Amin Abbas

DUBAI: A new UAE-based online store specializing in Japanese Manga has recently opened and is managed by a passionate fan hoping to help supporting the rising manga culture in the country.

Manga Bound officially launched online in December 2021. Speaking exclusively to Arab News Japan, Rashid Khalid Abdullah Bin Haider, the owner of the store said he established the store in October 2021.

“With Manga Bound, I wanted to create a one stop shop for manga in the UAE, a destination where manga fans and lovers can go to and get the latest issues that are not normally available here in UAE stores,” he said.

Bin Haider said he faced some challenges when he first established the online store, one of them being the task of finding a sole distributor for all current English translated manga. He said he did not want to go to different sources to order manga.

“As Manga Bound is a small venture, I would need to be more accurate when it comes to ordering manga to sell. What number of manga should I order? Should I order this title or that series? How many of this volume should I order? Should I order older volumes and how many of them? These have been, and still are, my concerns while operating my store,” the owner explained.

“When ordering manga, I thought I knew what exactly manga fans and lovers wanted for their manga, however upon interacting, and communicating with customers I found more of a demand for specific titles and genres I didn’t expect. I’ve had a lot more requests for more Shoujo series, both new, current, and old,” he added.

Bin Haider said he is also trying to get his online store gain more popularity. He told Arab News Japan that he is currently using social media to market and advertise Manga Bound and has used outdoor advertising.

“I’ll be exhibiting in the upcoming edition of Middle East Film & Comic Con next month in Abu Dhabi and I hope this will help bring more exposure to Manga Bound,” he said.

The store has received positive feedback since its opening, with several people excited and appreciative that a one stop shop for manga has been established in the UAE, according to Bin Haider.

The Manga Bound owner said he is also working on publishing all news manga related, such as whenever publishers license a new series for English print, or the announcements of special editions and box sets.

“Additionally, customers can preorder future manga volumes and series through Manga Bound and I make sure to inform people what’s up and coming ahead of time so that they can make informed choices whenever they intend on preordering,” he said.

Regarding his upcoming plans in the near future, Bin Haider told Arab News Japan: “After the Middle East Film & Comic Con in Abu Dhabi next month, I intend to sell my manga outside of the UAE. I’m aiming to ship to Saudi Arabia, and possibly Bahrain and Oman. I’ve had people from Saudi Arabia texting me, asking when I will ship to the country and I am currently setting up the process and evaluating couriers to make this happen.”

“With the news of Saudi Arabia’s Manga Arabia and their plans for localization of manga for Arabic readers, I am excited at the prospect of adding official Arabic translated manga to my store,” he added.

Bin Haider said he has always had a passion for manga and read plenty of it. Some of his favorite series include Berserk, One Piece, Eyeshield 21, Grand Blue Dreaming, and the relatively new Spy x Family.