a manga you really love!