"Anime Expo 2025" recorded the highest attendance in its history, signaling the unstoppable popularity of Japanese pop culture in North America. Leading this trend are globally successful anime titles, while the manga scene has long been dominated by the powerhouse Weekly Shonen Jump. However, an unexpected genre has recently been rapidly expanding in the North American manga market.

Now three years since its launch as a digital manga store catering to North America, MangaPlaza has grown to become the largest platform of its kind in the U.S. How has it succeeded in cultivating a new wave of manga fans? We asked about its current state and the challenges it faces for future growth.

■Held in Los Angeles, "Anime Expo" Draws Record 410,000 Attendees—A Shift Beyond Just Anime Popularity

One of the largest North American events dedicated to Japanese pop culture, "Anime Expo 2025," was held in Los Angeles from July 3 to 6. Marking its 31st edition, the event welcomed a record-breaking 410,000 attendees this year.

While Japanese anime has long been touted as popular in the North American market, it was only in 2016 that Anime Expo first surpassed 100,000 attendees. The explosive surge of interest in Japanese content has happened in less than a decade.

The driving force behind this boom is, unsurprisingly, anime. The steady stream of global hit titles emerging from digital streaming platforms has undoubtedly played a key role in accelerating Anime Expo's attendance growth.

Ryota Niwa of MangaPlaza, a digital manga store for the North American market that has been exhibiting at Anime Expo since 2022, says, "In recent years, there's been a growing fervor surrounding IP (intellectual property)."

Niwa："In Japan, it's common for a hit manga to ignite interest, leading to expansions into anime, games, and other IP developments. However, in North America, people usually discover works through anime first, and then go on to read the original manga. Among these, major titles that have been hits in Japan are especially popular. That said, at events like this year's Anime Expo, it felt like more people were enjoying not just the hit anime, but also the games, merchandise, and original manga as part of the broader content experience. I sensed a kind of 'passion' where even lesser-known titles were being discovered by fans themselves.

"MangaPlaza" is one of the largest digital manga stores in the U.S., offering over 140,000 manga titles, including many that have not been adapted into anime. So how are these kinds of works being received?"

Mr. Daichi Katsuki of MangaPlaza："In North America, where anime holds significant influence, the reality has been that very few female-oriented manga titles were translated until now. However, various surveys have clearly shown that there is definite latent demand for such manga. Leveraging its roots in Comic Cmoa, which offers a strong lineup of female-oriented manga, MangaPlaza has developed its offerings and promotions with women in mind. As a result, now three years after its launch, we’re starting to feel a strong response—an emerging, passionate fandom around a certain genre of female-oriented manga that previously didn’t exist in the U.S. market."

In the North American manga market, where action-packed shonen manga has long enjoyed unwavering popularity, there's a genre aimed at women that has recently been gaining rapid momentum. That genre is known as "Reijo" (noble daughter).

“Mr. Katsuki："In Japan, the 'noble daughter' and 'villainess' genres have already been staple favorites for several years. However, in English-speaking markets, the number of available titles had been quite limited. The turning point came with the explosive success of 'Dear Stranger, I Must Get a Divorce', which we began distributing last year. That success prompted us to expand our lineup, and we’re now offering around 250 titles in this genre."

Source : ORICON NEWS