Health officials in Japan have warned and recommended that people stay inside or avoid crowded places. That's quite a hefty recommendation in a place like Japan where there's a strong amount of urban locations and populated environments from various entertainment and shopping districts to packed housing communities nearly everywhere you look in many cities.
Since the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus, schools in Japan have been closed and a handful of events have been cancelled or shut down for now.
Amidst all of the inconvenience, potential boredom, and concerns over the issues surrounding the situation, a legion of Japanese publishers of manga have teamed up to make hundreds of volumes of manga free to read online!
Some publishers haven't just made recent volumes or chapters of hit manga available either- they've released entire histories of their series or franchises available!
Japanese manga apps Dragon Zakura Note, Comic Days, Book Walker, and Manga Mee are offering chapters from Crayon Shin-chan, Sensei Kunshu, Dragon Zakura, Space Brothers, Hozuki's Coolheadedness, Mei-chan no Shitsuji, and The Gentleman's Alliance Cross.
Shogakukan Sunday Webly has made 11 different titles free-to-read set to releaase on certain days of the month, beginning with Kekkaishi, Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple, and Hayate the Combat Butler, and then releasing Ranma 1/2, Psyche Mata Shite Mo, and Major on March 8th, followed by Miyuki, The Law of Ueki, and Ghost Sweeper Mikami on the 15th, and then finally Libera Revolution, and Ushio and Tora on the 22nd.
Other sites or services include about 70+ free versions, anthologies, and back issues from recent months from:
Weekly Shonen Sunday
Weekly Shonen Jump
Weekly Shonen Champion
Betsu Comi
Sho-Comi
Kokoro Ichiban
Kokoro Comic
Monthly Flowers
Petit Comic
LaLa
LaLa DX
Ciao Deluxe
Cheese!
Hana to Yume
Hana to Yume Shin
Many titles from the list just above can be found on stores online such as Manga Cross, Shogakukan e-Comic Store, Margaret Bookstore, Shonen Jump +, Sunday Webly, and Kokoro Online.
Having a massive list of free manga available doesn't take away the issues presented by the outbreak quarantines, but for folks in Japan there's this chance presented for fans of manga to catch up on many series or discover ones they haven't read before. Often as fans of our hobbies, delving into things we're passionate about can be a form of support to us during hard times or difficult days. The characters and situations presented in stories can often be inspiring or uplifting, or at the very least, entertaining.
Everyone on planet Earth is effected differently by different things, and for those who are in tough situations- or boring ones- thanks to Coronavirus, having some good material to sink into and enjoy during times like these can be even more supportive.
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