Sun Denshi has finally announced that their upcoming digital manga service will be coming to the WiiWare service in Japan on January 6, 2009.
The first release will be their Princess Ai Monogatari manga and will contain the first three chapters of the ongoing story for 500 Wii Points. Readers can then download additional packs of two chapters for 200 Wii Points each. It's to be noted that these additional packs will not contain the viewing program, so the main pack must be downloaded before using these additional chapter packs.
So far this new service hasn't been officially announced for release outside of Japan, but there's already been talk from Sun Denshi about possibly bringing these digital comics to regions outside of Japan. The Japanese release of the Princess Ai saga will even include English subtitles that are based directly off of the official localization of the manga.
We'll have more information on this new service as it becomes available, but until then you can check out the screen shots of the Princess Ai manga in action below.

SOURCE: Famitsu

1. gameking23
04 Dec 2008, 18:22 GMT
Japan gets another thing that we don't get. At least 4 now.
2. zoipi
04 Dec 2008, 18:30 GMT
Surely we wont have this. Manga is not as famous in USA and Europe.
3. Negative_Zero
04 Dec 2008, 19:16 GMT
Awww they always get the best stuff
4. Jazzem
04 Dec 2008, 19:17 GMT
Mmm nice idea but I much prefer to read manga in book form, as well as having actual physical copies to keep on my shelf.
5. Corbie
04 Dec 2008, 19:25 GMT
Yeah this is an interesting idea, but I'm not sure how it would be received in territories outside of Japan. I guess we'll see.
6. PALgamer
04 Dec 2008, 19:51 GMT
Don't know about this one, but if they put Naruto, all the kids will want it.
Also western comics could have a go at this method of distribution...
7. lordbowser
04 Dec 2008, 20:18 GMT
I wouldn't mind something like this if we were to get some quality stuff.
8. zoipi
04 Dec 2008, 20:21 GMT
@lordbowser Well, that service will have an exclusive Leiji Matsumoto(Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999) manga.
9. Ricardo91
04 Dec 2008, 20:45 GMT
I hardly ever read manga, so I'm not too estatic about this. Announce Dragonball, then maybe we'll talk.
10. PHANTOM93
04 Dec 2008, 20:56 GMT
meh, I can just read manga on the Wii with the Internet Channel.
11. Koto
04 Dec 2008, 21:12 GMT
bring it over damnit! i can't get manga whenever i want and reading on the internet is ALWAYS so slow so reading on the wii should be fun,plus ill be able to read on a big screen instead of sitting so close to the computer
12. shadows262
04 Dec 2008, 21:17 GMT
i bet its gunna have horrible gameplay
13. blockhead
04 Dec 2008, 21:38 GMT
me too
14. zss_shadow
04 Dec 2008, 22:10 GMT
Manga is pretty big where I live, maybe it would actually be successful in North America...
15. RadioShadow
04 Dec 2008, 22:28 GMT
Isn't WiiWare suppose to be about Gaming?
16. Tides of Chaos
04 Dec 2008, 22:30 GMT
This is a cool idea, but I'd probably just get a book instead. That way I have a physical copy and it doesn't take up memory in my Wii.
17. hal
04 Dec 2008, 22:32 GMT
would actually ♥ Leiji Matsumoto,ect. stuff for wii! hmmm.. therein [again] lies the rub with nintendo, not that they probably won't release these things over here.. but, that they don't really counter-balance it with another idea.
18. Kawaiipikachu
04 Dec 2008, 22:33 GMT
This is great .
I do enjoy reading manga & this manga channel is a great idea .
19. Virus
04 Dec 2008, 22:33 GMT
Hmmm...to kill a tree or get it virtually...I don't know if the second option goes with my sense of being an American...
20. zoipi
04 Dec 2008, 22:37 GMT
@RadioShadow Nintendo said that WiiWare wont be only games.
21. Objection_Blaster
04 Dec 2008, 22:37 GMT
It's cool, but its cheaper to just buy the book, let alone just read on the internet...
22. Terranigma
04 Dec 2008, 22:42 GMT
It would certainly be interesting to see how this would be received if released in Europe and the US. I'm not a big fan of Manga and Anime and whatever else is similar but still, those who are should be interested.
23. chrisy
04 Dec 2008, 22:52 GMT
@gameking23
They got a fortune telling channel a couple of days ago too.
http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/934/934826p1.html
24. Twilight Crow
04 Dec 2008, 22:55 GMT
I love manga, but 1)I think it's too expensive 2)I really doubt it will be released outside of Japan.
25. gameking23
04 Dec 2008, 23:00 GMT
@chrisy I do not really care about the fortune telling channel tho.
