Kodansha Comics

Kodansha Comics to Celebrate 10 Years of Publishing with Different Spotlight Manga Every Month in 2019

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Kodansha Comics has announced that it will be celebrating its 10th anniversary of publishing in English with “10 Years of Kodansha Comics”—where for each month of 2019, starting in January 2019, it will be spotlighting a different classic Kodansha Comics manga series. With each “Manga of the Month,” fans can tune in for series-themed exclusive content, special deals, prizes through sweepstakes, and more.

For the first month of surprises, the January 2019 spotlight title will be seminal science-fiction epic Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo, the legendary artist who also directed the animated feature film based on his work.

As part of the celebration, Kodansha Comics will post on its website, KodanshaComics.com, an in-depth interview with Otomo, delving into his inspirations and intentions with Akira.

The series was released by Kodansha Comics in its first month of publishing, October 2009, before being remastered into the hardcover Akira 35th Anniversary Edition Box Set, which was the top-selling comics product of 2017 and won in two categories at the Eisner Awards at Comic-Con International last year.

All month long the Kodansha Comics website will also be running an Akira survey sweepstakes for a grand prize including the award-winning Akira box set, the art book Otomo: A Global Tribute, and additional goodies.

Lastly, throughout January 2019, or while supplies last, Kodansha Comics will invite fans to visit online manga and anime retailer Right Stuf, where every purchase of one or more Akira-related books will come with a free, original pin depicting Akira‘s protagonist Kaneda leaning on his iconic motorcycle.

In later months, as part of the “10 Years of Kodansha Comics” campaign, the publisher promises to throw the spotlight onto other classic series that have defined its rise from the new kid on the English-language manga block back in 2009 to the category heavyweight it is today. Each month will bring exclusive online content, exciting contests, and, in some cases, special promotional sales.

The publisher encourages fans to keep up with every month’s new surprises by following its website and social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, where it will be posting on “10 Years of Kodansha Comics”, along with announcements and material for new and ongoing series.

Kodansha Comics to Add the Red Riding Hood’s Wolf Apprentice and Crocodile Baron Manga Digitally in December 2018

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Kodansha Comics announced at Anime NYC that it will release Sayaka Mogi’s Red Riding Hood’s Wolf Apprentice (Akazukin no Ōkami Deshi) manga and Takuya Okada’s Crocodile Baron (Wani Danshaku) manga as digital-first manga releases in December 2018. Red Riding Hood’s Wolf Apprentice will debut on December 4, 2018, and Crocodile Baron will debut on December 11, 2018.

Mogi launched her Red Riding Hood’s Wolf Apprentice manga in Kodansha’s Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in September 2017, and the manga’s “first part” will end in the January 2019 issue, which will ship on December 9, 2018. Kodansha published the manga’s second volume on July 9, 2018.

Okada launched the Crocodile Baron manga in Kodansha’s Morning magazine as an irregular serialization in 2016. The manga switched to being published regularly in every other issue in mid-2017, and ended in this year’s 23rd issue on May 10, 2018. Kodansha published the manga’s third and final compiled volume on May 23, 2018.

Source: ANN

Kodansha Comics Licenses the Cardcaptor Sakura, Tales of Berseria, and Fate/Grand Order Manga

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Kodansha Comics announced at Anime NYC that it has licensed CLAMP’s Cardcaptor Sakura, Nobu Aonagi’s Tales of Berseria, and Shiramine’s Fate/Grand Order – mortalis:stella manga. In addition, the company announced that it plans to release a collector’s edition box set for its nine Princess Jellyfish omnibus volumes in Summer 2019.

The publisher will release the first volume of its Cardcaptor Sakura: Collector’s Edition in Spring 2019. The edition will consist of nine hardcover volumes with a newly-revised translation and all the original color pages. Each volume will have new cover art by CLAMP and a “Clow Card.” The publisher teased that those who collect all nine volumes will get a “special treat.”

Kodansha Comics will begin releasing the four-volume Tales of Berseria series in Fall 2019.

The publisher will begin releasing the Fate/Grand Order – mortalis:stella series in Fall 2019.

Source: ANN

Kodansha Comics to Release Four New Digital-First Manga in November 2018

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Kodansha Comics has announced that it will release four new digital-first manga in English in November 2018:

  • Can I Kiss You Every Day? (Mainichi Kiss shite ii desu ka?) by Hatsuharu [debuts on November 6, 2018]
  • Alicia’s Diet Quest (Alicia-san no Diet Quest) by Aoi Fujiwara [debuts on November 13, 2018]
  • Good Dog, Cerberus! (Meiken Keru-chan) by Moha Arimura [debuts on November 20, 2018]
  • Blissful Land (Tenju no Kuni) by Ichimon Izumi [debuts on November 27, 2018]

Good Dog, Cerberus! and Blissful Land are the first in a line of new all-ages digital manga that Kodansha Comics will debut every week, from November 20 through December 2018.

