is an online

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

and

webtoon Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones. While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally ...

platform and

smartphone app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on des ...

operated by

Line Corporation Line Corporation is a Tokyo-based subsidiary of Z Holdings, which is jointly owned by Softbank Group and Naver Corporation. The company's business is mainly associated with the development of mobile applications and Internet services, particular ...

. It originally launched with just licensed manga titles but soon expanded to include original webtoons.

Overview

Line first launched its manga service in 2013 offering licensed manga titles to purchase. One of the biggest features of the service was its integration with the Line messaging app, users could recommend and share manga titles with friends in the app, collect special stickers that were exclusive to titles bought on the service, and use Line's digital currency to buy titles. In 2017, Line Manga introduced the ability to read some manga chapters for free similar to the webtoon model it had used with its

Naver Webtoon Webtoon (stylized in all caps) is a South Korean webtoon platform launched in 2004 by Naver Corporation. As the name suggests, it is a platform for posting webtoons, compact digital comics in South Korea. The platform first launched in Korea as ...

service. Naver, Line's Korean owner, in 2018 decided it would close down its Japanese service of Naver Webtoon (known as XOY in Japan) and merge it with Line Manga bringing with it not just its translated webtoons but also its domestic Japanese webtoons to the service. Since its launch, it has grown to be the second most popular manga app in Japan behind

Piccoma Piccoma ( ja, ピッコマ, Pikkoma) is a Japanese webtoon subscription service that is available on smartphones, tablets, and personal computers. It was developed and released by Kakao piccoma Corp., the Japanese subsidiary of Kakao. Service ...

and has reached over 23 million downloads since its inception.

References

External links

* {{Webtoon (platform) Webtoon publishing companies Naver Corporation Anime and manga websites Internet properties established in 2013 Manga distributors

Overview

See also

References

External links