The
integration of artificial intelligence in the manga industry continues
to open debates, but Square Enix has decided to give it a
strictly practical and work-based approach. The entertainment giant has joined
forces with Mantra, a Tokyo-based technology company, to create Mantra
Engine, a new AI tool designed to take care of the tedious and exhaustive
process of layout and typesetting of manga pages.
An AI
that doesn't draw, it only formats
For the
peace of mind of creators and fans, Square Enix has made it very clear that
this tool does not generate new texts, does not alter the original drawings and
does not use external data to train itself. Its sole function is to work with
the manuscript that artists and editors have already prepared, automating text
placement, choosing font styles and sizes, and arranging speech bubbles. The
goal is for the final art to look exactly as the creator envisioned it.
Currently,
this design work costs Square Enix's editorial department more than 3,000 hours
of manual effort each year. Katsuyoshi Matsuura, an executive at the company,
explained that the goal of Mantra Engine is not only to speed
up processes, but to free publishers from repetitive tasks. This will give
staff more time and energy to focus on what really matters: supporting mangakas'
creative work and helping them polish their stories.
A
project that could revolutionize the entire industry
The volume
of work in the publishing house is gigantic. Square Enix publishes dozens of
titles through its magazine Monthly Shonen Gangan (famous for
works such as Fullmetal Alchemist), its Gangan Online application
and the global digital platform Manga UP!. Requiring careful layout
for each of these pages adds up to an overwhelming workload month after month.
For
now, Mantra Engine is in the internal testing phase. However,
the plans of both companies are much more ambitious: once the tool is perfected
and works smoothly, they plan to offer it as a service to the entire publishing
industry in Japan. This breakthrough demonstrates an ethical and thoughtful use
of artificial intelligence, specifically designed to be a support tool that
respects the human effort behind every page of print or digital manga.
