Atlus fans are in for a special treat for the year.
The Metaphor ReFantazio manga has started publishing online. As announced by the official Manga Plus account, the first issue is already out and can be read on their web browser or via the Manga Plus apps on iOS and Android.
We downloaded the app ourselves to check it out and we can share some additional details as well. The manga will be simulpub, which means that it will be published simultaneously in Japan and around the world.
While you can read the manga for free, they will only keep the first six chapters free to read at a time. So you’ll have to subscribe to the app to get unlimited viewing at any time.
As of now, this is only the first chapter, and the next one will be arriving in February 19, 2025. So dedicated readers and fans should be able to keep in touch if they have the commitment.
We can also see that the manga has been read over 100,000 times, and has over 170 comments and counting. And this is where we bring up the big elephant in the room if you did everything we did and read those comments.
Even this early, we can see that the manga has a different story than the video game. So it seems mangaka Yōichi Amano has been given the freedom to tell his own story using Studio Zero’s video game as a source.
But if you’ve read manga adaptations of video games and other media, you wouldn’t be surprised (and we admire your level of Japanophilia.) It seems that Japanese readers aren’t that caught up in having their manga match the material they are adapting on a one is to one basis.
Amano’s previous works include the likes of Stealth Symphony, Cross Beat, and another video game adaptation, called Dragon Quest Treasures: Another Adventure Fadora no Takarajima. He was also an understudy of Gintama author Hideaki Sorachi, so even if you never heard of him before, this should give you an idea of what he will make of this manga.
Metaphor ReFantazio was a standout release last year, and Atlus announced that it already sold a million copies mere hours into launch day. There’s clearly a lot of potential in the franchise to cross over to other audiences, and this manga will already be a big start on its own.
And if this manga becomes successful, it could lead to anime and even live action adaptations. But maybe we’re jumping the gun on that, we’re sure fans would be happy enough to get expensive figmas of Will, Gallica, Louis Guiabern, and all the rest.
With all that said, let’s all hope Amano can keep his health and make this an entertaining manga at a good pace, opening things up for the rest. We’re sure Studio Zero is eager to make a Metaphor ReFantazio 2 as well.
