Original ‘Akira’ And ‘Ghost In The Shell’ Manga Publication ‘Young Magazine’ To Give Away Special US Issue At NYCC, Kinokuya Bookstores
In continuing to attempt an expansion into Western markets, Japanese publisher Kodanasha has announced that they will be releasing a special U.S. version of their manga anthology publication Young Magazine, replete with a fan vote as to which of the featured series will receive continued serialization in their K MANGA distribution platform.
The original home of such iconic manga series as Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Gambling Apocalyse: Kaiji, and Chobits, the long-running Seinen magazine announced its America-centric plans as part of its 45th Anniversary celebrations.
Totaling 1,044 pages, the special issue will feature a total of 20 titles, 16 of them brand new including one by Initial D mangaka Shuichi Shigeno, all wrapped in a cover illustrated by Ghost in the Shell creator Masamune Shirow.
“For our selection, we held an open call and received submissions from over 100 manga creators,” explained Young Magazine USA Editor-in-Chief Hidemi Shiraki. “Ultimately, 19 titles were carefully selected for your enjoyment. We hope to introduce the potential of Seinen manga [whose target demographic is typically males in the 18-25 age range, as opposed to the Shonen genre’s 10-18]—which explores themes and ideas beyond the scope of Shonen—to more readers in North America, the largest manga audience outside of Japan.”
Speaking to Japanese government-run broadcaster NHK, Shiraki noted that in terms of his goals for Young Magazine’s future, “I think it is the role of youth manga to depict not only dreams but also reality, such as pain and conflict. I want to leave behind a masterpiece like ‘Akira’ that will last for the next 50 to 100 years.”
Further, as noted by the news outlet, “A team of experts spent about two months translating and reviewing the manga, which is a rarity for a Seinen manga magazine to be published overseas.”
In service of bringing of introducing more readers to the Sienen genre’s offerings, Kodansha will be offering this special edition of Young Magazine free of charge, with readers able to pick up a copy at all 17 locations of the Japanese book store Kinokuniya from August 24th – November 10th.
Further, during this period, readers who purchase any volume of any manga featured in the issue directly from a Kinokuniya bookstore will receive a free mini-autograph board.
Additionally, interested readers attending the Anime NYC convention from August 24th – November 10th can grab a copy at Kinokuniya’s booth, as located at Booth #321.
Further, on August 24th, two authors whose work appear in the issue, Dragon Head mangaka Minetaro Mochizuki and Under Ninja mangaka Kengo Hanazawa, will appear at the convention for respective panels and autograph sessions.
And to truly give US readers the Japanese manga experience, Kodansha will also be opening up the 16 titles featured within the Young Magazine special for fan voting – for those unable to pick up a physical copy for themselves, all of its new material will be made fully available on the publisher’s Twitter account and official website – with the winner set to receive full serialization via the publisher’s K MANGA APP:
– Keito Gaku’s next installment for Boys Run the Riot series, Boys Run the Riot – In Transition-
– One-shot Inochi o Odoru mangaka Ouga’s debut series Fasciation
– Rin Shimokawa’s debut manga Godmother
– Kokuma Muso mangaka Hiroki Ishizawa new series Gouma The Blade that Slaughters Gods
– Anri Morikuma’s debut manga Into the Dark
– Pako-chan mangaka Hikari Azuma next manga Is My Love Strange?
– AI no Idenshi mangaka Kyuri Yamada’s new series KIKIKAIKAI
– Scandala writer Denchi Matsumoto teams up with Kyubi: Chojo Jiken Taisakuka mangaka Keita Nishijima on Pregnant
– Yukito Iwai’s debut manga Project Metallia
– Uichi no Shima mangaka Daisaku Tsuru’s latest series Protocol Ryugu
– Kami Nishio’s debut series Still You
– Makina-san’s a Love Bot?! mangaka Yoshimi Sato’s new The Graveyard Shift
– Kyokuto Chimeratica mangaka Daisuke Itabashi’s latest manga The Journey of a Dark Elf with Fading Powers
– Ray Kindo’s debut manga The Knight of Blasphemy
– Red Data Book manga writer Hiroshi Takashige teams up with rookie artist Tatsumi Hitomoji for the Striker creator’s – latest series The Last Terrain
– Our Precious Conversations mangaka Robico next series To Dusk and Twilight
Kodansha also promises to offer “limited prizes” to readers who actively post about the manga they voted for, but as of writing, they have not provided any details as to what these may be or how they will go about selecting winners.
And while not available online or as an eligible selection for the fan vote campaign, the physical issue will also include chapters from four currently running Young Magazine series:
– The Silent Forest by PTSD mangaka Masaaki Nakayama:
– Me and Bob Dylan (and My Father) by Blood on the Tracks mangaka Shuzo Oshimi
– Shuichi Shigeno sequel to Initial D and MF Ghost manga Subaru and Subaru
– Under Ninja by Kengo Hanazawa
Voting will be open during the entirety of the Young Magazine promo campaign – August 21st to November 10th – with polling set to be conducted via its official website and Twitter account, with real time results available on the website.
From there, the winning title be revealed on December 15th
