Than story became available to fans, like viz announced and launched a new subscription service. Comics VIZ is the latest addition to publisher services. It adds many new comics including several simulpub series.
On Twitter, the CEO of VIZ Media, Ken Sasaki, shared the announcement of the Viz Manga launch. This subscription offers new services, in addition to the Shonen manga. A selection of shojo, horror, slice of life and non-Shonen Jump titles are now available through the new service. However, it is important to note that this subscription is separate from VIZ’s current Shonen Jump subscription service application.
VIZ now has two separate manga subscription service apps
Previously, Viz only offered Shonen Jump as a subscription service, allowing manga fans to read classics like Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto, as well as new Shonen Jump series like RuriDragon and Mashle: Magic and Muscles. This service is still available and as of now is $2.99/month. VIZ Manga is a new app, completely separate from the Shonen Jump subscription. Fans can choose which one they like and pay for one or pay for both, albeit separately. At this time there are no combined subscriptions. The new VIZ Manga app costs $1.99/month. Each app and subscription are independent of the other, so having access to one will not automatically grant access to the other.
The VIZ Manga app offers exclusive offers from the Shonen Jump app
The Shonen Jump app offers its readers what its name suggests – manga published in Shonen Jump. VIZ Manga aims to increase the publisher’s services without infringing on the Shonen Jump label. Thus, when scrolling through both, there will be titles on one that are not on the other. For example, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is only available on Shonen Jump, not the VIZ Manga. In contrast, some works by Junji Ito and series such as Ao Haru Ride, Komi Can’t Communication and Call of the Night are only available on VIZ Manga. These perks can help fans determine which subscriptions they want, or if they need both. Call of the Night was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday, while Ao Haru Ride was serialized in Bessatsu Margaret, a shojo-focused publication. With this service expansion, Viz can now offer manga outside of the Shonen Jump franchise.
Fans of the free aspects of Shonen Jump will be pleased to know that new simulpub chapters will also be available for free on VIZ Manga. Older chapters will only be locked to subscribers, just like in the other app. Another benefit of the new subscription service is that many simulpub chapters are released in English at the same time as the chapters are in Japanese. In addition to the services mentioned earlier, Viz Manga also gives manga fans access to some of Rumiko Takahashi’s main works, including Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, Urusei Yatsura, and Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon . The CEO – as well as the official Twitter page’s response to the Tweet’s comments – has promised that more manga will be coming to the service in the future.
Fans have reported that the series has been removed from the Shonen Jump app, which VIZ has confirmed. Some of these, including Dandadan, were moved to the site due to “adult content restrictions”. To read these series, fans need to log into Viz’s website through a browser, where they can still access them. Manga fans who want more non-shōnen titles can already download Comics VIZ apps, purchase a subscription, and/or start reading.
Source: VIZ