News
Azuki Releases Kodansha's Young Magazine U.S. Special Issue
posted on by Joanna Cayanan
The special issue commemorates the magazine's 45th anniversary. The 1,044-page magazine has 18 new series from Japanese artists, as well as the first chapter of Kengo Hanazawa's Under Ninja manga, and Shūichi Shigeno's (Initial D, MF Ghost) new manga Subaru and Subaru. The magazine also features a cover illustration by Ghost in the Shell creator Masamune Shirow.
Azuki also announced that readers can vote for their favorite manga from the special issue magazine until November 10. The five manga stories with the most votes will get a guaranteed serialization on Kodansha's K MANGA app.
The magazine's special issue features the following new manga (*eligible for readers' vote):
- Keito Gaku's BOYS RUN THE RIOT - IN TRANSITION -*
- Ouga's Fasciation*
- Rin Shimokawa's Godmother*
- Hiroki Ishizawa's GOUMA The Blade that Slaughters Gods*
- Anri Morikuma's Into the Dark*
- Hikari Azuma's Is My Love Strange?*
- Kyūri Yamada's KIKIKAIKAI*
- Denchi Matsumoto, Keita Nishijima's Pregnant*
- Yukito Iwai's PROJECT METALLIA*
- Daisaku Tsuru's Protocol Ryugu*
- Kami Nishio's Still You*
- Yoshimi Sato's The Graveyard Shift*
- Daisuke Itabashi's The Journey of a Dark Elf with Fading Powers*
- Ray Kindo's The Knight of Blasphemy*
- Hiroshi Takashige, Tatsumi Hitomoji's THE LAST TERRAN*
- Robico's To Dusk and Twilight*
- Shūzō Oshimi's ME AND BOB DYLAN (AND MY FATHER)
- Masaaki Nakayama's The Silent Forest
Kodansha states the magazine's concept is "UN-filtered MANGA" for adults, which "portray the raw, unfiltered realities of ordinary human beings in extraordinary situations" and will introduce western audiences to the seinen genre.
The magazine's special issue was distributed for free to attendees at Anime NYC on August 21-24, and is being distributed at specific Kinokuniya locations from August 21 to November 10. The titles are also available to read on the magazine's official website, which launched on August 21. Digital reading and distribution platform GlobalComix also released the special issue for free.
The special issue was first announced in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine in October 2024 under the tentative title of Young Magazine USA.
Weekly Young Magazine's first issue shipped on June 16, 1980. The magazine has serialized or currently serializes manga such as Initial D, MF Ghost, Ghost in the Shell, My Home Hero, Under Ninja, Ya Boy Kongming!, and xxxHOLiC.
Sources: Press release, Azuki's Bluesky account and website, Azuki's panel at Anime NYC (Kalai Chik)
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