Following the release of K MANGA app, the Japanese publishing giant Kodansha announced on May 31, 2023, that they have launched the web browser version of the service.

In order to commemorate the announcement, Kodansha will be holding a launch party on June 22, 2023, at 9 p.m. ET. This will be live-streamed on Kodansha’s official YouTube channel.

The event will be hosted in English by MC Gino (From MyAnimeList JP team). YouTubers Gigguk and Reina Scully will serve as guest MCs.

English interpretations will be provided for scenes in Japanese.

The theme of the event is “The Stories Behind the Stories,” and will feature various mangaka who will provide behind the scene happenings of their works and manga publishing.

Hiro Mashima of FAIRY TAIL, and Reiji Miyajima of Rent-A-Girlfriend will be present during the event for a live-talk session, where they will provide insights into the production of their works. Mashima will also perform a live-drawing session.

A pre-recorded interview of Hajime Isayama, of Attack on Titan, and a video featuring Koji Terayama talking about his role as an editor and how he helps mangaka with the manga production will also be screened during the event.

An inside view of the role of editors in the production process of “Drifting Dragons,” and a recorded scene with the manga artist, Taku Kuwabara, will also be showcased.

Moreover, 16 viewers will get a chance to win a signed original illustration from the manga artists. Viewers can enter the giveaway by using keywords that will be announced throughout the event.

Further information on how to apply will be revealed on the official website.

Kodansha will also be unveiling signed illustrations and video messages to fans from 16 manga artists, who are as follows:

• Hiro Mashima/FAIRY TAIL
• Reiji Miyajima/Rent-A-Girlfriend
• Hajime Isayama/Attack on Titan
• Adachitoka/Noragami: Stray God
• Akiko Higashimura/Princess Jellyfish
• Atsushi Ohkubo/Fire Force
• Ken Wakui/Tokyo Revengers
• Makoto Yukimura/Vinland Saga
• Nakaba Suzuki/The Seven Deadly Sins
• Nanashi/Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro
• Ryo Ogawa/Ya Boy Kongming!
• Taiki Kawakami/That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
• Tsubasa Yamaguchi/Blue Period
• Yoshitoki Oima/To Your Eternity
• Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura/Blue Lock
• Ryosuke Fuji and Katarina/Shangri-La Frontier

K MANGA app was launched on May 10, 2023.

KODANSHA Ltd. is Japan’s leading publishing house based in Tokyo, having delivered stories into ready hands across the globe with a wide variety of content from manga to novels, fashion magazines, news journals, and picture books for children, as well as TV anime, movies, series, and video games since 1909 in the spirit of “Inspire Impossible Stories.” KODANSHA is globally recognized as the licensor of some of the world’s most loved manga IPs, such as AKIRA, Attack on Titan, and Ghost in the Shell. Their digital book platform, MAGAPOKE was launched in July 2015 and to date has been downloaded nearly 20 million times.

Source: Press Release