I'm beginning to dread the number 15 (Level Comics increases manga prices by 27 May 2008)

But not as much as I do the number 33. That's the percentage estimate I gave for the Level Comics price hike here. And I do believe that's what Indonesian manga readers could be facing ultimately, because even Level titles still selling at IDR 13,500 might conceivably spike to as much as IDR 18,000 (I'm looking at you, Perfect Girl Evolution) come—if not June 2008—then sometime this year.

Elex Media initially said it was due to rising paper costs; however, just contemplating the coming gas hike and the price increases that associate with it, (electricity, notably), I think we can definitely expect a further impact on the cost of producing and distributing manga in the world's largest archipelago.

I'm still hoping the re-pricing has already reached its ceiling but I'm afraid that's dangerously close to denying reality.

Anyhoo. For the moment, Level price increases hover between 12.5 to over 15 percent. RED (Living On the Edge) is one the titles that settles down on the lower percentage end: it goes up from IDR 16,000 (price as at 22 April 2008) to IDR 18,000 this 27 May. Meanwhile, Nurse Aoi (Ns' Aoi), Descendants of Darkness (Yami no Matsuei), and Ikezawa Satomi-sensei's Othello toe the Elex line by increasing prices by over 15 percent (from IDR 13,500 to IDR 16,000).

The only title which hasn't been adjusted for this 27 May 2008 release is Shin Angyo Onshi. Volume 15 will still retail for IDR 13,500 and with only two more installments to go, I'm hoping that this series finishes its publication run at that list price.

Level Comics manga (27 May 2008)

1. Descendants of Darkness (Yami no Matsuei) 2 of 11 by Matsushita Yoko [16,000]

Yami no Matsuei 「 闇の末裔 」 by Matsushita Yoko
Hakusensha Hana to Yume, shōjo
This volume first published in Japan 1997.12

2. Nurse Aoi (Ns' Aoi) 5 of 19+ by Koshino Ryo [16,000]

Ns' Aoi 「 Ｎｓ’あおい 」 by Koshino Ryo
Kodansha Morning, seinen
This volume first published in Japan 2005.06

3. Othello 4 of 7 by Ikezawa Satomi [16,000]

Othello. 「 オセロ。 」 by Ikezawa Satomi Kodansha Betsufure, shōjo This volume first published in 2003.07

4. RED (Living On the Edge) 14 of 19 by Muraeda Kenichi [18,000]

RED 「 ＲＥＤ 」 by Muraeda Kenichi Kodansha Young Magazine Uppers, seinen This volume first published in Japan 2003.12

5. Red Eyes 8 of 12+ by Shindo Jun [18,000]

red Eyes 「 ｒｅｄ　Ｅｙｅｓ 」 by Shindo Jun Kodansha Magazine GREAT, shōnen This volume first published in Japan 2004.08

6. Shin Angyo Onshi 15 of 17 by Youn InWan & Yang KyungIl [13,500]

Shin Angyo Onshi 「 新暗行御史 」 by Youn InWan & Yang KyungIl Shogakukan Sunday Gene-X, seinen Has a one-volume side story Shin Angyo Onshi Gaiden (新暗行御史　外伝) This volume first published in Japan 2006.12

[Via Elex Media]

Keywords

manga, seinen, shoujo, shounen, Level Comics, Ns' Aoi, Othello, RED, red Eyes, Shin Angyo Onshi, Yami no Matsuei

~niki DBA 花木蘭03 (huamulan03) who thinks the two Red's in this release schedule presage the manga budget bottom line

other invaluable resource(s)

Baka-Updates Manga | 7&Y | ANN