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Mar 14, 2013 12:45 AM
#1
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Grammar Queen

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According to their website, JManga has concluded its retail and viewing services. All existing accounts and private information will be deleted without further notification.

A service termination schedule was posted:

a.) JManga Point Distribution and Sales Termination: March 13th 2013 at 11:59pm (US Pacific Time)
b.) Digital Manga Purchasing Service Termination: March 26th at 11:59pm (US Pacific Time)
c.) Manga Viewing Service Termination: May 30th at 11:59pm (US Pacific Time)

JManga Inc., was established on December 27th 2010 to support the 39 prominent publishers that make up the Digital Comic Association. JManga.com was formed with the goal of making Japan's manga as accessible as possible to readers worldwide in a legal environment beneficial to both the readers and the publishers. With digital comic retail, manga promotion, and development of other manga related services as our main business areas, JManga, together with manga publishers around the world, strives for the growth, progression, and expansion of the worldwide manga market.

Source: JManga.com
myanimelistllcApr 1, 2016 5:51 AM
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Mar 14, 2013 12:57 AM
#2

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Whelp. Kinda saw that coming.
Mar 14, 2013 1:13 AM
#3

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Hope that means series dropped due to licensing will be picked up and scanlated again.
Mar 14, 2013 1:26 AM
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Naruleach said:

Source: JManga.com
Somehow the source page is gone? Got "Page Not Found" error...
So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.
Mar 14, 2013 1:28 AM
#5
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Sounds like they've ended service on their web server, too.

/smirk
Mar 14, 2013 1:29 AM
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Looks like they just changed the page URL from http://www.jmanga.com/urgent_message to http://www.jmanga.com/urgent-message, for some reason.
Mar 14, 2013 1:31 AM
#7
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Grammar Queen

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symbv said:
Naruleach said:

Source: JManga.com
Somehow the source page is gone? Got "Page Not Found" error...
Articalys said:
Looks like they just changed the page URL from http://www.jmanga.com/urgent_message to http://www.jmanga.com/urgent-message, for some reason.
I've edited the news story with the updated url. Thanks.
p r o f i l e 👀
Mar 14, 2013 1:36 AM
#8

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That sure didn't last long (that's what she said)
Mar 14, 2013 1:51 AM
#9

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What a pointless website it was.
Mar 14, 2013 1:53 AM

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Dizzee said:
What a pointless website it was.
I am curious. Why do you think the site was pointless?
So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.
Mar 14, 2013 1:57 AM

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WTF!!! One of my favorite sites. ;(
"I left everything I own in One Piece" ~ Gol D. Roger
Mar 14, 2013 2:13 AM

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I can't say I used it much (or at all really, other than viewing a couple of free previews), because I much prefer reading stuff on paper than on a screen, but this is sad news nonetheless.
There is no such thing as shit taste. Only idiots who think everyone should have the same taste as they do.
Mar 14, 2013 3:03 AM

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Wow what happened?? o_o
Mar 14, 2013 3:10 AM

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Sigh that was quick, lasted only 2 years. Went there one or twice only, but I guess it was a fail attempt to do what they aimed for. I hope others will attempt the same thing in the near future, before the "read online for free" service is banned
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Mar 14, 2013 3:17 AM

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I'd rather just get print versions... So many good series still not out in print in the West... Then again, with what they did to Sankarea here in the US, I might just not care for print either (who wants a collection full of ugly comics?).
Mar 14, 2013 3:19 AM
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Well, I did win a K-On! tumbler from them so thanks for that, JManga. But I never read any of the manga they had...
Check out the News Club for daily rankings, discussion on future CD and BD releases, manga and novels. New members are welcome!
Mar 14, 2013 3:37 AM

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This is my first time hearing about them. o.o
Mar 14, 2013 3:47 AM

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Oh... I wonder how I'm gonna finish what I started reading there... .-.
Mar 14, 2013 3:49 AM

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I know they had some pretty interesting stuff on there, including yuri series and the niche Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru, but I was never compelled enough to create an account or even buy a digital copy, just like many others it appears. Íf I buy manga, I prefer physical copies.
edit: Wait, and now I remember I want to read this: http://www.jmanga.com/star-protector-dog/2 ;-;
desolatoMar 14, 2013 4:00 AM
Mar 14, 2013 4:02 AM

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Not surprised about that.
Mar 14, 2013 5:42 AM
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Were their translations any good?
I've never read anything on there, or rather, I don't think I actually could read there.
Gatchum_Bye-ByeMar 14, 2013 5:53 AM
Mar 14, 2013 5:50 AM

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I had never heard of this website before
Mar 14, 2013 6:06 AM

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And not a single fuck was given that day.

