I was so disappointed when I first moved to SoCal and found a Bookoff in Costa Mesa but discovered that they carry ZERO used Japanese books or mangas. Consequently, I wasn't expecting much when I visited the Gardena location but I was pleasantly surprised! This location offers robust selections of actually used Japanese books and hard to find comics. I ended up spending some $132 just buying up all the books and comics to my heart's contentment. I even found a rarely ever seen or heard of Tezuka Osamu comic too. I have read just about everything he ever published but never seen or heard of this particular anthology collection. I was so thrilled!!!! Additionally, the staff here is very friendly and helpful. They share the same kind of enthusiasm and sense of humor about books as I do, which made me feel instantly happy. And the 2 bucks manga deals?! Unbeatable! I'm looking forward to visit again just to see what I might discover next time! read more

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Always a great visit to bookoff. It helps ease my Japan cravings. Great selection of books music video and toys. Definitely a lot more expensive here overall in the US than Japan. Could be a US thing it could be tariffs. I honestly don't want a speculate. A lot of collectibles. Extremely helpful and friendly staff. Lots of parking out front. Even a really cool magazine section. Great to browse around. Even the customers are super cool too. read more

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Me and my grandfather before he passed away at 91 used to come to Gardena when I was a little kid and I used to go here a lot. Today, I decided to make a review. This store had my favorite Japanese enka cds I used to listen to in the car, I don't see them in here today. Now I see labubu, anime books and tv show tapes and anime toys. I also saw a ton of movies in dvd form like blue ray and 4k he collections. I bought straw dogs today and looked around a lot. They had a nice environment. Similar to GameStop but cleaner and friendlier staff. All Japanese staff and the people in Gardena are also Asian. Some nerdy fellas also went to look and Nintendo switch games. I'm talking the top nerdy ones. Service was great and the environment is so pleasant I love the stuff in the store, you can't get it near where I live an hour away in Stevenson ranch Santa Clarita. Once every 10 years I'll try to come when I have time. But now more so since I'm finally on my own, but need someone to go with. Anyway life is short so live it to the fullest like my grandpa. He's with the gods now. As for enjoyment purposes, a lot of fan service. Waifus and fan service toys. Pretty solid price though but my cousin collects them and they collect dust so I don't think they will be good unless you like that sort of stuff but maintaining them is tough. Enjoyed the books too. They had explicit books with furries, not a fan of it but very interesting to say the least. I can't find other store that have these books and exclusive toys. Overall, I would love to shop here had they had one near where I live, I just happened to be around in the area today and remembered this place and wanted to drive by to take a look at how things changed here. For the most part, they keep up to date with the times. I remember back when beanie babies were sold here. Now labubus. Overall, if you come by Gardena area, make sure not to miss this hidden diamond. Even if you're not into Japanese stuff, a great place to observe products that can't be sold anywhere other than here and maybe some online retailers. read more

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Once upon a time, this Faerie Queen is new to the Bookoff concept. What a great store! The anime selection is strong! The end.

The variety of books, movies, and games in here was incredible! So many options for low prices of $3 or more vintage items closer to $100. Staff was also bilingual in both English and Japanese in case customers felt more comfortable in one or the other. I did see one staff member always restocking plus everything was well organized and taken care of. Like a candy shop for adults! read more

Bookoff - Gardena - Bookstores Near Me - Gardena, California

I visited Bookoff while waiting for a friend, and I wasn't expecting to find such a hidden gem in large plaza. Upon walking in, I was hit with the nostalgia from Digimon, Pokemon, and other animated series that formed the bulk of my childhood. Their products were not limited to English books, as they also had figurines, trading cards, Japanese elementary school workbooks, and Japanese magazines, too. Upon entering the store, most of the Japanese items are on the left, and the English items are on the right. The products are very fairly priced, and if you are in the market for a complete manga collection, they may even have that, too! Happy reading~ read more

Bookoff - Gardena - The Entire Series? - Bookstores Near Me - Gardena, California

