Manga DB Guidelines

Manga Database Guidelines

The following guidelines were written as a reference document for both Manga Moderators and general users as a standard for Manga Database entries. For the general user, it should provide both an idea of which edits/additions will be approved and denied, and how to help speed up the approval process from a user's perspective.

Please note these have been written as general guidelines only. MyAnimeList Administrators and Manga Moderators reserve the right to append, remove and change the following rules as they see fit to maintain an orderly and consistent database.

You are encouraged to report any entries that do not meet the following criteria here.


0. What is "Manga"?
To help give an overview of what is eligible to be added to MyAnimeList's manga database, we've compiled a brief list of points for members who are reading the guidelines for the first or second time. Please use the expanded rules in the main guidelines for details on how to complete your submission.

✔️　Manga are comics created in Japan for the Japanese market
• Manhwa (Korea) and manhua (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan) are also allowed.

✔️　All manga from established print publishers are OK
• An established print publisher is a reputable company whose main business is to physically print bound volumes of manga and distribute them to booksellers in the country of origin.
  
• Printed manga and one-shots included in manga magazines are all eligible for the database.
  
• Extras included with other material are eligible under some conditions (see 1.2.5)
  
• Digital-only manga from established print publishers are also accepted (see 1.2.7 & 1.2.9)

✔️　Webcomics/webtoons from established digital publishers must have their platform whitelisted to be eligible
• Whitelisted platforms are deemed to distribute content which meets professional standards after internal review.
  
• Our current whitelist can be found in section 1.2.8 and will be expanded with time.

✔️　Light Novels, Novels & Doujinshi are included in our Manga DB under some conditions
• See Sections 1.2.3, 1.2.4 & 1.2.6 for details.

I. Manga Additions
Additions to MyAnimeList's Manga DB must fit within the following scope:

I.1　Country of Origin
Works must be created:

• in Japan for the Japanese market (Manga)
  
• in Korea for the Korean market (Manhwa)
  
• in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan for their respective markets (Manhua)

I.2　Method of Distribution
Works must be distributed either:

• In Print (physical, bound volumes)
  
  
  I.2.1　Manga (incl. Manhwa/Manhua)
  Series and collections/anthologies published in printed magazines and/or volumes by reputable publishing companies in the country of origin.
  
  I.2.2　One-shots
  Single-chapter comics not compiled into anthologies or bound volumes of another series.
  
  • Sometimes single-volume stories are called "one-shots"—these are given the Manga type.
  
  I.2.3　Light Novels
  Series published in printed volumes and/or magazines under a recognized Light Novel label.
  
  • Series published without a label may be considered light novels if they meet the criteria for regular novels (I.2.4) and have sufficient illustrations to warrant an Art credit in the authors field.
  
  I.2.4　Novels
  Proper novels which are a direct adaptation/prequel/sequel/spin-off/side story of an existing database entry (e.g. Shinsekai yori); cannot be an interpretation.
  
  • Restricted to Japanese/Korean/Chinese novels written in the 1980s and beyond.
  
  I.2.5　Extras
  Short manga released with other physical media.
  
  • Includes short manga contained within other printed books (e.g. fanbooks/artbooks/databooks), provided they are written by published authors in the database and have 5+ pages.
    
  • Includes booklets distributed with other official media (e.g. CDs/DVDs/BDs) or during special events/campaigns.
    
  • Excludes booklets distributed with manga magazines or other printed books.
  
  I.2.6　Doujinshi
  Self-published, printed volumes by professional creators with works already in MAL's Manga DB using their own or public domain characters.
  
  • Includes manga sold in known doujin events, or sold through mail order via professional doujin retail sites (Toranoana and/or MelonBooks).
  
  
• On Web (digitally) via:
  
  
  1.2.7　Web manga platform owned by a print publisher
  Manga and one-shots released on a digital manga platform owned by a print publisher.
  
