The complete Naruto series is coming soon in a new digital format that may change digital manga — and all of digital comics.
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Fans will soon be able to hold all 72 volumes of Naruto in one hand with the eOneBook reader. The device feels like book, with a printed book jacket and paper pages lining the insides. However, in the center is a high-resolution two-page digital display containing the entire fantasy world of the shinobi.
The eOneReader began on Kickstarter, where its first release was the complete series First of the North Star. The device was funded in no time, now it is working on a number of other acclaimed manga series, including Naruto.
The e-reader is extremely simple. It is powered by three AAA batteries, and it does not connect to wifi, require a sign-in or any other such complications. Instead, it has a dedicated memory that only stores a single series, essentially digitizing and shrinking your print collection.
The eOneBook has two 7.55-inch E Ink screen, which its creators say recreate the resolution of printed manga more faithfully than most standard e-readers do. The two-page display is also meant to honor the existing format, allowing sequential art to be shown in the way that the creators intended.
Right now, the Naruto eOneBook is going for 27,390 yen, or $246.24 before tax. Unfortunately, the collection is available in Japanese only, with and even those are not expected to be delivered until Oct. 12. Still, there is hope, as Fist of the North Star was translated into English, and fans can even switch back and forth a language button in the lower corner. Other released will presumably follow suit as the makers of eOneBook catch up with the demand for their new product.
The Naruto collection includes a long list of extras and bonus features. The manga Naruto Gaiden: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring is also included, as well as Karakuri, a manga series co-created by Stan Lee. It also has six related Fan Books, including one for Boruto – Naruto the Movie.
Fans are clamoring for the product, though there is no word on when international orders and translations will be available. On social media, many have already pointed out that the format would also be ideal for full-color comics and graphic novels from the U.S.
In addition to simplicity and ease of use, the eOneBook reader preserves one of the aspects comic and manga fans are most attached to — collectibles. The one-use e-reader can sit on a shelf beside a prodigious collection of print books and not look out of place. At the same time, it condenses 72 books into one, making moving a whole lot easier.
