It seems that almost every major manga publisher now has its manga service, and while this is great for accessibility, it also means that some services are getting left behind. One of these is Crunchyroll, which recently announced that it will end its digital manga distribution service this December.
Crunchyroll has been slowly sunsetting its manga service over the past year. In fact, the platform removed its collection of Kodansha titles previously to make way for K Manga.
It may not have been mentioned specifically by Crunchyroll, but the proliferation of publisher-owned manga services is a big reason it’s closing shop on this front.
Manga Publishers' Mobile Apps Render Other Services Obsolete
Shueisha was one of the first manga publishers to release an official manga platform outside of Japan. A few years ago, Shueisha launched Manga Plus across the world – think of it like Shonen Jump+ but for international readers.
Then there’s also Viz Media which has the Shonen Jump and Viz Manga subscription services that feature titles from Shueisha and Shogakukan, respectively.
Last year, Square Enix joined in by releasing the international version of Manga Up! which carries hit titles like My Dress-Up Darling.
Most recently, Kodansha launched its K Manga app. Here, fans can read the latest chapters of popular manga like Vinland Saga, Blue Lock, and Rent-A-Girlfriend.
The reception of these services has been mixed, with some being praised while others are criticized for their monetization.
Despite some criticisms, the proliferation of these services means that third-party platforms are no longer needed, thus rendering them obsolete.
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Crunchyroll to End Digital Manga Service in December
The writings were on the wall for Crunchyroll previously as it cleared out its lineup of Kodansha manga to make way for K Manga’s release.
Now, it’s official. The Crunchyroll digital manga platform is ending its service on December 11, 2023. This means users will no longer be able to access the remaining titles on both mobile and web browsers.
This doesn’t mean Crunchyroll is exiting the manga market entirely. In a statement shared to Anime News Network, Crunchyroll said that thousands of manga will still be on sale via the Crunchyroll Store.
Even though this seems like a major blow for Crunchyroll, manga distribution has never really been the biggest part of the company’s business.
After all, Crunchyroll is first and foremost an anime streaming platform for anime fans in the US, EU, and other select regions.
Soon, Crunchyroll will also expand more into the realm of gaming as it recently released its Game Vault, which features free-to-play Android and iOS titles.
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Source: Anime News Network
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