Here Are the Goodies I Got From Manta Comics~

Hello hello BAYOG luvlies~ It’s Minty here~ As I said on my IG and the [2022 reflections post], I was sent some goodies all the way from South Korea by Manta (만타)~ So I figured I’d talk a bit more in depth about that and why and how I got this stuff~

So first off, what is Manta? Manta is an English webcomic platform brought to you by the Korean publishing company RIDI. RIDI is a huge company that basically publishes many popular and well-knnown Korean webcomics and webnovels. Anyway, Manta specializes in Korean webcomic series, but they also have Chinese and Japanese series as well. Their selling point is that they’re a subscription service. So for $4-5 per month (It was originally like $4 USD a month, but they just recently increased the price by a dollar) you have unlimited access to their entire catalogue. This was considered a game-changer since most Korean webcomic platforms have paywalls and things. Originally Manta was app only, but they just recently released a [web version] of their platform. Also, I have to mention this cuz someone will always mention it: Manta’s series are all the R15/all-ages cut. This was to comply with the restrictions from the app stores. They do have a web platform now…but I don’t know if they’ll ever release the mature/uncensored versions on the web platform. I’ve mentioned it to them for years, but they said it’s a bit difficult and is always in discussion. Regardless, I think Manta is still an incredibly great deal and you get your money’s worth. That’s all I’ll say about that.

So let’s once again get into a bit of the backstory. If y’all been following the blog for a while, y’all know that I’m BAYOG manhwa trash~ I’d been reading Korean webcomics for several years (like since Webtoon first launched). But I definitely got more into it due to the start of the pandemic. I’d like to say I can qualify as an expert now, well at least I’m BAYOG’s expert~ Anyway, around December 2020 my Twitter account was followed by Manta. They were totally brand new at the time, and honestly, I wasn’t sure if they were legit at first. I tried digging around for more info about Manta, but I guess they were brand new and so there wasn’t much yet. So I took it upon myself to give it a try. Then I wrote my first review on Manta [here]. I was like, “Cool~ I’m done.” And I went on with my life. But shortly after, they contacted me via IG. Asked for my input and if they could contact me again about my input. I was totally about it. I was also just impressed that they seemed to actually care about user feedback. Because they really did take my suggestions into consideration, and they actually implemented them too. Also, never did I expect to find that I’d be [mentioned in a Korean article] LMAO. But yeah, I added [another review post] 2 months later mentioning the implemented changes.

At the time, they were also doing online meetings with some users to continually get more feedback and improve their service. I was one of the people who regularly joined these meetings. Some of them I signed up for. Some of them, they reached out to me because I basically became a regular LOLOL. I had a fun experience though getting to know the faces behind the Manta Team. And again, it really made me feel like they genuinely cared about their users and the quality of their service. It was also interesting to kind of be a part of the beind-the-scenes aspect too. I also got to make some money too. Because they did pay us for our time. It was like a fun little extra for me haha. I think I basically made like $300 something from all those meetings. But yeah, saying I made money from reading webcomics and a hobby that I enjoy was a really fun flex LMAO.

We invite you to be a ‘Manta Friend’!😉

Join bi-weekly discussion sessions to share the deepest thoughts and opinions about Manta and its webcomics & get $30 gift card each session!

Apply via survey👉https://t.co/siwUDBei5A

Check out the image for details!#manta #mantafriend pic.twitter.com/aHji7yioQz

— Manta (@MantaComics) August 2, 2022

Anyway, fast forward to around August in the summer. They posted that they were looking for peoplt to be a “Manta Friend”. Basically, it was a group of users who were selected to join bi-weekly meetings. Those meetings were meant to discuss various topics and give feedback and suggestions to help improve Manta. In exchange, Manta Friends would receive a $30 gift card for each session, be listed for offline event invitations in the future, get 10 promo vouchers to give out, as well as some Manta merch. So yeah, your girl was selected as one of the people in the group~

