Kodansha targets US with manga magazine for young adults
"Young Magazine" is a long-running weekly in Japan, known for popular works such as the cyberpunk "Akira" series and "Initial D" on street car racers.
"Young Magazine USA" will have about 1,000 pages featuring 20 titles on themes including Sci-Fi and cyberpunk.
Kodansha says it is unusual for a manga magazine targeting readers other than teenagers to be published overseas.
Other Japanese manga publishers are offering foreign language manga apps to try and build a global fan base.
The editor in chief of Young Magazine USA says the stories target an older audience with themes of real-life struggles.
"These magazines have inspiring themes. I hope to leave behind masterpieces that will be read for 50 or 100 years," he said.
Kodansha will hand out the special edition at an anime event and bookstores in the US in August.
Readers can vote for the story they like most on the Kodansha website. The winner will be serialized in the company's manga app in Japan and the US.
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