VIZ surprise-releases new VIZ Manga app and subscription service

In a shock announcement, VIZ Media launched a new app this morning: VIZ Manga. Similar to the corporate’s profitable Shonen Jump app, the new VIZ Manga app will supply an all-you-can-binge month-to-month subscription service – presently priced at $1.99 – with entry to the latest chapters (concurrently launched with Japan) being free. The service is presently solely out there within the US and Canada, with extra territories to be added later.

In a video, VIZ Media CEO Ken Sasaki mentioned:

“Four years ago we launched the new Shonen Jump. It’s been very successful. The number of fans reading official manga has grown dramatically and it’s time to expand. It’s clear you love new simulpub chapters and access to series as part of a digital subscription. There are many types of manga and I am so proud to announce a new service to meet the needs of the broader manga community – VIZ Manga.”

He added,

“VIZ editors, with over 200 years of mixed expertise have curated a new service providing high-quality manga collection from romance and fantasy to horror and slice of life from legendary creators.

“The new VIZ Manga service launches today. Subscribe to VIZ Manga and you can access a massive digital library of over 10,000 chapters on your favourite device. Also, we are excited to offer many series published simultaneously with Japan in English for the very first time. The latest simulpub chapters are free for everyone.”

Series and mangaka featured within the new app will embody:

Tomohito Oda‘s Komi Can’t Communicate
Haro Aso’s Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead and Alice In Borderland
Rumiko Takahashi – together with Ranma ½ , Inuyasha, and Yashahime
Junji Ito – Uzumaki and different works
Kotoyama‘s Call of the Night
Ai Yazawa’s Nana

Digital manga purchases from VIZ may also be out there within the VIZ Manga app. However – whereas the app will characteristic an enormous swathe of content material, it isn’t going to be a limitless library: based on VIZ’s FAQ on the new app, mature rated books and collection won’t be out there on the app on account of content material restrictions. Also some collection are nonetheless having their chapter library stuffed out so there can be gaps in locations.

VIZ Media has been progressively scaling up operations within the digital area over the previous decade. Since 2011, it has gone from an app delivering every English language situation of fashionable manga anthology journal Shonen Jump through subscription earlier than shifting to its “digital vault” mannequin Shonen Jump app in December 2018 – which featured free entry to early and most up-to-date digital chapters from the journal, with a month-to-month subscription to entry the complete again catalogue. At the time this was comparatively uncommon and there have been few (authorized and official) rival manga companies within the digital area. Today VIZ faces a extra advanced and aggressive market with alternate options like VIZ proprietor Shuesha’s free simulpub app Manga Plus, Square Enix’s Manga UP, and direct competitor Kodansha’s personal service Ok Manga launching May 11.