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Rick Martin · · 2 min read

Photo App from Japan Converts iPhone Pics into Manga

iphone-manga-camera

Here’s a fun application from Japan which has been the country’s top free iOS app for the past five days, after its September 11th release. Manga Camera is one of the more unique photo applications out there, allowing you to create your own manga-like pictures.

You’ll need an iPhone (on iOS 5+) to use it though, and if you try installing it on an iPad, as I did, it won’t work. Essentially, it lets you take photos and apply an assortment of manga-style frames (32 in total, see below) to your shot. It also applies a sort of monochrome filter, noting that it works best when you stand in front of a white background.

After finalizing your picture, you can then share to social networks like Facebook or Twitter, or save it to your photo library.

While the app is sitting pretty at number one in Japan, it might do even better if it allowed users to caption their own photos, or even create and share their own online books. Another Japan-based app, Mooklet, does this quite well (see our review from June), and I can’t help but think that Manga Camera might be a killer photo app if it had this function.

manga camera

manga camera filters

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Rick Martin

Rick Martin lives in Tokyo where he writes about technology in Japan, China, and around Asia. After writing full-time for TechInAsia from 2011 to January 2013, he moved on to pastures new at The Bridge. He can be reached via his website, 1Rick.com