{"id":65346,"date":"2026-04-16T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=65346"},"modified":"2026-04-16T16:25:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:25:46","slug":"square-enix-partners-with-ai-manga-translation-company-to-automate-typesetting-process-which-takes-3000-of-hours-of-manual-work-a-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/square-enix-partners-with-ai-manga-translation-company-to-automate-typesetting-process-which-takes-3000-of-hours-of-manual-work-a-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Square Enix partners with AI manga translation\u00a0company\u00a0to automate\u00a0typesetting\u00a0process which takes \u201c3,000 of hours of manual work a year\u201d\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mantra, a Tokyo-based company that develops AI technology specialized in manga translation, has announced that it\u2019s co-developing an AI tool to automate the typesetting process in manga together with Square Enix (via PRtimes<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint project was launched following Square Enix’s investment in Mantra in 2024. Titled \u201cMantra Engine,\u201d the tool is designed to assist with text layout and typesetting for manga in Japanese. While it uses image recognition and style estimation technology developed through Mantra\u2019s AI translation tool, the developers emphasize that Mantra Engine only uses what\u2019s already there in a manuscript, with no generation, modification or data training happening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mantra
Image belongs to Square Enix, via PRtimes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to the press release, the process of specifying font type, size and style as well as placement of each line of dialogue in a manga by hand takes over 3,000 hours annually at Square Enix\u2019s editorial department. The Mantra Engine project was launched from the need to streamline this process, as Square Enix executive Katsuyoshi Matsuura comments, \u201cThis tool was developed to optimize the workload of editors by combining the ideas of editors on the front lines with our company\u2019s AI expertise cultivated over more than 10 years in the digital entertainment sector, as well as Mantra\u2019s technology. Our goal is not merely to improve efficiency, but to create an environment where editors can focus more on their core duties \u2013 supporting authors\u2019 creative activities, by having AI handle routine tasks.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Square Enix\u2019s manga publishing business primarily revolves around the Monthly Shonen Gangan publication (best known for the Full Metal Alchemist series) and Gangan Online app (Japanese only), with the more recent addition of the global Manga UP! digital platform. The Mantra Engine tool is currently being tested and improved at Square Enix, and after it\u2019s implemented internally, the developers plan to offer it as a service to the entire manga industry. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By delegating routine tasks to the AI-powered Mantra Engine, Square Enix hopes to streamline the manga editing process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":65350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,65],"tags":[67,17],"class_list":["post-65346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-nongaming-news","tag-ai","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nSquare Enix partners with AI manga translation\u00a0company\u00a0to automate\u00a0typesetting\u00a0process which takes \u201c3,000 of hours of manual work a year\u201d\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By delegating routine tasks to the AI-powered Mantra Engine, Square Enix hopes to streamline the manga editing process.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/square-enix-partners-with-ai-manga-translation-company-to-automate-typesetting-process-which-takes-3000-of-hours-of-manual-work-a-year\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Square Enix partners with AI manga translation\u00a0company\u00a0to automate\u00a0typesetting\u00a0process which takes \u201c3,000 of hours of manual work a year\u201d\u00a0 - 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