Reading manga online has not always been easy – or legal – but an app that launched today aims to fix that. Mangamo is a new mobile based app that gives you access to more than 300 manga series – including massive hits such as Attack on Titan – for only $4.99 a month. Many of the titles have never been legally available in English before.
Bonus: can sign up for a free 60 day trial!
Mangamo is here! Download on your iOS device now and gain access to hundreds of manga titles, legally!
Download here ➡️ https://t.co/GVEcbATmfE and get a FREE 60-day trial! pic.twitter.com/pJOGwGBLXv
— Mangamo @ #VCRX (@mangamoapp) April 15, 2020
The app was started by a group of US and Japanese investors and is run by longimte US manga expert Dallas Middaugh, who has held influential positions at Random House, Viz and Crunchyroll. He’ll serve as executive editor at Mangamo.
Digital manga has long been available but Japanese publisher were slow to embrace it – leading to the proliferation of illegal “scanlation” sites that are sometimes run by fans but other times rack up hundreds of thousands of views. In recent years, more and more legal digital manga has become available, as publisher came to the conclusion that the only way to fight scanlation sites was to offer their own legal digital products.
According to Middaugh, quoted in an extensive story in PW, in Japan, digital makes up more than 50% of manga sale. He hopes the service will reach manga readers but also anime fans who want to experience the source material, and pop culture fans in general.
According to PW:
The new service is designed to be read on iOS mobile devices (iPhone and iPad) and the interface allows the reader to scroll vertically or horizontally. And there’s a simple fee structure: all you can read for $4.99 per month with no ads and no upcharges. Mangamo is strictly a subscription service and with no option to purchase single volumes.
Middaugh credited the launch of the new service to the popularity of the subscription access model with young fans and to the continuing threat of digital piracy. Indeed, the relentless availability of bootleg manga indicates the commercial strength of the category. “Rampant piracy shows unmet demand,” Middaugh said.
Other executives involved include CEO Buddy Marini, formerly CEO of Hulu Japan, and business manager Yusuke Sasano.
Speaking for myself as a shut in, the manga habit of giving the elevator pitch in the title – Ekikoi: The Young Miss Falls for the Station Attendant, How I Lost My Large Intestine, I’m Not Interested in Your Isekai Fantasy! – is a delightful one and my stay at home time just got a lot more interesting!
Here’s a list of the series currently available – more partnerships will be announced soon, Middaugh said.
Titles as of April 15:
29-Year-Old in the Service Industry
52Hz Hertz Travel Agency
A Classroom Bereft of Angels
A Sea Breeze from Antares
A Transparent Fever
A Wish
A.D.A
Ai in the AI
Akatsuki Babies!
An Impossible Romance With You
Angel of Medicine!
Another Side of You
Apples of the Queen
Arte
Astrological Story
Attack on Titan
Bangyaloop
Battle Angel Alita
Belial Lady
BIKINGS
BLACK999
Bloody Steam
Broken Planet
Byakko: White Tiger
Canvas Under the Overpass
Changing Fates
Chika’s Forest
Conditions of the Wicked
Control Love
Daily Meteor Strike
Dead or Strike
Deadly Paradise
Death Support Center
Department of Demon Resources
Devil-Chi
Different Nation
Do It or Die
Dragon Eye
Dreams Take Flight
Dropkick on My Devil!
Ekikoi: The Young Miss Falls for the Station Attendant
EQUITES
Eternity of Creation
Fairytale Farce
Fallens
FIRE FIRE FIRE BLACK SWORD
Fire Force
Float City
Full Moonlight
Garuda
Go to Helln
Gourmet Glutton
Great Ming Detectives
GUT’S
Haita the Invisible
Haruko Unbreakable!
Helltopia
Hinako’s My Wife?!
Horror at Doll’s Village
House of High Stakes
How I Lost My Large Intestine
Hunt or Hunted
I Fell in Love So I’m Streaming It
I Wanna Be Your Girl
I’m Not Interested in Your Isekai Fantasy!
Immortal Undertaker
In Another World… with Champagne!!!
Into the Labyrinth
Invasion: RPG
It All Ends In Summer
Kanata & Konata
KareMane! My Boyfriend is My Manager
KESHIN
Kitty’s Diaries
Kurozakuro
Kybernetes
Leave it to Sero!
Leaving Our Truths to the Shooting Stars
Life-saver Jailbreak: Doctor Enma
Living with the Insects
Love Portrait
Loving Yamada at Lv999!
MADMEN
Maison Q
Maria x Maria
Masuda’s Got A Hold on Shibata
Matching Our Answers
Me, Myself, & Incomplete
Memento Memori
Miasma Theory
Mourning Demon
My Childhood Friend is a Vengeful Ghost
My Evil Stepbrother
My Girlfriend Sneers Beautifully
My Little, Stray Cat
Nice to Meat You: The Origin of Food
NUMBER 10
OBLATION
On Shattered Ground
On Walpurgis Night
One Shot Killer
OPEN SESAME
Pacified Storm
Parallel Lanes
Patricia
Pen Love
Primo Secundo
Purple Flower Under The Moonlight
Red Beast
Repeating Your End Together
Reset Game
Ring a Bell
S – You and Me and Destiny
Seize the Flowers of Love
Seven Edge
Shokudama
Sinner
Snake Eyes
Somali and the Forest Spirit
Summer Hero
SUMMERLESS
Super Food Bowl
Swallowed by the Kotatsu
Sweet Pain
Sweet Seduction: Under the Same Roof with The Guy I Hate
The Beginning of the End
The Happiness Street in District Zero
The Kindness of Death
The Last Sane Person in Crazytown
The Little Succulents
The Original Doll
The Peculiar Room
The Shinsengumi
The Vampires Next Door
The Voice of Tsukumo
Tokyo Dragon Knight
Tsukumogami Karuta: Cards of the 99 Gods
Unpopular
VESTIGE
WELCOME TO DIETROIT
White Rose of Frankenstein
White Tiger
Who Wants to Play?
Witch Sister
Yasura’s Kitchen
You Guys Are All Annoying!
You Haven’t Seen The Best Of Me!
YUMEQUI
Zanmu
ZOMBIEMEN
