Title: My Manga Collection
Author: Vernieda Vergara
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Publication Date: July 4, 2023
Final Thoughts
Typically, when I review a book, it’s a manga, light novel, manhwa, comic, webcomic, etc. There is a story, there are characters, and there is a world to read about and discover but you’ll find none of that here. Instead, you’ll find a personal log to document all of the stories, characters, and worlds you visit in the world of manga.
My Manga Collection is exactly that… a log to keep track of what you’re reading. Think of it as MyAnimeList or AniList in book format.
The book starts off with a Table of Contents that you fill in… with the exception of the first slot which acts as an example. They just so happened to use Tatusya Endo’s Spy x Family as an example entry (and a good example at that! Go read that one from VIZ Media!)
The following pages are repeated over and over again in the following order: Manga Series Tracker -> Reading Log -> My Series Notes. So, let’s break down each section to see what it offers up.
The Manga Series Tracker is just that… this is your entry for the series you are reading. So, if you are reading Spy x Family, you would write the title here but the page is filled with more informational sections such as genre, interests (action, adventure, LGBTQ, drama, etc), Publisher, status (ongoing, completed, etc), the total number of volumes, your status (reading, on hold), and a rating system on a scale of 1-5 stars
The Reading Log spans several pages where you list which volume you’ve read, give each volume its individual star rating, note which formats you’re reading it in (paperback, digital, etc), whether you own the book, borrowed it, etc, as well a small section for notes about that volume. The only downside to this section is that there are 18 slots for volumes so a series like Black Clover, which is on Volume 32 here in the US, wouldn’t fit in just one section. Other series such as Bakuman and Tegami Bachi which had 20 volumes each would also find a little bit of trouble squeezing in there; however, most series which end in the 10-16 volume range would work just fine.
Lastly, we have My Series Notes. This section has a few blocks for you to write in. You can write notes about the plot, the art, the characters, what you would do differently, similar manga like this one if there is a tv anime adaptation and a section for additional personal notes.
That’s about it until you get to the back of the book where it offers up a Top 50 list for you to fill in (I would HIGHLY recommend filling this in with pencil as after personally completing nearly 80 full series, that list can AND WILL change!) There is also a must-buy list for series you absolutely must have but need a reminder to pick up!
To help you out, Vernienda also offers up their own personal Top 50 list as well so if you want some help getting into a new series, there are 50 of them to choose from and research!
All-in-all, while there are websites out there that will accomplish the same thing as this book, you can’t really use them if the internet is down or you have no power. Sometimes, people choose to keep things private and to themselves and this book fills in that gap perfectly. Even though the only fault is not having enough sections for longer volumes, it has everything else you need to have a personal manga journal to help keep you organized!
Again, websites perform the same function but if there ever was a book that was needed to fill the niche that prefers an offline log, this book is about as good as it gets, and would recommend it if you’re the type of person who prefers an offline way to organize your manga and rank your favorite series!
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This item was provided for review by Simon and Schuster
