Manga Planet Makes Inroads into the Indian Market with the Launch of Manga Planet India
Ikebukuro, Japan — FANTASISTA, INC. and Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd (DNP), are pleased to announce the launching of Manga Planet India, an online English-language manga-reading service tailor-made for an Indian audience, on November 15, 2023. As a localized version of Manga Planet, the platform offers a one-month subscription plan called the Manga Planet.in Pass for 99 INR (approx. 1.2 USD), as well as options to digitally purchase titles through Points.
Taking into account local socio-cultural norms and preferences, Manga Planet India’s starting line-up features world-famous titles from Kodansha Ltd., including Attack on Titan (Hajime Isayama), Chihayafuru (Yuki Suetsugu), Tokyo Revengers (Ken Wakui), and The Quintessential Quintuplets (Negi Haruba). With the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Kodansha has been collaborating with Manga Planet India on Manga Shakti, a study aimed at understanding Indian manga readers.
Titles from other publishers will gradually be added to the service.
The launch of Manga Planet India is the culmination of years of market research and interactions with the Indian manga fan community cultivated by FANTASISTA and DNP.
To gain insight into the reading habits of international manga fans, both companies created a Facebook page called Manga Planet in 2012, followed by the Manga Planet India page in 2015. As of this writing, the pages have over 950,000 and 150,000 followers, respectively.
The growth of both pages eventually led to the creation of the online manga-reading services Manga Planet and futekiya in 2019, which were merged into Manga Planet in April 2023, as well as strengthened ties to the Indian manga fan community through interviews and participation at events. In 2018, in partnership with the Consulate-General of Japan in Bengaluru, Manga Planet India sponsored the Manga Planet Cosplay Walk.
Manga Planet director Hirotsugu Takano recounts, “From the very beginning, we had aimed to start with a global version of our service, then to gradually create localized versions for certain countries or regions. We are delighted to be able to make this idea a reality, and we hope that this service will meet Indian readers’ needs.”
In conjunction with the launching of its website, Manga Planet India, as well as Manga Shakti, will have booths at Bengaluru Comic Con (November 17–19, 2023) and Delhi Comic Con (December 8–10). Visitors can learn more about the service, purchase gift codes to subscribe to Manga Planet India, and get free items such as an event-exclusive magazine.
About Manga Planet India (https://mangaplanet.in)
Manga Planet India is a country-specific version of the online manga distribution service Manga Planet, which is jointly operated by FANTASISTA, INC. and Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd (DNP).
Even prior to the launch of its global manga subscription services in 2019, Manga Planet had already established ties with the Indian fan community by participating in local conventions.
To better understand and interact with manga fans in India, the operation team started the Manga Planet India Facebook page in 2015, which has since gained over 150,000 followers.
Now, following a collaborative research project on manga readers in the country, Manga Planet India has finally launched on November 15, 2023.
Manga Planet India offers a one-month subscription plan called the Manga Planet.in Pass, priced at 99 INR. Visit the official website to learn more, and start by signing up for free.
Related Links
- FANTASISTA, INC.: https://fantasista-net.jp
- Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd (DNP): https://www.global.dnp
- Kodansha Ltd.: https://www.kodansha.com
- Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA): https://www.jica.go.jp/english
