Kadokawa to End Da Vinci Magazine in October: What Happens Next for Its Manga & Lit Culture Legacy

It feels like watching a familiar bookstore turn off its lights one last time. Kadokawa confirmed that Da Vinci, its long-running magazine focused on the literary world (with a big soft spot for manga and light novels), will stop publishing this year. Pucha. Another print era folds, neatly, like a well-loved dust jacket.

The final curtain call is set: the November issue will be the last one, and it will ship on October 6. After that, the magazine becomes history—clean, official, and a little bittersweet.

Qué está pasando con Da Vinci

Kadokawa explained the decision as part of the bigger storm hitting publishing right now: the market has changed dramatically, and readers consume news and culture in more ways than ever. We’ve all felt it. One day we’re flipping pages; the next day we’re doomscrolling at 1 a.m. asumadre.

But here’s the key detail: Da Vinci Web will continue. Kadokawa said it plans to keep releasing content and develop the website further. So no, the voice doesn’t disappear—only the paper costume does.

Por qué esta revista importaba (sí, también para manga)

Da Vinci wasn’t just “a literature magazine.” It lived in that tasty in-between space: literary subculture, general books, and the genres that pull younger readers in—especially manga and light novels. It even published creative work like manga, short stories, and serialized stories.

Its scope also spilled into nearby worlds:

• Film and TV adaptations of novels
• Anime (both adaptations and original titles popular with young adults)
• Musicians tied to subcultures
• Essays, creator roundtables, and themed specials—sometimes diving into sex and eroticism in modern art

That mix made it feel like a cultural ramen bowl: many ingredients, one strong identity. Mostro, honestly.

Un legado que no se borra

The magazine’s timeline stretches back to April 1994, when it launched under Media Factory (then linked to Recruit). Later, Kadokawa acquired Media Factory in 2011. Publishing continued through corporate reshuffles, including Media Factory’s merge into Kadokawa in 2013, with Da Vinci still running under the Media Factory brand afterward.

And every December, it delivered a tradition many readers looked forward to: the “Book of the Year” list, including an editorial selection of 30 top manga books for the year. That kind of curation is hard to replace, like losing the friend who always knows what to recommend.

We want to hear from you. Did you read Da Vinci in print, or did you discover it online? Tell us what you’ll miss—and what you want Da Vinci Web to do next. Let’s keep that energy alive.