Year: 2011

KODANSHA COMICS ANNOUNCES HAJIME ISAYAMA’S ATTACK ON TITAN AT NEW YORK COMIC-CON

Posted on | Creator Spotlight | Events

Also reveals Genshiken and Kitchen Princess omnibuses

NEW YORK, October 14, 2011 – Today at New York Comic-Con Kodansha Comics announced three new titles for summer 2012: Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama, Genshiken Omnibus by Kio Shimoku, and Kitchen Princess Omnibus by Natsumi Ando and Miyuki Kobayashi.
Attack on Titan
Humanity has been devastated by the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming humanity. Seemingly unintelligent, they have roamed the world killing off humankind for years. For the past century, what’s left of mankind has hidden in a giant, three-walled city. People believe their 100-meter-high walls will protect them from the Titans, which are 10 to 20 meters tall. But the sudden appearance of an immense Titan is about to change everything.
Attack on Titan is a breakout hit in Japan, where the first five volumes of the series have sold over 5.5 million copies in just 18 months. The series has won multiple manga awards, including Best Shonen Manga of 2010. The first volume releases in June 2012.
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KODANSHA COMICS’ NEW IPAD APP DEBUTS AT NEW YORK COMIC-CON APP CREATED AND SERVICED BY RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHER SERVICES

Posted on | New Release

App to launch with $2.99 Fairy Tail promotion in celebration of manga creator New York Comic-Con guest Hiro Mashima

NEW YORK, October 14, 2011 – Kodansha USA Publishing is proud to announce the debut of the Kodansha Comics app, appearing at midnight tonight in the iTunes store. The app was created by Random House, Inc.’s digital content team on behalf of Kodansha, a Random House Publisher Services division client. It will be free to download, with most volumes priced for sale at $4.99. The Kodansha Comics iPad app will launch with 34 books covering four series: Arisa by Natsumi Ando; Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima; Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei by Koji Kumeta; and Until the Full Moon by Sanami Matoh. Additional series will be added to the app in the near future.
In a special launch promotion designed to celebrate the appearance at New York Comic-Con of Fairy Tail creator Hiro Mashima, all fifteen volumes of Fairy Tail will be available at the special price of $2.99 each for a limited time.
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SAILOR MOON VOLUME 1 GOES BACK FOR SECOND PRINT FOUR WEEKS AFTER RELEASE

Posted on | General

Title remains at number one on The New York Times bestseller list for manga for third consecutive week

NEW YORK, NEW YORK (October 15, 2011) – Kodansha USA Publishing is pleased to announce that Sailor Moon volume 1 has sold out in just four weeks, so the company has commissioned a second print run equal to the first, doubling the initial 50, 000 copy run and bringing the total to 100, 000 copies in print.
Sailor Moon’s return to the U.S. market is a clear success, with the first volume currently holding the number one spot on The New York Times bestseller list for the third week in a row. Reviews of the new editions have been stellar as well, with great reviews coming in from all over. Anime News Network raves “This rerelease of Takeuchi’s best-loved work is one that many fans have been waiting for…well worth reading,” while fans have commented that Sailor Moon is “wonderfully retranslated,” “an absolute 100% must buy,” and “long awaited and…worth it!”
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Meet Hiro Mashima at NYAF/NYCC on October 14th and 15th

Posted on | Creator Spotlight | Events

Are you a fan of “Fairy Tail” and Hiro Mashima? Well, wait no more!
He will be in New York for NYAF/NYCC for a public signing and VIP signing for anime fans who traveled near and far. The following is the schedule:

  • October 14th (Fri):
  • Room: 1A24
  • Time: 6:30PM

Free swag for FIVE lucky winners

  • October 15th (Sat): Public Signing
  • Room: 1E06
  • Time: 11AM

Free swag for those who come early. First come, first served!

  • October 15th (Sat): VIP Signing

Anime Access VIPs only
To find out more information on this event, please visit the links below:
Hiro Mashima’s Fairy Tail Facebook Page
NYAF/NYCC Official Event Page

3/11 Tsunami Photo Project Slideshow(4.5 minutes) with music by Ryuichi Sakamoto Premiers 11 May 2011 on YouTube.com

Posted on | General

New York, NY — May 12, 2011 — On May 11, two months after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Kodansha will launch a slideshow movie version of the 3/11 Tsunami Photo Project charity app for Apple iPad and iPhone. The slideshow is 4.5 minutes long and will be hosted on YouTube.com to be accessed around the globe. The 3/11 Tsunami Photo Project app has already been downloaded from Apple’ s App Store in forty-seven countries, and has held the top ranking for downloaded apps in Japan. The YouTube.com version is being launched to reach more viewers so that the catastrophe will not be forgotten.
Academy-winning Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has composed an exclusive soundtrack for the slideshow in support of the project’ s aim of spreading its message across the world and raising aid money. Mr Sakamoto has donated the track, “Kizuna World,” (kizuna means “bonds” or ” ties”) to the project.
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Kodansha Comics Announces Fall 2011 Manga Releases

Posted on | Licensing Announcements

New York, NY — March 30, 2011 — Kodansha USA Publishing is excited to announce the addition of four series to their fall 2011 list. Two are reissues of popular classics, and two are new to the U.S. market. They join a stellar fall list for Kodansha Comics that includes Sailor Moon, Codename: Sailor V, and Negima!
Love Hina returns in omnibus form this September. Ken Akamatsu’s classic manga tells the story of Keitaro Urashima, an unemployed and uneducated slacker. To make things worse, his parents have kicked him out of his house. Fortunately, his grandmother owns the fabulous Hinata Lodge and has agreed to take Keitaro in as caretaker. What he doesn’t know is that the lodge is actually a girl’s dorm and he’s the only guy around! Most guys would kill to live with five sexy ladies, but if Keitaro’s not careful, this job will kill him. The first omnibus will contain volumes 1-3 of the original Love Hina series and will be priced at $19.99. This edition of Love Hina features an entirely new translation.
Tokyo Mew Mew, a shojo classic, also returns in omnibus form in September. Ichigo is out on a date with her crush when her DNA is combined with a wildcat’s. When four others undergo the same process, it becomes apparent that they’re part of a much bigger plan. Ichigo and her friends have been chosen to become a part of the “Mew Project.” Their mission: To protect the planet from aliens who are using animals to attack humans! The first Tokyo Mew Mew omnibus will contain volumes 1-2 and will cost $14.99. This edition contains a new translation.
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KODANSHA USA ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF SAILOR MOON

Posted on | Licensing Announcements

Never-before-published Enhanced Editions of the Groundbreaking Manga Series
Share Long-Awaited US Publishing Debut with CODENAME: SAILOR V

NEW YORK, New York – March 18, 2011 – Kodansha USA Publishing, a subsidiary of Kodansha, announced today the exciting return of Naoko Takeuchi’s SAILOR MOON, one of the most significant names in comics and manga, to US publishing. Brand new deluxe editions of the acclaimed series will be released by Kodansha USA’s Kodansha Comics imprint in September 2011. Out of print for six years, SAILOR MOON re-launches along with Takeuchi’s two-volume prequel series CODENAME: SAILOR V, in print in the US for the first time-making this one of the most highly anticipated manga releases in years.
The SAILOR MOON manga, which originated in Japan in 1992 and debuted in the US in 1997, follows Usagi Tsukino, a young girl who transforms into super heroine Sailor Moon to combat evil and fight for love and justice in the name of the Moon and the mysterious Moon Princess. The first successful shojo (girls’) manga release in the US, SAILOR MOON changed the book landscape and helped establish the foundation for the manga craze; in particular drawing attention to the popularity of comics among female readers.
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