Apple Books' new exclusive Webtoons deal could spell big things for Manwha fans

(Image credit: @KENAZ_JP Twitter)

Apple Books has announced a new webtoons page in Japan with exclusive series in popular genres, including action, fantasy, horror, mystery, romance, sci-fi, and isekai.

The new webtoons (Tate-Yomi-Manga) in Apple Books are designed to be enjoyed on mobile devices and are a format popularized in South Korea for their stunning visuals, smooth scrolling experience, and episodic releases.

The page features 20 new, original webtoons produced by KENAZ, one of the largest producers of webtoons in the world. Although, there is no mention of these webtoons releasing for Apple users outside of Japan.

In a statement on Friday, Apple said, "Customers in Japan can now browse, sample, purchase, and enjoy ad-free webtoons, which are known as “Tate-Yomi-Manga” meaning “vertically-scrolling manga,” from the Tate-Yomi-Manga page on Apple Books. Customers can find this page and other manga from the Manga Store tab in the Apple Books app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac."

Apple Books, the place to read manga?

With these new webtoons additions, vertical reading manga will continue to grow in popularity across Japan.

Hiroshi Hattori, in charge of Apple's Japanese service department, said, "Vertical reading manga is growing in popularity in Japan. Customers in Japan are already enjoying books, audiobooks, and manga on Apple Books, and the newly added Vertical Reading Manga page will further enhance their entertainment experience. We are happy to offer it,”

KENAZ, the Korean-based studio that specializes in vertical reading manga content, produces nearly 100 new webtoons series every year, with over 180 creators in its studio.

As yet, there's no news on other publishers getting involved. There are traditional Manga options available in Apple Books already, letting readers read series like Beserk and K-On on their Apple devices. This new exclusive deal is the first of its kind with Apple Books, however, and could see more publishers join the club.

These new additions make Apple Books a must-have for manga fans as the manga store tab continues to grow with some of the best manga content available today. Apple Books has a massive catalog of over 10 million titles to cater to all book lovers regardless of your preferred genre. So if manga isn't your thing, there are plenty of other options for you to choose from. Apple Books is available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019. John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.