Manga is an integral part of the entertainment industry in Japan, and has been for decades. There are numerous weekly and monthly manga anthologies. Series carried in those magazines often become bestsellers in paperback form and are adapted into anime, live-action TV shows and films. However, with fewer young readers and increasing competition from portable electronic devices, the manga industry has seen better days.

Against this backdrop, it was announced last Wednesday that the works of Osamu Tezuka — one of manga's founding fathers and greatest masters — are now available in English as a digital archive accessible via an application for Apple's iPad.

"I hope that we will consider the spirit of Osamu Tezuka as we transmit his works to new audiences using digital technology," said Takayuki Matsutani, President of Tezuka Productions Co. Ltd., at the Toyko launch of the app. "I am aware of the troubles in the market, and hope that we can contribute to a recovery."