Kodansha To Replace Previous Simulpub Programs With New English-Language Distribution Platform ‘K MANGA’
After Kodansha devastatingly terminatinated of their fan-favorite simulpub agreement with Crunchyroll and Azuki, the publisher has finally announced a new platform on which English-language readers can get their manga fix.
On March 21st, Kodansha revealed that their extensive catalog of manga will soon be re-hosted exclusively on the upcoming English-language version of their own proprietary ‘Magazine Pocket’ distribution platform, K MANGA.
Managed directly by Kodansha’s editorial team, the service’s launch library will consist of approximately 400 titles, including 70 simulpubs of currently-running series.
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Per a Kodansha representative who spoke directly these 70 launch day simulpub series will include Goddess Café Terrace by Seo Kouji, Orient by Shinobu Ohtaka, Rent-a-Girlfriend by Reiji Miyajima, Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse by Nakaba Suzuki. Shangri-La Frontier by Katarina and Ryosuke Fuji, Blue Lock by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura, Don’t Toy With Me Miss Nagatoro by Nanashi, Edens Zero by Hiro Mashima and Hiro Mashima and Atsuo Ueda’s Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest.
In terms of the publisher’s completed series, the Kodansha rep confirmed that the app’s library will feature such titles as Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayamam, Chihayafuru by Yuki Suetsugu, Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima, Fire Force by Atsushi Ohkubo, Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow, The Seven Deadly Sins by Nakaba Suzuki, Tokyo Revengers and by Ken Wakui.
Further, the rep informed BIC that K MANGA will operate on a subscription system similar to its Japanese counterpart and noted that more details regarding this element will be revealed closer to the app’s launch.
In a statement issued alongside the announcement, the head of Kodansha’s K-MANGA project Yuta Hiroka explained, “The K MANGA team is committed to continually creating content within the platform, bringing many brand new stories to U.S. readers as they are simultaneously distributed in Japan.”
“We hope that our audience will enjoy K MANGA through encountering many never before seen stories, becoming a fan of those stories, and then watching the journey of how those stories become popular,” he added.
Kodansha’s K MANGA app will officially be available exclusively to US readers on Wednesday, May 10th, with the full website set to launch at on a future date.
The publisher will release more information about the app, including its full list of titles, on the official @KMANGA_KODANSHA Twitter account.
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