Danica Davidson
March 1, 2023 
It’s the one-year anniversary since the launch of NTT Solmare Corp’s MangaPlaza, where people can read manga titles digitally. MangaPlaza is offering a number of goodies in honor of the anniversary, including getting 50% off a number of titles, like original MangaPlaza titles and 18+ manga, as well as opportunities to earn points. CDawgVA is also doing a Twitch stream today, March 1, with MangaPlaza between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM PST (or 7:00 to 9:00 PM EST). For more information, go here. Ryota Niwa, Senior Producer of the e-Book Division at NTT SOLMARE CORPORATION, spoke to Otaku USA about what’s going on with MangaPlaza.
Congratulations on the one-year anniversary of MangaPlaza! How has MangaPlaza grown in the last year?
Over the last year, MangaPlaza has greatly expanded its lineup of captivating works — including MangaPlaza original works — in partnerships with over 40 publishers.
(50,000 works at the time of launch, 83,000 works as of now.)
MangaPlaza is enjoyed by many customers, particularly female customers.
To celebrate the first anniversary of MangaPlaza, we will be launching a point program, with special offers and a number of campaigns to introduce more customers to the platform.
What sorts of perks are you offering for the anniversary?
MangaPlaza’s subscription membership will be rebranded as its “Premium membership,” and Premium members will receive 10% point rewards on individual chapter purchases.
New members will receive a sign-up bonus.
In addition, for a limited time only, customers will be able to earn points for all chapter purchases, and will enjoy massive discounts on original content as well as access to the Obey Me! Collaboration and the CDawgVA Collaboration.
What sort of manga titles do you offer, both original and ones published elsewhere?
MangaPlaza is partnered with over 40 publishers, including Kodansha and KADOKAWA, and offers one of the largest selections of electronic manga in the United States.
MangaPlaza offers over 83,000 chapters of manga across a wide variety of genres including shoujo, josei, BL, shounen and seinen.
How is MangaPlaza helping support creators?
MangaPlaza partners with publishers and works alongside many authors to distribute a compelling library of material.
By encouraging the purchasing and viewing of works through MangaPlaza, instead of through pirate websites, we are able to protect our authors and their valuable artistic contributions.
Where would you like MangaPlaza to be in another year?
As one of the largest digital manga sites in the United States, we will continue to expand our product lineup, adding to an already expansive library of genres, as well as working to improve our website to provide customers with the most comfortable experience possible. Through the next year, we will strive to create the best space for our customers to encounter compelling works.
Is there anything else you would like American manga fans to know?
MangaPlaza’s concept is based on the goal of serving both the manga industry and the global manga fan community.
MangaPlaza provides localized content at reasonable prices to international fans, which gives them increased access to officially licensed works and ultimately contributes to industry-wide efforts to stop the distribution of pirated content.
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its 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.
