To celebrate Shueisha’s 100th anniversary, MANGA MILLION is setting out to translate one million manga pages into 100 languages and introduce hundreds of titles to new readers worldwide. anime corner got to interview Shuhei Hosono, Editor-in-Chief of MANGA Plus and the initiator of the project, about how the idea became a reality, its potential impact on piracy and global access, and what may come after the limited-time initiative ends.
Read on for the full interview.
©SHUEISHA Inc. ALL rights reserved.
Q: The project began, in your words, with a simple question: what if Shueisha marked its 100th anniversary by translating one million pages into 100 languages? When did that stop being a thought experiment and become a real project you had to deliver?
A: It started once it was officially chosen as one of Shueisha’s 100th anniversary projects. As the project progressed, I began to realize how great it would be if we could reach readers who couldn’t read them due to language barriers.
Q: MANGA MILLION carries several ambitions at once: celebrating the anniversary, reaching new readers, and breaking down language barriers. Which of these mattered most to you personally?
A: While a lot of manga has already been translated, I still feel there are so many great series out there waiting to be discovered. I’m really excited to see this project help those works find a whole new audience.
Q: With one million pages as a hard ceiling, how did you decide which of Shueisha’s titles made the cut?
A: We made the decision after consulting with various editorial teams across the company. From there, the core project team finalized the details.
Q: More than 150 of the titles are shojo, and nearly 300 works are being translated for the first time. Was there a deliberate choice to spotlight works that rarely get the chance to travel abroad?
A: Same as #2 [While a lot of manga has already been translated, I still feel there are so many great series out there waiting to be discovered. I’m really excited to see this project help those works find a whole new audience.].
Q: Translating a million pages into languages from Hindi and Arabic to Tagalog and Polish is something no publisher has attempted. What was the hardest part of pulling this off that readers would never guess?
A: It was about setting up the translation framework. There was so much to figure out, from gathering and organizing manga manuscript files to establishing translation guidelines with the agency.
Q: A project of this scale would seem impossible through traditional translation workflows alone. What role did technology, including AI-assisted translation, play in the process, and how did human translators and editors shape the final quality?
A: No AI was used in the translation.
Q: Manga translation depends heavily on nuance, from wordplay to sound effects. Were there titles or languages where you found the balance between technology and human craft especially challenging?
A: No AI was used in the translation.
Q: MANGA Plus has long made the case that convenient official access reduces the appeal of piracy. What does MANGA MILLION let you test on that front that regular simultaneous publishing could not?
A: MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA delivers ongoing series on a simulpub schedule, whereas MANGA MILLION features many completed titles. Those were titles MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA hadn’t been able to fully cover, so I hope this initiative helps combat piracy.
Q: The limited-time format is the part readers are most anxious about. What happens to these one million translated pages once the window closes?
A: Of course, we are making arrangements so everyone can still read them after the project finishes. Please follow MANGA MILLION for further updates.
Q: Many readers will hope this access continues in some form, even a paid one. Is a subscription or other paid model, perhaps expanding on MANGA Plus MAX, something Shueisha is considering for these languages?
A: We’d love to hear more of that kind of feedback, as it will definitely help us plan future initiatives. A subscription model is certainly on the table.
Q: If MANGA MILLION proves successful, what does the sustainable version look like in five years: a permanent multilingual library, recurring limited-time events, or something else entirely?
A: It would be amazing if MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA could eventually take on all of these features. I also hope this initiative sparks even more translations around the world. Ultimately, I just hope we can build a happy ecosystem where there’s plenty of manga for everyone, both for us and for the readers.
Q: Finally, for a reader opening MANGA MILLION for the very first time, is there one title you would personally point them to, and why?
A: Feel free to start with any title you like. Picking one just because the art grabs your attention is completely fine! However, ONE PIECE is available in the most languages, so that’s definitely one to look out for.
Thank you to Shuhei Hosono, Shueisha, and the MANGA MILLION team for sharing more about the platform’s creation, ambitions, and possible future of the project.
©SHUEISHA Inc. ALL rights reserved.
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