Isekai Manga Offers Free "Trial" Download Made with Clipart

[Len]

"I'm Standing on 1,000,000 Lives" is first manga to be recreated entirely in Irasutoya

One of the biggest pro-piracy arguments for anime and manga is the desire to "try before you buy," to make sure you like something before spending money on it. The creators of isekai manga I'm Standing on 1,000,000 Lives have met readers halfway on this argument, offering a free "trial version" of their fifth volume... with a twist.



The entirety of the volume has been recreated in Irasutoya, a website of free cute clipart for all occasions. The dialogue and layout are left unchanged, with the Irasutoya version mimicking the original art as closely as possible. Well, for the most part.





Reaction to the freebie is mixed. Some think it's cute, while others dislike it because the drama of the original gets "lost in translation." (Which, you know, is sort of the point.) However, many more are stepping up to buy copies so they can compare each page of the Irasutoya reimagining.

For those curious about the process, Shonen Magazine has released a real-time video showing how one "trial" page was made. (Warning: it's about 50 minutes long, so either save it for when you have an hour to kill or make a snack first.)

 

While the end result is overall cute and silly, Shonen Magazine is considering the method a potential "first step" for offering free legal trials of products. According to the publisher, offering a free service that allows potential readers to experience the story while enticing them to pick up the real thing could be a new aspect of how we experience manga.

Volume 5 of I'm Standing on 1,000,000 Lives -- in either the standard or "trial" version -- is now available.

>> I'm Standing on 1,000,000 Lives Special Site