February

Check out the Changelog for the full list of changes ->

📋Changelog

🗒️ Series & Report Logging

As the Data Moderation team expands (we now have four moderators besides me), the need for better logging has become more apparent. We’ve also had more requests from Kenmei members—such as “Why was the description for series X changed?” or “Why was my report rejected?”—which have been difficult to address, since each moderator typically handles reports independently.

With that in mind, I’ve been focusing on building a robust logging system to provide greater visibility into series changes and the decisions made on reports. This new system lets me see who made a change, what was changed, and the rationale behind each report decision. It’s already proven invaluable for giving feedback to new data moderators when a particular change shouldn’t have been made.

While this feature won’t directly affect most of you using Kenmei day to day, it’s still an important step as we strive to become the most accurate and expansive database of manga, manhwa, and manhua.

💼 Update Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy

This may not be the most exciting update, but we’ve just revised our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy after working closely with our lawyer to ensure they meet current standards.

We also introduced a separate Cookie Policy, and in compliance with European regulations (specifically the GDPR), you’ll now see the dreaded “Accept Cookies” prompt. It’s been a long time coming, but at least it’s here now!

🌙 Device Theme Sync (Premium Early Access)

A frequently requested feature since introducing Dark Theme in early access was the option to sync it across multiple devices. I initially held off on this because some users prefer different theme settings depending on the device—for example, always using Dark Theme on mobile but dynamic mode on a laptop.

However, due to the persistent demand, I’ve now added the ability to sync Dark Theme across devices. I also plan to include the option to override syncing on specific devices (e.g. if you you want to enable Dark Mode on one while using dynamic mode on another), though that will be rolled out a bit later.

This update moves us closer to finalizing Dark Mode and transitioning it out of early access, but there are still a few issues with the Sunset/Sunrise mode that need to be addressed.

🌎 Region Lock Warning

I've been working on adding new official sources, but I've encountered an obvious (in hindsight) issue: many of these sources—especially on the manga side—are region-locked.

Just like how certain shows on Netflix are unavailable depending on your location, sites like MangaPlus might not offer specific series in some regions or might be entirely inaccessible. It’s frustrating to select a source only to discover you can’t read anything from it.

To address this, I’m introducing a region-lock warning. Whenever you pick a source that’s known to have regional restrictions, you’ll see a warning message. After confirming this warning for the first time, you won’t see it again—unless you choose another source that triggers a warning we haven’t shown you before.

With this change in place, I can finally wrap up work on two or three new official sources that I’d been hesitant to release due to the region-locking issue. Stay tuned for another update soon!

📈 Progress Overview

This isn’t the most thrilling update, but I’m continuing to focus on minor—yet important—improvements to the site. As mentioned before, I’ll be concentrating on overall enhancements rather than rolling out any massive new features this year.

Next month, however, I’m finally going to revamp our landing page design and work on a new onboarding experience. While our traffic continues to grow, many newcomers still aren’t fully aware of Kenmei’s capabilities, and some are left confused about how to use the site after signing up. Addressing these issues will be my main priority.

Here is the updated list of priorities:

1. Landing Page Redesign

2. Improving Onboarding Experience

3. New social features

4. New Supported Sites

5. Expanding Data (e.g. new tags)