Digital Manga Goes Digital Manga

Digital Manga announced a new online manga service tonight. It is still in beta, and yaoi heavy, but act fast and you can be one of the first 100 registered users to get 500 free points (at least according to the email I just got...but the press release says 400, which matches with the going rate for a full volume) Like I said, it is still in beta-mode, but I will be curious to hear how people like the interface. There are free samples, too, and I was able to make it in time for the sign-up bonus. The press release and links are below:

Digital Manga Inc, one of the industry’s most unconventional and innovative
companies, is pleased to announce the launch of emanga.com Beta – the industry’s first publisher sponsored manga rental site. “We are pretty excited,” explains marketing manager Rachel Livingston. “Everyone asks if we do digital comics
since our name is Digital Manga. I can finally say yes!” At emanga.com, customers can view sample pages for free or view the entire book by paying for a time-based rental. “All content available through eManga is streamed to your computer through Adobe Flash player,” explains Director of Operations Miguel Balauag, “You can trade eManga points to rent titles for a limited amount of time. If you later decide to rent the same title again, it will be automatically upgraded to an "unlimited" rental, which does not have time restrictions.”

The emanga.com site features a unique manga viewer that allows readers to view single pages,double page spreads, or each individual panel. In some cases, readers will be able to press play and have the panels scroll automatically for a hands free experience. “We are trying to get some of the people in the office to do voiceovers for a few of the titles,” teases Production Manager Wendy Lee. “With the player, the possibilities are endless!”

The site will be in beta testing for the next month. Readers are invited to take a look at the free samples currently available on the site – including L’ Étoile Solitaire by Yuno Ogami - and email us at support@emanga.com with any comments or feedback. The first 100 readers to register will receive 400 free points with which to purchase additional content.