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Manga Arabia Partners with Korea’s Kidari Studio to Produce and Publish Webtoon and Manhwa-Style Comics

Dr. Essam Bukhary, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of Manga Arabia and the CEO of Kidari Studio, during the signing of the partnership (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Dr. Essam Bukhary, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of Manga Arabia and the CEO of Kidari Studio, during the signing of the partnership (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Manga Arabia Partners with Korea’s Kidari Studio to Produce and Publish Webtoon and Manhwa-Style Comics

Dr. Essam Bukhary, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of Manga Arabia and the CEO of Kidari Studio, during the signing of the partnership (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Dr. Essam Bukhary, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of Manga Arabia and the CEO of Kidari Studio, during the signing of the partnership (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Manga Arabia has partnered with South Korea’s Kidari Studio to produce and publish webtoon and manhwa-style comics. This collaboration aims to enhance cooperation in key areas such as scriptwriting, character design, and high-quality joint projects. Both companies will benefit from an employee exchange program to share expertise and further develop comic projects.
As part of the agreement, Manga Arabia will license and translate three of Kidari’s prominent works into Arabic, expanding the reach of these comics in the region.
Dr. Essam Bukhary, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of Manga Arabia, highlighted the significance of this partnership in strengthening international collaboration in the comic industry. He emphasized that the exchange of creativity and expertise with global partners aligns with the company’s goal of producing content that meets global standards.
A Growing Market
Bukhary pointed out the global popularity of webtoons, projecting the market to reach $70 billion by 2030. He explained that this partnership would enable Manga Arabia to expand its presence in international markets, while offering culturally rich experiences that reflect creativity and foster cultural exchange between the Arab and Korean worlds.
Industry Impact
This partnership marks Manga Arabia’s first collaboration with a Korean comic production company, a significant step in solidifying its role as a key player in the Arab comic industry.
Manga Arabia has achieved numerous milestones in recent years, including the launch of youth and children’s manga magazines in both digital and print formats. The company’s applications have garnered nearly 9 million users across 195 countries, with over 220 distribution points in the Arab world and more than 250,000 monthly printed copies.
To further its international presence, Manga Arabia launched Manga International and established its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, a strategic move aimed at expanding its influence globally.
Kidari Studio’s Reach
Founded in 1987, Kidari Studio operates 14 webtoon platforms in nine languages across Asia, North America, South America, and Europe. In 2023, Kidari launched its first webtoon platform in the Arab world, with plans to rebrand it as DelitoonME. That year, Kidari earned over $94 million from webtoon subscriptions, with more than 55 million users worldwide.
As part of the Saudi Research and Media Group, Manga Arabia is dedicated to promoting Saudi and Arab culture through creative content. The company has successfully produced over 68 issues and supported more than 170 young creatives across the Arab world, positioning itself as a leader in the comic industry both locally and internationally.

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Varieties

Beauty Salon Near Ukraine Front Offers Brief Respite from War

Maryna Skromnaya didn't think twice about making the 40-minute to the salon. Genya SAVILOV / AFP
Maryna Skromnaya didn't think twice about making the 40-minute to the salon. Genya SAVILOV / AFP
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Beauty Salon Near Ukraine Front Offers Brief Respite from War

Maryna Skromnaya didn't think twice about making the 40-minute to the salon. Genya SAVILOV / AFP
Maryna Skromnaya didn't think twice about making the 40-minute to the salon. Genya SAVILOV / AFP

Maryna Skromnaya was ready to face shelling and explosions to get her hair done at a salon in Pokrovsk, the eastern Ukrainian city under intense Russian attack.

"I need to stay beautiful rather than run around looking like Baba Yaga!" she said, referring to the mythical forest witch who feasts on children.

Her blue eyes now framed by a fresh bob cut, the frail 57-year-old stood up from the hairdresser's chair and flashed a peace sign in a brightly lit mirror.

The salon's roaring trade exemplifies how thousands of Ukrainians living in partially deserted and shelled-out frontline towns are trying to cling to a sense of how things used to be, AFP reported.

Its pristine white-walled salon is a rare pocket of normal daily life in Pokrovsk, even as Moscow's forces less than 10 kilometers (six miles) away, are closing in.

The mining city was home to 60,000 people before Russia invaded.

Its population has plunged from around 48,000 to 16,000 over the last month, according to the authorities, who are urging all residents to leave.

Skromnaya was preparing to heed that advice, but wanted to savor a few final moments at home.

That included a haircut at her favorite spot, even if it meant a 40-minute walk to get there.

"Public transport? You may as well lie down on the floor waiting for it. It's gone," said Skromnaya.

'Always something exploding'

"You can always start walking, turn your music on, go feel beautiful," she said.

But venturing outside in Pokrovsk these days is perilous.

"There were bangs here, bangs there, there's always something exploding," Skromnaya said, waving her arms left and right.

Inside the salon, the buzz of hair clippers and blow dryers barely covered the thuds from the front line, some seven kilometers away.

Facing increased Russian bombardments, the authorities have ordered residents to stay inside their homes for 20 hours a day.

So would-be customers were constantly rushing in, pleading for a slot in the narrow window between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm -- outside the strict curfew.

"Look at me, I look like a bum!" one man joked, lifting his cap to reveal a slightly uneven cut.

Salon worker Natalya Gaydash shook her head apologetically. He didn't have an appointment.

The team was doing its best to squeeze in as many clients as possible.

"The war is not a reason to just lay down and die with your hair undone, your nails unclipped and dirty," said 32-year-old Gaydash.

The salon will stay open as long as the Russians are far enough away, said owner Ludmila Kovaleva, who opened the place five years ago.

"How can you stop going to work if people are waiting for you?"

'Empty soul'

"People come for a slice of positivity," Gaydash said.

"Some come to share their problems ... others share a bit of joy with us."

Feeling fresh and handsome after his trim, 54-year-old Yury Chaplygin beamed, revealing a few golden teeth.

"There's a good atmosphere, you can drink coffee as you wait for your turn," the locomotive driver said in a deep voice.

The few remaining workers from a nearby market, now mostly closed, hustled round the salon's coffee machine, sharing gossip for a few minutes.

Another beauty salon just round the corner, owned by Kovaleva's sister Iryna Martynova, recently shut its doors.

"Clients used to get served by my sister, then go see me, then go back to my sister just like on a merry-go-round," Martynova said wistfully.

But people stopped trickling in after the evacuations stepped up in August.

Martynova's salon is now empty, save for a few shelves covered in blue plastic wrap.

The door was cracked in a recent shelling attack.

"This is not normal, and with every day that passes it's getting even more abnormal. I've already made up my mind, I'm leaving," Martynova said, tearing up at the thought of having to start all over again.

She was taking some comfort that her former clients, now spread all across Ukraine, have already started calling her to see where she'll go and if they can make a booking.

"This is my life's work, my favorite job. I'm left without it. My favorite clients, I've known them all for years. Now my soul is empty."