We've officially entered Black Friday season, which seems to kick off earlier every year. Amazon has announced a spread of discounts to anticipate later in the month, but the retailer has already launched one of my personal favorite sales: a solid 'Buy 2 Get 1 Free' sale on books.
The sale includes an honestly ridiculous amount of books and comics, but there's also a solid selection of manga. While I wouldn’t recommend this sale for box sets or deluxe editions (unless you’re specifically looking for Berserk Deluxe Volume 5), it’s a great opportunity to pick up some of the latest and greatest shōnen releases. Beyond manga volumes, you’ll also find a surprising amount of anime-inspired cookbooks and artbooks that would make solid gifts over the holidays.
Amazon’s 3 for 2 Sale Includes Tons of Manga
Not technically a manga, but the Solo Leveling webtoon is currently being adapted into one of the most popular anime of all time, borrowing plenty of inspiration from the world of video games. The English collected volumes started getting published in print back in 2021, with the 14th and final volume coming out in December. The first three comic volumes are included in the sale, giving you the chance to grab one for free.
My Hero Academia is currently airing its final season, so it’s a better time than ever to check out Kōhei Horikoshi’s source material. Along similar lines, you can pick up individual volumes from Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and Frieren: The Journey Beyond.
And, of course, no list of manga greats would be complete without the works of Akira Toriyama. While the sale includes scattered volumes of specifically Dragon Ball Super (no OGs, unfortunately), the standout for me, personally, is the full color editions of the Frieza arc from Dragon Ball Z.
Artbooks, Cookbooks, and Notebooks Are Also Eligible
The sale includes pretty much every genre in print, including DC and Marvel comics. If you’re as vulnerable to the appeal of franchised merchandise as I am, or are thinking ahead to buying holiday gifts for your weeb friends, it’s worth taking a look at some of the random artbooks and cookbooks. I’ve picked out some of the highlights, but because the sale list is so ridiculously long, I’d recommend searching for your favorite series and seeing what pops up.
What Manga Deals to Expect Over Black Friday
Amazon has never been afraid of cutting prices on manga, so it’s pretty much guaranteed we’ll see bigger discounts on individual releases. The '3 for 2' sale only really benefits you if there’s three things you really want, and if that’s not the case, I wouldn’t force it.
For example, I would hold off if you're in the market for any deluxe editions or box sets, as those will likely get bigger price cuts individually closer to the end of the month. I predict we’ll see upwards of 50% off some of the biggest releases, but recommend using a price-tracking tool like camelcamelcamel to make sure you’re actually getting an all-time-low price. I’d also keep an eye on retailers like Books-A-Million and the Crunchyroll Store for exclusive releases that can’t be price-matched by good ol’ Amazon.
Blythe (she/her) is an SEO Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.
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