Manga cafe culture: The New York Times spotlights Atom, a manga cafe that opened in June at 38 West 38th St., near Fifth Avenue, in the garment district. The shop is stocked with more than 20,000 manga volumes that owner Daisuke Sasano collected in Japan:

"For $5, customers at Atom can sit and read manga to their hearts' content. Atom stocks not only the adventure-heavy series that are a staple of the genre, but also stories about ordinary people. Many manga stories have more in common with pulp fiction and prime-time television than Marvel or DC comics."