Earlier this week, Yuta Momiyama, who serves in a leadership role at the popular Japanese manga anthology Shonen Jump+, posted a tweet reflecting on the growing influence of MANGA Plus, their digital manga platform.
In his post, Momiyama referenced a recent discussion with a veteran colleague who handles licensing manga for live-action adaptations internationally.
During their talk, the colleague described noticing a major uptick over the past year in inquiries and deals for adapting the hit Shonen Jump+ series into live-action Hollywood movies or shows.
They specifically pointed to a flood of interest around the flagship action-adventure title One Piece, among other popular picks.
Momiyama said this feedback stood out as a testament to how much platforms like MANGA Plus have increased exposure and accessibility to many quintessentially Japanese manga worldwide.
He believes this expanded global fanbase is fueling the drive for more ambitious live-action retellings and adaptations.
His tweet conveyed excitement around broader manga’s expanding crossover appeal through digital distribution, as evidenced by the sharp rise in overseas media studios pursuing high-profile licensing agreements.
He credits this growing appetite for bringing manga stories to life in new formats to the widening readership and influence pioneered by initiatives like MANGA Plus.
MANGA Plus Emerges as a Gateway for Global Interest
In his recent tweet, Yuta Momiyama also highlighted another interesting insight shared by his colleague who brokers international licensing deals.
When speaking to various Hollywood producers, studios, and agencies expressing interest in adapting popular Shonen Jump+ manga into live-action versions, this colleague asked how they first discovered and became engaged with these Japanese series.
Surprisingly, Momiyama noted that a common response pointed to reading them by accessing digital chapters via the MANGA Plus platform.
In many cases, the overseas parties reported becoming huge fans of titles through MANGA Plus before watching any anime adaptations.
Some even began pursuing licensing conversations around possible live-action development before the manga concluded serialization in Shonen Jump+ or published the full tankobon collected volumes in Japan.
This revelation further demonstrates just how significantly being available digitally through MANGA Plus has broadened the global fanbase and exposure for these iconic manga series.
The platform seems to have played a major role in kickstarting and fueling international excitement and appetite for adaptations into new mediums.
Momiyama expressed amazement at how discussions of live-action reimaginings clearly trace back to many overseas creators, producers, and studios having their first manga experiences directly through MANGA Plus.
Licensing and Adaptation
In his insightful Twitter post, Yuta Momiyama went on to describe the global influence of MANGA Plus extending beyond just fans looking to read popular series.
He pointed out that many international publishing agents and production companies have also turned to the digital platform when considering licensing deals and adaptation options.
For instance, Momiyama noted several cases where overseas publishers and translators have actively used MANGA Plus to survey potential manga acquisitions for bringing to readers in their local markets.
Some even reference it side-by-side when evaluating competing offers from other countries. Beyond publishing, he has also heard of movie and TV producers browsing series on MANGA Plus to find appealing titles for possible live-action development.
While created as a premier destination for fans around the world to freely access Shonen Jump+ manga, Momiyama underscored how MANGA Plus has organically assumed an additional “catalog-like” role.
Its extensive digital library allows global publishing scouts, literary agencies, and development executives to easily discover emerging hits or promising backlist selections.
With new manga constantly being serialized across the rich Jump+ ecosystem, Momiyama encouraged international entertainment industry professionals to continue mining the platform.
In his view, it represents an unparalleled idea source and resource for identifying exciting Japanese intellectual property with adaption potential into new mediums for wider audiences.
Yuta Momiyama Highlights MANGA Plus Data
To provide fuller context, Yuta Momiyama has previously discussed the editorial team actively monitoring how all titles perform among global audiences reading on MANGA Plus.
In one past blog post, he revealed that these data-driven insights around overseas reception now factor into deciding which manga are greenlit for anime adaptation investments targeting fans abroad.
Similarly, his recent tweets emphasize a parallel focus on foreign licensing demand for possible live-action development as another critical barometer.
Just as the anime industry looks beyond Japan, Momiyama notes that overseas viability clearly impacts media rights considerations too.
This perspective aligns with the broader strategic importance of MANGA Plus as Shueisha’s dedicated platform for distributing Simulpub manga to worldwide markets outside of Asia.
Launched in 2019, it was designed to foster and gauge fandom in overlooked regions through accessible mobile reading.
While Japan, China, and South Korea are served by distinct domestic manga apps from Shueisha and local partners, MANGA Plus purposefully enables global fans to freely access Shonen Jump+ hits same-day with Japan across both smartphones and the web.
So Momiyama reinforces that foreign reception data plays an instrumental role in content decisions in multiple directions.
