Jump ShonenLatest series of Kagurabachi became an overnight phenomenon and its success proved that the manga industry had changed forever. Within just a few weeks of Kagurabachi’s release, the series has captivated readers, especially those outside of Japan, proving that the manga industry is changing in significant ways.
Kagurabachi’s success is not simply a product of its story, action sequences, or presence of classic shounen genre stories, but is also a sign of the changes in the manga industry over the past few years with the readership and popularity in the West are increasing more than before. As editor of Shueisha, Momiyama wrote in this X post, “We are on the cusp of realizing an era where the series will develop into a worldwide hit.”
Kagurabachi demonstrates how the success of Manga in the West is changing the industry
As Momiyama pointed out in his post, series like Kagurabachi and Kaiju No. 8 are proof that a series’ global popularity no longer depends on its performance in Japan or its reception. sequel to the Western anime adaptation. Over the years, if a series was successful in Japan, it would be adapted into an anime to boost sales, and the anime would attract an international audience, thereby increasing the need for translation. However, with the easy online availability of official translations on platforms like Manga Plus, a series no longer has to go through this long and drawn-out process to reach fans around the world. world.
The effect of this simple yet revolutionary change can be seen most clearly in the curious case of series that are more popular in the West than in Japan. More recent examples of the globalization of manga can be seen in Manga Plus’s new subscription and payment plan, which has revolutionized manga accessibility globally. Kagurabachi’s success mainly came from the high number of readers for its first chapters on Manga Plus and from the huge buzz it created on social media and other online discussion platforms. There’s no sign that the series will sell well in Japan, but Shueisha executives are still paying attention, proving that the medium’s global success is finally starting to have an impact in Japan.
The anime and manga industry has been expanding outside of Japan for several years now, but while series like Dragon Ball, Naruto, and One Piece took decades to build a fan base, success is instant. The days of series like Kagurabachi show that this may not be the case. the case takes longer. In fact, manga industry executives are taking notice of the series’ success overseas, as seen when Kagurabachi has surpassed both My Hero Academia and Chainsaw Man in terms of viewership on Manga Plus, meaning the industry will be changed forever, with one possible consequence being that in the future there will be fewer series that are popular with Western readers. Favorite West was unexpectedly canceled.
Kagurabachi available from Viz Media.