  • Includes series released in digital magazines.
    
  • Includes official publisher pages on other digital platforms (e.g. Gene pixiv, Niconico Yuri Hime).
    
  • Excludes digital platforms primarily containing user-generated content (e.g. Shounen Jump Rookie, Days Neo).
  
  I.2.8　Webcomic platform owned by a digital publisher
  Series released on webcomic/webtoon platforms by digital publishing companies may be allowed if the platform is deemed to meet professional standards after internal review.
  
  • Whitelist as of July 2022: Cycomics, GANMA!, KakaoPage, Lezhin Comics Webtoon, Naver Webtoon
    
  • For now, the series must be exclusive to the whitelisted platform when it begins serialization.
    
  • Please refrain from submitting series that are not translated in English. This will help us process high-priority entries that many members want to add to their lists. Submissions of untranslated webtoons may be denied to improve queue visibility.
  
  1.2.9　Ebooks distributed by a print publisher
  Manga series distributed by a print publisher as an ebook through an online retailer.
  
  • Series released as ebooks will only be allowed if they are at least 1 volume long. An ebook will be considered a volume only if it compiles 5 or more previously chapters, or exceeds 120 pages in length.

I.3　Submissions Etiquette
Please observe the following when adding new manga to the database. It will help your submissions be approved faster.

I.3.1　Ensure your submission does not fall into one of the following:

• Webtoons/Webcomics released by digital-only publishing companies will not be allowed unless the digital platform they are released on is one of the whitelisted platforms specified on I.2.8, or a reputable publishing company prints and distributes bound volumes of these webcomics.
  
• Comics created for markets other than Japan/Korea/China/Taiwan/Hong Kong
  
• One-shots already compiled into bound volumes
  
• Artbooks, series guides, reference materials, picture books, storyboards, and animanga
  
• Comics that are uploaded to twitter/pixiv accounts of authors and not published professionally
  
• Doujinshi that are only released through digital platforms

I.3.2　Search carefully to be sure the manga is not already in the database or waiting in the queue.
Try searching the Japanese title, only one to two words of the title, and known synonyms.

I.3.3　Complete as many fields as possible.
At minimum, you should be able to add a title, image, and at least two pieces of other information (e.g. genres, magazine, status). Entries without the minimum information may result in an automatic denial.

I.3.4　Include links to any supporting evidence for the entry information in the "Additional Info" field.
For example, image of the volume's Table of Contents, link to News/Tweets announcing serialization start/end, creator's blog/Twitter, etc.

I.3.5　Censor NSFW images following guides detailed in Section II.4.b. Uncensored images may result in an automatic denial.

I.3.6　Do not submit the same addition more than once. This will only serve to slow the rate of acceptance rather than improve it.
If you received an image error upon submission, don't worry, it has been submitted.

II. Manga Entry Division
The following determine when entries are split or combined:

II.1　One-shots
All one-shots will be merged into the anthology/series volumes they are published in.

II.2　Prequel/Sequel Volumes

II.2.1　Prequel volumes with different titles or "Volume 0" designations will have their own entries (e.g. Usotsuki Lily 0, Shingeki no Kyojin Volume 0)
II.2.2　Sequel volumes will have their own entries if given a different title, unless:

• volume numbering continues despite title change;
  
• volumes have no incremental values and chapter numbering continues; and/or
  
• volumes and chapters have no incremental values and no distinguishable gap in serialization.
II.2.3　Single volume series which officially end serialization and then resume within 3 months will be considered as one series with different volumes titles and combined into one entry.
II.2.4　Chapters given title changes will remain in the original entry until the next volume is published; if the publication title remains the same or falls into the above criteria, a new entry will not be made (e.g. xxxHolic Rou, Shirley Madison)

II.3　Anthologies

II.3.1　Ongoing anthology compilations may have a separate entry for each volume if:

• more than two years occur between volumes;
  
• volumes have unique themes clearly indicated in the titles; and/or
  
• volumes are not distinguished with some incremental value.
II.3.2　Only doujinshi published in anthologies authorized by copyright holders will be associated with the respective series name.
II.3.3　Anthology re-collections of select one-shots from multiple other DB entries will be given their own entry to facilitate reasonable tracking on the user list, if necessary.

