UNBUNDLING
REDDIT
r/manga

WHAT IS
MANGA?
Japanese comics
(typically black and white)
that span a wide variety
of genres

WHAT IS
MANGA?
Japanese comics
(typically black and white)
that span a wide variety
of genres

—Natsuki
Takaya
manga artist behind
Fruits Basket
“I think that nationality has no relation to that
which gives rise to manga. Even among the
Japanese, manga creators are making their
creations everyday reflecting their own
individuality, with none being the same. What
is important isn't the differences between the
creators but their love for manga.”

Annual manga sales in America
$120 MIL

REGULAR
COMICS
Sales growth in the United States from Jan. ,
to May , :
MANGA
5% 16%
MANGA DOMINATES ADULT COMICS
AND GRAPHIC NOVELS

WHO IS BUYING MANGA IN THE US?
of manga buyers
are men
56% 76%
of manga buyers are
between the ages of
and

WHERE DO THEY GATHER?
r/manga
. million members
everything
manga-related
r/mangacollectors
. k members
for people to showcase
their manga collections
r/[insertmanga]
k members
on average
for people to discuss
and post fan art for
specific mangas
01 02 03

r/manga: MOST COMMON POST TYPES
source
news
discussion
art

BUT IT’S A MESS OF CONTENT

VISION: AN ORGANIZED WEBSITE
WHERE PEOPLE CAN...
their favorite mangas
new mangas based on
recommendations
DISCUSS SHOWCASE
FIND
fan art and cosplays
their progress and
collections
POST

AESTHETIC
+
DeviantArt

COMPETITION: MYANIMELIST

WHERE MYANIMELIST FAILS
DESIGN
• Aesthetic is bland
• All pages are
uniform
COMMUNITY
ANIME
FOCUS
• Site is tailored to
anime watchers
• Limited manga
recommendations
02
01 03
04
• Style of engagement
is slow and
old-fashioned
• No room for sharing
UX
• Site navigation is
extremely difficult
• Not enough ranked
categories
• Search is extremely
broad

RECOMMENDATIONS
(about 400 total)

WHERE MYANIMELIST FAILS
DESIGN
• Aesthetic is bland
• All pages are
uniform
ANIME
FOCUS
• Site is tailored to
anime watchers
• Limited manga
recommendations
02
01 03
04
COMMUNITY
• Style of engagement
is slow and
old-fashioned
• No room for sharing
UX
• Site navigation is
extremely difficult
• Not enough ranked
categories
• Search is extremely
broad

RANKINGS

WHERE MYANIMELIST FAILS
DESIGN
• Aesthetic is bland
• All pages are
uniform
ANIME
FOCUS
• Site is tailored to
anime watchers
• Limited manga
recommendations
02
01 03
04
COMMUNITY
• Style of engagement
is slow and
old-fashioned
• No room for sharing
UX
• Site navigation is
extremely difficult
• Not enough ranked
categories
• Search is extremely
broad

SEARCH

WHERE MYANIMELIST FAILS
DESIGN
• Aesthetic is bland
• All pages are
uniform
ANIME
FOCUS
• Site is tailored to
anime watchers
• Limited manga
recommendations
02
01 03
04
COMMUNITY
• Style of engagement
is slow and
old-fashioned
• No room for sharing
UX
• Site navigation is
extremely difficult
• Not enough ranked
categories
• Search is extremely
broad

COMMUNITY

IN SHORT: MYANIMELIST IS A
GARBAGE WEBSITE
they only have an android app

...BUT IT HAS OVER
7 MILLION USERS
+ 120 MILLION
MONTHLY VISITORS
If something that poorly made
can get those figures, I think
we’re onto something here 😉

WHAT ABOUT THE $$$?
AFFILIATES
PUBLISHERS ONLINE
MARKETPLACES
Dark Horse, Del Rey,
VIZ, etc. RightStuf, Crunchyroll

A lot of people want to
buy manga but the
avenues for doing so
are unclear and free
scanlated content is
simply ubiquitous and
easier to find.

THE POSSIBILITIES
ARE ENDLESS
● Discord integration
● User pages to track
reading/collection progress
● Social media space for fan
artists to gather followings
● Granular algorithmic
recommendations
● Virtual events for collectors and
live series finale discussions
● Private messaging

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo,
including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik
ありがと
うござい
ます!