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My daughter is a manga fan, and had been asking me to take her here. I took her and she was amazed. Great selection of manga and collectibles. The woman at the counter was so friendly and welcoming! read more

Bookoff - Gardena - Bookstores Near Me - Gardena, California

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Staff are friendly and helpful. Many selections of books in Japanese and also Japanese magazines. If you are into J-pop, this would be the store to stop by. I was told the store in little Tokyo had a bigger selection, but this store was decent. They have a pretty big Arashi collection, some of NEWS, Yamapi. They also had some for Snow Man but mostly their recent singles. No D.D. or Grandeur, which were what I was looking for but that's fine. The magazines they have are pretty recent as well. They have tons of Duet, and Anan. I highly recommend. The store was clean and organized. Easy to browse. read more

Once upon a time, when other teenagers busied themselves with fornication and underaged drinking, I got really, really into manga. It was an entertainment my otherwise strict mother happily encouraged, as it helped me learn a new language. Over the course of my adolescence, I amassed an enormous collection of manga, much of it from various BOOKOFF locations, including this one. I only came here once back in the day, but I remember that visit, and recognized the place when I went again last week, to part with several hundred books. It still felt like a manga/anime/weeaboo paradise, with tons of used Japanese books and DVDs and toys and collectibles, as well as plenty of English language merchandise. All my manga have been hanging out at my parents' house for many years, and I finally went through and weeded out the ones I have no attachment to, now that I am an adult with less interest in ninjas and pirates and high school romance (though I definitely kept all the series I loved in my youth). My mom and I packed them all up and drove down to Gardena. This BOOKOFF is in a large strip mall with plentiful parking. We got a spot right in front of the store and went in to let the staff know that we were coming in hot. The woman working the register was nice and accommodating and sent an employee out to help us bring in our overflowing bags. She told us it would take a while to sort them all out, so we went to lunch at a great Japanese restaurant in the area. We got a claim ticket over text informing us that we would get over $400 for the sale. This was quickly followed by another ticket that adjusted the amount to a much less impressive $50. Unfortunately, $50 was the correct number, for the 400-plus books that BOOKOFF decided to buy. There were hundreds more that weren't in good enough condition for them to resell. Fair enough, since I bought a lot of them for ¥100 each at different BOOKOFF locations over twenty years ago. I was just grateful that the staff was able to take them off our hands and dispose of them for us. I hope my old manga end up with enthusiastic readers who will appreciate them like I once did, when I was a teenage weeb. I know how much I loved this place in those days, and I'm glad that I got to contribute some of my collection to the BOOKOFF ecosystem. read more

This Bookoff is packed with cool stuff like Japanese mangas, games, books, and magazines. I've spotted some mangas like Chibi Maruko-chan and Crayon Shin-chan, which you don't see as much in the US. Plus, they've got tons of Japanese books and novels. It's a sweet spot for anyone into Japanese culture. Moreover, they stock up on fan-favorite anime figurines: Sailor Moon, Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, etc. Apart from their Japanese collections, they have a smaller section for non-Japanese items: books, CDs, and DVDs. I recommend checking out this Bookoff to anyone interested in anime! read more

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#ThankYouThursday This is the only Bookoff where I found the most Japanese artists CDs. I've been to the San Diego, Lakewood, and Costa Mesa locations and none of them carries much or any Japanese artists CDs. If you're in the market for Japanese artists CDs, this is the place where I would start. I think that each Bookoff has a specialty where they carry more of a particular item. For example, the Lakewood one seems to have a lot more books, Blu-Rays, and video games and this Garden location has a lot of International CDs. This Gardena location is not the biggest location I've seen, but they certainly have more of what I'm looking for. This place is clean and the service is friendly. read more