II.4　Re-issues

II.4.1　Aizouban, Kanzenban, Bunkoban etc. editions do not warrant new entries; please provide details in the Background Information.
II.4.2　Extra manga chapters and one-shots included in these editions will receive their own entry, provided they were not compiled elsewhere.
II.4.3　Extra light novel chapters will be included in the original entry if the chapter was previously omitted from publication; newly-written chapters will receive their own entries.

II.5　Light Novels
Non-numbered volumes of the same series published sequentially will be treated as numbered volumes and combined in one entry, unless they are specifically designated as sequels.


III. Manga Titles
The following describes how the title fields are to be utilized on Manga entries:

III.1　Main Title
MAL's romanization of the official title, including subtitles.

III.1.1　If Mangaka 短編集(Tanpenshuu) or Mangaka 作品集(Sakuhinshuu) is preceded by the volume specific title, it will be used as a subtitle instead (e.g. Flip Flap).

III.2　Japanese Title
Official title, as written in the colophon; if not available, then in the logo, table of contents, or publishers website.

III.2.1　If the official title is in roman characters, this field should be as well (rather than in katakana).
III.2.2　Korean/Chinese series should have their original title, not Japanese.

III.3　English Title
Only one of the following official titles, listed by precedence where all three titles exist:
　(i)　English distribution (physical release) title;
　(ii)　English simulpub title;
　(iii)　English version of the title, as it appears in the official logo or on the official Japanese website (urls don't count).

III.3.1　If the English title is the same as the Main Title, it should still be included in cases (i) & (ii).
III.3.2　Misspellings of English words in case (iii) will be corrected (e.g. Total Eclips of the Etarnal Heart → Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart).

III.4　Synonyms
Only the following will be included:

• Official English title given by the creators or streaming sites when superseded in the English title field
  
• Official shortenings/acronyms of the title
  
• Traditional title readings if any kanji include unconventional furigana (e.g. Ao no Exorcist)
  
• Alternate romanizations of the title used by scanlators (excluding special characters with macrons and circumflexes)
  
• Included one-shot chapter names
  
• Volume titles for non-incremental series
  
• Title changes during serialization

The field is currently limited to 255 characters; if the synonyms list exceeds that number, only romanized variants will be used.


IV. Manga Volume & Chapter Counts
Please read through and understand these guidelines thoroughly before making edit requests to volume and/or chapter counts:

IV.1　All Entries

IV.1.1　Chapter counts include not only the series' chapters but also any included one-shots, side-stories, prologues and oddly numbered chapters.
IV.1.2　Specials will only be included in the chapter count if they are 5+ pages in length, unless the regular chapters are also <5 pages.
IV.1.3　If a volume is not divided into chapters, its chapter count should be 0.

IV.2　Publishing/Just Finished Series
Please do not submit edits to Volumes and Chapters when the series is still ongoing!

IV.2.1　Volumes will remain as Unknown until the publisher has announced the final volume. As serialization is often ahead of volume releases, this may not be known until after the final chapter is released.
IV.2.2　Chapters will remain as Unknown until the final volume is released, so that we may total serialized chapters and extras/one-shots for a final chapter count. Moderators may choose to bypass this if all previously published volumes did not contain any extras and a sufficient number of pages have been serialized for a full final volume.

IV.3　On Hiatus Series
Volume and Chapter counts will be filled in based on the last release.

IV.4　One-shots
Volume and Chapter counts for these entries are always 0 and 1, respectively.

