Wikipedia

Manga Plus

Manga Plus (stylized as MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA) is an online manga platform and smartphone app owned by Shueisha that was launched on January 28, 2019. It is available worldwide except in Japan, China, and South Korea which already have their own services, including Shōnen Jump+, the original Japanese service. Manga Plus publishes translated versions of new chapters from currently serialized manga in Weekly Shōnen Jump, a big portion of manga from the Shōnen Jump+ app/website, and some manga from Jump Square, Weekly Young Jump, Tonari no Young Jump, and V Jump. Since the beginning of the app in 2019, all new Shōnen Jump manga in the magazine are simultaneously released in English, while since January 2023 all of the new Shōnen Jump+ manga are simultaneously released in English.

Manga Plus
Type of site
Digital manga
Available inEnglish, Spanish, Thai, Indonesian, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, French, Vietnamese, German
OwnerShueisha
EditorShuhei Hosono[1]
URLmangaplus.shueisha.co.jp
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedJanuary 28, 2019
Current statusActive

The first three chapters and the three most recent chapters of all titles on the platform are available for free, while all titles from Shōnen Jump+ have all of their chapters for free, except in the United States where some are also limited to first and last three chapters, due to the licensing of some manga.[2]

A Spanish version of the service launched in February 2019, and was followed by several other languages in the next five years.

A subscription service called "Manga Plus MAX" was added to the app in October 2023.

History

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Weekly Shōnen Jump reached a peak weekly circulation of 6.53 million copies in the 1990s, but the decline of print media has since been reducing readership. In response, publisher Shueisha turned towards digital distribution to attempt to reach out to a wider audience.[3]

Shuhei Hosono, the head editor for Shōnen Jump+ and Manga Plus, said that they were aware of the many manga readers overseas, and that they wanted to bring manga to more people around the world. They began talks about a possible global version of Shōnen Jump+ in 2017. Shueisha finally launched Manga Plus on January 28, 2019. The service was made available to every country except China, South Korea, and Japan, with the latter countries being excluded because they each already have their own separate services.[3] The Shōnen Jump+ editorial department manages overseas distribution through Manga Plus in-house. Yūta Momiyama, a Shueisha editor who manages the Shōnen Jump+ and Manga Plus online services, said this is with the intent of making the creation of hit manga on a global scale "a core part of Weekly Shōnen Jump's editorial approach".[4]

Until Manga Plus, Shueisha's titles were distributed throughout the world via local publishers or distribution lines. The launch was the first time that Shueisha had expanded direct service globally.[3] 50 manga titles were available at launch.[4] A portion of the revenue earned from advertisements goes directly to the original manga authors.[4]

At launch, English was the only language available on Manga Plus. The Spanish version launched on February 25, 2019, albeit with a different lineup of manga titles.[5] The Thai version launched in December 2019, only available in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.[6] In February 2021, some titles became available in Indonesian.[7] The Brazilian Portuguese version of the site launched in April 2021, only available in Brazil and Portugal.[8] In August 2021, Manga Plus launched the Russian version as well as took away the region restrictions for all languages, making it possible to switch to other languages from the series page.[9] The French version followed its launch in September 2021.[10] In March 2024, some titles became available in German.[11]

In October 2020, Manga Plus started its own official Discord server.[12]

In 2021, a redesigned web-app version of Manga Plus was announced to commemorate its second anniversary.[13]

At the end of June 2022, it was announced that starting in 2023, every new manga series launched on Shōnen Jump+ would receive a simultaneous English release on Manga Plus.[4]

In August 2022, Shueisha launched Manga Plus Creators, a website and app that publishes user-submitted manga from users inside and outside of Japan; the Shōnen Jump+ editorial department is running the service along with localization company MediBang.[14]

In October 2023, a subscription service called "Manga Plus MAX" was added to the app. The service comes with two plans; The Standard Plan which consists of 80 currently serialized works totaling over 6000 chapters and costs $1.99 ($0.99 in Indonesia, India, the Philippines and other regions), and The Deluxe Plan which consists of over 190 titles, including completed series, totaling over 16,000 chapters and costs $4.99 ($3.99 in Indonesia, India, the Philippines and other regions).[15] Alongside the new subscription plan, the website and app had an overhaul on its user interface and an introduction of content ratings ranging from all ages, teen and teen plus to refer to the manga in the app.[16][17][18][19]

Since August 2024, all Shonen Jump+ One Shots are released simultaneously in English.[20]

Format

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Currently, in December 2023, the Manga Plus app has five sections:

  • Updates: Shows all chapters released on the app in the past seven days.
  • Hottest: Shows rankings of viewership in the app for series in three categories in its different language options: Hottest, Trending, and Completed.
  • Browse: Compiles all manga posted on Manga Plus which you are able to search by different genres. Additional features include promotional materials and Weekly Shonen Jump author comments. Of note is that due to its nature as a promotional app, series will only have the first and last few chapters available to view for free.
  • Creators: The homepage for Manga Plus Creators. Users can read and comment on user-submitted manga - the top ten most read series are reviewed by Shueisha and Medibang, and every month they reward series they deem exceptional with a cash prize, as well as potential publication on Manga Plus proper.
  • My Shelf: Compiles series that the user has favorited, as well as options to change their username or avatar for comments, change manga languages, and other news and notices.

