Kodansha has revealed the results of its poll on the Young Magazine US website, which determines which five manga titles (out of 16) will get to be serialized in Young Magazine (Japan) and on K Manga (US). Leading the pack is Still You by Kami Nishio, which features two male childhood friends who share an unforgettable kiss.
In second place is Rin Shimokawa‘s “horror-themed” Godmother, with Kodansha saying that “its acceptance in the U.S., despite being set in the Japanese city of Yokohama, is particularly noteworthy.” The other three qualifying titles are Ray Kindo‘s The Knight of Blasphemy, Daisuke Itabashi‘s The Journey of a Dark Elf with Fading Flowers, and OUGA‘s Fasciation.
Voting took place from August 21 to November 10, with 281,461 votes recorded. Kodansha is so pleased with the response that they’ve “urgently decided to select four additional works for serialization” and “are already moving forward with preparations for the 2nd Yanmaga US project,” according to a statement from Young Magazine US editor-in-chief Hidemi Shiraki.
The press release adds that the “overwhelming feedback received from the U.S. market” has led to the decision to “place importance not only on the poll results but also on the ‘brilliance of the talent‘ and ‘lingering impact’ of the works.”
The poll accompanied the debut of the English-language Young Magazine Special Edition that commemorates the publication’s 45th anniversary. It was available at Kinokuniya’s Anime NYC booth and 17 Kinokinuya stores in the US, with availability at the latter ending on November 10. The issue features the first chapters of 20 manga (19 of which are new) and totals over 1000 pages.
An earlier statement from Shiraki said that the release hopes to “introduce the potential of Seinen manga—which explores themes and ideas beyond the scope of Shonen—to more readers in North America, the largest manga audience outside of Japan.”
You can check out the top five titles of the poll, and more, on the Young Magazine US website. Alternatively, Omoi (formerly Azuki) is offering the magazine for free until December 31.
Source: Press release