Attack on Titan: Manga: Japanese Volumes 1-14

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Price:  6020 yen (~$60)

Purchased:  December 2, 2014

Source:  CDJapan

I bought these early in December because I had some points that were going to expire.  I ended up getting almost 2400 yen discount, which basically gave me free shipping (which isn't too bad considering manga is heavy to ship).

Now I just need to find some of those special editions of the No Regrets Japanese manga....

I love Japanese manga:  they're just so much cheaper than the English equivalent (even with shipping)!  I've already spent twice as much on the English Attack on Titan Manga, and I don't even have the same number of books!

Attack on Titan: Manga: English Volumes 1-9, 14, and No Regrets 1-2

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Price:  ~$113

Purchased:  1-2, 9, No Regrets: November 12; 3-4, 14: December 4; and 5-8, No Regrets 2: December 25, 2014

Source:  Amazon and Christmas present

I love Attack on Titan, so I decided to collect the manga even though I'm not a huge fan of it (I don't think the art is as good as the anime--I do like the No Regrets art, though).  I wish it was an inexpensive as the Japanese version, though.  Of course, including shipping, both versions might be around the same price.

01/11/15 Update:  I bought volumes 3-4 and 14 in early December, and received volumes 3-8 and No Regrets 2 for Christmas.  I'm only four volumes short of having the whole set (of volumes that have been published in English, at least)!

Sailor Moon Crystal: Manga: Crystal First Official Visual Book

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Price:  1296 (~$13)

Purchased:  September 30, 2014

Source:  CDJapan

I wasn't sure if I wanted this "mook," but then I saw pictures of it online and decided I'd get it anyway.  It's sort of like an artbook, but it also includes some pages with the band that sings the opening (Momoiro Clover Z) and the 20th anniversary products that had been released.  It also comes with a DVD, but I'm not really sure what's on it.

Sailor Moon: Manga: All Nakayoshi Film Comics

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Price:  $162

Purchased:  April 28, 2013 (S and Super S); May 1, 2013; and May 13, 2014 (R)

Source:  eBay

When I first saw these books on eBay, I knew I had to have them.  I like the anime much more than the manga, and these books contain the anime in comic form!  I got a good deal on the first 19 books (Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon R), but I got into a bit of a bidding war for the last 13 books (Sailor Moon S and Sailor Moon Super S).  Nonetheless, I'm happy to have the whole set now (as far as I know, there's not a Sailor Moon Stars set).

I might have to replace the R books if I can find another good deal.  They're not in as good of condition as the others.

Naruto: Manga: Rock Lee SD 1-6

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Price:  5 yen (Less than $.01) and 400 yen (~$4)

Purchased:  April 19, 2014 and May 23, 2014

Source:  CDJapan

I love the Rock Lee and His Ninja Pals anime series, so I decided to start collecting the manga since the series is now over.  These were essentially free (except for shipping charges) since I had a lot of points on CDJapan.  One day I plan to read these...and hopefully my Japanese reading skills will get better during the process.

Sailor Moon: Manga: Japanese Manga Re-Release + Sailor V

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Price: $70 for Sailor Moon, and 1020 yen ($10) for Sailor V

Purchased:  June 17, 2013 and February 14, 2014

Source:  eBay and Honto

I saw the Sailor Moon manga set on eBay and had to have them!  For only $5 a book, it was a heck of a deal!  The books are in excellent condition for being used, too.  I also got the two short story books, which is usually hard to find with the other 12 books.

I bought the two Sailor V books on Honto for 510 yen each to finish the collection.  I think they're re-released versions of the re-released books (they have 20th anniversary sleeves on them).  Fortunately, I don't necessarily care to collect first edition books ever since I read that it's better to have first print rather than first edition.  The first edition original versions of the books don't seem to sell much higher than the non-first edition books, so that seems to confirm what I read.

Sailor Moon: Manga: English Manga Re-Release

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Price Estimate:  ~$110

Purchased:  Throughout 2012 - 2014, when the books were released.

Source:  Amazon and Walmart

I was very excited when the manga re-release was announced, and of course I bought them almost nearly immediately.  I probably could have saved a few dollars if I had waited to buy them, but I was afraid they were going to go out of stock (now I realize that was a silly assumption).

Fun fact:  I have an extra copy of volume 5 because it was printed badly.  I'm not sure if I should keep it and see if it is worth something years from now or just sell it at a low price now.  For the time being, I'll probably just keep it.

Sailor Moon: Manga: Original Japanese Manga + Sailor V

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Price:  $99.99 for Sailor Moon, $21 for Sailor V

Purchased:  April 21, 2014 and April 26, 2013

Source:  eBay

I found the full set of the Japanese Sailor Moon manga for about $100 on eBay, and I jumped at the opportunity to buy them!  Most sellers try to sell these for more, and I didn't want to spend much more than $5 a book.  I didn't even have to pay shipping (which was amazing for a seller from Japan)!

