As the popular convention's name suggests, Anime Expo focuses on the anime medium, though others are well-represented too. Alongside the many massive anime announcements, Anime Expo 2022 featured its fair share of manga localization reveals. While many of these were overshadowed by the torrent of exciting anime news, looking at them as a whole shows that North America is in the middle of a localized manga renaissance -- and it's only going to grow over the next few years.
America's major manga distributors -- including Yen Press, Tokyopop and Seven Seas Publishing -- announced a slew of new licensing deals at Anime Expo 2022, showing that many new titles are on their way over the next year. One of the best things about these announcements is the sheer variety of titles on offer. Some are spin-offs or continuations of classic franchises, including K-ON! The Omnibus Collection -- which collects all the legendary K-ON! manga into one volume -- and fan-favorite Madoka Magica spin-off Puella Magi Oriko Magica.
Anime Expo 2022's Manga Announcements Encompassed a Huge Range of Genres
However, Anime Expo 2022's announcements included more than just major series with existing anime adaptations. Several web novels have localizations coming, including the popular Villains Are Destined to Die. More obscure series like Do Not Say Mystery, a beloved mystery series in Japan that is currently unknown to most Americans, were also announced -- and this was on top of reveals about cutting-edge titles like The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife, which is quickly gaining a large and dedicated audience.
The reveals encompassed a staggering amount of genres and sub-genres as there really was something on offer for every palette, from fantastical romance stories like Why Don't You Eat Me, My Dear Wolf? to more grounded takes on the genre like the music-themed SCRAMBLUES. Also announced were adaptions of period dramas like The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom and Raven of the Inner Palace, and these come alongside loads of more traditional action manga series, including the extremely popular Tomb Raider King.
Anime Expo 2022 Proved Manga Continues to Grow in North America
When looking at the announcements together, it's immediately striking how quickly manga is expanding in America. More titles are getting localized with an ever-expanding variety of genres. This shows how wide the American anime market is becoming with different demographics falling in love with different genres, from the commonly accepted to the more obscure. Due to the constantly growing American manga fandom, distributors are willing to take more risks and localize smaller or more niche manga series that don't already have an established fan base.
The reveals also show how quickly manga is being localized. In years past, it would take many years for a manga to be translated and sold in America. Today, the whole process is happening much quicker -- especially now that many publishers are releasing digital versions of their localized manga a few months before physical copies hit store shelves.
Because to this, many series are getting localized and released about a year after their initial tankobon volumes arrive on Japanese shelves. This is fantastic as it allows American readers to share Japanese fans' hype and excitement. It also leads to manga stories becoming much more popular as they have a united international fan base, rather than the American audience getting hold of a series years after it's finished in Japan.
Anime Expo 2022 was a fantastic event for manga fans, proving that we're in the middle of a renaissance with varied and new titles being localized at a breakneck pace. Coupled with the increasing accessibility of manga, this means the medium's popularity will only continue to grow in the coming years as more people can access titles that appeal to their tastes -- especially as they can be enjoyed shortly after their initial Japanese release. If this trend continues, fans will surely see more announcements for even more varied manga at Anime Expo 2023.