On a serious note I feel sorry for the people who actually bought that stuff they probably spent hundreds of dollars just for it all to be removed I would be pissed. If I had a credit card I would have just bought the new PeaceMaker Kurogane volume 6, but I don't think they ever released it and that was the only thing on there I had any interest in. So no loss for me I'll just stick to my scans and hope the next attempt at this will be more like a buffet style like Crunchyroll and the choice to buy printed copies or to be able to download on e-readers and the like. Also have a better free option.
"What has two arms, two legs, and is alive? Not your favorite character lol! xD"
Mar 14, 2013 7:35 AM

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Roloko said:
On a serious note I feel sorry for the people who actually bought that stuff they probably spent hundreds of dollars just for it all to be removed I would be pissed. If I had a credit card I would have just bought the new PeaceMaker Kurogane volume 6, but I don't think they ever released it and that was the only thing on there I had any interest in. So no loss for me I'll just stick to my scans and hope the next attempt at this will be more like a buffet style like Crunchyroll and the choice to buy printed copies or to be able to download on e-readers and the like. Also have a better free option.

The concept of JManga is virtually the same as Crunchyroll. You pay a subscription (points based) with which you can use to purchase and read manga on-line. There is no offline viewing or downloadable versions. The JManga app for Android is on-line based. I think JManga may have made themselves too big to handle all the costs that went into the licensing, hosting, bandwidth, translators (though, they were underpaid), etc. A large portion of their library is Shoujo Ai/Shounen Ai/Shoujo/Yaoi content because those are easy and cheap to license (niche market) - but not easy to sell. Nevertheless, JManga probably just doesn't have the number of audience it needs to serve all of their content. It's too bad they haven't been able to get some big titles or provide a really good marketing strategy.

For the record though, on-line only viewing perfectly works and you don't need a downloadable version to be successful. Take MangaStream for example. Likewise, Viz Media started their own on-line reading site for Weekly Shounen Jump content and other manga. They are doing simulcasts of Jump manga every week for subscribers. They also have a downloadable Windows version with which you can read manga on-line.
alchemist11Mar 14, 2013 7:38 AM
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Mar 14, 2013 7:37 AM

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I didn't use their site, but it's pretty upsetting that they've only lasted such a short time.
Mar 14, 2013 7:52 AM

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alchemist11 said:

For the record though, on-line only viewing perfectly works and you don't need a downloadable version to be successful. Take MangaStream for example.

Have I missed something and Mangastream started to license/sell series? If not than it's not comparable.

Even Mangastream releases are ripped within a few hours after release for those interested only in downloading their manga. (As were JMangas sold series.)

Mangastream's popularity I wouldn't credit to offering a viewer but to their scanlating activity.

Not owning/only renting the stuff you purchased and this horrendous point system were probably the things that scared of most off those few who even heard of JManga.

The saddest part is probably that most of their licensed series won't be picked up again because they were rather niche. One can only hope that at least those that were co-licensed for digital/physical market like Aoi Hana will be released by the license partner.
AsturaetusMar 14, 2013 7:58 AM
Mar 14, 2013 7:55 AM

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jmal said:
Roloko said:
On a serious note I feel sorry for the people who actually bought that stuff they probably spent hundreds of dollars just for it all to be removed I would be pissed.

Do you mean that they didn't offer any kind of download/offline reading, and the company going down means access to purchased manga is gone? Is that true?

If so, that would be another great example of why I would never want to rely on anything I can't physically back up to my hard drive. (Though I'm guessing their stuff was torrented like anything else?)


No it was just online reading and I'm assuming so which is why I wouldn't buy anything cause you couldn't download to own. I'd rather read scans for free on pirate sites than to risk paying $10 to buy/read a volume on an online reader for it to be deleted when the company falls through.
"What has two arms, two legs, and is alive? Not your favorite character lol! xD"
Mar 14, 2013 8:02 AM

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kenshin_sama said:
This is my first time hearing about them. o.o


here to , how i care about a site i never know
and i was seachin for legel manga so they did samething wrong
Mar 14, 2013 9:32 AM
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I guess I better hurry and read all the stuff I didn't get around to. >_< I'll miss Jmanga.
Mar 14, 2013 9:40 AM

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jmal said:
Roloko said:
On a serious note I feel sorry for the people who actually bought that stuff they probably spent hundreds of dollars just for it all to be removed I would be pissed.

Do you mean that they didn't offer any kind of download/offline reading, and the company going down means access to purchased manga is gone? Is that true?

If so, that would be another great example of why I would never want to rely on anything I can't physically back up to my hard drive. (Though I'm guessing their stuff was torrented like anything else?)


