Just back from my Kaoshiung, Taiwan trip! Although it was a 6D5N trip, I would say the manga haul is not bad. (For a 40kg weight limit for 5 people...which means only 8kg for one person ;A;)
Before the trip, I was excited about visiting the local bookstore chains such as 成品 and other chains such as Kinokuniya <3 However, the true treasure troves were their 2nd hand bookstores and their manga rental stores! (Some manga rental stores sell mangas quite cheaply)
The lady boss of the hotel we stayed in suggested really nice places to do book hunting - "茉莉" and "MLD台鋁生活商場".
'Mo Li' is a relatively large 2nd hand bookstore chain. The arrangement inside the store made it seem as if it was NOT a store selling second hand books, but rather, a store that sells brand new books. Although the yaoi selection there is limited, I managed to find a few shounen ai mangas neatly and well-wrapped in plastic. The prices there are quite low - 168nt (Around SGD$7.40) for 4 new looking and in good condition mangas <33
'MLD台鋁生活商場' is a really, really classy looking place - http://mld.com.tw/about/
Photo ops, new book + fresh woody smells abound. Unfortunately, they do not stock ANY mangas at all (I assume that mangas do not sit well with their retro-classy theme). They stock English books, lots of cooking and arts related books. However, they have beautiful sitting areas where you can enjoy a nice chat with your friends or to simply enjoy your new books. I highly recommend this place to cinema-goers, book-lovers, or anyone who loves the comfort of a resting area surrounded by the refreshing scent of new books.
I lodged near 六合夜市 and a store that stocks a lot of old books and mangas! It's called 'BooksNet'. While the prices for the mangas are not significantly lower than the new books price, they do stock quite a few hidden gems - such as old CJ Michalski mangas and out-of-print mamgas :3
One of the most important takeaway from this trip is that KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED WHEN WALKING. No matter where you walk - the back alley, the main street, OPEN YOUR EYES. Not to be wary of muggers but to be wary of MANGA RENTAL STORES that slap 'selling mangas!' at their store front.
The manga rental store I found in a separate island from Kaoshiung -西子湾 was the store that made my day. ONE MANGA FOR 40NT (Arond SGD$1.70). Although the condition of the mangas aren't great, I would say that feeling of satisfaction walking out of a manga store 8 mangas richer and $15 poorer cannot be beat. The old man (I think he is in his late 50s or early 60s) is the best - I engaged in a chat with him regarding BL mangas hahahahah!
The only regret I have after this trip - I still cannot find the novels for 花花游龙 :')
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| My end haul: 40 something yaoi, 1 yuri, 4 shounen ai, 1 shoujo manga |
My nose is currently falling off and a whole pile of yaoi mangas are waiting. School is too. Hope I can recover fast enough ugh.
Will try to find time to do the translations!
P.S. They have LOTS of adorable cat stores and dogs <333
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