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Kodansha, Shueisha, Shogakukan Invest in MyAnimeList Website Through 3rd-Party Allotment
posted on by Alex Mateo
Anime database website MyAnimeList announced on Thursday that Japanese publishing companies Kodansha, Shueisha, and Shogakukan will invest in MyAnimeList through a third-party allotment. MyAnimeList plans to issue new shares, increasing its capital by a total of 1,200 million yen (about US$11.33 million). The companies, together with MyAnimeList parent company Media Do, will implement a third-party allotment and underwrite half of this amount.
MyAnimeList plans to invest the funds obtained from the third-party allotment to accelerate expansion of its platform, focusing on accessibility for new and returning users, promoting information exchange, increasing server robustness, and advancing interconnection between fans and businesses. The company's immediate plans to achieve these goals include implementing infrastructure changes to increase speed and support advanced UI/UX features, multi-language support for databases and user lists, iOS and Android application improvements such as dark mode and social functions, and upgraded user communication tool enhancements for increased information sharing.
MyAnimeList launched in 2005, and DeNA purchased the site in 2015. Media Do Holdings later acquired the site from DeNA in January 2019.
The site opened a digital manga store in partnership with Viz Media and Kodansha Comics in March 2018. DeNA previously partnered with Anime Consortium Japan (ACJ) to stream anime on MyAnimeList by embedding videos from ACJ's now-defunct Daisuki streaming service. MyAnimeList later added anime embedded from Hulu and Crunchyroll. HIDIVE formed a partnership with MyAnimeList in September 2019.
ORENDA and Umi no Magnet Education Committee produced a new Santa Company anime film titled Santa Company: Manatsu no Merry Christmas (A Merry Christmas in Summer) that debuted worldwide online through MyAnimeList on January 28.
Source: MyAnimeList (link 2)