The Sailor V books weren't quite as good of a deal, but I decided to buy them anyway since I hadn't seen such a low price for all 3 of the books.

Misc: Manga: Complete Happy Hustle High Set

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Price:  $10.50

Purchased:  July 31, 2013

Source:  eBay

This is one of my favorite series, so I knew I had to have the set.  Fortunately, there are only five manga in the set, and I found them for a very low price!  The pages are a little yellower than I like, but they're in excellent condition otherwise.

Sailor Moon: Manga: Original Manga (English)

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Price Estimate:  ~$135

Purchased:  Unknown

Source:  Borders, eBay, and AbeBooks

I received half of the manga as a birthday gift about 10 years ago, and then had to collect the remaining 9 on eBay and AbeBooks.  With a bit of patience, I was able to buy the remaining manga for an average of $5 a book.  I'm glad I didn't have to spend $100+ on the set like some people are trying to sell it for on eBay.

I managed to get mostly Tokyopop versions, so now I'm thinking I want to have all Tokyopop versions.  I may replace a few of the books one day, especially if I can find them for a good deal.

Naruto: Manga: Artbooks (English and Japanese)

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Price Estimate:  ~$40

Purchased:  Unknown

Source:  Gift + probably an anime convention

I received the English version (the left book in the picture) of the Naruto artbook from a friend for either a birthday or Christmas.  Unlike the Japanese version, it is a nice hardcover book.  I'm pretty sure I bought the Japanese version at an anime convention for around $20.  It has a nice plastic cover to keep it safe and clean.

Sailor Moon: Manga: Kanzenban 1-10 + Sailor V 1-2

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Price:  18,000 ¥ (~$180)

Purchased:  1-8: March 2, 2014; 9-10: March 28, 2014, Sailor V 1-2: May 28, 2014 

Source:  CD Japan and Honto

When I heard a rumor that only 10,000 copies of each book was going to be published, I knew I had to buy them right away (especially since, at the time, the first volume was very hard to find).  I ended up having to buy from separate companies because my main source of Sailor Moon merchandise (CD Japan) was out of the first and fourth volume.  I would have bought all of the books from Honto (especially since shipping would have been cheaper), but I wanted to get the extra points on CD Japan.

04/21/14 Update:  I received volumes 9 and 10 today.  Of the 10 I have, these two covers are my favorite.  They're so pretty!  It doesn't look like that 10th book sparkles, though.  That's a little disappointing.

06/16/14 Update:  I'm glad this set of manga is finally completed.  Although they're all very pretty, they're also quite expensive (for manga)!  I'm not a big fan of these covers, though; they're kind of boring and not as pretty compared to the others.  Nonetheless, I'm happy to finally have the complete set.

Naruto: Manga: Volumes 1-3

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Price Estimate:  ~$30

Purchased:  N/A

Source:  Anime convention/friend

I didn't actually buy these volumes of manga.  The first volume I received as a prize at an anime convention (I think for being a runner-up in an art show), and the other two were given as gifts from a friend.  The price estimate above is just an estimate of how much the manga cost at the time (I don't actually know since I didn't buy them).

Naruto: Manga: Japanese Volumes 1-25 + 1-67 + Databook

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Price Estimate:  ~$35

Purchased:  Unknown

Source:  Collector from Live Journal

Price:  1,170 ¥ (~$11.5)

Purchased:  March 2, 2014

Source:  CD Japan

Price:  4410 yen (~$44)

Purchased:  May 6, 2014

Source:  Yahoo! Auctions (through From Japan)

I found these 23 books online while looking for Sailor Moon merchandise to buy.  At $35 for the set, I couldn't resist such a great deal!  It's not often that I find books (especially manga) at around $1.50 each!  They're all in excellent condition too even though they are pre-owned.

Update - 3/16/14:  I was trying to get my cart to above 15,000 ¥ at CD Japan (to get more points), so I went ahead and bought the next three volumes of the Japanese Naruto manga.  Only 43 more to go!

Update - 5/23/14:  A nearly complete set of Japanese Naruto manga on Yahoo! Auctions can be pretty inexpensive, so I decided to go ahead and buy one.  This set has 1 - 67, which is only 2 less than the whole set that can be bought right now.  The best part is I only paid 4410 yen, which is only about 65 yen a book!  I couldn't pass up such a deal.

Unfortunately, the books are a little more yellow than I would like, so I'm debating if I should buy new books instead.  I just need to find a store that won't charge too much for the books or the shipping.

Naruto: Manga: Manga box set

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Price Estimate:  ~$120

Purchased:  Unknown

Source:  Borders

I was happy to find this at Borders since I had missed out on buying the other, limited edition version.  I can't remember what I paid for it, but I think it was around $120.  Now I'm just have to wait for the next box set to be released (if ever).