For my 300th Yelp review, I've decided to explore one of my (former) favorite used bookstore franchises: BookOff. After recently having gone to visit their newly-opened Monterrey Park location (and having been to their Costa Mesa and Garden Grove locations), I decided to go check out one of the few ones that still buys and sells used manga in Japanese. The store is big and neat, the employees are as helpful as can be, considering the circumstances (one of them helped me check for 4 different titles, to see if they had them in their used manga section), and everything went well. Parking is terrible, since the Plaza (Pacific Square) is so unkempt, and the parking is so chaotic, that it detracts from the experience. But BookOff is not at fault for that. It is also a bit of a drive for me, and the only other BookOff that still does sell manga in the Japanese language is the San Diego location. I don't know what kind of circumstances caused them to make this shift in policy, but it's their call. Ultimately, I ended up buying a Game Boy Color game at a competitive price (and yes, the battery works perfectly), and a used copy of the first volume of a manga series in Japanese that seemed almost like new. All in all, a great location marred by poor parking and a crowded Plaza with lots of potholes in its parking lot, but still well-stocked location. read more

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Awesome selection of books, manga, and various other media and collectibles. Their prices are usually very good for the collectibles. Friendly staff as well. read more

Nice variety with actually pretty decent prices. Apple parking and the inventory seems to be fairly fresh. Of course some of these things are so kind of expensive but then they are very rare to find in the US So why are we giving five stars?... Because they have things here that I have never seen before anywhere else, I like their pricing read more

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I did not even know this was inside Pacific square right next to pizza machine! I loved it my kid loved it. Pretty cool !

I come back here once in awhile to check out their books. They have a great selection of items. DVDs, books, games, manga, anime, and a lot of collectible figures. Way too many to see in one day but I like how organized everything is. Too many cute items, most items are expensive but definitely check it out, you never know what collectible you may find! read more

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Really organized, super polite and helpful employees. Went to sell some manga, it was easy and efficient and I got to do some browsing while I waited, didn't take long at all. Will definitely be back. read more

I love this book off chain. Found out about this chain store in Akihabara when I was visiting Japan. This store is located in an Oriental market mall strip where are you can get your groceries or have a meal and come on over to check out the books. Most of their books are manga and are in Japanese. They also have some Japanese magazines, newest publication in the front. Most of the items in the store are secondhand. They are currently offering double the buyback price for certain mangas/animes. I always find great J pop CDs for less than $2 here. There is a small section of clearance American CDs such as Justin Timberlake and Mariah Carey. They also sell used DVDs as well as PlayStation and Xbox games. Anything they sell you can also sell your own items to them. Looking for a sailor moon mangas as they're currently out of it. If you have those please bring it in and sell it thanks! read more

Bookoff - Gardena - Bookstores Near Me - Gardena, California

probably my favorite location! smaller than some others, but also nicer and quieter and well organized. like other book-offs, the inventory varies and some stuff is priced higher than what you can find online. staff mostly leaves you alone to browse, and checking out is easy peasy (: read more

You will find this Japanese used-book store inside the Pacific Square shopping center on Redondo Beach Boulevard between Western Avenue & Normandie Avenue. You will not have any difficulties finding the empty spot for your vehicle most of the time as there is a large parking area, but it may be very hard to find it especially during lunch hours on Sundays. I used this place to purchase many of my Japanese books since many of their used books are reasonably priced. You can also sell your old books at this place. For each of my visits when I visited to sell my books, an average wait-time when I submit my books until they calculated my book values were between 30-45 minutes. Your wait time may not be too bad since you are already in the shopping center with many stores so you can spend time at other stores while you wait for their call-up via your cell phone. With friendly & efficient service, and a very well kept place considering that they have many different items available, I always enjoyed shopping at this place whenever I have visited here. They mainly sell Japanese used books, but they also sell other items such as used Japanese CDs, games, game consoles, toy figures, PCs, etc. They also sell some English books, but they are limited in number. For those of you who love Japanese Manga and CD, I guarantee that you will be spending an ample amount of time here so I hope you will give this place a try especially if you haven't yet visited here! read more

Bookoff - Gardena - Bookstores Near Me - Gardena, California

Awesome collection of books, very well organized. It was easy for us to find appropriate chapter books

Very underrated spot for all things Japan. While most Book-offs have mostly American games, media, and books, this one has a wide variety of Japanese manga, games, and figures. Prices are pretty reasonable as well. They have manga and games in both English and Japanese. Worth a visit if you're looking for something particular. read more

