Manga Lounge is an all-you-can-read manga cafe in Monterey Park (close to East LA College) that…read morerecently opened in March 2026. It is the first manga lounge in California and also the biggest anime manga lounge in the U.S. with over 7,500+ manga volumes (mostly in English with some Japanese titles like Weekly Shonen Jump magazines). [Parking]: Manga Lounge is located within the same strip mall plaza as BOOKOFF Monterey Park and our party had no issue finding an available parking spot on Sunday afternoon. [Checking-in & process]: No reservation is required. Visitors will need to download the app to access the lounge, but they can install it on the spot. After the installation is complete, visitors show the QR code at the front counter to start the timer. Need a blanket or phone charger? Just ask a staff member at the front desk. Once visitors are done reading, return the books to a black book cart and DO NOT re-shelf them. [Complimentary drink guide]: Select a drink from the fridges and visitors can only pick one at a time. Then head to the front desk and scan the QR code. Visitors cannot get a new drink without returning the previous can. The lounge has a good selection of soft drinks such as Ito En green tea, pineapple / apple sparkling water, Mitsuya Cider, UCC black coffee, Gatorade, Coca-Cola, etc. There is also a complimentary water station. [Special notes]: Children under 13 must be accompanied by a guardian. Some manga may be restricted for visitors under 18. Visitors are welcome to (1) bring their own laptops and work here and (2) bring their own snacks or light meals along with non-alcoholic beverages. [Price]: A special $4 per hour rate (not just for the first hour - it is for the entire first visit) for first-time visitors and $8 per hour thereafter. There is a 5-minute grace period (1 hour 5 minute stay = 1-hour rate and 1 hour 6 minute stay = 2-hour rate). Recently the lounge introduced the Manga Lounge Monthly Subscription with unlimited access to Manga Lounge, two free guest passes every month, and early access to event tickets for $94.99 per month (membership capped at 30). [Manga selection]: The lounge has all the genres you can think of - manhwa, yaoi, romcom, romance, fantasy, action & adventure, classic, sports, food, slice of life & comedy, dark action, horror, psychological, drama, light novels, Shonen Jump magazines, etc. [Atmosphere]: Very quiet and relaxing atmosphere. The entrance has a wall mural of manga panels drawn by an independent artist and each bookshelf also has small laminated cards with descriptions highlighting some interesting titles and genres. [Conclusion]: I was only able to finish one chapter in 45 minutes so it is not economical to stay here for 8 hours ($8 per hour x 8 hours = $64) for only 10 chapters. A better way to use your time here is to be strategic and pick a series you are interested in and flip through a couple of chapters to gauge your interest level as the lounge has a comprehensive list of manga. I am a huge fan of this lounge and can easily see myself stopping by here from time to time. P.S. - The manga lounge also hosts various events (e.g. Jazz Night and Psychological Manga Club) so check their IG or website for more details.

This place was such an amazing find! From the moment we walked in, we were warmly welcomed and…read moregiven a quick, helpful overview without feeling overwhelmed. After exploring for just a few minutes, we immediately knew we wanted to stay longer. The sign up process was incredibly easy, and once we settled in, we really appreciated the space. There are plenty of comfortable seating options, cozy little reading nooks, and an extensive library with a great selection of books to browse. They even offer drinks, blankets, and chargers, which made the experience feel extra thoughtful and welcoming. With everything they provide, the value is absolutely worth it. The staff truly made the visit memorable. Tomoya (I hope I'm spelling that correctly) and Brianna were both incredibly kind, friendly, and genuinely welcoming. Their hospitality made us feel right at home. We'll definitely be coming back and would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a cozy spot to read, work, or simply relax.

This is store is so heavenly for any comic or anime fan. The whole is full of so many different…read morevarieties of CDs, DVDs, older gaming consoles and their games, anime character figures, comics, pop arts and so much more. We went to the store around afternoon time. The staff greeted us as we walked in. The store was so big and had so much stuff, took us a while to go around each aisle. I personally liked the Avengers character figures. It was nostalgic to see hundreds of CDs and DVDs again but I didn't buy any since I do not have any CD/DVD players anymore. Prices of the items were good. A lot of them had sale on them.

Cool place to check it out if you are into animation. Huge collection of action figures, old and…read morenew games and consoles , CDs. It's a little bit like stepping back into the old days. The price seems reasonable. They also buy back CDs. The staff were all friendly. Parking lot in the front.

I was looking for a gift and this is an amazing place with such a nice variety…read more Please come and create your own adventure.