Titles

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Current Weekly Shōnen Jump series[21]
Finished series
Current Jump+ series[21]
Finished series
Jump Square series
V Jump series
Weekly Young Jump series
Tonari no Young Jump series
Saikyō Jump series
Ubisoft x Jump+ one-shots
MAGIC International Manga Contest winners
  • Miriam of the Skulls
  • Bookhead

Manga Plus Creators

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Manga Plus Creators award winners
  • Apple to Orange
  • ALMA DE UN SOLO COLOR
  • BOLT
  • Deaddie Du Dead
  • Dodsleie
  • ERROR US
  • El Perro del Gorro Atornillado al Cráneo
  • GENDER X BORDER
  • GEO
  • Hollow Grimoire
  • How to heal from schizophrenia
  • I SOLD MY BODY TO A GOD
  • KKDKK
  • LOLEIN
  • METAL SOULS
  • METRA-K
  • No\Name
  • Personaje
  • Ruthless Render
  • Scrap Circus
  • Sun in the Abyss
  • UNBLESSED

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Tai, Anita (June 26, 2024). "Hiroyuki Nakano Steps Down as Weekly Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  2. ^ Rafael Antonio Pineda (January 27, 2019). "Shueisha Launches Free Global MANGA Plus Service". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Kim Morrissy (January 27, 2019). "Everything You Need to Know about MANGA Plus by Shueisha". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d "Jump+ Aims to Release All New Manga Series Simultaneously in English After 2023". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  5. ^ Karen Ressler (February 26, 2019). "Manga Plus Service Launches in Spanish, Offers Reborn!, Captain Tsubasa Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  6. ^ "Shueisha Launches Manga Plus App in Thai". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  7. ^ "Shueisha's Manga Plus Service Adds 4 Manga in Indonesian". Anime News Network. February 1, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  8. ^ "MANGA Plus, site e App da Shueisha para leitura oficial e gratuita de mangás, lança primeiros títulos com tradução em português". Crunchyroll News (in Brazilian Portuguese). April 11, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  9. ^ "Manga Plus Service Removes Language Restrictions". Anime News Network. August 14, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  10. ^ "La plateforme de lecture en ligne Manga Plus arrive en français". Manga-News (in French). September 26, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  11. ^ "MANGA Plus startet deutschen Simulpub von One Piece & Chainsaw Man". Crunchyroll News (in German). March 5, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "Join the MANGA Plus Discord Server!". Discord. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  13. ^ "MANGA Plus New Design!". Manga Plus by SHUEISHA. Shueisha Inc. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  14. ^ Morrissy, Kim (August 30, 2022). "Shonen Jump+, Manga Plus Launch Global User-Submitted Manga Service". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  15. ^ Mateo, Alex (October 4, 2023). "Manga Plus Launches New Subscription Service". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  16. ^ "Launch of subscription service on the MANGA Plus app! Update Announcement". Manga Plus by SHUEISHA. Shueisha Inc. October 4, 2023. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023. Thank you for using MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA. We have renewed the MANGA Plus app and website. ＜Update Details＞ Introducing the new subscription service! We're excited to announce the launch of our subscription service, "MANGA Plus MAX", designed to provide you with access to a wider selection of titles! For more information ＜Other Updates＞ We have improved the app and website to make MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA more enjoyable for users. ・Title Information Page ・About Us ＜Changes to Re-edition Manga＞ Re-editions in English will be treated as "Completed Titles" and will now be accessible through the MANGA Plus MAX Deluxe Plan for unlimited reading! ＜Introduction of Content Ratings＞ Content ratings have been introduced to provide a clearer indication of the age group a particular title is intended for. Along with the website renewal, some changes have been made to the Terms of Use. Thank you for your continued support of MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA.
  17. ^ Colbert, Isaiah (October 4, 2023). "Manga Plus' New Two-Plan Subscription Service Has More Pros Than Cons". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  18. ^ "Manga Plus Launches New Paid Subscription". Comic Book. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  19. ^ "MANGA Plus MAX - Subscription Plans Available Now! long ver". YouTube. October 4, 2023. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  20. ^ "Manga Plus to Release All Shonen Jump+ 1-Shots Simultaneously in English (Updated)". August 31, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  21. ^ a b "MANGA Plus by Shueisha".
  22. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (August 10, 2020). "Shueisha Cancels Publication of act-age Manga (Updated)". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  23. ^ a b Ressler, Karen (February 26, 2019). "Manga Plus Service Launches in Spanish, Offers Reborn!, Captain Tsubasa Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
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