5:25 PM – 6:15 PM (PDT) | Channel 2 | Saturday 4 July 2020

Panel Description: MyAnimeList (MAL) is one of the famous anime websites in the world. With over 12 million users per month, MAL is the place to enjoy to organize, discuss, and discover anime and manga. In this panel, Yumiko Higuchi, MAL Mods Communication Leader, introduces how to enjoy MAL, and will talk with the founder of MAL and lead administrator about MAL. Get the new information from MAL!

What is MyAnimeList?

It launched in 2005 and continues to grow as an anime content curating website. The most popular feature is certainly the ability for users to create an organized list of their latest reads and watches. You can discover, using the website’s catalog, new animes released seasonally as well as connect with millions of fans worldwide!

MAL’s History:

• Nov 2004 – Xinil creates MyAnimeList
• July 2006 – Members surge after Xinil (illicitly) distributes fliers at AX 
• Aug 2008 – CraveOnline acquires MyAnimeList
• 2009 – An application programming interface (API/App) is created: Supports user/password authentication; functional but not ideal in terms of user security. Development stagnates, minimal updates, no new features. 
• Dec 2010 – Kineta begins managing moderator teams
• Jan 2015 – DeNA acquires MyAnimeList
• 2018 –  API is shut down due to increasing security concerns and GDPR
• Jan 2019 – Media Do acquires MyAnimeList. Over the year, Media Do promises an API to the community, also engages the developer community for feedback and testing.

Who Runs MAL?

7(?) Mysteries of MAL

This section was essentially an easy users guide. I recommend watching their video on the subject instead of my notes on this portion:

API – Today and Beyond!

New Version 2 of the app will be available to everyone on 7 July 2020 at 9 PM PDT.

The initial Version 2 release will support:

• OAuth Security
• Anime List View/Add/Edit
• Manga List View/Add/Edit
• Anime & Manga Database Search
• Forum boards and posting
• User details and profile editing

It seems like the API will have a premium feature at a cost.* (*We are unsure if this is true, as it was hard to understand in the context of the conversation. We assume this is the MAL Supporter feature.)

You can learn more about the API/App by checking the MAL website here, LINK.