Despite fan and industry concerns about AI-translated media, one of Japan's largest manga and light novel publishers, Shogakukan, will launch a new light novel distribution service in North America later this year.
Via Manga Alerts on X (formerly Twitter), a new Nikkei report “Shogakukan to Use AI Translation on Light Novel App for Anime-Related Works in North America” reveals that Shogakukan (Case Closed, Doraemon, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) will launch a new Novelus app in late 2024. The app will be available in the United States and Canada, leveraging AI software called Mantra for fast translation. Mantra will be used to “halve translation costs and increase the number of works.”
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New AI-Translated Novels Coming to the US Will Be Used to Increase Volume and Cut Costs
Novelus' launch follows Shogakukan's initial investment in Mantra in June of this year. It was reported that a consortium has been formed with Shueisha, Kadokawa, Square Enix, and others to invest around $4.8 million in the company, which was first founded in 2020 by employees at the University of Tokyo. Mantra is currently being used to provide official translations for popular manga titles such as One Piece, Spy x Family, Kengan Ashura, and The Ancient Magus' Bride in select languages. In its press release, Mantra revealed that it is currently translating 100,000 manga/comic pages per month. Novelus also follows Shogakukan's investment in Orange, a startup that also has a similar goal of translating manga using AI. Notably, the company has set a lofty goal of translating over 50,000 manga in the next five years.
The debate continues over whether AI translation will help or hurt the US copyright infringement problem.
While these investments promise to provide unprecedented access to Japanese media, they have been met with skepticism and criticism from those in the translation industry. Advocates point to a serious piracy problem—particularly in the United States, which has been dubbed the world’s worst country for manga piracy. They hope to attract paying customers by keeping costs low and offering a vast library of books. Translators counter that the low-quality service often associated with using AI will only push more people into piracy. Furthermore, they argue that the lack of human intervention will destroy the goodwill that often encourages fans to spend money, adding that AI is ill-suited to context-based media. The Japan Association of Translators (JAT) has issued a strong statement following the investment in Orange, pointing out many flaws and calling on all parties to come to the table for constructive dialogue.
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My Deer Friend Nokotan Also Stirs Up Controversy Over AI Use
Ultimately, the impact of AI translation, whether real or perceived, can have a significant impact on the enjoyment of a show. Considered one of the most anticipated anime of the summer of 2024, My Deer Friend Nokotan’s premiere was met with confusion and skepticism over its nonsensical subtitles. Many saw this as an example of how the growing culture of AI undermines trust and legitimizes the choice of illegal services. The show streams in English on Prime Video, Its Anime via YouTube, and Crunchyroll, where the CEO notably revealed that AI is “definitely an area we’re focused on” when it comes to subtitles.
Source: Nikkei via Manga Alerts on X (formerly Twitter)
