I have been thinking about this question for a while after watching the Tokini andy video on manga about reading manga for 30 days.
In there he mentions, he like’s reading multiple manga at the same time and I also can see this phenomenon when I read the study logs of many members.
In my case I just began reading intensively. I have been able to finish 3 volumes. But I have just been reading hajime no ippo and I can feel it becoming a めんどくさい not in the sense of japanese being hard but becuase some parts of the manga are very repetitive like training then boxing then training and the plot moves slowly. Whenever I read a literature be it english or japanese I have always finished one book before starting another. I am scared I will not finish a book if I move on to another and find it more interesting, But I also do not want to hate reading by just sticking to one.
So is it better to read multiple kinds or levels of literature at the same time?
also is it a bad idea to just stick to a series until it ends like say hajime no ippo?
Here are the benefits and drawbacks of both methods as I see them:
Sticking to one series at a time-
Benefits:
repeated vocabulary and turns of phrase will increase familiarity the further you get through the series, and therefore make your reading faster and easier as you progress
get to have the ‘win’ of finishing a volume more quickly
Drawbacks:
You could get bored/stuck if you don’t like what you chose and can’t let it go, like you describe in your post
Reading multiple things at once-
Benefits:
having different levels of material will keep your brain engaged and give you plenty of options depending on your energy level for that day
seeing vocabulary pop up in different context between materials cements it further
Less likely to get bored with one read
Drawbacks:
finishing single volumes slower (because you’re reading more at once) gives you less of the ‘win’ feeling of finishing a book
forgetting to finish a volume because you get distracted by other reads
It’s pretty much up to you what you choose. If you’re feeling bored, though, there’s nothing wrong with trying something else. There’s also nothing wrong with not finishing a read. Whatever keeps you reading is the most important strategy!
So I think there’s a couple of things that have led me at times to have multiple items on the go at once:
Book Clubs. It’s fun to see how people are getting on and discuss stories, so I might keep to the book club’s pace. But then when I have more time to read, that means I’ll need to find something else to read.
Difficulty vs energy levels. I generally want to read frequently so as not to be on the “lose it” side of “use it or lose it”. But stuff I read varies from hard “progression” stuff which might require me to look up grammar points or make several yomitan lookups, which is effort, to stuff I can basically read at a similar level of mental exertion as English. On days I feel like sitting down to study and practice I might pick the hard items, on days I have low energy Imight pick a casual read.
Saturation. This is usually not a problem for individual manga volumes for me now which I read in 1-2 sittings usually at this point, but it is the case for manga series, novels or games. Sometimes I just lose interest if I read too much of the same and need a change of pace. I’d rather read something else than burn out forcing myself to read something I’m not currently feeling. e.g. there’s enough 本好き media, I could read nothing else for the rest of the year and still get plenty of volume pf reading in. But as much as I like it, I couldn’t. Especially with the novels where there’s now so many the volume would even be daunting in English.
I think reading multiple things at a time is something some people naturally end up doing and then going back and justifying it. I don’t think it’s like they would actually prefer to read only 1 book but since there’s just so much benefit to reading multiple at once they are changing their style.
Just do whatever you feel is right. It doesn’t matter.
I’m reading… counts
7 books in English right now
1 book in German
And… cough a lot of manga on the side
I just cannot imagine not jumping between them because I get distracted and bored very easily, so I usually cycle through stuff and go back to the others eventually. Somehow this chaos makes it more enjoyable for me overall.
I don’t think there’s a clear advantage to either, honestly. Like @Vanilla said, you would naturally find out what works best for you.
Some people forget the plot easily and really need to read one series / one volume consistently. Sometimes it also makes sense to remain within the same sphere of vocabulary if it’s your topic of interest (and a manga / novel will get easier as you continue reading and get familiar with its style). But it sounds like you’re past this point with hajime no ippo.
The only question I really have is… if you’re worried about not finishing stuff… why? If you’re saying that hajime no ippo gets repetitive for you… and let’s say you end up picking up another manga that’s more interesting to you… and you never cycle back to hajime no ippo… is that actually bad? Like, nobody is the boss of you . If you know what I mean.
But anyway – you should just find your style of whatever works, I feel like! Be free Also, join the dark side of people who read a million things~~
imo once your japanese skill starts getting to a good enough level where you can understand native content, you should just treat it like you would any other hobby, like reading books or playing games.
Invested in a series and can’t put it down? No problem, keep at it
Getting tired and wanting to try something new? Fine, pick something else
At this point it’s mostly about getting a huge volume of immersion in, so the more fun you can make it for yourself the better!
Yep, I think this is similar to my situation. I always have a bunch of books on the go at any one time (either English or Japanese), and perhaps some of them won’t get to see the final page read, but that’s ok.
I always see it as a bit like watching TV. People often watch multiple TV shows during the week - a little Game of Thrones on Sunday, a bit of Voyager on Tuesday, something else on Friday - and it’s still pretty easy to keep track of the stories and characters while cycling around. So reading for me is a bit like that - I pick up whatever book I’m in the mood for that day.
This also helps keep my interest in Japanese sustained. As I’m still a pretty slow reader (still have to look up too much stuff for comfort), it could potentially take me a month or more to get through a Japanese book, so cycling around helps to keep things varied and interesting for me.
What interests take you. Rather than for educational purpose only
So, rather than letting book clubs preoccupied you, read the books for the sake of fun, or find fun in those. Read books ahead of the club or just regardless. Span multiple volumes if you feel cliffhanger’d. Read another book if you want a change of pace and feel manageable. In any case, don’t let worries stop your decided curiosity.
I’m this way with games where, when I’m super into something I drop everything to play it, when I’m not I just kind of hop around for a bit and see what sticks next.
My reading habits are the same way. Luckily I’m at a point now where I have enough stuff I have been super into at some point that are still ongoing so even when I’m not super into one thing I’m able to hop into something I know I enjoy.
So I decided to heed everyone’s advice and I’m gonna try multiple books at the same time. I was kind of in the wrong headspace(mentality?) when it comes to reading books and trying to finish it. I was kind of forcing myself in some ocassions to finish it. Should have considered what I felt.
Thanks みんな.
I usually read several books, but doing that in general. With Japanese I noticed it doing something, like starting a book, but it’s kinda difficult, so I put it to the side, read other books, learn more etc. And then went back and it felt easier. (So this could be one reason, why one might switch between books.)
I think it’s ok to stop a book, if you don’t like it. I had the mentality in the past, that I have to finish something, but there’s really no reason to. Like there’s so many books to read, why waste time on one which you don’t like. (In general, it’s ok to try out things, and if not liking, to let it go.)
. If you know what I mean.
Also, join the dark side of people who read a million things~~ 
