Following recent investment by the Japanese government and private sector in an initiative that aims to use AI to translate and export manga in large volumes, Mantraan AI translation technology company specializing in manga, has raised a total of approximately ¥780 million in its latest funding round.

The investment was secured through a third-party equity distribution, with prominent investors including Shueisha, Shogakukan and KADOKAWA, Square Enix Holdings, MPower Partners Fund LP, and Takeshi Hamagaki, the founder of Tetsuryokukai.

With this substantial funding, Mantra aims to increase the accuracy of its AI manga translation to a level where end users can enjoy reading the translated content without any issues.

The company also plans to expand its translation technology to novels, games, and videos, striving to streamline translation processes in various entertainment fields.

“Our goal has always been to remove language barriers from entertainment. With the rapid advancement of LLMs and AI image generation, a future where language barriers in entertainment are completely removed is becoming more imaginable. We are honored to receive support from leading companies and investors and will deepen our collaboration to accelerate the research, development, and commercial promotion of AI translation for manga, games, and novels.“declared CEO of Mantra, Shonosuke Ishiwatari.

Mantra's cloud-based translation tool, Mantra Engine, is specifically designed for manga and vertically scrolling comics. The tool translates up to 100,000 pages of manga and comics per month, equivalent to approximately 500 volumes, for national and international publishers, translation companies, and distribution service providers.

“Manga presents numerous challenges for translation, including irregular image and text placement, unique conversational expressions, and complex story contexts. By integrating manga-specific image recognition and machine translation, Mantra achieved high-accuracy manga machine translation. This achievement was academically recognized, being accepted as a full paper at the leading international conference in the field of artificial intelligence, AAAI, and receiving the AAMT Nagao Award from the Asia Pacific Association for Machine Translation.”, said Mantra.

The tool currently supports translations involving Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Portuguese, with plans to expand to more languages.

Mantra Engine has successfully facilitated the simultaneous multilingual distribution of several major titles, including:

• For Shogakukan: Kengan Omega and Kengan Ashura (translated into English)
• To Shueisha: ONE PIECE and SPY×FAMILY (translated into Vietnamese), and Bye bye bye and I want to eat horse sashimi (translated into English)
• For works in Bushiroad: The Ancient Mage's Bride and Ghost and Witch (translated into English)

Shuhei Hosono, editor-in-chief of Shueisha's Shonen Jump+emphasized the importance of Mantra's technology in the current scenario, revealing that MANGA Plus titles were partially translated by Mantra.

“In 2022, I commented that 'the main theme of manga in the next decade will be internationalization and multilingualism,' and I feel that this trend is accelerating more than I imagined. Our 'MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA' service, which was partially translated by Mantra, now supports nine languages. In this context, Mantra's technology is becoming increasingly important.

Through our collaboration on 'Langaku', we gained a deeper understanding of the manga field. Mantra's strength lies not only in seeking efficiency but also in improving translation technology with readers in mind. We will continue working together to provide valuable experiences to manga fans worldwide.“

Yuki WadaProducer of Universal Media Business Department and Head of XR Business Promotion Office at Shogakukan Inc.highlighted the importance of global expansion for publishers, stating that Mantra's technology will play an important role in achieving this.

“Our relationship with Mantra began in 2021 through Shogakukan’s accelerator program. Over the years, we have collaborated on several translation tests for 'MangaONE', achieving remarkable success.

For publishers like ours, global expansion is becoming increasingly crucial. This implies the ability to directly reach a worldwide audience simultaneously from Japan. We are confident that Mantra's technology plays a key role in achieving this goal.

While AI and other technologies are undoubtedly transformative, the human element remains equally, if not more, important. In this regard, we are constantly impressed by the dedication, passion, and deep understanding of the Mantra team regarding the realities of the publishing industry. This experience is a significant advantage.

This year marks the beginning of another exciting project with Mantra. Together, we are embarking on a journey to create groundbreaking works that will resonate with audiences worldwide. Let's join forces to bring manga to the world!”

Ichiro HashibaChief Executive Officer and CDO of KADOKAWA Corporationalso expressed strong support for Mantra's advancements, stating that it will be invaluable to the Japanese publishing industry as it embarks on global expansion.

“My first meeting with Mr. Ishiwatari was in August 2018, when he was still a student at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School, under the guidance of Professor Kirenkawa, before the start of Mantra. I vividly remember our discussions about the essence of manga translation technology and the role of AI in this field. Over the years, fueled by remarkable advancements in AI, Mantra's technology has undergone a remarkable transformation since those early days. I am confident that Mantra's solutions, including those yet to be revealed, will be invaluable to the Japanese publishing industry as it embarks on its journey of global manga expansion.

Together, let's fight for a world where manga transcends language barriers, reaching audiences worldwide. Let's accelerate the day when the vision of "delivering manga in the languages of the world" and "distributing as many works as possible that haven't yet overcome the language barrier" becomes a reality.“

Source: Anime Recorder