Yeah, that's my main gripe about digital distribution, you never own anything, and if a service or a console's lifespan ends, you can't access it anymore. They should have a policy, that if a company goes under or a service is discontinued, you can download what you purchased to your hard drive, disc, etc. something like Steam's policy.


Mar 14, 2013 9:57 AM

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I remember reading some free previews there but quite frankly, there were almost no series I'd read even for free. Good idea, not so good execution and horrible choice of content.
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Mar 14, 2013 10:23 AM

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what is it that they say? the markets have spoken?
Mar 14, 2013 10:52 AM

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Perhaps the worst thing about this news is that it will likely stop anyone else trying anything similar. Not just by reducing the willingness of other companies to try to create a similar site to this, but also by reducing the willingness of those who want something like this to actually put their money into it.

Once bitten, twice shy and all that.
There is no such thing as shit taste. Only idiots who think everyone should have the same taste as they do.
Mar 14, 2013 11:21 AM

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I used it once... when it was announced to open.
LOL
"Your taste is shit cause you like what I hate. Believe me I have 1000 cartoons that I rated with less than 5."


Mar 14, 2013 12:04 PM

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Seeing their limited manga that had been on the site, I'm not surprised.
Mar 14, 2013 2:05 PM

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Too bad that it got shut down, It was obvious the way they were licensing manga that they wouldn't last long... they had a great idea though, previews and purchasing some of the bigger titles. Their reader was really well made too, hopefully someone comes and brings manga just like JManga did...except with a better business model.. I never did end up buying any manga with my account....just read the previews which were 1/2 of 1 chapter.... :/
Mar 14, 2013 2:25 PM
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Feel bad for never once hearing about it during it's lifespan lol
Mar 14, 2013 3:11 PM

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What killed them was the inability to download manga. I don't know about others, but I never read online, so despite paying for the premium access, I barely ever read anything on there. The price per volume was admittedly a bit steep, but it's based on monthly payments, so it doesn't really feel like you're spending that much. Viz have been doing better by offering ebooks for the nook reader etc., so hopefully they'll stick to it and it works out for them. It's a real shame for JManga.
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Mar 14, 2013 3:55 PM

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I figured they wouldn't last long.
Mar 14, 2013 4:02 PM

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Wow i totally forgot all about this site when it first was announced that i haven't even gone to the site once since other things outside the internet eventually it slipped my mind....oh well theres other more better sites to read anyways.
Mar 14, 2013 4:20 PM

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wow. that was quick.

i never liked the idea of "buying" digital manga. i'd rather buy printed copies.

i feel sorry for those who availed their services.
Mar 14, 2013 4:43 PM

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Already? Wasn't this site pretty new? I like the idea of an official online outlet for manga, but I think I remember preferring a service like crunchyroll (pay monthly fee to access all the content).
Mar 14, 2013 4:49 PM
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That was fast.

Maybe they should have changed the business model. Or else illegal manga sites which everyone visits is killing it.

I still would buy hard copies but never digital copies because I can get the digital ones for free, although illegally. Even if I wanted to get digital copies, I would want to own an offline version. Otherwise, you have this situation where your digital collection just goes "poof" when the company shuts down.
bla bla bla
The endless debate between fans and haters. At one point, after spending a lot of time on MAL, you just realize it's totally pointless.
Niko-kun said:
On MAL, everyone who has used the lame rating system becomes a critic and an intellectual by default, haven't you heard?
Mar 14, 2013 6:00 PM

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Screenshot time.
Mar 14, 2013 6:51 PM

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BlueDropED said:
Screenshot time.


LOL
Also I hadn't heard of them though its too bad they didn't last.
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Mar 14, 2013 7:26 PM

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its not worth buying digital manga online. :< Rather buy it in book format or read it free online.

i never used JManga, so i won't miss it. lol.
Mar 14, 2013 7:30 PM
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I thought buying digital manga was a silly concept anyway. I'd rather buy hard copies and I could download manga for free if I wanted to.
Mar 14, 2013 7:58 PM

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Mar 15, 2013 12:45 AM

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Now I must go and pray for somebody to license Peacemaker Kurogane once again... :( I was so excited that someone finally published it, and now it's gone :(
And they were just about to reach vol5 :(
Is this series cursed, or what?
'I think of my fellow men from the Shieikan as my lifelong comrades. My most proud and precious good fortune has been to have met all of you, Soji.' [Yamanami Keisuke, vice-commander, Shinsengumi]
Mar 15, 2013 9:44 AM

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Well i never actually use it but i'm pretty disapointed of how short it was
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