While shonen manga continues to gain mainstream popularity and readership by the day, the seinen genre has continued to remain very niche outside of its few greatest hits. The biggest reason for this is simply the fact that seinen manga have yet to become as accessible as shonen outside of Japan. However, it seems like things are finally beginning to change for the better, as for the first time ever, Kodansha just announced a U.S. release for Young Magazine at Anime NYC 2025, and it might not be a one-time thing.
Released at Anime NYC between August 21st and 25th, and later as an E-book on Book Walker, the U.S. release was meant to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Young Magazine. The release includes 19 new manga, including Subaru and Subaruthe new sequel to Initial D and MF Ghost by Shuichi Shigeno, as well as To Dusk and Twilighta new series by Robico, the creator of the popular shojo manga My Little Monster. As much as this seemed like a one-time anniversary celebration, according to the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Young Magazine’s U.S. release could be here to stay.
Young Magazine’s Editor Teases the U.S. Release Might Be Here To Stay
In an exclusive interview with ComicBook, Hidemi Shiraki, Editor-in-Chief for Young Magazine USA, was asked whether the publication would consider more such releases in the future if there were adequate demand from fans. Shiraki responded quite positively, confirming that Young Magazine USA does indeed have more releases planned in North America, including the possibility of monthly magazines, or at least magazines on a more regular basis than even the recent Anime NYC special edition.
The question and response by Shiraki read:
ComicBook: Given the exciting release of Young Magazine’s special edition in the United States, and with enough demand from the readers, would you consider more magazine releases in the future, given their individual potential as collectors’ items?
Hidemi Shiraki: Based on the reader feedback and the results of the popularity poll, we plan to continue serializations and digital releases in North America. We’re also exploring a wide range of future possibilities, including regularly publishing manga magazines and launching collaborative projects with local creators.
While this is still Shiraki’s personal opinion and doesn’t necessarily reflect Kodansha’s view or openness to the idea, the editor-in-chief’s statement is still very promising, especially since there does seem to be a demand for more seinen releases. There’s no doubt that with a monthly magazine release, seinen manga could reach the same heights as shonen, especially with the popularity of Young Magazine creators like Shuichi Shigeno in the West. But for now, seinen fans can only wait and hope for the best.
Would you like to see manga magazines make a return in the U.S. or abroad? Let us know in the comments below!
