Digital manga platform and publisher Azuki announced at Anime NYC 2025 that it would be adding Kodansha‘s seinen publication, Young Magazine Special Edition, an exciting first-ever English edition of the manga magazine that serialized hits, such as Akira and Ghost in the Shell, to its platform. The availability of the magazine on the Azuki platform (FOR FREE!) should come as welcome news to seinen manga fans who have been desperately trying to figure out where to purchase copies of the popular publication.
It was first announced in July that Kodansha would expand Young Magazine into the U.S. market with a new English-language edition. The English language edition will feature 19 brand-new manga chapters curated exclusively for American audiences. “The concept behind the magazine is [UN-filtered MANGA] featuring Sci-Fi, dark horror, and cyberpunk stories for adults that portray the raw, unfiltered realities of ordinary human beings in extraordinary situations,” reported Good E Reader last month. “Additionally, as a bonus to help boost the magazine’s American launch, new titles will be unveiled from legendary manga creators including Shuzo Oshimi, the author of The Flowers of Evil and Blood on the Tracks, Masaaki Nakayama, author of Fuan no Tane and PTSD Radio, and Shuichi Shigeno, known for Initial D, who also has a passionate fanbase in North America. UNDER NINJA, a manga currently serialized in the Japanese version of Young Magazine, will be included as well.”
The special edition contains over 1000 pages of new manga, and is available for free to all users. Read Kodansha’s synopsis is below:
Join Young Magazine in celebrating their 45th anniversary by reading the very first English edition of the magazine! This 1000+ page tome is chock-full of new manga written by emerging artists and famous artists alike, available now for free! Cast your vote for selected titles by November 10th, 2025, and join in the rare chance to make manga history. The top 5 series with the most votes will be serialized in English too! Enjoy bonus contents, including the first chapter of UNDER NINJAand the new series Subaru and Subaru by Shuichi Shigeno.
Additionally, fans can vote for their favorites on Kodansha’s official Young Magazine website.
For more coverage on AnimeNYC 2025, you can find it right here in the AnimeNYC 2025 archive on The Beat!
Source: Azuki
