@Slust: There are plenty of violent manga in Japan as well as sexual ones. The girl who recently knifed her dad apparently read lots of crime manga... some of which featured people knifing other people!!!!!!!etc

Anyway - unless I'm confused, the article didn't mention that Girls Bravo (picture is a DVD not manga...) would be one of the featured manga - so the actual series available may be tamer; perhaps kids' manga from Shonen Jump, Nakayoshi etc. I imagine that like the games, Nintendo wouldn't restrict anything except actual porn, though...

quen

This could be a massive boon to Wii sales to the common 'internet + manga cafes' that exist in just about every major urban center in Japan. For a modest hourly fee you can basically browse a big library of manga in a private room and buy drinks/snacks while you relax in a quiet, air-conditioned room. One Wii and a TV could replace stacks and stacks of dusty books that are rarely read. Plus you could charge more for the privilege.

I wonder if the cost of importing/translating licensed manga titles in the states (HEY THERE'S THE PLURAL OF MANGA) would keep this from being a success in the States, given that it would have to compete with the rampant downloading of titles for free from the internet, already cleaned/translated/packaged by fan groups for free.

Sekai

Fukuyama is the best thing about Girls Bravo, he's hilarious. ;)

Radz

Pfft. I was doing this on my PSP years ago.

Do Kesubei

@DigitalHero: Yeah, us Brits and our $360 Wiis comes to mind. The UK is also the best of Europe- at least we get the decent American voiceovers in most stuff.

Krondonian

Sounds like a very appropriate venture, and will surely sell like hotcakes in Japan.

dArk_stAr

@PC+Mac Coexist:
Think about the Euro Gamer, they get ramrodded much more than us. I feel for those guys.

DigitalHero

@psycoking: I've got rentanime for everything out in the US (I'm well aware of fansubs and how they can be used for parody works :D), but you pay per-DVD if you buy. It gets expensive after a while...and I'd prefer to buy this particular series anyway.

And I haven't seen much anime taking advantage of blu-ray, only title that comes to mind is Sword of the Stranger. Maybe all these HD shows will be?

masterage

There are times where I hate being a gamer in America. This is one of those times.

PC+Mac Coexist

@masterage: Might I suggest fansubs then. I'm not usually one to promote piracy, but when the American anime industry provides lesser quality products than the fansubbers provide for free, and then ask us to pay for it, that's when I call for a little internet communism. Hopefully, when anime makes the switch to blu-ray we will get to see higher quality video and translations than what we get from the hobbyists coming from the professionals. Until then my money stays in my pocket.

Now, will somebody please help me off this high horse?

psycoking

Would be cool if you could transfer the comics from the Wii to the DS.. this is really good for Nintendo in Japan, the Wii has already a lot of features as a "media center" over there.. hope we can get those features in the West too :/

CockroachMan

Nintendo won't censor anything in these manga. If they were coming to America (or the West in general really), that would be another story. But yeah, no reason to screw with them in Japan - they're used to this stuff.

Domasai

People are not "desensitized" to violence. There is a great emotional distance between the typical TV viewer and unfolding events. When someone watches a news report of a violent crime, the event usually had happened hours before, in a faraway town, and the person is finding out about it via television from the comfort of their own home, and from a reporter who most likely didn't witness the event firsthand or even learned of the event from someone who had--that's a lot of emotional distance that should not be confused for being "desensitized." I bet most people would react anything but desensitized if they witnessed a stabbing from across the street and could see victim's shirt soak blood.

Back on topic: I believe manga publication over the Wii is the beginning of a trend that will only continue to grow--soon, everything will be digital so that it can all be wiped out in one blow. :p

GDK

@Zerozaki Ishiki: You should read that thing someone posted earlier about people not liking a know-it-all.

GrrSnort

Here comes those otaku and nerds Nintendo was so vocal about.

Bondage_Zombie

@Slust: Yes sex is more taboo here, but when sex is depicted it is fairly, how shall we say...realistic? No demons, no tentacles, no w/e else they put in many Japanese things. I'm not gonna fuss over whether or not depicting people in those sort of acts is ethical, and discussing morality is right out, but if the above things are what those manga would be bringing to the U.S. there would be little interest even if the sex taboo was disregarded.

sarcasmOD

How are you supposed to read manga on the DS? The screen is tiny.

