Kodansha, the Japanese publishing house known for best-selling manga series such as Attack on Titan, Blue Lock, and Ghost in the Shell, has announced a new manga distribution platform, exclusive to US readers, K MANGA, launching in May 2023.
On March 21, Kodansha announced its official serialization platform, called K MANGA, which will allow fans in the US easy access to the publisher’s series. K MANGA will release the latest chapters of Kodansha’s original serialized manga, including hits like Blue Lock, along with the publisher’s weekly and monthly magazines containing a collection of different manga titles. The release will happen simultaneously in the US and Japan, making the latest stories available earlier than any other competing US services. At launch, K MANGA will have approximately 400 titles available, including 70 titles of ongoing manga currently in serialization, all localized in English by a team of professional translators.
US Readers Will Finally Have Easy Access To Kodansha’s Manga Series
Kodansha is the largest publisher in Japan, producing both literary and manga magazines. Kodansha publishes some of the best-selling manga of all time, including Attack on Titan and Fairy Tail, along with other hit series such as Seven Deadly Sins, EDENS ZERO, and Tokyo Revengers. While physical versions of these books are distributed in the US by Kodansha USA, the lack of a digital platform has made Kodansha’s series harder to access in the Western world, compared to those of main competitor Shueisha, which can benefit from the MANGA Plus service.
The launch of K MANGA is set to change this, making Kodansha’s series more accessible to US readers. Features will include early exclusive access to the latest chapters of popular manga currently ongoing in Japan, including EDENS ZERO, Blue Lock, Rent-A-Girlfriend, The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse, and Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro. Users will also be able to access Kodansha’s library, which includes series such as Attack on Titan, The Seven Deadly Sins, and Fire Force. One stand-out feature is that K MANGA will be managed by the same editorial team that works on the manga series, ensuring the highest quality.
Just like with MANGA Plus, users will be able to read limited chapters for free, the amount of which varies according to the series. The official Twitter and website launched on March 21, while K MANGA official app will be available from May 10, 2023. The full website launch date is yet to be announced.