Bookoff - Gardena - Bookstores Near Me - Gardena, California

a far drive for me but a really nice selection of jpn manga, music, books, etc to choose from. heads up, dont expect much for the eng selection or eng manga section. it isnt big BUT the overall cleanliness, organization, customer service at front, quality and jpn selection was amazing. i spend a happy and good amount of time checking out the whole store ;;; i found so many titles of raw, jpn manga ive never seen and so many "hard to find" titles i wouldnt even think id ever see. the books, magazines, manga etc they have in the store are very well kept, displayed, and organized like an archive. they have helpful boxed sets of jpn manga, star reviews for jpn books, a nice section of jpn music and games separate from the eng ones, etc. and all books are like brand new or really good, kept and aged condition. i also noticed they have a section of popular/relevant or newly released manga that cleanly displayed and packaged in this plastic wrap which is nice. things like the new volume of jjk, recent shonen jump issues, etc.... i am DEF coming back read more

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Not my favorite Book off location. We tend to check out the $1 sections and this one has a very small one. If I recall correctly, they have it priced at $2. I prefer going to Del Amo to go the 2 locations there. read more

I love (and only go) to this Bookoff because it has the best used books selection. I usually don't buy paper books (I read digitally), however for Japanese books and manga I prefer to buy used paperbacks. This is because as a lifelong language learner I like to write notes in the books and use my phone as a translator when needed. Finding good selection of used Japanese (in original language) books is not easy in Los Angeles, and I would say this Bookoff in Gardena is one of the best places. read more

books overpriced, i sold about 10 books, total came out to be less than $2, and they sell those books for x 10 the price they purchased from me, very rude unfriendly employees read more

This place is a Tale of Two Experiences... If you're looking for Japanese books, videos, etc...this place deserves 5 stars. If you're selling back books, this place deserves 1 star... Hence, my 3 star rating. My last experience there was ridiculous. I brought in a ton of books...good ones, mind you, you know, the kind that people would actually read...and after waiting and waiting, I found out that my 45 minute drive to get there was only worth the $4 they wanted to give me for the lot. $4? Sad to think that it cost more in gas than I ended up getting for the books. So to them, I raise my finger and say, "Book off!" read more

I love book off, the section I favor is right when you walk in , this location is always clean, the staff are friendly and helpful and I always walk away with a great read. It's organized and they have a wide variety to choose from for all ages :) read more

If you're a huge Japanese comic book fan looking for the latest issue of whatever in Japanese AND in English, this is THE well-known, go to spot! If they don't have it, they can order it for ya. If you also want a good selection of Japanese books, magazines and newspapers, B-O has a nice array at this intimate, family-owned shop. Parking is aplenty and the vibe is overall chill. Friends in the Japanese/American community highly recommend this joint for all things books and comic books in particular. read more

The bookstore carries tons of Japanese books covering vast categories, very clean floor and well organized book shelves, and the staff was friendly and helpful as well. read more

Bookoff - Gardena - Bookstores Near Me - Gardena, California

This bookoff is too overpriced, selling used figures for the prices of new ones makes no sense.

They have some cool stuff but unfortunately most items are incredibly overpriced. Do not trade in your items here.

This is hands down, the best Bookoff location in California! I love their Japanese manga and book and music selection. Have gotten a lot of Osamu Tezuka manga in Japanese from this location. Shame this is the only Japanese Bookoff, since the Costa Mesa location sold off its Japanese stock to Gardena. But this makes it more of a reason to visit! And Hikaru and Ryan are excellent workers here, they have helped me order from Japan, the latter helped me buy a Japanese New Interconfessional Bible Catholic Edition from Japan for $55! Their ordering from Japan service is the best! I have even purchased a replica Japanese book about Tenjin Shin'yo-ryu Jujutsu, the progenitor martial art of Judo here! I highly recommend this store! read more

