The world of anime and manga is rapidly spreading throughout the world. It is no longer subjected to only a particular audience and accessible to basically the entire world. Kadokawa has taken the initiative to bring these mediums even closer to the general public. Mangas have been adapted into many forms for decades now.
From movies, animes, and live-action adaptations to even novels. There is no medium that hasn’t seen the masterpiece born of the most talented mangakas. Complains have been rising slowly and steadily, concerning the pace and future of the Anime and Manga industry. This pertains to the fact that Western influences have very quickly taken over the craft that held a lot of cultural significance. However, Kodakawa has other plans.
Kadokawa’s Masterpiece Comics Initiative
Kadokawa, a popular publishing house for manga, light novels, and magazines has taken up an initiative unlike any other. They have launched a new line of mangas revolving around classic literature from around the world. The goal is to take famous works that have left an impression on the world and then adapt them into manga formats. This would help bring out different sides of renowned tales, giving them the sort of imagery that can only be brought to life through mangas.
The current lineup of the project, (via Crunchyroll), would start with the adaptation of The Silent Miaow by Paul Gallico which would be published on 20th July. Then in September a manga adaptation of The Legends of Tono by Kunio Yanagita. Following the two would be Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist in November, and Yasutaka Tsutsui’s Zanzo ni Kuchibeni wo in January 2025. Lastly, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby will be making its manga debut in March 2025.
Each of these titles holds great importance in the world of literature. These are only a few names of what seems to be a big project. Once the first wave of mangas makes it through, another is surely to come.
Wait No More
There have been various adaptations left and right of games, movies, and even popular literature. Graphic novels and mangas often find themselves collaborating with popular shows and movies to bring either extracts or different adaptations of many projects. Classic literature, for that part, stays untouched. Although there have been movie adaptations of many of them, some popular while others not so fairly talked about, manga adaptations are scarce.
Yooo finally. Only took them 100 years.
— Kewl0210 (@kewl0210.bsky.social) (@Kewl0210) June 3, 2024
How I would love to draw a Wuthering Heights adaptation lol this is so cool
— Lu / ルー (@papurii_ka_) June 3, 2024
The odyssey next please
— ⚡️ (@__Speedy2) June 3, 2024
Mega W Kadokawa
— Marcelo Lopez (@Marcelo09465003) June 3, 2024
Making classic books into anime is a pretty cool idea
— Btyhgtubyut (@BtyTubYut) June 3, 2024
Kadokawa changes that with their Masterpiece Comics initiative. Fans have been ecstatic ever since the news came out, claiming that it was high time works of literature that set the foundation of many different things got their own chance at getting manga adaptations. While some joke about Leonardo DiCaprio’s involvement, seeing his movie adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s work, others find this as the perfect opportunity to try not just mangas but also anime adaptations.
While there have been comic book adaptations, there aren’t as many manga adaptations. This gives an opportunity to expand, working on not just the aforementioned novels but many others as well.
