The website Manga Bank (Manga Bank), where you can read popular manga such as "One Piece," "Jutsu Kaisen," "Shinketsu no Kyojin," and "Oni no Kane" completely free of charge without registration, has been used by many people, but in reality it is a pirate illegal website that uploads manga without permission. The site was shut down in November 2021, and completely deleted in March 2022.
Why was MangaBANK closed?
I heard that the operator is a Chinese who doesn't even understand Japanese.
Are there other illegal sites like MangaBank? I would like to know about alternative legal sites.
I am sure that many of you have questions such as the above.
In this article, we will explain how and why MangaBank was exposed and why it was closed. Although Manga Bank has been shut down, other similar illegal sites exist, and although simply accessing them is not a crime, we urge you not to use them because of the various dangers that lurk. In addition to summarizing such sites, we will also introduce you to legitimate sites that you can use, so please read to the end.
Is China Behind the Manga Bank Exposure?
On July 14, an announcement (external link) from CODA (Content Distribution and Distribution Authority of Japan) revealed that the person who operated the giant pirate site "Manga Bank," which has attracted nearly 1 billion hits so far, has been caught in China.
In addition, NHK's "Close-Up Today" (7:30 pm) broadcast on July 19 will air a special program that closely follows the operator for six months, revealing behind-the-scenes details of the investigation.
The program "closely followed the investigation of the Digital G-men, which was formed six months ago by lawyers and other specialists in the fight against piracy, mainly from copyright organizations. Their official name is CODA (Content Distribution and Promotion Agency Overseas). The G-men's first foothold was the telecommunications company where Manga BANK stores its data, so they asked the telecommunications company to reveal the operator's address, name, etc. A month later, the answer they got was, to their surprise, Chongqing, China.
Since the operator lived overseas, we worked with Chinese lawyers to directly approach the local authorities. As a result of various efforts, three months after the interview with the Chinese authorities, the company was finally caught and administrative penalties were imposed on the Chinese operator. A total fine of 30,000 yuan (approximately 600,000 yen) was imposed on the operator man for violation of the Ordinance on the Protection of the Right to Transmission of Information Networks, in addition to the confiscation of criminal proceeds of 16,409.52 yuan (approximately 330,000 yen).
According to Kurogen's interview notes, we learned the following regarding the "Manga BANK" exposé.
December 2021The operator was found to be a man from Chongqing, China.
The site was completely shut down in March 2022.
It is believed that the site was profiting from online advertising, but the flow of advertising revenue remains unknown.
Manga Bank (manga BANK) has now closed? What is the current status of the successor site?
Manga Bank (Manga BANK), which opened in 2019 and closed in November 2021, actually has several successor sites to replace it. Although the site was closed, it has been revived and then closed again, only changing its name and address.
The successor sites and their reincarnations are summarized below.
Causes of the closure of Manga Bank (Manga BANK)
Launched in 2019, Manga Bank finally closed on November 4, 2022, after some research showed that the site became inaccessible on February 13, 2021 and June 29, 2021. The reason for this was that four major publishers, including Shueisha, KADOKAWA, Kodansha, and Shogakukan, requested information disclosure from the operator of Manga Bank in order to proceed with legal action. It is believed that the operators closed the site to avoid arrest.
Current status of the successor site
Successor site #1-Combay (Manga Bay) (November 9, 2021-November 21, 2021)
Five days after MangaBANK (漫画バンク) was closed, Combay (漫画ベイ) appeared. Since accessing the MangaBANK site took users directly to the Combay site, and since the site looked exactly like the MangaBANK site, it seemed to be the definite successor to the MangaBANK site. However, on November 21, the site was shut down, perhaps out of concern that the operator might be identified.
Successor site #2 - Fbay (December 7, 2021 - January 23, 2022)
Fbay is the newly revived site after Combay was closed. In other words, Fbay is the successor site to Combay. The reason for this is that when you access the Combay site, you are now redirected to the Fbay screen.
