NTT docomo has acquired all shares of MUGENUP (President: Katsugo Ito), which produces vertical reading comics, making it a wholly owned subsidiary.
Saori Miyahara, Director of the Content Services Department of NTT docomo’s Consumer Services Company, said, “We will accelerate our IP business (intellectual property business) based on original comics. Comics have a lot of potential as the source of entertainment, and are being developed into multimedia works such as dramas, anime, and books. They can also be developed overseas. Vertical reading comics, a new format for digital comics, are attracting attention. We will create a variety of entertainment based on original comics by utilizing MUGENUP, which has the largest vertical reading comic production assets and know-how in Japan, and docomo’s membership base, distribution platform, and video production assets.”

タテヨミコミックのイメージ（Vertical comics）

President Ito said, “We entered the vertical reading comics business several years ago as an important part of IP creation. We have one of the largest production studios in Japan. As a member of docomo group, we believe that by creating a media mix that includes video, we can deliver our works to more people.”
MUGENUP was founded in 2011. It provides game asset production, video production for TV commercials and other content production management systems. It currently has 238 employees, many of whom are engaged in content production.
Many of the company’s vertical reading comics have been published by docomo’s original publishing label, “weavin,” including “My Destiny is My Boss.” The company has a strong track record with works aimed at women.

※Translating Japanese articles into English with AI