Puchi

Also, BAD GENEON BAD!
>_<
I just realized that finding the DVDs are going to be next to impossible to find cheap. Maybe a boxset in a warehouse somewhere...

masterage

that's nice for the wii...but it'd look very bad on a lot of screens.

I'll stick to bound volumes :3

And yeah, Girls Bravo is a decent anime series. Not entirely thought-provoking, but when you need an funny ecchi title it fits the bill nicely.

That and for some reason I really like teh opening themes...

But while Girls Bravo would certainly be one of the manga choices, why is the DVD version pictured (aside from the obvious nosebleed factor)?
@Slust: I believe a Post of teh week got it before you:
'Death and Violence is A-Ok here!'
''Not over here it's not! But Sex and Love is A-Ok!''
'Not over here it's not!'

That's not exactly how it went but that's the gist of it.

masterage

Not much point to this. I know I won't be crying if this doesn't come to the US, as I don't think reading comics off of my TV would be very comfortable, not to mention it would probably be bad for my eyes (especially at lower resolutions). Either way, I won't be buying digital copies of manga any time soon.

psycoking

@MeleeKirby: Indeed.

chuffhoncho

@DigitalHero: Anyone with a Parasyte avatar is worth his weight in gold.

sherv

America's "values" differ greatly from... well, every other location in the world's "values".

Here, violence is fine. Blood, dismemberment, torture porn... It's fine. Not suitable for little children, but widely regarded as entertainment value. But sex? DEAR GOD, SOMEONE PROTECT THE CHILDREN!

Everywhere else, sex is fine. Sexual themes, suggestions, even nudity is viewed as mostly harmless. The line is usually drawn at or around penetration, but for the most part, sex is not taboo. But violence desensitizes people, and is considered to lead to much more violent behavior, so then violence is the taboo subject.

Really it's just the US that deems violence as more okay than sex.

Slust

This is sure to satisfy the Geeks and Otakus.

MeleeKirby

What's the point? Can't take your Wii on a train. Or to the crapper. Or to school.

BaseVilliN

Yay for Girls Bravo pic. Awesome manga, better anime (mostly because it was more "mature", AKA they showed nipples).

I perfer my manga to be portable. I have a hard time reading stuff online since my attention span for reading stuff online is low due to the fact I could do other stuff.

I don't think this'll come to US...

Zonic505

With stuff like this coming to the Wii, coupled with the Weather channel, Internet browser, Shop channel, etc., it seems like the Wii is more of an "information appliance" than a game system. Convergence of console and PC platforms are really making this line blur, but ... I don't know if the Wii needs this kind of feature.

Don't get me wrong; I like manga and anime. This just seems like something I'd rather keep for my Internet surfing or paper-bound comic book than on my console. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I like my console to have interactive entertainment. Maybe they'll make these digital comics have some video/voiceovers/animation/something other than just turning the Wii into a manga reader.

Sensai-N

In other words:
"If you're not in Japan you can kiss this feature never coming elsewhere."
If it does, we'll probably get the manga acceptable the country's rules - also meaning we (might) get the not-so-great manga.

goldwings

I thought thats what books are for. So you buy a digital copy of a comic and then have to read it on your TV and no where else. Sounds a bit cold and pointless to me. On portables this makes sense not on a stationary console.

DasKonstruct

Reading with 480p max resolution isn't a good way to enjoy manga. Currently I think the traditional book style is still the best way to go.

mahjustin

They should just do this service globally! If they use wii points then currency is no problem! =3

Well... I guess me not knowing enough japanese to read anything would be a barrier of sorts =s

Geminosity

@remanance: lol yeah i dont, just going by the pic, but im sure Nintendo wont let anything TOO suggestive on their console....in America anyway...Japan? who knows.

ApertureScienceIntern

Gah, can we please get the next Ireader?. Still, while its a great idea; nothing beats the fresh smell of paperbacks.

PsycheE

Not all japanese comics are porn. Just 99% of them. Kidding.

I'll admit, I read a few manga series. It's a lot better, in my opinion, to see the artist's original art and story rather than the diluted, poorly drawn/animated, filler-laden anime adaptations. However, I don't read anything that remotely resembles this.

