Line Manga (LINEマンガ) is an online manga and webtoon platform and smartphone app operated by American company Webtoon Entertainment, formerly operated by Line Corporation (now LY Corporation). It originally launched with just licensed manga titles but soon expanded to include original webtoons.[1]
Type of site | Digital manga, webtoon platform |
|---|---|
| Available in | Japanese |
| Owner | Webtoon Entertainment |
| URL | manga |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | 2013 |
| Current status | Active |
Overview
editLine first launched its manga service in 2013 offering licensed manga titles to purchase.[2] One of the biggest features of the service was its integration with the Line messaging app, users could recommend and share manga titles with friends in the app, collect special stickers that were exclusive to titles bought on the service, and use Line's digital currency to buy titles.[3] In 2017, Line Manga introduced the ability to read some manga chapters for free similar to the webtoon model it had used with its Naver Webtoon service.[4] Naver, Line's Korean owner, in 2018 decided it would close down its Japanese service of Naver Webtoon (known as XOY in Japan) and merge it with Line Manga bringing with it not just its translated webtoons but also its domestic Japanese webtoons to the service. [5] Since its launch, it has grown to be the second most popular manga app in Japan behind Piccoma and has reached over 23 million downloads since its inception.[6][7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "「LINEマンガ」運営会社、韓国NAVER WEBTOONから86億円を調達". CNET Japan. July 26, 2018.
- ^ "「LINE マンガ」タブレット版がサービススタート". マイナビニュース. June 12, 2013.
- ^ "LINE、マンガ購入でスタンプがもらえる電子コミックサービス「LINE マンガ」". マイナビニュース. April 10, 2013.
- ^ "Japan's Line Corporation gets into the e-book business with 'Line Manga'". April 9, 2013.
- ^ "お知らせ :: XOY". xoy.webtoons.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "韓経：カカオのピッコマ、日本ウェブトゥーン市場で「独歩的１位」". 中央日報 - 韓国の最新ニュースを日本語でサービスします.
- ^ Gehrke, Norbert (May 4, 2021). "Japan's highest grossing manga app is Korean". Medium.