LINE Manga opens byUs story chats with creator-approved characters
LINE Manga has launched byUs AI story chats in Japan. Users converse with creator-approved characters to continue a prepared opening or establish new situations and relationships. Fan stories can also be shared with other users. The service is distinct from LINE Manga’s existing character chat and had already appeared in South Korea’s NAVER WEBTOON. This launch brings its interactive storytelling format to the Japanese service.
Artificial Intelligence··Morning
byUs makes the user a story participant
LINE Digital Frontier, the operator of Japan’s digital comics service LINE Manga, launched the byUs AI story-chat service on October 19.[1], [2]
Conversations let users participate in a developing story with characters whose use has been approved by the original creators. The company treats byUs as a separate service from the character-chat feature already offered inside LINE Manga. Its format puts the user into the story, rather than limiting the exchange to questions directed at a character. The Japanese launch follows the service’s introduction in June on NAVER WEBTOON, the digital comics platform in South Korea.[1]
Prepared openings and fan scenarios offer different starts
The Official Story mode supplies an opening built around the world and character settings of the original work. Once that opening is in place, the user’s conversations with a character develop the story. Fan stories start from a different choice: users establish new situations and relationships for existing characters. They can also make those creations available to other users. Joining a prepared opening and creating the conditions for a new scenario are therefore separate ways to take part. These conversational stories are not presented as new canonical chapters that replace the original comic. Creator approval governs the intellectual property used by the service.[1]
Conversation tools add replies and scene images
Suggested replies and autoplay help conversations move forward. The Snapshot feature supplies images matched to the situation, while Special Cut opens images as the relationship level changes. These tools accompany the exchange between the user and the character. Access requires signing in with a LINE account, and the LINE Manga app provides an entry point through its quick menu. Daily logins earn free conversation tickets; users can also spend LINE Manga coins. Free opportunities to converse are therefore part of a service with more than one access route. The company has also supplied its own activity measurements from South Korea; those figures do not describe usage by the newly admitted Japanese audience. Access requires LINE Manga version 26.10.10 or later. The initial Japanese content includes four characters from two works. The company describes adding more characters as a plan for later stages; that expansion is not yet part of the initial content.[1]
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