Kodansha is one of the biggest manga publishers in Japan, and they are about to make manga more accessible to American readers than ever before. This May, Kodansha will be releasing a new online platform that will not only feature English manga, but they will be releasing at the same time that the manga releases in Japan. This includes some of their most popular titles, both new and old, which will all become accessible.
This new service will be called K Manga. It will be both an app and a website, and the app will be launching on May 10th. The website will follow sometime after. At launch, K Manga will have around 400 titles available, including 70 ongoing ones across multiple genres. While the price of the service has not been released yet, Kodansha has said there will be a free daily limit as well.
Some of the most popular titles that will be available to read on K Manga include Attack on Titan, Ghost in the Shell, Fairy Tail, and Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro. Ongoing manga like Blue Lock and Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse are just a few of the titles that will be releasing new chapters simultaneously in Japanese and English. That means fans won't have to wait for translations or new manga to come to their local bookshops anymore!
It is an open secret that many manga fans in the English-speaking world read manga scans online that have questionable legality, and often are translated by other fans. At least in the USA, though, that is about to change. American manga readers will be able to browse their favorite classics, and read the latest issues the same time they are released in Japan, legally and easily.
Reading manga legally is great because it is reliable, doesn't risk hurting your computer or phone, and is officially translated. Arguably most importantly, it also supports the industry that you are enjoying. Paying to read manga gives back to the mangaka, the publishing company, and the translators who are working hard to bring the story to readers. Hopefully, K Manga will not only make it easier for American fans to access their favorite stories, it will also help support the English manga industry in a real way.
At this time, Kodansha has not said anything about if K Manga will be available in countries outside of America. Likely, if the service does well in one of the biggest markets for English manga in the world, it will be expanded to other countries as well. Kodansha is updating the new Twitter for K Manga regularly with updates, so keep an eye on it!
Source: SoraNews24