Cyanotic

This is pretty cool but it always sucks when they only do it in one region. It's like they think there's no anime fans anywhere except Japan. Stupid Nintendo execs :p

Llost

@ApertureScienceIntern:

lol@ You misjudging what Ecchi is and what Hentai is. :3

remanance

Might be the only way you'll ever see nipples on the Wii.

Or do you think they'll censor?

Should be interesting to see how they handle this with the ol' "Family System."

sir_carrot

@Zerozaki Ishiki:
Thanks for the Japanese class.

DigitalHero

So the Wii gets hentai and the 360 and PS3 dont? yeah, alright. -.-

ApertureScienceIntern

Ohhh Bravo Girls is great fun.

CrimsonAngel

Girls Bravo is a hilarious manga. :3

Should it be on the Wii though? =o

remanance

@Zerozaki Ishiki: And I spelled incorrect wrong. Damn it.

Zerozaki Ishiki

Hate to nitpick, but the plural of manga is manga. No such word as mangas. Ditto on anime, and every Japanese word ever. It's the Seven Samurai, not the Seven Samurais.
(Just ignore 3 Ninjas, since it is shit as well as grammatically incorect.)

Zerozaki Ishiki

AWESOME!

Wish the US PS3s would get this!! (Hint hint Sony)

Kamesen

I don't see the appeal of this, it always much better to have an actual book in front of you. The only type of manga that's fine to read on a monitor or TV screen is of a... *ahem* different nature...

BlackMage66652

I have signed up, specifically for this purpose. I've been reading this site for ages and never felt the need, but I just have to say this.

MANGA IS NOT A FUCKING COMIC.

MizuhoChan

Man, so many non-game features stay in japan, it's starting to piss me off, even if it's something I don't necessarily want...

DestinyGuy

@MizuhoChan: I can think of a number of Japanese manga anthologies that would suggest otherwise (Big Comic, Big Comic Original, Big Comic Spirits, etc.).
Sorry, but that statement sounded much like myself when I was younger...

relic1980

stealing comics digitally is alright to read once, buying comics digitally sucks, buying comics in printed form rockxxz

pandafresh

@Slust: Really? Talk to the Japanese PTA about Harenchi Gakuen (early Go Nagai manga). Just because one doesn't hear much about a subject doesn't mean it doesn't exist...

relic1980

Please bring this to the PS3 and PSP as well!! :D

ninjakamster

Girls Bravo is such a bad series.. i like that violent girl tho, i must admit.

orangeclover

DO WANT! ;__;

thanatos_

Carp, I need to keep an eye on this for a US release. This is something I could put to use with all the $5 2000 Wii points for.

ThatsMrOffDutyNinja

@MeleeKirby: So that's what Reggie was talking about. I thought he was just a prejudiced idiot too.

sandal-hat17

Nice anime, but I'm not a "screen reader", so this wouldn't work out for me.

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

I prefer manga in paper form. I also prefer it to not turn me into a pedo.

Tohdman

Hmm... this sounds like it's got some potential to be pretty cool, though that would also depend on the selection of manga they have available. More than having it on the Wii, though, having the manga available on the DS would be for portability's sake, even if "portability" just means I can walk around or lay on the couch and read it. Having this service on the PSN for PS3/PSP compatibility would be a nice step to take, as well.
Oh, and make this available outside of Japan, please!

Blah8

Who wants to read stuff on their TV in SD? Seems like a stupid idea to me.

Lessthan_tom

LOL, Girls Bravo.

Fanservice up the ass.

lushen124

"Kadokawa, Kodansha, Shueisha and Shogakukan formed..."

'nuff said! That is a truly fearsome juggernaut!
I mean, really... any one of those alone is huge!

fuchikoma

The entire anime industry is turning into these huge conglomerates because smaller outfits don't have much of a chance of survival.

Most domestic releases in the US are starting to be handled by these firms instead of local ones.

Bondage_Zombie

what a win, seriously what a win.

this is the kind of content that should be delivered sooooon SOOON!

anyways thats the kind of channels i'd like on the wii, too bad you can do much more beyond that tho =/ lack of hd really defeats alot of the channel delivery content available

pyropetey

@pyropetey: I agree! more manga! less shovelware!

Onizuka-GTO