With the coalition of U.S. and Japanese manga publishers trying to take down scanlation sites, many overseas fans are worried that they will soon be cut off from the world of manga. Viz Media is now making an attempt to bridge that gap by releasing their very own iPad app!

The app is currently a free app that can be downloaded to your iPad. Currently, volumes of Bleach, Death Note, Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece and the first volume of Bakuman are available for download. Viz plans to add more volumes of Bakuman, Ouran High School Host Club, D.Gray-man, Rurouni Kenshin and Vampire Knight in the near future. Each volume costs $4.99. As of now, the app is exclusively for the iPad, but Viz Media has hinted that there is “more to come.” You can download the app here.

While free scanlation sites are always a convenient way to get your fill on manga, I think this is a great way to offer legitimate manga sales to overseas consumers. $4.99 for a volume is not bad at all!

What do you think about this app?