Manga Memo

Details

Manga Memo was a native Android app designed to allow manga enthusiasts to stay up to date with new releases published in Italy by the major publishers.

The project was born as an independent initiative and was available on the Google Play Store from 2015 until December 2024, surpassing over 5,000 installations over time and becoming a reference point for part of the Italian community.

The context and the idea

The Italian manga publishing market is characterized by:

• Numerous publishers
• Fragmented publication schedules
• Information spread across different channels

Manga Memo was created with the goal of centralizing this information and offering users a simple, reliable, and always up-to-date tool.

Main features

The app allowed users to:

• Browse releases from the main Italian publishers
• View details of individual volumes, including plots and editorial information
• Create a personalized list of manga to follow
• Receive notifications when new issues were published
• Get a spending forecast for planned purchases
• View publication statistics, both global and personalized

Data management and complexity

One of the most significant aspects of the project was the structured management of heterogeneous data coming from multiple publishers, with update, normalization, and forecasting logic.

Over time, the project required:

• Data modeling and normalization from heterogeneous sources
• Continuous maintenance
• Adaptation to changes in the publishing market

Project status

After more than nine years of development and maintenance, the project was suspended in December 2024, following an overall evaluation of its technical evolution and sustainability model.

The suspension was a deliberate choice, aimed at a possible future redesign, particularly with a multi-platform approach, currently under consideration for 2026.

The value of the project

Manga Memo represents a concrete experience of:

• Developing and managing a real mobile product
• Building a user base over time
• Managing a long-term project
• Providing continuous support to end users