Source: ANN

Kodansha Comics Announces All-Ages and Teen Manga for 2019

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

At their industry panel at New York Comic Con, Kodansha Comics announced two upcoming all-ages manga, perfect for teen and adult readers as well as parents introducing kids to manga for the first time.

Beginning in April 2019, Kodansha will release Kamome Shirahama’s Witch Hat Atelier. The story of a girl who longs to be a witch in a magical society that keep telling her she doesn’t have what it takes placed at number six in a prestigious manga industry poll in Japan last year, and it is likely to be one of the most-anticipated new series in the English-speaking market, appealing to fans of Studio Ghibli and Disney films. Shirahama is known in the United States for her exquisitely-detailed variant covers featuring on comics from DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and other publishers.

July 2019 will bring Volume 1 of Magus of the Library, a story about a poor boy swept away by a kind library mage and the (literal) magic of reading. In a lushly-detailed fantasy world reminiscent of Arabian Nights, the Great Library is the center of learning in the world, and its librarians are capable of magnificent feats of magic. In a small village far from the main Library, a poor little elf boy struggles against bullies who call him “Knife-Ears.” His only solace: the books that he sneaks out of the village’s tiny branch library. When a librarian from the Great Library arrives, he’s dazzled by her knowledge and glamour. Their meeting will change his life and begin the adventure he’s always dreamed of.

“These two beautifully-drawn fantasy adventures show that there truly is manga that everyone can enjoy,” said Naho Yamada, general manager of Kodansha USA Publishing. “We’re excited at these chances for American families, who have come to know and love Japanese films like Kiki’s Delivery Service, to dive deeper into the world of Japanese sequential art.”

 

Kodansha Comics to Begin Publishing Yaoi and Yuri Manga in Print

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Kodansha Comics has announced that it would join the publishers serving readers of yaoi (also known as “boys love”) and yuri manga in print in 2019. Kodansha said it would begin with three titles, all releasing on January 1, 2019: the yaoi series 10 Dance and Hitorijime My Hero, and the yuri comedy Yuri Is My Job!.

Kodansha kicked off its entry into yaoi, a genre of male-male romance comics also known in Japan as “boys love,” with the announcement of the elegant romance 10 Dance by Satoh Inoue. This manga introduces two bitter rivals – dance champions known as the “kings of the ballroom” – who are forced to train together. The sweat and skill they display engenders a grudging respect that gradually develops into something more. Packed with muscular dancing and a classic yaoi plotline, 10 Dance is sure to appeal to fans of the genre.

A little more on the comedic side is Memeko Arii’s Hitorijime My Hero, which was adapted into an anime last year that is now streaming on Amazon Prime and HIDIVE. A yaoi romance between a good boy who didn’t know he was waiting for a hero and a bad boy who comes to his rescue, the series is a natural next step for fans of 10 count and Finder.

No genre of manga has grown more rapidly in recent years than yuri, romance comics that depict love between two girls, and Kodansha is getting into the game with Yuri Is My Job!, an uproarious comedy by Miman starring Hime, a high school girl who deeply cares about her image as a sweet, helpful princess but on the inside only cares about herself. Against her will, Hime gets manipulated into working as a waitress at a place that’s part café, part theater, where all the waitresses pretend to be students at a fictional German all-girls boarding school. Hime finds herself falling for another waitress at the café, who in front of the customers gives Hime love and devotion like she’s never known. There’s just one problem: Behind the scenes, Hime’s crush hates her guts.

The general manager of Kodansha USA Publishing, Naho Yamada, said she was thrilled to be finally releasing yaoi and yuri manga in print. “These new series appeal to readers who are finding a welcoming home in the world of manga, and we couldn’t be happier to join that movement.”

The publisher said that these three titles are just the beginning. Kodansha Comics plans to release more yaoi and yuri manga in the future.

Kodansha Comics and Vertical Comics’ Announcements at New York Comic Con

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Kodansha Comics announced that the company has licensed Mari Okada and Nao Emoto’s O Maidens in Your Savage Season (Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo) and Mitsu Izumi’s Magus of the Library (Toshokan no Daimajutsushi) manga. The publisher will begin releasing O Maidens in Your Savage Season in April 2019. Kodansha will begin releasing Magus of the Library in July 2019.

The company also announced plans to release Naoki Yamakawa and Akinari Nao’s I’m Standing on a Million Lives manga in print in May 2019 after previously debuting it as a digital-first title. It will also begin publishing Hiro Mashima’s Edens Zero in print in October 2018. In addition, the publisher announced that its Akira 35th anniversary box set is back in stock.

Vertical Comics announced that it has licensed Kaori Ozaki’s The Golden Sheep (Kin no Hitsuji) and Nanashi’s Don’t Mess with Me, Nagatoro (Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san) manga. Vertical will begin publishing The Golden Sheep in September 2019, and Don’t Mess with Me, Nagatoro in November 2019.

Source: ANN