“It's great to know that manga books are increasingly more recognised and more and more people are aware of them now.

Now, I don't usually comment on these pages but just have to regarding your argument G.Etreal.
What are you basing your argument on? Cartoon books have no rights to be stocked in libraries because they are "cartoons" so they're useless? What are the "real" books you're referring to? "only books containing words are the real books"? Well then, let's just destroy every single book in the world then if that's the case since words comes in different shapes and were originally formed and created from pictures (and cartoons for some).
Honestly speaking, your whole argument is FLAWED.

The aim of resources such as books is to communicate; to pass on information to the reader, whether it's taking the reader back in history; or even educate. Now, there is no such thing as an "official" and "acceptable" way of expressing and communicating - you can use words, art, music, body language (even via chemotaxis like cells).

Therefore manga, like many other books - its visual way of communication is no less "acceptable" than the "usual" books full of text which has been used the most; thus deserves the right to appear on the shelves like any other books.

What's more, manga isn't just "a thing", like any other books, films, it's a form of visual communication. Thus a wide variety of things can be expressed through it - just like you have different types of films covering almost all genres and styles, you do get the "good" ones and the "not so suitable" ones - but that's just something great because there is range and variety!

If manga and comics are not your thing, that's fine, but you should not say it's "pointless", "useless" just because you hate them.
The facts are facts and you can try as much as you like to avoid them but in no way can your ignorance affect their existence.”

“@G.Etreal
I wouldn't normally bother replying to comments so narrow minded, but seeing as you're so insistent in prolonging your rude footing in this argument I'd like to add something. Comics are inspirational! Manga especially. I began reading manga when I was about 12, namely because I'd got through all the rest of the books I had and was bored and wanted to read something fast. The plot lines and whole method of communication with the reader were so completely different to anything I had ever read in my life and I was instantly in love. I never had an interest in art, but since reading my first manga I started to practice drawing on my own and art has become an intrinsic part of my life now. I'm now a History of Art student. Before reading manga, I thought History of Art was a boring, pointless subject but manga has given me a real appreciation of not only graphic and comic art, but all art and creative skill. It's made me a far happier person and has made me aspire to much more. I'm sorry, but I really think you are believing every ounce of a spoon fed stereotype of "comics" without any consideration, which is in my opinion rather foolish.

£6000 spent on words read and loved is better than £6000 spent running an empty building. Comics have brought people into libraries, that you can't dispute.”

“Manga comics or indeed any other comic has as much right to be in a public library as any other genre of book. If a library can stock newspapers and kids books then surely comics are fair game?

I'd welcome that, people who do like it have an easy way to get it and of course those who are curious can indulge themselves too. :)

One thing I will say though you can never compare Beano or Dandy to anything you'll find in a manga, being sequential artworks is about all that they have in common. This library should be allowed to invest where it sees fit as directed by what the paying public wants, if people are reading manga then why not get them what they want. They must be paying for themselves.

I am not a geek, I'm just a normal everyday guy. Working for a living, fag, few beers; oh and lest I forget usually a graphic novel as well.

I'm not a mega fan of japanese culture but there are manga out there that deal with scenarios pretty universal to anyone anywhere in the world (Maison Ikkoku, Yume De Aetara), and my favorite feature, gorgeous sometimes highly stylized artwork; there's nothing quite like it.

There are also people in this country who draw manga style too, a few even make a living out of it. :D Not me though.”

“I'm sorry - "Real books"???
As far as I know pages with binding constitute "real" books!
I have been a manga and anime fan for a looong time, and I can tell you that manga has it's classics, just like any other type of literature. Osamu Tezuka, the founding father of manga, wrote books that people still enjoy to this day (it's hardly anything new - manga has been around more than 60 years). Some manga treats very difficult subjects, and (especially in Japan) you'd be hard pressed to find yourself in the position in which you can't find a manga about a certain subject. And yes, there are pornographic manga, but for pete's sake EVERYTHING has a pornographic alternative these days.
As far as the council's spending goes, they're entitled to spend it on what they deem requisit - they'll have bought much of it wholesale or from discount sites, which will lower the total spending significantly.
Please refrain from making lewd comments about his mental state: as I have already mentioned, there is a manga to satisfy every taste. In Japan and most other countries with manga consumers, a large percentage of the readers are actually 40 years and over.
So stop referring to this in a derogatory manner, and don't start arguments for yourself if you are not even familiar with the subject material in the first place.
And yes, I do read other forms of literature (both English and foreign, modern and classics) ; I may be a geek but at least I continue to read that which I enjoy.”

“The Geek will inherit the earth!”