Global Manga Platform Editors Talk Simultaneous Releases at New York Comic Con
The people running the apps built to close the gap between Japanese and overseas releases say the feedback loop, not the release schedule, is what has changed in how manga reaches readers abroad.
Reporting from 1 source: Anime News Network.
At New York Comic Con, editors from three manga apps answered questions about global readership. Yuta Momiyama of MANGA Plus, Nobuhiko Muranaka of Manga UP!, and Yuta Hiraoka of K manga spoke about same-day chapter releases, app comment sections that let publishers and creators see overseas feedback, and Manga Academy programs that seek creators outside Japan.
A panel at New York Comic Con brought together representatives of the apps that publish Japanese manga chapters overseas: Yuta Momiyama of MANGA Plus, Nobuhiko Muranaka of Manga UP!, and Yuta Hiraoka of K manga. The three took questions on how global interest in manga has changed how their platforms operate, and where the audience is still separate from Japan's.
- Comment sections on the apps: Hiraoka said creators once relied on licensing teams to learn what overseas fans thought; now publishers and creators read feedback directly.
- Creator motivation and global data: Muranaka called reader feedback motivating for creators and a source of data on what is popular worldwide.
- Manga's rallying power without an anime: Momiyama pointed to SPY x FAMILY and Kaiju No. 8 as series that were already popular before their anime aired.
- Reading together: Hiraoka said manga improves when readers share it because it drives conversation between fans.
- Genre preferences: Muranaka said American readers like much of what is popular in Japan; Hiraoka noted gag manga can be hard to translate and Black Torch may be more popular in America.
- New talent programs: Kodansha's Manga Academy and similar programs accept submissions from applicants worldwide.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.