Kodansha to release popular manga in Japan and USA simultaneously in K Manga this May

The wait is over.

Manga is loved the world over, but because of language barriers, there are often delays for it to arrive in different countries. This process has definitely sped up over the years, but in this age of overnight delivery and instant noodles, it can still feel like an eternity to get your hands on the latest chapter of your favorite manga.

But fans in the USA will soon be getting some relief from manga giant Kodansha. This May they’ll be launching K Manga, an online platform that hosts all of their titles including established hits like Ghost in the Shell, Attack on Titan, and Chihayafuru.

In addition to all that, Kodansha will also distribute the latest issues of their weekly and monthly magazines that contain a range of titles each through K Manga. This means that the latest issues will hit the service at the same time in Japan and the USA in Japanese and English.

American fans of ongoing series like Edens Zero, Blue Lock, Rent-a-Girlfriend, and the Seven Deadly Sins continuation Four Knights of the Apocalypse won’t have to wait for official translations of new chapters to hit their shores.

K Manga will be run by Kodansha’s main editorial team who will oversee all localizations done by industry professionals who are familiar with each manga.

All in all about 400 titles are expected to be available at the time of K Manga’s launch, 70 of which will be ongoing series in several genres such as action, thriller, isekai, romance, and fantasy. Pricing has not been revealed yet, but there will be a limited amount of free content that can be read daily.

▼ A look at the app’s UI

The K Manga app is scheduled to be released on 10 May and a full website is also in the works. You can keep up to date on its progress on the official pre-release website and Twitter account, both of which just opened today. At the moment, this service is exclusive to the USA, unfortunately, but with any luck we may see it spread before too long!

Images: © 2023 KODANSHA LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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