Kadokawa is opening a new door for English-speaking manga readers. The Japanese publisher has launched Kadokawa World Manga, a label dedicated to English releases of ongoing series on its KadoComi web manga platform, Anime News Network reported.
The label offers the opening chapters and latest chapters of selected series for free in English, aimed at international audiences. Kadokawa said it will add more titles over time. The label also doubles as a publishing home for Kadokawa World Manga Atelier, the company’s initiative for discovering and supporting international creators as they develop original work.
That international focus shows in the launch lineup:
Brain Alive, by Rafał Jaki and MACHINE GAMU, is a fantasy from Jaki, an executive producer on the first season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. It follows Daniel, who loses his wife in a car accident and then loses consciousness while caring for his comatose son, waking in another world with his wife’s soul living inside his sword. It launched in Japanese on KadoComi on July 31.
Kung Fu Kung Fool is by masterlynx, an Indian manga creator duo who won a Silver Award in Kadokawa’s Wordless Manga Contest, which drew 1,126 entries from 104 countries and regions. The action comedy follows the master thief Goemon and a young monk named Bao.
Spica and Voice of Books, by Kimiko Ueno, follows an elf girl who wants to become a bookbinder in a city built around books, and who can hear the voices of books. A Peach Offering for the Imperial Court, by Yūho Ueji, is a Chinese-style fantasy romance that Yen Press recently licensed for print.
The label page also collects existing English manga such as Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree by Nikiichi Tobita and Suikoden Star Leap by Aki Shimizu.
It has been a busy year for Kadokawa’s international push. The publisher is also working with Marvel on original manga in Japan, adding Iron Man, Deadpool and Venom to that lineup this month.
