Tsundoku and my many manga monster

According to Wikipedia “Tsundoku is acquiring reading materials but letting them pile up in one’s home without reading them.” Yeah. . . . I might have a problem here.

Let me start at the beginning. I was looking on the internets for a Japanese term I had heard before, but couldn’t quite remember it clearly (I was actually looking for the Japanese term for buying something just because you like the packaging). That’s when I happened upon the term “Tsundoku”. Every time this term was mentioned, it was paired with an image of a heap of books. I happen to love heaps of books, so of course I had to investigate what the term actually meant. So off I clicked to Wikipedia and found the definition. And then I remembered the pile of manga I’ve had lingering on my nightstand next to my bed for months. Then I remembered that I didn’t just have one pile but two piles after I went shopping a couple months ago. Then I remembered that I actually had another bunch of manga still in their shopping bag sitting on the other side of my bed that I picked up a few weeks ago. I have read none of them, nor was I really planning to pick up and read any of them in the near future . . . I was planning on going manga shopping tomorrow. I feel like there might be a problem here.

In Japan “tsundoku” is seen as a mental condition, kind of like a mild version of hording. Unlike in North America where the term “hording” has very negative connotations, “tsundoku” can be seen as negative or at times seen as just eccentric or even cute in some cases!

Like in the anime Read Or Die, the main characters of both the movie and the TV show both obsess over buying ever more books to fill their living space, yet this isn’t seen as a grotesque act, it’s actually seen as something quirky and cute!

So what are the manga that I was so eager to buy at the book store, yet I haven’t bothered cracking open the covers?

My Lonely Manga

Alichino Volume 3, I got this one because I liked the first 2 manga. The story is kind of interesting, if I remember correctly it’s about evil wish granting angels. The artwork is gorgeous in this series and I like this series mainly for the pretty pictures!

Nightmare Inspector Volume 4 and 5. This series reminds me a lot of the series Tactics, which I really enjoy. It’s also set in the Taisho era (my favorite Japanese era) but this series is more magical and psychedelic than Tactics. Yes, the title is very accurate. The story is about a detective that can go into peoples nightmares to solve mysteries!

Someday’s Dreamer: Spell Bound Volume 1-5. I really enjoyed the anime Someday’s Dreamer, so I thought I would try out the manga version. Though now that I look at it closer, this doesn’t seem to be the same series as the anime, but rather a spin off. Hmm, it might still be good.

Alice 19th Volume 1-3. I remember really liking this series when I read it quite a few years ago, but when I wanted to re-read it, I couldn’t find it on my bookshelf so I bought it again. This manga is about two sisters, the older sister is smart, athletic, beautiful, and likable. The younger sister is very average, but it’s the younger sister that develops magical powers and secretly works to fight monsters. I wonder why I didn’t read this? I specifically went to the book store to get it.

Cross Roads Volume 2 and 3. I read the first volume and liked that it was a family reunion manga, but when I got the additional volumes in the series the story started falling flat. I can completely understand why I didn’t finish volume 2 and didn’t even start volume 3.

Moonboy Volume 3, this is an interesting manhwa about rabbit people that lived on the moon. Fox people attacked and ate the moon rabbit people, and the few survivors fled the moon and took refuge on Earth. Now the fox people are searching for the last rabbits to gobble up. Though it sounds grim, it’s actually pretty funny too.

B.O.D.Y. Volume 3 -5. I seriously don’t remember what this series is about. Why did I buy this?

And 5 different mystery novels were mixed into the piles of manga and manhwa. I don’t remember buying any novels. Did someone give these to me? I don’t know, it’s a mystery!