IV.5　Doujinshi and Booklets

IV.5.1　Each booklet will be treated as its own volume in the Volume count.
IV.5.2　Volume and Chapter counts of a subsequent professionally printed release will take precedence. Also refer to sections V.6.6 and V.8.3.

IV.6　Web Series

IV.6.1　Chapter counts will follow those given in the printed volumes, where conflict arises.
IV.6.2　When an otherwise ineligible webcomic released by a digital publishing company gets partially printed by a reputable publisher:
• If the entirety of the series is released as an ebook by the digital publishing company, volume and chapter counts will be filled based on these ebook volumes.
  
• Otherwise, chapter count will include all the serialized chapters excluding web-only extras. Volume count will remain as Unknown.

V. Manga Information

• The following fields can be changed through the Manga Edit option (top-right corner):
  
  V.1　Synopsis
  
  
  V.1.1　English synopses only.
  V.1.2　Synopses taken from other sites must be credited in the format: (Source: source)
  V.1.3　Major edits (rewriting/adding sentences) to a sourced synopses should be credited as: (Source: source, edited). Minor edits (changing romanizations, fixing typos or adjusting punctuation) should be sourced normally.
  V.1.4　Translations of publisher's website text and/or volume's back cover should be credited as: (Source: publisher, translated)
  V.1.5　If you write your own synopsis without using any other materials, you may credit yourself as [Written by username].
  
  No plagiarism! Please note if MAL Rewrite creates a synopsis for this entry, yours will be replaced.
  V.1.6　Factual sentences should not be credited. For example, "A story about a high school girl who draws manga." If said statement is taken from another site, please attempt to re-word it and/or add additional information.
  V.1.7　All synopsis credits should be one double-spaced line away from the synopsis text.
  V.1.8　No external urls.
  V.1.9　One-shot synopses will be placed in the more info tab and linked from the synopsis.
  V.1.10　For anthologies, please list chapter titles using "#. "; i.e.: 1. 2. 3. …
  V.1.11　For included one-shots, please list titles as follows:
  
  Included one-shots:
  Volume #: One-shot Title
  Volume #: One-shot Title2, One-shot Title3
  …
  
  V.2　Background
  
  
  V.2.1　No copy-pasted or rephrased/plagiarized text; everything must be original.
  V.2.2　Titles (e.g. series, book, franchise) should be italicized.
  V.2.3　All sentences should be in past tense and not require future update/edits to be current information.
  V.2.4　For a non-exhaustive list of points which should (not) be included, please see Section VI.
  
  V.3　Alternative Titles
  Please see Section III.
  
  V.4　Picture
  No pornographic images. These include, but are not limited to, images showing genitalia, nipples, or obvious outlines of both through "clothing". Please place rectangular censorship bars (generous in size, white in colour) over any questionable parts of the image. You may not edit these features out (e.g. brush/smudge/blur), they must be censored.
  
  Adult images containing sexual acts will be removed when a more appropriate image becomes available. Loli/shota hentai images portraying sexual acts will not be tolerated, censored or not. Other loli/shota images containing nudity must be censored severely, covering the entire chest and pelvis area. Sexual objects and provocative fluids (e.g. semen, saliva) must not be present on the image.
  
  
  V.4.1　Maximum height (portrait) and width (landscape): 600px. Please scale down high resolution images using advanced image editing software (e.g. Photoshop, GIMP); MAL's algorithm is very bad.
  V.4.2　Minimum height (portrait) or width (landscape): 600px, unless no other image is available.
  V.4.3　Do not modify images. This includes cropping the image to fit 225x350px ratios, adding borders, stretching images, etc.
  V.4.4　Please upload the best quality image you can. Compare other versions of the image on Google to ensure your source is high quality, the correct contrast levels, and the final version (e.g. some images on Amazon can be low-quality scans and/or preliminary designs used for promotional purposes).
  V.4.5　Of 20 available images, a maximum of 10 may be volume covers; at least 10 slots must be reserved for official art such as splash pages (i.e. horizontal orientation/landscape) and promotional images.
  V.4.6　First volume covers of the first standard release will be used as the entry's main image for consistency.
  V.4.7　Covers from the series’ publication in its original language will be prioritized. Localized covers will not be added unless no good quality alternatives can be found.
  