26. shadows262
04 Dec 2008, 23:35 GMT
full metal alchemist is pretty cool i guess
im seriously waiting for nintendo to make a wiiware game. It is their downloading service in all.
27. harusame
04 Dec 2008, 23:51 GMT
Awesome! I can't wait to read Japanese comics on my television in standard definition.
28. SilentJ
05 Dec 2008, 00:43 GMT
My brother is always complaining about not being able to find the manga books he wants. He's going to freak out when I tell him about this. I hope we get it in America for his sake. He has a Legend of Zelda manga so something like that would be perfect for the wii.
29. Demonic S+33V
05 Dec 2008, 02:42 GMT
I'd get into this. I'm rather fond of manga and manwa (I think that's what the Korean variation is called) and would read more of it.... if acquiring it didn't require either a trip to the bookstore or waiting for shipping.
I hate the bookstore... everytime I go I end up getting in a fight with either a yuppie-no-nothing or neo-nazi.
30. BrazCanMan
05 Dec 2008, 03:26 GMT
if they released Trigun or Hellsing I'd definitaly download it if it came our way!
31. Adamant
05 Dec 2008, 04:16 GMT
People, people... "manga" is just the Japanese word for comics. Stop treating it as something completely different.
And no, reading comics on a TV screen is not practical at all. It's hard enough on a monitor.
32. Bensei
05 Dec 2008, 17:23 GMT
Is this an animated Manga like the first chapters of Metroid? (A Flash animation made to advertise Metroid Zero mission)
33. Objection_Blaster
06 Dec 2008, 05:27 GMT
@Adamant- "Manga" is not just the Japanese word for it. It is a reference specifically to Japanese cartoons by Japanese artists. (as in, American artists drawing it is not actually manga.) It is very different from other comics. I am not trying to be obsessive over this distinction, it's just one of my hobbies, next to video games. As for your claim that reading them on a Tv is impractical, you are completely right.
34. Ricardo91
06 Dec 2008, 05:48 GMT
You know what the most practical way of reading Manga is? From a book.
35. StarDust
06 Dec 2008, 06:26 GMT
"Don't know about this one, but if they put Naruto, all the kids will want it.
Also western comics could have a go at this method of distribution..."
@Pal_Gamer: StrongBAD is an example of this already taking place.
36. PALgamer
06 Dec 2008, 12:35 GMT
I've never heard of Strong Bad until it came out in WiiWare, but I don't think it is a comic but rather an animated internet cartoon.
I was meaning, for example, things from Ibáñez, Hergé or Marvel.
37. Bensei
06 Dec 2008, 14:20 GMT
Do you have to buy Princess Ai Monogatari even if you want to buy another Manga to view it?
38. kevenz
06 Dec 2008, 14:46 GMT
Sunsoft? Those were the developpers of the original Myst game.
39. Adamant
07 Dec 2008, 01:30 GMT
@Objection_Blaster: ""Manga" is not just the Japanese word for it. It is a reference specifically to Japanese cartoons by Japanese artists. (as in, American artists drawing it is not actually manga.)"
Yes, outside Japan the Japanese word for comics is used to mean "Japanese comics" for some reason. This being a Japanese release, though, the Japanese word for comics ("manga") is used to simply mean comics in general. While only a Japanese comic has currently been announced, there is nothing here that suggest an eventual international release of this channel will only have Japanese comics available.
" It is very different from other comics."
No. The only difference between "manga" and "other comics not called manga in other languages than Japanese" is that "manga" are from Japan and the others are from somewhere else..
40. Objection_Blaster
07 Dec 2008, 03:46 GMT
@Adamant- Well, i at least find them very different. Try comparing American comics to manga. It's like comparing different movies genres to each other, in my opinion. As for your thought that maybe non-manga comics will be offered, anything is possible.
41. Adamant
07 Dec 2008, 09:43 GMT
Try comparing French comics to American comics. Same difference, and that difference is mostly "American comics are mostly all in the same damn superhero genre". Yet, we still call French comics "comics", don't we?
The reason you find them "very different" is because you haven't looked at a wide enough range of comics. "Comics" aren't all American, "comics" aren't all superheroes, and Japanese comics ("manga") is not something that should be differentiated from non-Japanese comics.
Really, it's all a massive misconception from Americans who've never read any non-Japanese comics not published by Marvel or DC in their lives.
42. Mickeymac
08 Dec 2008, 07:29 GMT
Yeah, this ain't coming the U.S., that's for sure. And if it does, it'll only feature American comics. I could care less really, as the only comics I read are web comics and newspaper funnies.
43. Roihu
15 Dec 2008, 00:41 GMT
I need money.
Even if it comes to the US, I wouldn't buy it.
Why?
Because I need money.
I'd rather spend it on VC games. If it was just one price, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, but...
Leave A Comment
Please login to post a comment.