Fbay, which has been in operation for more than a month, has been sued by publishers for copyright infringement, just like Comic Book Bank.
Successor Site #3 - Manga PLAY (January 23, 2022 - March 14, 2022)
The successor site Manga PLAY, established in place of Fbay, differs from the previous sites in that there are no advertisements on the site. On March 14, Manga PLAY was reborn as 2CC.
Successor Site #4 - 2CC (March 14, 2022 - March 18, 2022)
2CC, which existed for only a few days, was actually established before Manga PLAY was closed, and after repeatedly being unable to access the site, it was closed on March 18 and moved to "13DL".
Successor site #5 - 13DL
13DL has existed for some time, and when you access the Manga PLAY or 2CC sites, you are redirected to the 13DL site. Unlike the previous successor sites, you need to download a file to view 13DL's works. Although the site is still in operation, please do not use 13DL at all, as it is a crime to download manga that have been uploaded without permission, knowing that they are illegal.
List of pirate sites similar to MangaBANK
There are a number of other pirate sites that upload manga without permission, such as the successor to MangaBank mentioned above. Some of these sites are still in operation, but they are all illegal and should not be used.
|
The sites |
Current Status |
|
Manga Village |
Closed |
|
New Manga Village |
Closed |
|
Manga Town |
Closed |
|
Hoshi no Romi |
Closed |
|
Manga Raw |
Closed |
|
Manga ZIP |
In operation |
|
Rawkuma |
In operation |
Danger if you use a site similar to Manga Bank (Manga Bank)!
Downloading is illegal!
It is a crime to download a manga that has been uploaded without permission, knowing that it is a pirated version. Many of the pirate sites still in operation are sites where the files must be downloaded to be read, so please do not use them, as you may be charged with a crime if you download thoughtlessly.
Personal information will be leaked.
If you use a pirate site similar to MangaBANK (漫画バンク), you run the risk of leaking your personal information. The reason for this is that these sites are basically for advertising profits, so they encourage users to register with their "name," "e-mail address," "address," "phone number," etc., with the phrase, "Register to get a discount.
In many cases, registering as a member improves the usability of the site by "shortening the download time" or "eliminating the display of advertisements," but this is a dangerous practice. However, this is a dangerous practice, because if you do so inadvertently, your personal information will be passed on to the operator. In some cases, information such as credit card information, bank account information, social networking account information, and account passwords can also be stolen.
Virus infection will cause your device to malfunction.
Piracy sites similar to MangaBank (漫画バンク) operate to increase traffic through increased advertising revenue, and one of their main goals is to infect users' devices with viruses.
Often, a user's device is infected with an embedded virus simply by clicking on the site's content. Once infected, the virus can cause damage such as corrupting data on the device, making the device itself too heavy to move, or even stealing personal information. If you think you can read manga for free and end up in financial trouble, you should not use pirate sites.
Alternative Sites to Manga Bank (Manga Bank) [Legal
If you use a pirate site like MangaBANK, you are at risk of getting into all kinds of trouble. So, please use safe and secure official sites. There is a chance to read for free, so please use it and take a look.
In this issue, we will introduce five excellent applications that allow you to enjoy manga "without membership registration and basically free of charge.
Over 3,000 free manga to read! Manga Kingdom
Manga Kingdom is one of the largest sites in Japan for reading manga and comics !
The biggest point is that you can read a total of over 3,000 manga and e-comics for free. Moreover, you can get up to 50% of your points back every day. There are a wide variety of genres, including BL, TL, shoujo manga, shounen manga, and more. Furthermore, you can read them right away with no registration or application required. The best value for money, so please try it.
Monthly fee: from 330 yen (tax included)
Number of contents: More than 200,000 manga specialized in manga, more than 3,000 free manga
Access from here
One to watch and one to read! U-NEXT
U-NEXT, a video delivery service that offers a 31-day free trial, also offers free manga.
"We frequently have sales on popular titles, so you can read the first three volumes of a manga for free.
When you sign up for a free trial, you get 600 yen worth of points. With the points you receive, you can read one or two volumes each month at no extra charge."