  V.5　Chapters/Volumes
  Please see Section IV.
  
  V.6　Publishing Dates
  Please enter both the publishing start and end dates when updating, even when the start date is already in the entry.
  
  
  V.6.1　Only one of the following dates, listed by precedence where all are known:
  　(i)　Serialization exact dates: use MM-DD-YY.
  　(ii)　Serialization months and years: use MM-YY.
  　(iii)　Serialization years only: use YY if one-shot, else skip to next line.
  　(iv)　Volume dates only: use YY.
  V.6.2　Serialization dates should reflect the first and last serialized chapters of the series, ignoring any included one-shots and extras published prior to regular serialization or following a break.
  V.6.3　Pilot chapters re-numbered to chapter 1 in a following serialization or at the start of the first volume will be considered the first serialized chapter. Those labeled chapter 0 or included in subsequent volumes will not.
  V.6.4　Anthology entries will use the oldest and newest serialized one-shot or short story for dates, where known/applicable.
  V.6.5　Webcomics/webnovels self-published to social media or rookie sites (e.g. Twitter, pixiv) will use the licensed serialization or volume publication dates.
  V.6.6　Doujinshi release dates will be used even if the work is subsequently licensed for professional release, provided that the doujinshi release is the first release (no web). Also refer to sections IV.5.2 and V.8.3.
  V.6.7　For entries where all or the majority of the chapters were not serialized before they appeared in the volumes, volume dates should be used.
  
  V.7　Relations
  
  V.7.1　The "Adaptation" relation may only be used between the Anime and Manga Databases; please use "Alternative Version" for Manga to Light Novel relations.
  V.7.2　Summary/recap anime episodes should only be linked to their parent anime entry, not the Manga Database.
  V.7.3　Anime adaptations of manga or light novels should only be linked to the original source (not both); multimedia franchises based on a different source may be linked together.
  
  V.8　Type
  
  V.8.1　One-shots which receive a second chapter will have their type changed to Manga.
  V.8.2　One-shots and Light Novels originating in Korea/China will still have the One-shot and Novel type, not Manhwa/Manhua.
  V.8.3　Doujinshi which are later published professionally will have the Manga type and Doujinshi as a genre. Also refer to sections IV.5.2 and V.6.6.
  
  
• Edits to the following fields may be requested here.
  
  V.9　Status
  
  V.9.1　Series will be set to On Hiatus after 3 years of inactivity (i.e. no new chapters, volumes, or announcements). If a new chapter is subsequently released, the entry will be set to Publishing.
  
  V.10　Demographic
  
  V.10.1　Demographics (josei/seinen/shoujo/shounen) are given to manga entries if the magazines or digital platforms they’re serialized in clearly states a target demographic. Josei demographic may be given to manga series with no serialization if they're published under a TL (Teens Love) label.
  V.10.2　Demographics are given to light novel entries if they're published under an imprint which clearly states a target demographic.
  V.10.3　If a manga changes magazines to one with a different demographic, both should be added.
  
  V.11　More Info
  
  V.11.1　Serialized one-shots and side-stories should be listed in the format: Romanized Title (JP Title, EN Title); Magazine Name Year Issue
  V.11.2　Re-published doujinshi should be listed in the format: Romanized Title (JP Title, EN Title); Doujinshi Convention Name Year
  V.11.3　Re-published anthology one-shots should be listed as: Romanized Title (JP Title, EN Title); Anthology Title Digital{if applicable} Vol.# (Anthology JP Title; Anthology Publication Date)
  V.11.4　If the included one-shot/side-story has a synopsis, it should be placed directly below, and its title should be in bold. The title listed in the synopsis should then link to the More Info. (e.g. HanaKimi)
  V.11.5　Do not link one-shot titles from Synopsis to More Info if the one-shot synopsis is not present.
  V.11.6　Titled specials which are not included in the chapter count should also be written.
  V.11.7　Magazine changes should be noted.
  V.11.8　Any other information describing how MyAnimeList handles the entry information should be noted here.
  
