Manga Lovers Can Get Their Fix on NOOK Devices

A major book retailer is raising its game by making manga available on its electronic reading device - and in the proper right-to-left format.

Barnes & Noble has teamed up with San Francisco anime and manga company VIZ Media in an exclusive deal to make the popular comics available on the book retailer's NOOK devices.

NOOK Tablet and NOOK Color are ideal devices for our customers to enjoy manga in stunning high resolution color that virtually makes the action leap off the page, said Barnes and Noble vice president of digital content Theresa Horner, in a statement. We're excited to work with VIZ Media to offer NOOK customers access to some of the most popular manga titles available in North America.

Manga, which is hugely popular in Japan, is also available and widely-read in the U.S. As more readers turn to electronic devices, it seems fitting that a wider variety of material would be made available in digital format.

Over 100 volumes will be available at launch and we look forward to quickly expanding these selections to more than 500 in the coming months, Viz Media general manager Alvin Lu said in a statement.

Eighteen manga titles are already available for NOOK purchase in the U.S. and Canada -- all of them geared toward teens and older teens. The prices range from $4.99 to $9.99.

Available titles include volumes one through six of Absolute Boyfriend, volumes one through four of Saturn Apartments, and volumes one and two of Backstage Prince.

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