E-manga

Anime! Anime! reports that Toranoana, one of the biggest doujinshi retail chain in Japan, has launched an online stores that provides downloads of doujin manga, CG arts, doujin games and more. ANN has more:

The store gives dōjin creators the option of using Keyring PDF, a copy-protected version of Adobe's Portable Document Format standard. Most of the currently available manga and art collections sell for well under 1,000 yen (US$9.00), and many games sell for under 2,000 yen (US$18.00).

According to this press release, software developer Voice Bank, together with Digital Manga Association Japan, will has announced at the International Comic Artist Conference in Hong Kong its plan to deliver manga to Apple's iPhone and iPod under the name "Digital Manga Project":

With a unique touch panel instead of a keypad, iPhone/iPod touch are one of the most desired mobile devices since arriving this year. With cooperation of the Digital Manga Association of Japan, Voice Bank, Inc, has started a 'Digital Manga Project'(http://www.digitalmanga.org), that enables users to view Manga on their iPhone/iPod touch by Safari.

Massively Popular Series Is The Latest VIZ Media Animated Title To Be Offered By Direct2Drive

San Francisco, CA, November 16, 2007 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the availability of the NARUTO animated series for digital download in the U.S. on Direct2Drive, IGN Entertainment's premiere digital retail store. Episodes of the series debuted sequentially beginning on November 15, 2007 with episodes costing $1.99 each; fans may go to http://www.direct2drive.com to download the first 25 episodes.

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Japanese mobile communications and media group Index Holdings has announced a new partnership with Chinese telephone carrier, China Mobile, to provide content such as manga, games, and animation to the mobile market in China:

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ZUDACOMICS.COM INVITES WEB COMICS CREATORS AND JOURNALISTS TO CELEBRATE SITE LAUNCH WITH HAPPY HOUR AND LIVE SUBMISSIONS EVENT

(October 24, 2007; New York, NY) - Zudacomics.com, the first ever web comics imprint from DC Comics, will go live on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007, it was announced today by Richard Bruning, DC Comics Creative Director, SVP.

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FlexComix Flare, a new online magazine aimed at females readers, was launched on October 18th on Yahoo! Comic. Currently 2 manga titles are being serialized on the magazine's website.

TOKYO, Oct 01, 2007 -- Manganovel Corporation and Toshiba Corporation today announced that they will bring the universe of Japanese manga to the global market with the launch of "Manganovel," an on-line service that allows readers not only to download and read manga in Japanese but to post and offer for sale their own translations of content. The service started beta testing in June this year, and is now officially ready to take manga characters to anime lovers around the world. The site can be accessed at: URL: https://www.manganovel.com .

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Flex Comix will launch a new free online magazine titled Flex Comix Flare (FlexComix フレア) on Yahoo! Comic on October 18th. The new magazine will serialize manga aimed at female readers.

Manga serialized in this new magazine will mostly involve romance, fantasy, adventure, comedy and school life. Also, the popular josei manga Moto no Moto no Ana no Naka will be moved from Flex Comix Blood to Flex Comix Flare (serialization on Flare starts on 11/8).

Publishers Weekly is reporting that Borders is expanding its relationship with Sony by offering Sony's e-book reader in over 500 of its physical store locations:

Borders has been selling the Sony Reader in 270 of its superstore since last November and will now offer it for sale in more than 500 outlets. "We have been doing very well with it," Borders spokesperson Anne Roman said of the Reader. The rollout to additional stores will begin in October.

Source: ANN

According to theOtaku, Tezuka Productions has announced that it plans to digitize and colorize all of Tezuka's manga. Anime! Anime! has another report, a translation of which can be found here.