Young Magazine U.S. Might Not Just Be a One-Time Deal (And Here’s Why)

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As an onlooker, I’ve noticed that while shonen manga has been rapidly gaining mainstream popularity and readers, the seinen genre has largely remained a niche favorite, outside of its most celebrated works. The primary reason for this is the lack of accessibility of seinen manga outside Japan compared to shonen. However, it appears that things are starting to shift positively. For the first time, Kodansha announced a U.S. release for Young Magazine at Anime NYC 2025, which suggests that this might not be an isolated event.

The new collection of mangas was unveiled at Anime NYC between August 21st and 25th, and later as an E-book on Book Walker. This U.S. release was designed to honor the 45th anniversary of Young Magazine. The compilation features 19 fresh manga stories, such as “Subaru and Subaru,” the latest installment in the “Initial D” series by Shuichi Shigeno, “MF Ghost,” another work by the same author, and “To Dusk and Twilight,” a new series from Robico, renowned for his shojo manga creation, “My Little Monster.” Despite appearing as a one-off anniversary celebration, the editor-in-chief of Young Magazine hints that this U.S. release might become permanent.

Young Magazine’s Editor Teases the U.S. Release Might Be Here To Stay

During an interview with ComicBook, Hidemi Shiraki, the Editor-in-Chief of Young Magazine USA, was questioned about potential future releases similar to their current ones, given fan interest. Shiraki expressed enthusiasm, stating that indeed, Young Magazine USA has plans for more publications in North America. This could potentially include monthly magazines, or at least regular issues like the recent Anime NYC special edition.

The question and response by Shiraki read:

In a casual and engaging manner:

Hey there! With the thrilling launch of the special edition of Young Magazine in the US and an evident interest from our audience, I’ve been wondering if we might have more magazine releases on the horizon. Given their potential value as collectibles, it seems like they could really capture readers’ attention! What are your thoughts?

According to responses from readers and the outcome of our popularity survey, we intend to carry on with serializations and digital distributions in North America. Furthermore, we are investigating numerous potential future ventures, such as regularly publishing manga magazines, partnering with local artists for collaborative projects, and more.

Although Shiraki’s perspective isn’t necessarily shared by Kodansha or a sign of their readiness to implement it, the editor-in-chief’s remarks are indeed encouraging, given the apparent interest in more seinen publications. It’s clear that monthly magazine releases could potentially elevate seinen manga to the same level as shonen manga, especially considering the acclaim Western audiences have shown for creators like Shuichi Shigeno from Young Magazine. For now, fans of seinen can only anticipate and hope for positive developments.

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2025-08-27 21:44