Lots of books, comics, used/new DVD, games, magazines etc. they also sell western and anime dvds. They also have some Japanese transformer toys, POP dolls, and large selection of Japanese toys. Lots to see and explore. read more

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I drove all the way out here to sell some Japanese art books in pristine condition that I wanted to unload. I had received very fair credit for items at the Del Amo location, but was told that Gardena was the location to go if I wanted to sell any Japanese books. I brought in 2 large bags of books that usually sell for $45-$50 each on Amazon.jp. While I was waiting for them to establish credit I noticed similar books that were obviously used selling for pretty much the same amount. I found that odd , but assumed that maybe they gave good credit, so it would even out. I was shocked with the pathetic low value they gave my items. I told the woman that they were selling used books for full price, and I was very disappointed after driving about 30 miles to get there. It's hard for me to tell if the Japanese woman was sincere or being extremely passive aggressive, but she said " It's OK, you don't HAVE to sell any of it" . Some of the books I decided to keep, and she then would deduct $2 from my credit. So, this place gives $2 credit for books they will turn around sell for $45-$50. Avoid unless you want to feel robbed . read more

You can find some pretty good things here if you take the time to look. There is a pretty good selection of used retro and modern video games. Prices are always decent. I have been able to find some interesting art books and manga. Selling books here isn't really worth it if you are looking to get a big payout. They are a little picky and will decline some books that are in Good/Fair condition. You'll probably only gets a few cents for a bag of books. The cost of gas to drive here kind of costs more than the amount of money you will get back lol. read more

Not all Book-Off's in the states are created equal but this exact Book-Off reminds me so much of Japan. The selection is top notch with tons of Japanese content, Kid's books, Movies/TV Shows, POP! Figures, Video Games, and much more. It's just a shame it's so far from Camarillo just as all other Japanese stores. The location is pretty sweet as you have a Tokyo Central in the same parking lot and Spoon Restaurant right across the street. read more

Bookoff - Gardena - Bookstores Near Me - Gardena, California

I should have written a review of Book-Off years ago. Maybe subconsciously I didn't want anyone else to know about it. Maybe I was having too much fun taking advantage of all they have to offer. I just don't know. But here is what you might find (I say "might" because honestly you just never know exactly what you will find): Book-Off is all about "buy & sell". DVD's, Blu-Ray, CD's, Manga (Japanese comics), books (English & Japanese), magazines, anime figurines & etc.. I don't always find what I'm looking for but I usually find something else that's even better. Today I stopped by hoping to find a Led Zeppelin III CD which they did not have. But they did have the Complete BBC Sessions for $9. I could have downloaded it online for $25. Score! I was also lucky to pick up an Asian Kung-Fu Generation (Japanese) CD for $9 that I wouldn't have been able to find outside of Japan. Am I always this lucky? No. But I always have a good time whether I find anything or not. I think you will too. read more

Great selection of Japanese media all around. Found a lot of good CD's here and the workers were very helpful. Definitely better than the Del Amo location. read more

There's a lot of great items here but if you are trying to return a working DVD, don't. Don't even buy it cuz if it works, you can't get a refund but only an exchange. I bought Smallville season 8 from here because I wanted to buy all the seasons. I eventually found the entire collection at the Del Amo Mall Bookoff. I had to return this since I wouldnt want a duplicate. I went to Del Amo Mall to return Smallville season 10 which worked and they gave me a refund in the form of a gift card good at any Bookoff. I was like great, I'll look for a Pop figure and buy it. But unfortunately, I couldn't return season 8 at this location since the DVD worked. They said if it didnt work, I can get a refund but it works....I told them I bought the entire set, why would I want this? I also said that I wanted to buy a figuring but they said it had to be a DVD of similar value. It was hard to find anything that was worth 9 dollars so I decided to buy Heroes season 1 and 2 for 12 bucks plus tax. The lady who was helping me earlier was saying that it has to be the same value. This made me mad since the DVDs are different values. I told her that I'm going to pay more for this exchange and why complicate it? She seemed to agree but wow, this was so frustrating. I dont think I'm ever going to go back. I hope Heroes works... read more