Manga readers have a new official service to check out. That’s because TO Books launched the new Corona EX service for English manga, albeit with a limited selection of titles for now.
Corona EX is the digital publishing platform of TO Books that was originally available only in Japanese. Now the service has been launched in English, allowing subscribers to read unlimited times for a monthly fee.
Corona EX for English Manga: Service Price and How to Access
TO Books is a Japanese manga and light novel publisher. It may not be as big as publishers like Shueisha or Kadokawa, but it does carry popular titles such as The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases and Sweet Reincarnation.
Given its lineup, it’s no surprise that TO Books has now launched its Corona EX service in English. After all, many major publishers have done the same such as Kodansha with K Manga or Shueisha with Manga Plus.
Corona EX for English does not feature a coin-based system like Square Enix’s Manga UP. Instead, subscribers will need to pay USD 4.50 monthly for unlimited access to titles on the platform.
Currently, the service can only be accessed through the website as there is no app available in English.
What Manga is Available in the Corona EX Manga Subscription Service?
As Corona EX has just been launched, there are only a few titles in its collection so far.
The service currently features the three parts of Ascendance of a Bookworm, the fantasy isekai that became popular thanks in part to the anime adaptation.
Another highlight title in the lineup is The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash manga. This is another isekai with an anime adaptation that aired in the recently concluded Winter 2024 season.
Rounding out the lineup are The Swordswoman With Curse and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: The Youthful Journey.
More titles will likely be added as the platform confirmed that TO Books has partnered with J-Novel Club, Seven Seas Entertainment, and TOKYOPOP for translations.
RELATED: Ascendance of a Bookworm: What Happened to the Real Myne?
Fans are Divided Over Corona EX's Machine Translation
While there will be official English translations in the service, other titles will get machine-translated versions via Google Translate.
According to the service's info page, this was decided to give subscribers the quickest access to the latest chapters in Japanese.
Given that machine translation and AI are hotly debated topics among anime and manga fans, the news received some mixed responses.
Some decried its use, stating that machine translation is not good enough right now, though others defended it, stating that it’s just one option and not used for all titles on the platform.
Are you open to reading machine-translated manga chapters? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Get the latest anime news and info by following us on Twitter @epicstreamanime.