I’ve never held a physical manga magazine, let alone read one. Yet, I find myself strangely passionate about them.
By bundling multiple series together and giving them a reading order, you create an experience and inertia that lead people to read not just one title but multiple. Ending one chapter leaves you in the mood for something else, which can be quickly satisfied by turning the page, where you’re forced to at least glance at something that may strike your interest: Magazines aid in discovery.
They also aid in the diversification of voices. For many magazines, sales are driven primarily through one or a few titles. A series that would struggle to find its audience in today’s climate? Include it. Giving work to the rookie who’s a diamond in the rough, or a genius whose message isn’t just ahead of its time, but will stand the test of time? Push it. Magazines aren’t only about letting editorial labels scattergun the process to find one hit or discover a new trend; it’s often about saying something, and it’s about creating culture. I speak to horizontal and vertical manga publisher SORAJIMA about this and its new physical magazine, Bessatsu Yosumi, newly launched by the Yosumi editorial label:
Manga Publisher SORAJIMA Speaks to Anime Corner!
“SORAJIMA currently operates under a structure consisting of five editorial labels, from the First editorial label to the Fifth editorial label, with a total of approximately 60 members across the organization. Each label has its own distinct role and editorial ‘identity.'”
“Our First editorial label focuses on romance storytelling for female audiences that creates emotionally heart-racing worlds. The Second editorial label specializes in battle-driven stories centered on the protagonist’s way of life and personal growth. The Third editorial label produces horizontal-format manga, designed to adapt to the increasingly diverse reading environments of today, while the Fourth editorial label is responsible for Yosumi, a label dedicated to genre-defying and electrifying works. The Fifth editorial label is a dedicated editorial team focused on developing content for a new original vertical-scroll shonen manga app, ‘Shonen Stoke,’ scheduled for release in spring 2027.”
“Our editorial philosophy, under the concept of ‘TO FLOURISH,’ is to deliver the complexity and ambiguity of human nature in a way that remains accessible and readable without reducing or oversimplifying it. We place great importance on connecting a creator’s sincere desire of ‘this is what I want to express’ with entertainment that readers can engage with and read through to the very end.”
SORAJIMA’s Yosumi Editorial Label Launches New Magazine ‘Bessatsu Yosumi’ In Today’s Unwelcoming Environment For Physical
“The reason we are deliberately taking on print media is that, precisely in an era dominated by digital platforms, we value the idea of a ‘place’ where people can say, ‘If you come here, you will find these works and the people behind them.’ In that sense, our entry into print comes at what we see as a kind of inflection point. While the publishing industry faces strong headwinds—such as market contraction and the decline in the number of bookstores—there is simultaneously a growing surge of passion around independent publishing and small, individual bookstores. We view this coexistence of decline and renewed grassroots energy as a unique moment worth engaging with.”
“We see signs of potential renewal in new forms, such as the growing popularity of independent comic events like Comitia, as well as the increasing number of independent bookstores with unique curatorial perspectives.”
Anime Corner: What happens to the manga reading experience if curated manga magazines cease to exist?
“From a reader’s perspective, I don’t think the reading experience itself would change very much. In that sense, the influence of magazines has already declined significantly. However, if magazines—essentially functioning as labels—were to disappear, I believe many creators and editors would end up leaving the manga industry altogether. This is because magazines have long served as lighthouses and guiding markers within the diverse world of manga. Without them, more people might decide not to set sail in the first place.”
“If the number of creators and editors decreases, the richness and diversity of manga as a whole would inevitably diminish.”
Anime Corner: It’s been said that it’s not just creatively that reading culture will suffer, but also financially; Some say it’s difficult to have stable profits as a publisher without a magazine. What’s your view on the decline in reading by label in terms of business/financial impacts?
“We do not believe that having or not having a magazine significantly affects profitability. In today’s environment, it is already difficult for a company to sustain itself solely through the IP business. Therefore, whether a company has a magazine—or a label—does not fundamentally determine its financial performance.”
“What we truly value is the ability to expand works across multiple layers—starting from a strong digital fanbase, then extending into print publishing, real-world bookstore placement, and eventually global distribution. At the center of this strategy is the formation of a powerful label identity.”
“Rather than simply placing works on digital platforms and leaving them to algorithms, we believe in controlling diverse touchpoints—print, physical spaces, and overseas expansion—ourselves in order to maximize the value of each work from every possible angle.”
“This business strategy is precisely why we believe we can continue generating reproducible success together with creators, even in a difficult era, while also spreading new forms of culture.”
I ask about the nature and long-term future of Bessatsu Yosumi, which comprises many one-shots and whose Volume 2 is scheduled for release on July 23, 2026.
“With Yosumi, our aim is to create a place of belonging for works, creators, and readers by giving them a physical form through books—something that can easily be lost or overlooked in the fast-moving digital space. While digital platforms offer many wonderful ways to deliver content, we believe that at the heart of both business and entertainment are people. Print media, in particular, has a unique value as a place where one can say, ‘If you come here, you will find these kinds of works and the people behind them.’”
“By creating that kind of place through books, we also hope to attract creators and editors who resonate with this philosophy and want to be part of it.”
“One of Yosumi’s key missions is to reconsider the artistic and commercial value of one-shot manga.”
“Manga creators and editors generally view one-shot works as a foundation for future development from four key perspectives: First is rediscovering product value: We do not view one-shot manga merely as trial works created for eventual serialization. Rather, we believe they should exist as complete works in themselves and be delivered to readers as carefully curated collections. By publishing curated collections of one-shots, they can also be properly monetized as stand-alone products.”
