A sage once told me that to live happily, I should avoid creating scenarios that justify that need for something. It's like this way... Can you really not live without reading manga, is it an absolute need or did you conjure up this need to read manga to justify the buying of an iPad?
I don't read manga ... but I read books. I don't *need* to read them, but they do help me to keep my sanity and provide a means of momentarily escaping reality. It also provides a means of passing time to prevent boredom from setting in when I travel. It's very rare that I do not have a book within reach. Does this mean I *need* an iPad? No, it certanly does not. I doubt any one *needs* one. It's not about need. Most people want one... for what ever their reasons are. I am not one of those. For the same reason I don't own an iPod/iTouch... I don't need them. When I got an mp3 player, I made a list of my wants and can't live withouts. The iPod didn't make the cut (in fact it was eliminated on the first requirement - FM Radio) Then I went out and found one that did fill all of the requirements. Cost me $60. I've done the same for eReaders... I know right off the bat that iPad won't work for me (I read outdoors a lot, so any screen needs to be viewable in summertime noon sun high in the sky sunlight.) Since I'll be reading books, color isn't imperative. WiFi is nice but not necessary. Expansion port is also nice, but not necessary. Came down to Kindle and Nook. both are the same price and virtually the same features. The Nook just happens to have a couple extra features the Kindle doesn't.

Oceanbelle is right about one thing... don't impulse buy. Give it a couple months. Then buy an iPad, cheap on eBay as everyone tries to dump their junk, I mean toy.

-tg