Square Enix to distribute manga in English-language e-book form in the west

Square Enix has announced that it will be distributing manga properties of Yen Press, Hachnette Book Group's graphic novel arm, in the west, starting this April.

The mangas will be available in e-book form on services such as Amazon, the Apple App Store, Barnes and Noble, Google Play and Kobo, starting April 8 and throughout the month. About 175 e-book titles are going to be available, some of which will include colour pages not available in the print versions. With new volumes to be made available as soon as they're released in Japan.

The titles include: Yana Toboso's Black Butler, Atsushi Ohkubo's Soul Eater, Yoshiki Tonogai's Doubt, Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa, Higurashi When They Cry by Ryukishi07 and Hiroshi Takashige and Double-S' Until Death Do Us Part.

Atsushi Ohkubo's Soul Eater Not! and Yoshiki Tonogai thriller Secret will see the release of chapters previously unreleased in English through the partnership.

"In much the same way that video streaming technologies transformed the way fans consume anime, the digital availability of manga content stands to revolutionize readers' access to the material they love," said Kurt Hassler, Yen Press vice president and publishing director.

"Particularly exciting to us is the opportunity Square Enix has provided international audiences to enjoy and support the latest instalments of continuing series at the same time as Japanese fans. Manga has a truly global community of enthusiasts, and Yen Press could not be prouder to help connect these brilliant creators with the worldwide readership clamouring for their work."

Thanks, Polygon.