Introducing コミPo!...ComiPo! Manga Sequencer

Just stating the obvious: Anime and manga haven’t been super interesting of late and the fans themselves haven’t evolved much over the last half-decade. Declining sales and profits are symptomatic of a fundamental crisis at the very heart of the otaku world. So where are the new frontiers in Japanese pop culture? For me, the most exciting stuff is happening in the technology sector. Recently, I was knocked out by the Hatsune Miku virtual idol live concert and the augmented reality features used in Konami’s Love Plus game. Now, a new player arrives on the block to potentially revolutionize the way that manga is made and consumed. 

Today, the Tokyo-based Web Technology Com Corp. held a press conference for their new software 「コミPo!」(AKA ComiPo!). This “manga sequencer” – the first of it’s kind for the PC – allows users to create their own Japanese comics with all the trimmings: character models, big eyes, facial expressions, panel layouts, dialogue, sound effects, speed lines, the works.

Before we go any further, I strongly suggest you watch the 5 min demo below, which rightfully sent shockwaves throughout the Japanese interwebs since being uploaded on Oct/3. 

Three days before today’s press conference, I was invited down to Web Technologies HQ to get a demo from Keiichi Tanaka, General Manager & Solution Sales Division. A manga-ka himself who authored the raunchy Osamu Tezuka parody Minari’s Youthful Days (which was localized by my company jaPRESS), Tanaka explained a few things additional things about the ComiPo! software that aren’t in the YouTube demo video and answered some of my most burning questions.

ComiPo! has been in the works for two years. Most of the grunt work went into the creation of the elaborate user interface. During the early days of development Kentaro Takekuma, manga-ka and co-author of the cult classic “Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga”, was brought in as a consultant and helped the company to make connections to the manga world at large. The “mascot character” models, faces, and expressions for CompiPo! have been created by Kumi Horii. While users can create their own original characters, they also have the option to use Horii's designs as the basis for their manga as well. New DLC packages will go on sale monthly, each featuring new character models and props revolving around a different theme (the first package is a school-themed set as seen in the demo, the second theme will be “fantasy”).

Tanaka believes that the ComiPo! software can evolve in two different directions. It will allow “light users” to explore storytelling and the manga medium simply for fun. Meanwhile, professional artists and editors will also be able to use ComiPro! as a kind of storyboard planner for manga layouts and could conceivably impact the need for assistants in the field. 

Other things:

ComiPo! accepts JPEG and PNG files. Photos can be given a 2-D manga makeover using a built-in illustration filter.

The impressive 3-D modeling feature shown in the video demo and below will not be a part of the launch package. It will debut in a later version of the ComiPro! soft set for next year. 

The launch version will be Japanese language only, but options for other languages – including English – are in the works.

Since the general level of “amateur” fan-created manga in Japan is already impressively high, it’s my personal feeling that ComiPo! will have the most appeal outside of Japan, where people want to create comics “in the manga style” but need a lot of help to get there.

Like pretty much everything in the 21^st century, copyrights might prove to be tricky territory. ComiPo! will allow the user to make manga for limited business applications (such as fliers), but Web Technology Com Corp. retains rights over the basic building blocks of the program itself (i.e. backgrounds, character models, effects, etc). Still, expect the waters to be tested. How long until someone tries to make Harry Potter / Twilight hentai manga with this thing? Probably about 5 min after the beta goes live…

Speaking of which, the open beta will be made available as a free download at comipo.com in November. The release date for the final version of ComiPo! is set for December in Japan. It will be available in several configurations: a free DL version with limited features, a downloadable version for 6700 yen, and a deluxe software package that will retail in stores for 9700 yen. A flash-based web version with social networking applications is currently in the works. All in all, pretty exciting stuff!

Please contact me via email if you’d like additional information about ComiPo! or would like a direct line to Web Technology Com Corp. Also, if you are some kind of  “journalist” and recycle any info from this piece, please remember to credit this blog as a source. 

Comments

[spm]

i agree, this thing will be pumping hentai seconds after beta goes gold. It actually looks like a really interesting program and i can see a smörgåsbord of US websites promoting individual stories. this just seems like the next logical step for 'fanfiction' which is abundant in the culture.

[cetriya]

I think this will just make the style even more generic. It happens everytime a new tech/ technique comes and everyone copies (like when photoshop got really popular with manga style artist).

I would still give it a try for its flash/speedlines and word ballon effects. hope those are in the free version.

[danno!]

I don't see this taken too seriously by cartoonists. I can thumbnail a comic page faster then it would take to build one using this interface. And that copyright thing is a real sticky issue. I'll be interested in seeing where this goes.

[Brent]

Do you know where I can download one?

[Patrick]

More information about obtaining early versions of ComiPo! here...

http://mangahelpers.com/news/details/418

[LyricalMelody]

i personally look forward to this. I always write stories in my free time, but they would never work as a novel, and i always write them imagining them as a manga or anime anyways. Unfortunately, even though i enjoy drawing in the manga style i am not very good at it >.<
With this software i could finally produce my stories fully! i can't wait for the English release!

[William Watson]

I don't think this program's a bad thing. People say the same thing every time a new techology comes out. What about the artists? This will cut into their ability to find work/sell their work/ blah blah blah... The thing is, there are artists out there who can't write worth a lick. And their are writers out there who can't draw worth a damn. A program like this allows a writer, or a student, or whoever --a chance to make their own comic/manga.

Part of the decline in manga I believe comes from a formulaic presentation of characters and a lack of innovation. No one ever complains about the artwork --rarely. It's always the story that they complain about. I think that this opens the world of manga to writers and storytellers who may not have ever gotten any kind of look because they can't draw.

Personally, I want it because my daughter and I make stories but neither of us are particularly good artists. (She's 10, by the way.)Something like this seems to be a fun way for us to share some time together making stories. I can't wait for the English language version.