Michael Fitzpatrick from Fortune writes:
What do you get if you cross emoting, goofy manga characters with free messaging and calls? Japan's only export app hit—called Line—which recently hit its 100 millionth download.
I just so happen to know some folks that use this app. While anecdotal evidence is scant evidence at best, it at least provides a single data point (at least personally).
I'm fairly impressed by how well this app has done in the international (i.e. external to Japan) market. I can think of many apps that have relatively wide global appeal (Facebook and Twitter come immediately to mind), but none that have come from the Land of the Rising Sun. In this case, it looks as if Line has found the right blend of app features.