In May, the French government gave a gift to every 18-year-old in the country: 300 euros (about $350) to be spent on entertainment such as books, music, and movie tickets through an app called Culture Pass. The idea is to encourage young people to seek out new forms of art. But one kind is getting more attention than the rest: manga, a type of Japanese comic. About 75 percent of purchases made through the app have been books, and roughly two-thirds of those were manga. French news media even dubbed the app “manga pass.” But officials hope the app will also push teens toward art forms they haven’t experienced yet. Whether they’re buying mass media or viewing highbrow art, many teens applauded the initiative. “What’s interesting,” says 18-year-old Gabriel Tiné, “is that each person can do what they want with it.”