To get there might be kind of unusual, while there is a decent sized parking lot the location of…read morethis store is literally at corner, so you will have to walk out of the parking lot to the corner. I don't think there is any shortcut so you would have to kind of come out and get onto the sidewalk to get to the store. Others than how it is oddly located, the store itself is pretty neat and cute. They have a good amount of variety. I went there to check on Chiikawa which my nieces are into and there was some.

I was really impressed by this place. I went in on New Comic Book Day looking for 5 new comics and…read moreI found 4 of them immediately. That's pretty great for a store where I don't have a pull list. The shop is very organized with tons of new and back issues. I had a nice time chatting with an employee at checkout about the books I was purchasing. He even gave me a free comic similar to one I was buying that he recommended! 5 star service and selection. I'll be back!

This comic book was such a huge warehouse of comics. I probably saw close to hundreds of comics…read moreboxes and few hundreds more placed in the floor and wall shelves. The had comics for half a centuries ago to most recent versions. There were comics of all popular, lesser known, smaller, bigger all sorts of varieties. In front side of the store, there were kids versions too. Other than comic, they also had posters, pop art figurines, neon superhero signs and few other things. The store was mostly organized and boxes were labelled. But needed a lot of patience to dig through their giant inventory. Some of the most sought after ones were placed on the wall shelves by the register. My daughter picked couple of Sonic books. The staff member was friendly and quickly did the checkout. They accepted cash and cards. While we were at the store, we saw many comic fans coming into the store. They do not allow drinks and food being carried around. There's a table in front for guests to leave them while walking around the store.

It's a Bookoff in name, sure they have figurines and books, but... that's it. It smells bad in here…read morefor some reason and like someone smoked multiple packs of cigarettes. I've been here 3 times while I was in Little Tokyo, but I've yet to find reasonable prices and I literally saw a used book listed for a dollar more than new... What? Everything in this store seems overpriced and the selection isn't great. You're better off going to Kinokuniya down the street especially when a used book is listed for new pricing. Employees don't seem helpful or care that they're there. Just not a great location... It's Little Tokyo, you NEED to have Japanese language manga here...

Ugh. I went in there hoping this location would have used Japanese books I could purchase…read more Nope. No luck. Just a bunch of figurines and other anime related memorabilia. Store smelled horrible too. Like a bunch of unwashed greasy hair. Hilarious I was literally the only Asian in there. Parking is nonexistent and it's just not worth the trip here unless you're one of those otaku.

Love this place, staff is always super nice and helpful. The variety they have is amazing as well!read more

There was amazing services as well as a large selection of product at reasonable prices.read more

So many groups! I love shopping here it really amazing, and everyone is so kind! The photo card…read moremachine is pretty sweet...

After a dessert stop at Paris Baguette, our son wandered into the shop next door and immediately…read moremade a beeline for the costumes, diving into the sunglasses and hats. While it's clearly a hotspot for K-pop merch, it was the photo booths that really won us over. Even though we aren't K-pop fans ourselves, it turned into such a fun family moment. I've always been nostalgic for photo booths and am always down to snap a picture, though the prop luck was definitely "unique"--I somehow ended up in an eggplant hat (and no, I'm not a d**khead!), while my poor wife got stuck with the poop emoji hat. It was all in good fun! It's a great spot to grab some quirky photos and browse through the latest K-pop swag.

A small shop tucked in an upper level of a small commercial block. Have a big collection of model…read morekits. The owner is very knowledgeable and friendly. Some kits have lower prices than retail counterparts.

On a rainy afternoon, my 9-year-old son and I stumbled upon this unassuming little shop tucked away…read moreon the second level above an urgent care. As a middle-aged father looking for a hobby we could share that didn't involve screens or video games, I'd read a bit about Gunpla and decided to give it a shot. What a find! The owner was incredibly helpful and patient with us, taking the time to understand what we were looking for and guiding us to first sets that were perfect for our skill levels. His enthusiasm was genuine, and it made the whole experience fun and welcoming, never overwhelming for complete beginners like us. The prices are very reasonable, which is a huge plus when you're testing out a new hobby with your kid. We both walked out with our own kits, and I have to say, I'm just as hooked as my son! Building these models has been a surprisingly relaxing and rewarding experience, and I'm already looking forward to tackling more complex builds and refining them. I'm planning to return soon to pick up a few more sets for Christmas gifts and to expand my own collection. If you're looking for a screen-free activity to share with your children or just want to explore the world of Gunpla, I highly recommend stopping by this shop. The passion and knowledge of the owner really make all the difference.