Two South Korean technology companies are borrowing from mobile gaming to shake up ¡ª and dominate ¡ª Japan¡¯s storied manga industry, a plot twist that has expanded the comics¡¯ fanbase to a new generation of readers.
Backed by tech giants Kakao Corp. and Naver Corp., Piccoma and Line Manga have become Japan¡¯s highest-grossing mobile apps outside of games. Such online manga platforms have seen a surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Piccoma¡¯s third-quarter transaction volumes more than tripled year on year to ?11.6 billion ($110 million), extending a wave of online manga sales that has already seen digital surpass print in Japan¡¯s $5 billion manga industry.
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