When you open a manga app, titles like "Reincarnation" or "Lady" have long been common. This genre, which has gained popularity in anime and light novels, has also been expanding its share within the manga industry in recent years. Amidst this trend, The Reason for the Twin Lady’s Disguise (currently available on LINE Manga) began distribution in May of this year as a domestic webtoon on U.S. WEBTOON. Will the popular "isekai" (otherworldly) and "lady" genres, so beloved in Japan, also find support overseas? We spoke with Yumeka Sawada, the editor in charge of the series, and MONA, who handled the line art.

Accelerating the Globalization of Japanese Webtoons: The Universal Appeal of the Story

The Reason for the Twin Lady’s Disguise is a popular series produced by the webtoon studio SORAJIMA, which releases the largest number of original webtoon works in Japan. Pre-serialization began on LINE Manga on August 15, 2022, and as of August 2024, the series has exceeded 97 million cumulative views in Japan.

In May of this year, the series began distribution in English on U.S. WEBTOON as The Reason for the Twin Lady’s Disguise. It is now available globally, including in North America, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, France, and Indonesia. The series made headlines when it ranked second in monthly sales on U.S. WEBTOON in June—an unprecedented achievement for a domestic webtoon from LINE Manga.

Q: How do you feel about being able to bring The Reason for the Twin Lady’s Disguise overseas as a Japanese webtoon?
Yumeka Sawada: From the beginning of the serialization in Japan, we hypothesized that this work would have a fresh impact overseas and be well-received. We were eager to expand internationally, so I am filled with gratitude that this dream has been realized!

Q: MONA, this is your first serialized work. How do you feel about it being read overseas?
MONA: I’m extremely happy that The Reason for the Twin Lady’s Disguise has ranked high overseas and that its appeal is understood universally!

Q: Could you share any reactions or comments you've received from overseas readers? We also heard that the series ranked second in monthly sales on U.S. WEBTOON.
Yumeka Sawada: I was very surprised by the result of ranking second in monthly sales! It’s such an honor.

I’ve been translating comments from various countries like Korea, China, and North America, and I’ve noticed that the feedback and evaluations of the male characters are almost the same across countries, including Japan! To be honest, (since Dylan is a tyrant crown prince) in the early part of the series, the evaluations of him are often quite harsh… (laughs). But as the story progresses, I’m confident that readers worldwide will come to love him, so I’m eager for everyone to continue reading!

Source : ORICON NEWS