The first question about raw manga: where to read it
The latest chapters of a Japanese manga often take a long time to get an official translation, and some never get one. Following the raw Japanese release is the fastest way to keep up — but the first question is usually: where do you actually read raw manga?
Here are a few common, official Japanese manga platforms.
A few official platforms for raw Japanese manga
- Shonen Jump+ (少年ジャンプ＋): Shueisha's serialization platform; many titles offer the first or latest chapters for free.
- Comic Walker (コミックウォーカー): Run by KADOKAWA, with a large catalog of Kadokawa titles.
- Magazine Pocket (マガポケ): Kodansha's manga app/site, home to Weekly Shonen Magazine titles and more.
- GANGAN ONLINE: SQUARE ENIX's original serialization platform.
- GANMA!: Focused on original series, with many titles free to follow.
- Comic Cmoa (コミックシーモア): One of Japan's large ebook stores, with a wide catalog.
Each platform has its own catalog and licensing. Read from official sources to support the original creators.
Finding it is half the battle — understanding it is the other half
Once you've found a platform, the next hurdle is language. The common workaround is to screenshot each page into a translator, but constantly switching breaks the reading flow.
A smoother way is a browser extension: it translates right on the page you're reading and renders the text back into the original speech bubbles, so you just keep reading.
Reading as you go with Loomic
- Install the Loomic extension from the Chrome Web Store.
- Open a supported manga site and sign in to your Loomic account.
- Click translate, and keep reading in your own language.
Key points:
- Works on Chromium browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave).
- Translations show live on the original page, preserving the original art style instead of saving a separate file.
- Supports 30+ languages, so you can read Japanese manga smoothly in your own language.
- Use it on supported manga sites; try it with free credits first to check the supported sites and translation quality before deciding.
One honest note
Manga fonts, sound effects, and layouts vary a lot. On the trickier panels, translation quality can vary — something we keep improving.
Find the raw release, understand what you're reading, and following new Japanese chapters no longer means hitting a language wall or waiting.