In celebration of the company’s 100th anniversary, Shueisha’s new MANGA MILLION digital platform brings unprecedented worldwide access to manga for free. One million pages of Shueisha-published manga are available in over 100 languages, and to get more insight and clarification about the service, Final Weapon had the opportunity to interview Shuhei Hosono, editor-in-chief of MANGA Plus and the initiator of the MANGA MILLION project.
Shueisha is a name synonymous with the biggest manga franchises in the world, including ONE PIECE, Naruto, Bleach, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen, to name a few. MANGA MILLION offers those titles with convenient and quick access, but there are also plenty of other manga titles from talented creators that were translated for the first time, including 50 titles that received multilingual translations.
With MANGA MILLION now available in several regions around the world, I interviewed Shuhei Hosono to get some more insights into the platform, including potential new print releases, whether AI was used in the project or not, and collaborations with manga creators.
Get the full interview with editor-in-chief Shuhei Hosono below:
What made this year the perfect time to launch the MANGA MILLION service?
Shuhei Hosono: This is because it was launched as a project to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Shueisha.
MANGA MILLION is free to all fans with no registration required. What was your experience working on MANGA MILLION?
Hosono: We worked hard to convey the appeal of manga to newer audiences, providing an experience distinct from MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA. Additionally, we have always felt that the true charm of shojo manga has not been fully communicated to audiences overseas. Through MANGA MILLION, we hope to finally share that appeal.
MANGA MILLION is available worldwide for a limited time. Will readers still be able to read free chapters featured on MANGA MILLION at MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA after this period ends?
Hosono: Tentatively, we plan to continue this initiative through the end of December, 2027. We are making arrangements so everyone can still read them after the project finishes. Please follow MANGA MILLION for further updates.
Were the new translations assisted by AI in any way?
Hosono: All translations are handled by professional translators.
So far, MANGA MILLION has collaborated with Captain Tsubasa creator Yoichi Takahashi for an interview and YOASOBI for a collaborative video. Will there be more collaborations to celebrate Shueisha’s 100th anniversary and MANGA MILLION?
Hosono: We will also be publishing more interviews with manga creators. Furthermore, we plan to feature surveys from manga industry professionals from various countries, as well as interviews with up-and-coming overseas manga artists, so please look forward to it.
Has Shueisha considered new print releases for newly localized manga featured on MANGA MILLION?
Hosono: We’re just getting started, so we don’t have any specific plans to announce just yet. We’d love to hear from you, so please send us your thoughts and feedback! Your voices will be the driving force that pushes this project forward.
Is Shueisha planning any more manga-related projects and initiatives to celebrate the 100th anniversary?
Hosono: It is as described on the 100th-anniversary website: https://www.shueisha.co.jp/100th-guide/
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Hosono: Thank you for always enjoying our manga! We realize that there are still many titles and languages that have not yet been covered by MANGA MILLION. If there is a specific work you would like to see translated, or a language you would like us to add, please let us know. We look forward to receiving your feedback, which we will use as a reference for our future projects.
