Hello everyone! I ordered some manga over mandarake and wanted to share my experience.
First of all: Thank you for giving me the idea to do that! After I found this thread I immediately began to check out the beginner recommendations in the forum.
Ordering has been very easy thanks to the English option on the website. Due to covid I had to use the rather expensive Express Airmail shipping. Even with that I still payed less per volume compared to what they would cost in Germany, which is where I live. I’d prefer to order via less expensive shipping in the future even if tracking is not provided, so I guess I’ll try that out when it’s available again - it was very exciting to monitor the packages “journey” on the website of Japanpost though.
I ordered the manga on Feb 10th and they arrived today so it took ~11 days to arrive.
I did not have to pay for income tax or customs (or rather I ordered explicitly an amount with was low enough to not get a fee.)
The overall quality of the manga is very good - some have discoloring but that doesn’t bother me.
I have to be honest: I’m not at the level where I can understand much but owning them gives me a goal to work towards to and I’m very excited to take on the challenge.
What I got for “studying”:
よつばと! vol. 1&2 (Yotsubato!)
One of the most recommended manga for beginners. Since I own them in German I can compare them.
しろくまカフェ vol. 1 (Shirokuma Cafe)
I think this gets recommended just as much. I have seen a couple anime episodes and so I’m looking forward to this.
クレヨンしんちゃん vol. 1 (Crayon Shin-Chan)
This one is for nostalgia reasons. I’ve seen the show as a kid and I think due to the setting it will be fairly accessible.
甘党ペンギン (あまとうペンギン) vol. 1 (Amatou Penguin) and 甘党ペンギン ドーナツの巻 (Amatou Penguin Doughnut)
A manga about a penguin tasting sweets. It looks adorable and I just hope it is beginner friendly, I got it on a whim. It has furigana on everything so hopefully I’ll be fine.
ダーリンは外国人 (ダーリンはがいこくじん) vol. 1&2 (My Darling is a Foreigner)
I got this mostly because there’s also a movie that I can compare and use for listening practice - but the manga itself looks a little more advanced. It’s a little weird because the first volume I got has no furigana, but the second has furigana on everything. I think this is the one I have to work towards to the most.
What I got for “pleasure”:
聖闘士星矢 (セイントセイヤ） Deluxe vol. 1 (Saint Seiya)
Since there is no German serialisation I had to buy it. It is an older shonen jump manga about mythological fighting knights that I absolutely adore. It might not be as exciting as some modern series but I know the story well, so that should make it a little easier for me.
マッシュル vol. 1 (Mashle)
As a complete contrast to the older Saint Seiya I got a modern shonen jump manga too. I am looking forward to this, though it might be a little more advanced due to it being more centred around magic and comedy.
5時から9時まで (ごじからくじまで) vol. 1&2 (5-ji kara 9-ji made)
My absolute guilty pleasure manga lol. Another one that I own in German (though I’ve been waiting for the last volume to release, it’s been out in Japan since what feels like forever). There is no English serialisation. It’s honestly very trashy but for me it’s on a level where it’s so bad that it’s absolutely hilarious. It is a little more advanced but since it’s a drama it should mostly use “everyday” vocab. I’m really looking forward to this since it also has furigana.
I tried reading a little and it’s amazing that I technically can thanks to the furigana (and I even know some words and phrases) but my understanding in general is severely limited. I’m really looking forward to work on that though!