Yeah this is an interesting thread isn't it?
Actually, the system in place here at Guyver-Advocacy is something that I immediately thought was backwards and silly but after a little thought,
I soon came to realize that it's actually a pretty nice way of ensuring that the mangaka and the publishers get their dues. In an ideal world, more
overseas based publishers would license more manga but when people are reading it online for free, it's almost business suicide to spend the large
amounts of money that the Japanese publishers demand for the distribution rights of their properties.
I can also understand though, that people who can't read Japanese might not want to take up precious bookshelf space with Japanese language books.
It's not a perfect system but until an overseas company figures out how to monetize online manga reading where the creators get their fare cut of the proceeds,
this system is probably the best it gets. Guyver will NOT be licensed again overseas in manga form. I know this because i'm personal friends with people like
Stu Levy of TOKYOPOP and we have spoken about this title before in the past. Part of the problem lies in the fact that the story is STILL unfinished. The snail pace of the
Guyver makes it an utterly "unthinkable acquisition" in terms of licensing from a publisher's perspective. As such, the price of such titles that are still ongoing, is automatically
higher. ShonenJump titles like One Piece cost an absolute fortune but finished titles nowhere near.
I'm rambling so sorry but, In all, I think GA have it right. That said, there is nothing stopping anybody else acquiring the raws and doing the Guyver for free. The fact that nobody
else is bothering though is actually not a good sign concerning the manga's popularity. Who knows? Maybe somebody will come along and do it for free. If that happens, our system
will be somewhat undermined but until then, let's keep the good vibe going!