Crunchyroll flips the page to manga

The world of anime and manga has never been more accessible. The massively popular anime streamer Crunchyroll is bringing the biggest manga series to your fingertips with Crunchyroll Manga. The Japanese art forms have been rapidly gaining popularity thanks to megahits like Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, and most recently, Demon Slayer, which has shattered box office records with the newest film, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. 
 
Fans can often split between subtitled and dubbed groups, and manga readers or anime watchers. Some people like to get ahead of the story with the manga and read the series in its original form, while others prefer to catch up with the anime or watch it again to see their favorite panels in full-color glory. For years, fans have been able to watch their favorite anime from various studios on Crunchyroll with little worry about accessibility. 

Manga, however, has been a different story. There are popular official apps that allow readers to keep up with their favorite comics, but they are often limited to the library of a specific publisher. With the introduction of Crunchyroll Manga, the streamer’s official manga reader, the company aims to offer the same accessibility to comics as they have to animation.  
 
“With the launch of Crunchyroll Manga, our goal is to deliver a seamless, all-in-one reading experience for fans,” Asa Suehira, chief content officer at Crunchyroll, told Newsweek. “Developed in collaboration with Link-U, a leader in the Japanese digital manga space, the app brings top titles from multiple major publishers together in one place. It offers an intuitive interface, offline reading, and a growing, curated library of manga to explore. This is another step toward making Japanese storytelling more accessible to fans everywhere.” 
 
Crunchyroll Manga’s All-In-One format not only consolidates the number of apps needed to read the top series, but it also helps users find their favorite comics without resorting to less-than-legal means. Crunchyroll Manga also features some of the biggest publishers in the industry, including VIZ, Square Enix, COMPASS, and more.  

“I’m super excited for Crunchyroll Manga, especially because they’re pulling in manga from so many publishers,” Victoria L. Johnson, or Sailor Victoria, the founder of Moonies Club, which produces the Sailor Moon Fan Club podcast and organizes the Magical Girls Festival, the largest fan-organized event for magical girls in the U.S, told Newsweek.

For Johnson, Crunchyroll Manga adds an extra layer of discovery for adventurous readers. “I’m especially happy that people will get more access to discover more shojo and josei manga, which doesn’t always get printed in the U.S,” she explained. “I was at the VIZ Media booth at New York Comic Con on Thursday, and they told me that the manga for the NANA x Vivienne Westwood collaboration sold out in 45 minutes! So the demand is clearly there.”

Crunchyroll is aiming to meet that demand with convenience, which has been a major sticking point for connoisseurs like Johnson who finds herself invested in an array of manga across the spectrum. “Being able to catch up on My Happy Marriage and The Apothecary Diaries from Square Enix, The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All from Yen Press, and Dr. Stone from VIZ Media in one place will be so convenient,” she added.
 
Crunchyroll Manga is available as a premium add-on for all subscriber tiers, but Ultimate Fan level subscribers will get the Crunchyroll Manga at no additional cost. Crunchyroll is giving the full streaming shine to reading manga with ad-free reading, two-page spreads, and personalized lists and recommendations.  

Voracious manga readers will find value in the subscription the most, with Crunchyroll aiming to offer the most bang for your buck. “I’m surprised at the price point, too. Most manga volumes are $10-$15 each, so if you’re an avid manga reader who doesn’t mind reading digitally, it’s a pretty good deal right now,” added Johnson.
 
Crunchyroll Fan subscribers can add the manga add-on starting at $11.99 a month, whereas Mega Fan subscribers with the manga add-on will start at $15.49. Crunchyroll Manga is available now across iOS and Android, with a web reader following on October 15.