Here’s a somewhat surprising discovery – it looks like you’ll soon be able to browse the shelves of your local JB Hi-Fi for the latest issue of My Hero Academia or Spy x Family, as the classically-bookshy retailer has seemingly turned to manga (and a smattering of graphic novels and comics) as its latest venture.
While stores rapidly turf their physical movie and music sections, or simply open without them, it maybe seems like an odd move for them to be replaced by books, but I’d wager this forms part of the company’s continued push into the collectible/pop culture side of things. As it stands right now, the biggest range of manga can be found on the JB Hi-Fi online store with around 100+ products listed, but I understand that some physical stores have already started trialing the category (Cranbourne Park in VIC being one) and more are coming in the very near future.
You can find the range online here, which includes issues of Bleach, Pokémon, Kaiju No. 8, MHA, Demon Slayer, One Piece, Haikyu! and more, along with a heap of Disney/Star Wars and Studio Ghibli books and comics. There’s even some Junji Ito in there, if you’re nasty.
“Manga and graphic novel fans, prepare to lose yourself in JB’s incredible collection! Binge on classic Studio Ghibli stories and the hottest titles from your favourite authors,” reads the JB Hi-Fi website’s header for the new section. “It’s time to level up your bookshelf—JB’s got the adventure you crave!”
It’ll definitely be interesting to see how far JB takes this idea, if it proves popular. It could certainly be a win for folks outside of the typical hub areas that offer up dedicated stores for things like manga and comics, and who still prefer to browse in a physical store, but time will tell if this dabbling in a new market sticks.
