Miki Tanikawa writes in the NYTimes that Mobile Gives Manga a Lift... "For a variety of reasons, the mobile version has manga booming again. In the year ending in March, Japanese manga publishers raked in ¥32.9 billion in revenue, up 43 percent from the previous year and from next to nothing in 2003, when manga first became available by cellphone, according to Impress R&D [...] The soaring numbers are generating hope -- and some controversy -- in a venerable industry [...] With revenue for manga in magazine and book form having inched down for more than a decade -- to ¥448 billion in 2008 from the peak of ¥586 billion in 1995, according to the Research Institute for Publication in Tokyo -- some analysts are calling the cellphone "the savior" of the form and a necessary kick in the pants for a sagging industry."Great stuff! Now all we need are wide-spread availability of electric eyeglasses with built-in widescreen displays and private digital media delights will be ultra-appealing! Stay 'tooned for more!
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