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JManga to Launch August 17 with Naruto, Kekkaishi, More
posted on by Andrew Osmond
JManga, a platform for reading legal manga online, will officially launch on August 17. The website will have a panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego on Friday at 11:00 a.m.
According to the Digital Comic Association's press release, JManga "a manga portal website that can be enjoyed by as wide a readership as possible, with the goal conveying the interest and fun of manga to as many people as possible." It is also described as a place where visitors can "read such diverse titles as" Naruto, Kekkaishi, Crayon Shin-chan, Dragon Girl, Tujiurauri, Sore de mo Machi wa Mawatteiru, and Manga Science.
JManga will also provide content such as manga artist interviews and articles, as well as providing social networking features for manga fans.
The site is being set up by the Digital Comics Association, which is an industry group of 39 Japanese publishers. After a private beta test, JManga is running a public beta program, using applicants invited to test out the site. Shueisha Managing Director Kazuhiko Torishima first revealed plans for a legal North American manga-reading site during a talk at the Denshi Shoseki Comic Summit in Tokyo last November.
