Before Anyone Believed in Digital Manga, She Did

Three decades later, Yasuko Matsui’s early bet still shapes how Renta! builds for readers

In 1995, the idea of reading books on a screen sounded impossible to most people. Yasuko Matsui saw it differently.

She joined Papyless in 1995 as a graduate student, when the company was still working against the prevailing assumptions of the publishing industry. The technology required to make digital reading was not available in a form the team could simply purchase or license. Papyless decided to build it. 

That necessity established the in-house approach that would later shape Renta!, the digital manga platform Matsui now leads as President & CEO of PAPYLESS CO., LTD. and Papyless Global, Inc. Today, the combined community across all Renta! services exceeds 12 million members worldwide, according to the company.

Starting Small, Then Adjusting

The company still operates much the same way. Planning, technology, editorial, and production all remain in-house, which allows the teams to respond directly when technology changes or readers begin using content differently. 

Matsui’s philosophy is practical. Start with something manageable, learn what happens, and change course when necessary. A small experiment can fail without being a serious loss. An idea that is never attempted cannot go anywhere.

This principle is visible in Renta!’s approach to recommendations.

Keeping Human Judgment in the Process

So many digital platforms rely almost entirely on automated systems to decide what users see next. Renta! has chosen not to hand over the whole process. The booksellers and editorial staff read the titles themselves, select what to feature, and then explain their choices in their own words. Many of them are avid readers themselves.

Algorithms can be useful when someone wants more of something they already enjoy. However, they are less reliable when the goal is to surface an overlooked title or guide readers outside of their familiar habits. For Renta!, that kind of discovery still calls for human judgment.

Technology, however, has never been the goal in itself. The goal is to help readers encounter meaningful stories. For Matsui, manga is more than entertainment: Stories can give readers an opportunity to recognize something about themselves, better understand feelings they may struggle to express, or find comfort in realizing that others have had similar experiences. From this perspective, each new format is another way to help the right story reach the person who may connect with it.

Building for New Ways to Read and Watch

The newer projects follow that same logic, but in different forms. AniComix, Renta!’s original motion comic line, adapts manga the company has already published into full-color and fully-voiced productions with professional casts. The videos are made vertically for smartphones instead of being reformatted from a television-first design.
AniComix launched its own channel in September 2022, began airing on Japanese television the following month, and now includes English-subtitled episodes on Renta!’s official YouTube channel.

In May 2025, Renta! moved into live-action short-form drama as well. These manga adaptations are presented as brief vertical episodes through a dedicated tab on the Japanese Renta! site and app.

This serves a different purpose from AniComix. It gives viewers a quick sense of a story before they decide whether to spend more time with it. For now, though, the service remains limited to Japan while the company evaluates the response.

Adding Print Without Leaving Digital Behind

Print will also become part of Renta!’s U.S. presence in 2026, when its English-language print editions are scheduled to launch. This move is not a retreat from digital publishing. Instead, it is an additional option for readers who still value the physical experience of holding a volume and collecting a series.

Renta! will also participate in ANIME NYC in August 2026, giving the company another opportunity to connect with manga readers as it expands its English-language presence.

So, rather than treating print and digital as opposing models, Renta! is making room for both. As the formats keep changing, so do the habits of readers in the different markets. What has remained consistent is the company’s willingness to adjust without losing sight of the original purpose. 

In 2026, the English-language Renta! service celebrates its 15th anniversary. The milestone reflects how far the platform has come, but its mission remains unchanged: not simply to reach more readers, but to help more readers discover stories that genuinely resonate with them. That journey continues.