Japanese publisher Kodansha has revealed its plans to launch a brand-new manga distribution service named “K Manga” in the United States. This innovative platform is set to debut on May 10 as a smartphone app, with a full-fledged website to follow at a later, undisclosed date. The service will initially be available exclusively in the U.S., with no information regarding its expansion to other regions.
K Manga will offer a vast catalog of over 400 manga series, all published by Kodansha, and will feature 70 ongoing simulpub titles. Among the series confirmed to be available at launch are Edens Zero by Hiro Mashima, Blue Lock by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura, Rent-a-Girlfriend by Reiji Miyajima, The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse by Nakaba Suzuki, and Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro by Nanashi. Additionally, the platform will host popular titles such as The Seven Deadly Sins, Fire Force by Atsushi Ohkubo, and Chihayafuru by Yuki Suetsugu.
Kodansha’s new service will allow readers to access a limited number of chapters for free, with the amount of free content varying for each manga. However, the company has not yet disclosed whether it will offer a paid option for accessing additional chapters.
K Manga’s launch is part of Kodansha’s strategic move to consolidate its position in the manga market. The company has recently withdrawn some of its simulpub manga from competitors like Crunchyroll and Azuki. This could be an attempt to challenge rival publisher Shueisha, which has successfully operated its Manga Plus app for years, offering numerous manga series in simulpub format.
In addition to its new manga platform, Kodansha has also entered a partnership with Disney+ to bring anime adaptations of its published works to the streaming service. The first anime to arrive on Disney+ through this collaboration is the second season of Tokyo Revengers, currently simulcast on the platform.
Source: Official Website