“Next is talent development: A foundation for honing the skills of both creators and editors, while nurturing a strong culture of manga production. Then it’s pursuit of authorship: A space where creators can preserve their genuine individuality while transforming their ideas into entertainment that resonates with readers. Finally, business strategy: An entry point for testing audience reactions and building an initial fan base, which can potentially lead to future hit titles and new IP.”
“Works and creators featured in Yosumi are selected by the editor-in-chief based on his editorial judgment, focusing on those that resonate with Yosumi’s manga philosophy (for more details, please refer to “What is Yosumi?” published on the back cover of Bessatsu Yosumi).”
Anime Corner: In its announcement, the stated aim for Bessatsu Yosumi’s works was stimulating and genre-defying works. What does that mean to you, and what do you envision the reading experience of the magazine as a whole to be like in this case?
“Genres are essentially a form of standardization—structures that make works easier to understand. In contrast, being genre-defying means intentionally aiming for the spaces between genres, resisting those established formats and standing on the side of complexity or ambiguity rather than simplicity.”
“Because works created in that space must constantly remain stimulating and thought-provoking, we developed the concept of ‘genre-defying and electrifying.’”
“For example, Bessatsu Yosumi Volume 1 includes Hiramatsu Wears Clothes by Toyoka 37. The work tells the story of a man who spends his life struggling, suffering, and eventually simply wearing clothes. At first glance, it appears highly electrifying, yet we worked closely with the creator to refine the emotional flow so that readers would become completely absorbed in the experience.”
“We received passionate responses from readers saying things like, ‘Reading this manga made me feel that, in my own way, I too had been struggling through a page of youth.’ For us, it became proof of the value of a truly complete one-shot manga.”
“For the commemorative first publication of Yosumi, Bessatsu Yosumi Vol. 1, we adopted the concept of being ‘genre-defying and electrifying.’”
Anime Corner: What did Bessatsu Yosumi aim to learn from the reception to Volume 1, and what was the reception and the lessons learned?
“First and foremost, we simply want people to read it.. We want readers to experience the intrinsic joy of manga itself—the beauty of smooth panel progression and the tactile, almost existential sensation created by physically turning each page.”
“We intend to continue engaging seriously with print publishing. At the same time, we plan to deliberately reduce the emphasis on marketing through social media and online advertising—or more precisely, the mental and creative resources that such activities demand—and instead focus on cultivating a label that speaks to a more core and dedicated readership.”
“Within six months of launch, the website* reached approximately 100,000 cumulative readers, and recorded an average completion rate of 85% (peaking at 95%). These results have given us strong confidence in our editorial approach of “making the difficult-to-understand more readable.”
Note: In this context, the website refers to the manga label Yosumi, which—like Bessatsu Yosumi Vol. 1—is built upon the philosophy of “TO FLOURISH”: delivering the complexity and ambiguity of human nature in a way that remains accessible and readable without diminishing it, while pursuing works that are both genre-defying and electrifying.
“At the same time, we plan to deliberately reduce the emphasis on marketing through social media and online advertising—or more precisely, the mental and creative resources that such activities demand—and instead focus on cultivating a label that speaks to a more core and dedicated readership.“
Cultural Differences, The Future
Anime Corner: Terms like “shojo” and “shonen” are difficult to separate from the experience of reading a magazine/anthology. This is because different magazines have different ways of expressing what shonen/shojo manga is. If physical magazines and manga labels/imprints disappear, what do you think happens to how readers interact with “shojo” and “shonen”? Do you see their meaning/usage changing?
“Because categories such as ‘shonen’ and ‘shojo’ have already been subdivided into many genres, we believe that the disappearance of labels would simply accelerate further fragmentation. As genres become increasingly subdivided, the environment moves closer to a point where the idea of being ‘genre-defying’ becomes difficult to sustain.”
Anime Corner: We don’t receive magazines in most overseas territories. Instead, it’s volume releases of individual works or chapters available digitally. This can lead many not to know which magazine a series is from. So could you share what many fans abroad may be missing out on by not reading by label?
“Quite simply, it is a matter of scale in terms of the number of creators. Japan has an exceptionally large number of manga artists. Labels function as a way to bring together and frame this wide range of creative talent, while genres organize works based on their characteristics and quality.”
“For overseas fans, it may currently be difficult to experience the sheer scale and diversity of creators that exist in Japan’s manga culture. However, as language barriers continue to diminish in the future, it may become possible for international readers to experience that richness more directly.”
“Because we have already received a strong response domestically, the challenge of Yosumi is now beginning to cross borders.”
“We have decided to pre-release the French edition of Bessatsu Yosumi Volume 1 at Japan Expo 2026 in Paris starting July 9th, after which it will gradually become available through bookstores across France, including Junkudo Paris.”
“In an age where digital platforms connect the world instantly, we are deeply excited to see how readers overseas will respond to the very physical format of a printed manga magazine.”
Anime Corner: Do you think a more data-driven/algorithmic form of offering works to users could replace what would be lost by this decline?
“We don’t believe it can. Traditionally, magazines and labels have played the role of encouraging readers to encounter worlds they might never have chosen on their own through the works they publish. They create an environment where readers are naturally exposed to stories outside their immediate interests or preferences.”
“Algorithms, on the other hand, tend to provide only what aligns with a reader’s existing tastes. In that sense, they stand in direct opposition to the role that magazines and labels have historically played.”
Part 1 END.
This is only Part 1 of the conversation with SORAJIMA, so you can imagine my gratitude for their entertaining so many questions and speaking at such length. It’s great to hear about a surge of passion around independent publishing and small bookstores. The possibility of new communities is fun, and the more places where diverse works can be sold, the better.
Please stay tuned for Part 2, where we discuss the environment surrounding the manga publishing industry, as well as SORAJIMA’s upcoming ‘shonen manga’ app scheduled to launch in 2027.
Featured image © Mangadragonnet CC-BY-SA-4.0
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