Manga is being licensed, translated and published in the US and elsewhere at an increasing rate. Also, an increasing number of manga translation groups is producing an amazing quantity of "fanscans" (unlicensed manga which is scanned, translated, edited and presented in digital form). Because finding and downloading unlicensed manga scans is not as simple as it is for unlicensed anime, I have prepared this guide as a reference for the Manga forum. Please read and follow this guide before starting a new thread in the Manga forum asking how to find unlicensed manga scans.
Manga Jouhou is currently the most complete guide to licensed and unlicensed manga. Consult the titles list to find out if a title is licensed or is being translated; contact information for translation groups is also provided. This site lists new releases on its front page daily; be sure to bookmark the site in your web browser.
Most translation groups have their own website; many offer their scans for WWW download; however this is not always the case. For each group it is important to read any information about how they offer their work.
For each group who is translating manga you are interested in, make a bookmark for the group's website in your web browser because it is easier than obtaining the link from Manga Jouhou each time you wish to visit.
Many groups host most or all of their work exclusively on Internet Chat Relay (IRC). This means that for most people interested in obtaining unlicensed manga, it is essential to learn to use IRC.
Teaching the use of irc is beyond the scope of the Manga forum. Please do not direct questions about IRC to this forum.
Information in the use of IRC is easily available. The ShoujoMagic group has prepared an irc guide at http://www.shoujomagic.org/irc/ which will take you through the process of obtaining necessary software, connecting to IRC, and locating and downloading manga scans.