Before I go further, I just want to say I am restricted in what I can say about Manta Friends and what goes on in the discussions. Like they had us sign a form. But I’ll tell y’all the general gist that I can talk about. Yeah of course it was basically about Manta’s services, what they offered, what they could improve on, and on various opinions on things. It was actually alot of fun. Again, I’m a socially awkward introvert. This was probably the most I’ve talked to people outside of my family and like the handful of friends I game with online. But everyone in the group was so lovely. It was great to meet people of similar interests and of different ages. I think me being 31-32, I was the oldest LMAO. I admit I did feel a little out of place at times. Especially when I had to reveal how long I’ve been in the game of Korean manhwa, dramas, music, etc. Like I forget that Korean media is still relatively new to alot of people and not everyone is familiar with older stuff from the early 2000s like me lolol But everyone was sweet. It was also nice to see everyone’s different perspectives on things. Of course, it was also wonderful to meet some different faces of the Manta Team as well. I honestly loved the meetings. It was a bit crazy because of having to find a time that worked out for everyone since everyone was in different time zones. Also, the Manta Team was literally working from Korea. So it ended up basically being around like my 11pm or 12am depending on if I was back in Florida or not. But yeah, it was alot of fun. We also got to learn some new things. We also gained some new perspective and appreciation on the what goes into making Manta work and the behind-the-scenes stuff. I know people thought it would be intimidating to be on a zoom call, but it was honestly super chill. It didn’t feel like work or anything. It just feel like a super chill discussion with friends~ Now this is the first semester of Manta Friends. I don’t know if they’ll continue it or when they will, but I definitely recommend giving it a try if you love Manta and webcomics. It’s definitely a really fun experience~ I know I’ll definitely sign up for it again if I can~

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But yeah, as a Thank You, Manta sent us some goodies in the mail. It included Manta merch, as well as merch for Under the Oak Tree (상수리나무 아래) and Semantic Error (시맨틱 에러). I also have to mention that these are basically exclusives. But we’ll get to that in a bit. But yeah, I just received these in the mail the other day. I was little worried because I was going back to my hometown for the holidays. But they were super sweet and said they’d ship it to my address in Florida for me. I kinda forgot I was going to be receiving stuff from Korea LOL. My mom got my package first and ripped it open. Then she got sad when she realized it was stuff for me and not her LMAO

But anyway, let’s first talk about Semantic Error! One of the things we got was the physical English print of Semantic Error season 1! [Semantic Error] is a popular BL series. It’s adapted from a [Korean novel series], and was also recently adapted into a [web drama series] and [movie]. I haven’t started the series yet, as I haven’t read too many BL series. But I know it’s really popular and it has been on my to-read list. So I’ll definitely get to it soon~

Also, yes. The print is in color!~ It looks so beautiful~ I also hadn’t been aware that the English print wasn’t publicly available yet. I guess there were only a limited number of English prints for Manta’s Semantic Error event and giveaway. They gave us some copies as advanced copies basically. I’m pretty sure they do plan on releasing it publicly. So no worries friends. But again, I’m not actually affiliated with or work for Manta or RIDI. So I can’t really tell you accurate info on a release date or anything…

Next up, we got some Under the Oak Tree keychains! One was of Maxi, and the other was of Riftan~ These were cute~ The one with Riftan was in yellow and had his sword. While Maxi’s was in pink and had flowers that Riftan had giveen her~The front sides of the keychains were colored, and the backside had the title of the series in Korean, “상수리나무 아래”. The back of the packaging was cute too. I was also surprised to see the little heart shaped confetti. It was unexpected and cute~The back of the packaging also had respective illustrations of Maxi and Riftan~ You can also see the RIDI logo too. From what I remember, these are not yet publicly available either? For sure they’re not available internationally. But honestly, I’m not 100% sure if they’re available in Korea. But yeah, these were hella cuuuute. I did kinda struggle trying to get the keychain clip off the cardstock it was on though. Cuz I’m that person that tries to keep everything perfect and not rip or damange anything LMAO

Lastly, we some exclusive Manta merch as well as a lil note from the Manta Team~ This included a popsocket with their Manta mascot and a little Manta logo badge/pin. Honestly, the popsocket was hellaaaaaa cute. Much cuter than I expected. And it’s really good quality too! Excited to put it on my other phone case~ The pin was also adorable. I’m just debating if I wanna stick in one of my bags, my lanyard, or start a display thing for pins (used to collect pins but lost them alll ages ago). I also love my little note with the heart stickers from the Manta Team~ I’ll be keeping that on my little board too haha~

Anyway, that was it y’all~ That’s the goodies I got from being a part of Manta Friends semester 1~ Once again, a huge thank you to the Manta Team. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of Manta Friends. It was such a fun experience and I love that I can say I got to be a part of Manta~ It was super fun getting to know the Manta Team as well, and they did such a great job in creating such a fun, chill, and comfortable environment~ Again, this also just once again showed me Manta’s dedication to it’s users and services. Like I’m always impressed how Manta genuinely listens to our feedback and suggestions and actually implements them. Please keep up the wonderful work. I’m also definitely looking forward to working with Manta againn if I ever get the chance to~ And yeah, I definitely recommend joining any future semesters of Manta Friends or just joining any of their discussions y’all~ Anyway, that’s all for me!~ Have a fabulous day friends~ Take care and stay safe!~

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