Danica Davidson
March 1, 2022 
It’s March 1, and that means the online digital manga store MangaPlaza has officially been launched. It was first announced by NTT Solmare Corp back in December.
MangaPlaza offers chapters from more than 2,000 manga, including manga published by KADOKAWA and Kodansha, as well as manga that have not been licensed in America previously. Some of the titles they chose to highlight as available include Attack on Titan, That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime, Obey Me! The Comic, and Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku. Obey Me! The Comic is one of those titles that had not yet been released in America, and it’s based on the bestselling mobile game Obey Me! All told, more than 2,000 manga are available, and they include titles in the genres shonen, shojo, seinen, josei, boys’ love, and teens’ love.
If you’re interested, it’s set up so you can pay a monthly cost of $6.99, or you can forgo the subscription and pay $0.45 to $3.99 for individual chapters. Many series, though not all, also offer a free sample chapter for readers to see if it’s something that would interest them. The press release also said, “Users are being offered a free 7-day trial if they register starting today,” and noted that 301 people who sign up will receive a $10 gift card to Amazon. The “301″ number was chosen as a reference to today’s launch date.
The company explained in their press release: “MangaPlaza’s concept is based on its goals to serve both the manga industry and the global fan community. By offering overseas fans access to content that is localized, tailored, and reasonably priced, MangaPlaza aims to provide access to a broader range of officially licensed digital titles and ultimately contributing to the industry-wide efforts in stopping the circulation of pirated content.”
Source: Press Release
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin. She is also the author of its upcoming sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
