is a Japanese digital comic app that is available on
smartphones
A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as mult ...
,
tablets, and
personal computers
A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...
. It was developed and released by
Kakao Piccoma Corp., the Japanese subsidiary of
Kakao
Kakao Corporation () is a South Korean internet conglomerate headquartered in Jeju City. It was formed through the merger of Daum Communications and the original Kakao Inc. in 2010. The company was renamed Daum Kakao in 2014. In 2015, it was ...
.
Service
When the service was first launched, it offered a regular model of buying each individual manga and volume similar to other online shops but it has since moved to adopt the
webtoon
Webtoons () are a type of episodic digital comics that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones
A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allo ...
model where a user can purchase individual chapters and wait 24 hours to read some for free. Korean webtoons that are offered on Kakao's services (
Daum Webtoon and
KakaoPage) are offered through Piccoma in Japanese.
Kakao Japan announced that it would start offering original Japanese, Korean, and Chinese webtoons for Piccoma in Q3 2018. Kakao Japan changed its name to Kakao Piccoma Corporation in November 2021.
In 2018, they founded the manga award "Piccoma AWARD".
In November 2021, Piccoma announced its expansion in Europe and North America; in September of the same year, it established a local subsidiary in France. On March 17, 2021, Kakao launched its French language service of Piccoma, which includes translated webtoons as well as translated manga.
On 27 May, 2024, Piccoma Europe announces that it will be forced to cease all its operations, which will result in the definitive closure of the platform and the definitive termination of the Piccoma service on September 30, 2024 at 11:59 pm. This was the result of a desire to downsize or shut down unprofitable overseas units.
Since September 30, the app and website are no longer accessible in France.
See also
*
Kakao Webtoon
*
KakaoPage
*
Line Manga
References
External links
*
{{Kakao
Kakao
Manga hosting services
Webtoon publishing companies