MangaDex Development Update - April 2026

[mgRdr]

Actually, it seems you’ll still be able to create forum threads through the comments. Dunno why they didn’t communicate that loud and clear.

The comments section and the forums will essentially be competing for the users, and given that the comments are being given much more prominence in the UI, and so only very few stubborn people, the people who know of the existence of the button and can actually see it (I don't), will keep using the forums, so I fully expect this change will result in the forums dying out, even if we will have the ability to create chapter threads on paper.

 

[Litreara]

The comments section and the forums will essentially be competing for the users, and given that the comments are being given much more prominence in the UI, and so only very few stubborn people, the people who know of the existence of the button and can actually see it (I don't), will keep using the forums, so I fully expect this change will result in the forums dying out, even if we will have the ability to create chapter threads on paper.

Yeah, I think so too. But at least we’ll still be able to discuss things in the forums, and they’re not going to remove them completely... so I’ll take it.

 

[yogurtman250]

Here's a bit more fuel to the fire:
There's a new notice board in the main site, and this is their first post:

While this doesn't mean anything at first glace, them saying "the obscurity of the forums" is quite telling of their feelings towards this part of the sites, and what may be in store for the future...

 

[Lunkli]

Before this thread starts to get filled by doomposting (please stop, I don't want Reddit 2), the plan is to keep both the new comments and the forums alive at the same time, with each having its own purpose.
Title and chapter comments on the new system, and general chatting and discussion here in the forums (so yeah, lurkers, you can keep lurking as you've been doing up until now).

You say this, but I'm not sure that what you've show really supports the idea that your intention is for both to be used. The per-chapter discussion forums are one of the main uses of the site's forums, so giving that role to a new system practically cripples them, doesn't it? If they really are phased out for "title and chapter comments," the only thing that's left will be the miscellaneous and off-topic discussions that the majority of users (especially new ones) won't especially care about.

Rather than "each having its own purpose," this seems more to me like the new system having its own purpose and the forums being left as strictly a backup for whenever the new comments aren't good enough. And in the first place, if the new system isn't good enough in these scenarios while the old system has already proven itself to be good enough in all these scenarios plus the ones that the new system was explicitly designed for, what's the even the point of the new system?

I honestly can't think of any real justification for this change other than some misguided notion of "well, the big platforms like Twitter and Youtube use a system like this, so surely because they're successful it's a better system." But your userbase is already telling you that this system is worse.

The whole point of this "early access for supporters" thing is meant to be so that you can evaluate people's reactions, right? It's not just to incentivize people to give you money? I think that the reactions you've already gotten are more than enough to prove that this is a change for the worse.

Anyways, I've seen how this goes on other platforms, so I know that you're probably just going to stick to it. But you could at least pretend to care what people think. You don't gotta be the next Google, making things worse for literally no reason other than because you feel like changing something.

 

[Tony_Mushah]

Here's a bit more fuel to the fire:
There's a new notice board in the main site, and this is their first post:

While this doesn't mean anything at first glace, them saying "the obscurity of the forums" is quite telling of their feelings towards this part of the sites, and what may be in store for the future...

I hope it will not get the same treatment as the status page.

 

[chemy1347]

On paper I dont mind separating "social style" shitposting with longform discussions, but I do wish the button/UI to access forums would be as prominent as the button to access social style comments, or even next to each other. The current UI design to access forums feels misguided at best, malicious at worst.

 

[BestBoy]

separating

Agreed. The fewer "boobs lol" posts there are breaking up actual discussion the better. The new comment section will filter out low-effort posting I think.

Also, I'm pretty sure a tiny minority of the sites visitors actually use the forums or leave comments. I'd guess somewhere below 10%. Calling the forums obscure is just objective fact at that point.

 

[shinya78]

I am here once again to propose the keeping of the old system by rebranding the old comments button that links to the forums as Discuss for the longer deep-dive discussions, and implementing the new system by squeezing in a new separate button that would open the new shitpost social-style Comments for the shorter, less in-depth... well... comments. The new system would probably be spammed by the usual "thx for the chapter" comments anyway.

Also, for those posting that the site will be pay-to-comment, it's more pay-to-test really, users that cared enough to support[Group 1] would care enough to point out the good and/or the bad that the new system brings so it could be tweaked before it is properly released for the general users[Group 3].

 

[BestBoy]

pay-to-comment

Folks commenting with that aren't here to read explanations. They read something on twitter, blasted out a post in this thead, and left.

 

[Mangamoz]

Agreed. The fewer "boobs lol" posts there are breaking up actual discussion the better. The new comment section will filter out low-effort posting I think.

Also, I'm pretty sure a tiny minority of the sites visitors actually use the forums or leave comments. I'd guess somewhere below 10%. Calling the forums obscure is just objective fact at that point.

Got it, we should comment:

"My word, what glorious womanhood thot thou maiden possess. Never in all my years have my eyes gazed upon such majesty. May someone please send my regards to the author? Their brilliance is only outshined by the warm light of our solar system's mother star."

 

[BestBoy]

Got it, we should comment:

"My word, what glorious womanhood thot thou maiden possess. Never in all my years have my eyes gazed upon such majesty. May someone please send my regards to the author? Their brilliance is only outshined by the warm light of our solar system's mother star."

Or your smart ass could comment "boobs lol" in the new comment section.

 

[tonie]

So do I understand that right? Basically (because I'm on this website mostly only for the comments at this point then) because I'm not a supporter, soon I won't even be able to read or comment anymore?
Maybe already from the start just lock the whole website down so only premium users will be able to use it instead of tip-toeing towards that.

 

[T-sama]

Or your smart ass could comment "boobs lol" in the new comment section.

That sounds like segregation and segregation is bad

Dumb posters have the right to be in same space as regular posters

You're on the wrong side of history!

 

[Mangamoz]

Is there a way for us to know if we get replies on the new main comments?

 

[BestBoy]

soon I won't even be able to read or comment anymore?

@shinya78 see?

 

[shinya78]

Folks commenting with that aren't here to read explanations. They read something on twitter, blasted out a post in this thead, and left.

Something something gen something can't read, or something like that, huh?
Which is ironic, with this being a site for the purpose of reading. Having the new system seemingly built for lolposts and not discussions suddenly makes sense.

 

[BestBoy]

something like that, huh?

While true, I meant more that they probably read outrage bait on twitter and came here to stir the pot.

 

[T-sama]

While true, I meant more that they probably read outrage bait on twitter and came here to stir the pot.

Or like me they tried reading discussion of a chapter and instead got the ugly new comment screen and the "can only post if supporter" warning or whatever it says

The backlash is more than nothing Mangadex incompetence on properly telling people about the change

The horrible UI doesn't help either since I thought regular comment section was gone for good and I can only imagine how many will think the same

 

[scrangos]

I'd like to be ablet to go to the forum comments from the chapter list. having to load the manga and then have to click again for every chapter you want to look at the comments is very inconvenient .

 

[Bartolumiu]

The backlash is more than nothing Mangadex incompetence on properly telling people about the change, the horrible UI doesn't help either

March Development Update

April Development Update (this same thread)

The new "Notices" section (which is pretty much the old "Announcements" page from the mainsite with a different name)

If you still think we haven't told anyone that this was going to happen, please try to make your attention span last a bit longer (at least 30s), because it's starting to get annoying seeing how people just complain about stuff for the sake of complaining.

We don't add integrated comments: We get complaints about us not having integrated comments and that users don't want to use the forums.
We implement integrated comments: We get complaints about users not wanting integrated comments on the website.


FFS, JUST PICK ONE ALREADY