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On Tuesday, February 6, 2024, the official YouTube channel of Shonen Jump released the VOMIC (voiced comic) version of Kagurabachi manga's first three chapters with English translations. Earlier, Shonen Jump had released the same but in Japanese text, and the videos were region-locked.
This is the first major Shonen manga that has received its VOMIC version in both English and Japanese. Notably, Shueisha releases VOMIC as a means of promotion. It refers to videos with animated manga pages and voice actors reading the chapter's dialogues.
Since Kagurabachi manga released its first volume on February 2, 2024, Shueisha streamed the VOMIC version of the series' first three chapters for promotion. Considering Shueisha uploaded the VOMIC in both English and Japanese, it shows that they have recognized the series' overseas popularity.
Kagurabachi manga receives English-translated Voiced Comics following the release of volume 1
As mentioned earlier, Shueisha streamed the English-translated VOMIC of Kagurabachi manga's first three chapters on their official YouTube channel, @Jumpchannel, on February 6, 2024.
Interestingly, the channel had earlier streamed the same VOMIC, but without any translations for the Japanese audiences. Moreover, those videos were region-locked. Several fans on X (Twitter) mentioned that this is the first time a series received their VOMIC in both English and Japanese text.
As a result, this is an unprecedented success for Kagurabachi manga, which started as a meme but has slowly built up into a fascinating battle shonen series. It should also be noted that many eminent voice actors worked in these three VOMIC.
Shoya Ishige, better known as Gojo from My Dress-up Darling, has voiced the protagonist, Chihiro Rokuhira in the VOMIC, while Kenta Fujimaki starred as Kunishige Rokuhira.
Jun Fukushima, who voiced Kazuma from the Konosuba series, and Gabiru from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, read the lines of Shiba in the VOMIC.
Besides them, the voice cast includes Tadano Akari as Hinao, Miko Tateishi as Char Kyonagi, Hideyoshi Nozawa as the Hishaku Sorcerer, and Koichi Kuroda as Madoka.
Additional cast includes, Kuroda Koichi as the Korogumi Yakuza gang's reader, Kamiya Naomichi as the activist from the first chapter, Sakurai Shinjiro, Kumagai Takahiro, and Takeuchi Jin as Yakuza members, Kuroi Junichi as "citizen," and Yukimiyama Fukuko as Goldfish.
Besides Kagurabachi, Shueisha's Shonen Jump also streamed MamaYuyu's VOMIC to promote the manga's volume 1 sales. However, unlike Hokazono's series, it has yet to receive an English-translated VOMICS.
What it means for Kagurabachi manga
Undoubtedly, Takeru Hokazono's battle shonen manga has created history by becoming the first major shonen series ever to receive a manga translation for a VOMIC (voiced comic), as confirmed by several fans on X (formerly Twitter).
Interestingly, the major titles, such as Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia didn't receive an English-translated VOMIC version upon their volume's release. As a result, this is a historical moment for Hokazono's series.
Slowly but surely, Kagurabachi manga, has been changing the landscape of Weekly Shonen Jump. The editor-in-chief of the Weekly Shonen Jump publicly acknowledged the "overseas" popularity of Hokazono's manga at Jump Festa 2024 and requested the Japanese readers to give the manga a try.
Additionally, Nikkei Newspaper, a renowned agency in Japan, conducted a survey and studied the international popularity of the series. Now, the latest English-translated VOMIC has further solidified the manga's presence in the magazine.
It shows that Shueisha is aware of Hokazono's series' popularity outside Japan. As a result, the chances of the series getting axed have considerably decreased, at least for now.
Keep up with more anime news and manga updates as 2024 continues.
