Manga Cow
Manga Cow, n.
A person, or a freeloader, who reads manga at bookstores and doesn't buy them. The term is more often used to refer to those that read the manga in the aisles, often sitting or lying on the floor to read, thereby blocking access to the shelves, however some people use the term to refer to anyone who reads entire manga in store (without paying for them), even if they sit in designated sitting reading areas. Manga cows are detested by some bookstore clientèle for a variety of reasons, including the fact that they do not contribute to the financial success of the manga industry, they sometimes block the aisles, and they sometimes damage the books they read.
The practice of reading manga in the bookstores and sitting in the aisle is referred to as grazing. The blocking of the aisle by manga cows has been likened to the blocking of a farm gate by grazing cows.
Some people believe that Zac Bertschy coined the terms "manga cow" and "grazing" in his 2007-08-17 installment of Answerman however this is not true. The term had been in use for several years prior to Bertschy's mention of it in Answerman. Bertschy never claimed to have coined the term.
Manga Cow's were also satirized in the 2008-02-06 installment of Anime News Nina.
The practice has a similar counterpart in Japanese book, manga and convenience stores. It is most noticeable in convenience stores that carry manga anthologies. At certain times of the day and week, manga fans (mostly teenage and young adult male) will stand, side-by-side in front of the magazine rack reading the manga anthologies. This practice can at times block access to the magazine rack.
A person, or a freeloader, who reads manga at bookstores and doesn't buy them. The term is more often used to refer to those that read the manga in the aisles, often sitting or lying on the floor to read, thereby blocking access to the shelves, however some people use the term to refer to anyone who reads entire manga in store (without paying for them), even if they sit in designated sitting reading areas. Manga cows are detested by some bookstore clientèle for a variety of reasons, including the fact that they do not contribute to the financial success of the manga industry, they sometimes block the aisles, and they sometimes damage the books they read.
The practice of reading manga in the bookstores and sitting in the aisle is referred to as grazing. The blocking of the aisle by manga cows has been likened to the blocking of a farm gate by grazing cows.
Some people believe that Zac Bertschy coined the terms "manga cow" and "grazing" in his 2007-08-17 installment of Answerman however this is not true. The term had been in use for several years prior to Bertschy's mention of it in Answerman. Bertschy never claimed to have coined the term.
Manga Cow's were also satirized in the 2008-02-06 installment of Anime News Nina.
The practice has a similar counterpart in Japanese book, manga and convenience stores. It is most noticeable in convenience stores that carry manga anthologies. At certain times of the day and week, manga fans (mostly teenage and young adult male) will stand, side-by-side in front of the magazine rack reading the manga anthologies. This practice can at times block access to the magazine rack.