<3 Mahoro. <3 Used bookstores.

Usually the used bookstores in my area are a scattered mess when it comes to manga. When there is a decent amount of mange available, tend to have volumes 1-4, random individual volumes, or a bunch of volume 1’s. And that’s if I’m lucky. The majority of the time, the used bookstores in my area carry maybe a shelf worth of stuff–20-30 individual books if I’m lucky. So I rarely check used bookstores for manga. Plus with Amazon, I don’t find myself in them much at all. However, earlier this afternoon, I stopped by one of my local stores because they had moved to a new location and I was actually looking a cheap copy of A Dog of Flanders.

As I was waiting to talk to a clerk, sitting pretty on the shelves were volumes 1-8 of Mahoromatic for $4.50 a volume in used, but good condition. One of the corners on the back cover for volume 5 is folded and creased, but other than that there is little damage. It’s all the usual wear and tear you get from reading through a series a few times over the years. Amazingly, they had A LOT of used manga just sitting on a couple 5-tier shelves and in more than half a dozen knee-high stacks on the floor. Had any of it been organized, I probably would have bought much more. But, as if my destiny, Mahoromatic was the only thing nicely organized and calling to me. Spending less than $40 for all 8 volumes of one of the greatest maids EVER is truly money well spent.

Never did find out if they had a copy of A Dog of Flanders though…