Also, if you cancel during the free trial, you don't have to pay. You can also enjoy movies and other services for free, so just give it a try.
Monthly fee: 2,189 yen (tax included)
Number of contents: about 220,000 titles, more than 5,000 free manga
Access from here
FOD Premium: Manga + Anime available on FOD Premium!
FOD Premium is a video delivery service similar to U-NEXT and is operated by Fuji Television Network, Inc. If you want to enjoy manga and streaming anime together, we recommend you to use FOD Premium.
It is said that FOD Premium offers many free manga as well as paid manga, but they are not completely free.
Let us show you how to read FOD Premium manga for free.
Use the points you get during your free trial to buy free manga.
Read the free standing manga for a limited time in each genre.
Monthly fee: 976 yen (tax included)
Number of contents: approx. 20,000
Access from here
One of the largest manga apps in Japan Manga BANG!
Manga BANG , a hit free manga app with a total of over 27 million downloads, is an official manga app run by Amazia Co. One of its features is its strength in seinen magazine, magazine series, and Champion series. With a total of over 100,000 titles and over 1,000 free titles, it is a must-have application for those looking for an alternative to MangaBANK, as it offers 8 free episodes of popular manga every day!
Fee form Basically free, pay-as-you-go
Official site Manga BANG
Manga app for otherworldly manga, classic manga, and popular manga Manga UP!
You can enjoy popular otherworldly and villainous works, as well as original works by Square Enix like "Monthly Shonen Gangan", "Young Gangan", "Monthly Gangan JOKER", etc. Manga UP! is a hit manga application run by Square Enix, Inc.
The app is rich in otherworldly works, and its main feature is that once you read a work, you can reread it for free for up to 72 hours. As of September, a campaign is currently underway in which users can get Manga Points for 25 episodes by downloading the application for the first time, so those who want to read manga for free should definitely take advantage of this.
Fee form Basically free, charged on a pay-as-you-go basis
Official website Manga UP!
The No. 1 publisher-affiliated manga service in terms of number of users! Manga One
MangaOne is a manga app operated by Shogakukan and has already been downloaded more than 27 million times. There are more than 80 original works, and you can always read more than 150 works for free. As of September, we are still holding a campaign where you can read up to 50 episodes for free when downloading for the first time. You can also read up to 8 episodes of manga for free every day. There is a wide variety of genres, from mediatized works to original works, so please take advantage of this opportunity and try it out.
Fee form Basically free, charged on a case-by-case basis
Official website Manga One
What software can I use to download streaming videos?
For those who have joined streaming distribution + unlimited manga/magazine reading services such as FOD and U-NEXT, we recommend KeepStreams Downloader, a download software that allows you to watch streaming videos offline.
KeepStreams downloader is a software to download streaming videos; it can store 480p, 720p, 1080p, and 4k videos, and you can enjoy the highest quality videos offline.
In addition, there are many streaming video services supported by KeepStreams: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, TELASA, Paravi, NHK Plus, and dozens of others have been applied to download streaming videos.
Specifically.
How to remove DRM and download videos from Amazon Prime Video?
Can I download videos from TELASA?
How do I download and convert videos from NHK Plus on my computer?
Summary
Manga Bank (Manga BANK) was closed in November 2021, and on July 19, NHK's "Close-Up Today" broadcast a special feature that closely followed the operator for six months, and found that the person who operated Manga BANK was exposed in China.
Successor sites to Manga Bank (manga BANK) still exist, disappearing and then being resurrected. And with the number of pirate sites like Manga Bank (manga BANK) increasing every year, there are many risks involved. Please do not use such sites because there are risks such as the possibility of being charged with a crime if you knowingly download something illegal, the fear of having your personal information stolen if you are proceeded to register as a member, and the risk of your device being infected with a virus and malfunctioning just by clicking a link on the site.
Manga apps such as "MangaBANG!", "MangaUP!", and "MangaOne" are recommended because they offer the opportunity to read many manga for free.
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