  V.12　Serialization
  
  V.12.1　Only the magazine/digital platform that releases the chapters first will be taken into account. Magazines/digital platforms that re-release the same chapters at a later date will be ignored.
  V.12.2　If a series moves to a different magazine/digital platform, the latter one will be used. This rule can be bypassed if the number of chapters serialized in the last magazine makes up an extremely small portion of the total serialized chapters.
  V.12.3　No serialization will be added for a series if the majority of its chapters get released in published books before they are serialized in a magazine/digital platform.
  V.12.4　For compilations containing short stories from multiple different magazines/digital platforms, the magazines that have a higher number of chapters originating from will be preferred.
  
  V.13　External Links
  
  V.13.1　Official site links should represent the entire series, not just the product information of a single-volume.
  V.13.2　Preference will be given to JP Wikipedia.

VI. Manga Background Information
This section is for encyclopedic information on the entry, written in full sentences, which expands upon the existing database information. Data which is better suited for tables, lists, and/or point-form notes should be added to More Info.

A non-exhaustive list of points which should (not) be included are as follows:

VI.1　Sources & Adaptations
If the entry is a:

VI.1.1　Original work: all adaptations may be listed, excluding those already linked in the entry relations. Fine details about the subsequent adaptations (e.g. directors, live-action actors, awards, etc.) should not be included unless they are highly notable.
VI.1.2　Anime/Manga/Light Novel adaptation: Source information should only be given in ambiguous cases (e.g. the manga was serialized before the anime, but the anime is the original work). Other adaptations should not be listed.
VI.1.3　Other adaptations (e.g. visual novel, rpg): Source information should be given, omitting irrelevant details. Other adaptations should not be listed.

VI.2　Source Material Coverage

VI.2.1　Deviations which alter the core story from the source material should be given, without event details. For example, "An original ending was written for the series."
VI.2.2　If the source material was fully adapted, this may also be mentioned.
VI.2.3　Some embellishments or omissions are expected for adaptations; these are not worth detailing and should not be included.
VI.2.4　Manga start/end chapters of anime adaptations should be added to the manga entry as a separate field, not detailed in the background information.

VI.3　Licenses
Worldwide licensing information should be given. Digital release dates/information should only be given if its publication precedes the print version by more than 2 months or the print release date is unknown.
VI.4　Impact

VI.4.1　Industry awards and rankings should be included. See the News Guidelines for a selection.
VI.4.2　Significant sales achievements, such as placing 4th on Oricon's Yearly Manga Rankings, are also acceptable. Cumulative sales may be included when highly notable.
VI.4.3　Reviewer opinions, fan/community polls, and other non-industry related rankings should be omitted.

VI.5　Concept, Production Information
Only statements which can be sourced to the creators will be accepted. Please provide links to the source(s) at the end of each background submission for easy moderator verification.

VI.6　Serialization/Re-issues

VI.6.1　Information and reasoning for indefinite hiatus and discontinuation status should be included.
VI.6.2　Included one-shots, specials, and other bonus chapters should be reserved for More Info.
VI.6.3　Special edition (Aizouban, Kanzenban, Bunko, etc.) information should be noted.
VI.6.4　Re-issue/special edition publication dates are not necessary and should not be given. For example, "<Publisher/Licensor> also published deluxe hardcover editions of the series" is sufficient.
VI.6.5　Web release information (dates, platform) may be given for webcomics/webnovels which use print release dates as per rule V.6.5.