Month: July 2018

Announcing: August 2018 digital-first debuts!

Posted on | New Release


The campaign continues as we launch at least one new “digital-first”manga series every week, and in August we kick off 8 new manga series, with some new and classic shojo manga, a manga-to-anime yakuza-to-idol comedy, and 5 (yes) digital-first yaoi manga!
Kodansha Comics’s digital-first manga releases are part of an exciting new initiative begun last year to put a greater diversity of manga series into the market. This month’s series debuts will be available at all of Kodansha Comics’s partner digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, BookWalker, comiXology, Google Play, Kobo, and nook:

Debuts August 7th! My Boy in Blue By Maki Miyoshi 
Kako gets tangled up when she lies about her age in order to attend a company-mixer party for singles and ends up totally infatuated with her young local policeman! And it looks like it’s mutual with Kota… until he finds out Kako’s still in high school. Read on to see if straight-arrow Kota manages to find a way to do the right thing as our story unfolds in the first volume of this upbeat new romantic comedy from Maki Miyoshi!

Debuts August 14th! Back Street Girls By Jasmine Gyuh 
Tough gangland retribution takes a disturbingly bright, shiny turn in this insanely guilty pleasure about 3 yakuzas who, as repayment for their failures, must undergo major surgery and become … a hot female idol trio! So what happens when they become the next big pop sensation!?     

Debuts August 28th! Peach Girl by Miwa Ueda  
Yes! The complete 18-volume run of Miwa Ueda’s ‘90s shojo megahit Peach Girl is back! Suntans and bleached hair were never quite so problematic, and high school drama was never quite so …. dramatic! This digital reissued edition combines the original Tokyopop run of Peach Girl and Peach Girl: Change of Heart.

… and last but not least! In addition to the print yaoi and yuri manga announcements we made at Anime Expo, we announced five new yaoi titles from Kodansha’s Honey Milk imprint for release on August 21! Behold:

Stray Bullet Baby by Kei Ichikawa 
Chihiro Murakami works at a film advertising firm and looks up to Kiyoharu Honna, the stylish editor of the trendy magazine his company does business with. He’s cool, his smile is beautiful, and he’s good at his job. But Chihiro hasn’t had a chance yet to get close to him. However, one day he ends up looking after a dead-drunk Honna and goes home with him and … !? A selfish beauty and the man wrapped around his finger.

Keeping His Whims in Check by Pi
Proclaimed handsome elite businessman, Yuto Shinonome, falls in love at first sight with Tamaki, a beauty who’s exactly his type. It hits him like a ton of bricks when he finds out Tamaki is actually a guy!! Nevertheless, Yuto still acts like a kid with a crush and teases Tamaki like there’s no tomorrow … How can perverse Yuto handle love!?

Intertwining Lives by KAZU
Yoshiya thinks it’s fate when he’s reunited with his first love; however, he learns they can never be together … For middle-aged scriptwriter Makoto and beautiful actor-in-the-making Yuu, it’s a chance meeting in which admiration turns to love, and love turns to doubt …?! A young and heartrending adolescent love story and a bittersweet mature romance. The stories of a group of men who mingle, intertwine, and change.

Key Ring Lock by ymz
Permanent part-timer, Yui, discovers a worn-out man fallen on the street. Unable to leave the strangely charming Toshiki alone, Yui helps him back home and then accepts Toshiki while being manipulated by him. However, when Yui gets up in the morning, he finds himself locked in and unable to leave. “Confinement is my hobby,” says a smiling Toshiki. Is this confinement, or is it … Their sensitive love flickers in the space between the normal and abnormal!

Trap in a Skirt by Puruchome
Androgynous Aoi has a traumatic past that makes it difficult for him to get the true satisfaction he desires. Meanwhile, Aoi’s classmate, Takano, the rough class outsider, makes a move on Aoi whenever he has the chance. Aoi doesn’t take him seriously in the beginning, however …


More information about Kodansha Comics’s “digital-first” initiative can be found here.

Discover Tokyo Sale! + digital debut: Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live?

Posted on | Sales


Tokyo Tarareba Girls, Noragami, Chihayafuru … Did you know all these manga are set  in real-life locations in Tokyo? Identifying and visiting places that appear in manga and anime is called seichi junrei, or “pilgrimage to the sacred places,” and it’s an unique way to enjoy tourism in Japan. This week for our Discover Tokyo Sale, we’ve picked 22 manga that takes place in Tokyo, and put them on sale at all of our digital retail partners: BookWalker, comiXology, Google Play, iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, and nook.
Here’s the deal
To start out with, volumes 1’s of the selected manga on digital for only 99¢!
And if you like what you’re reading, keep going—because the all other volumes are up to 50% off!
Pretty sweet deal huh? But you gotta hurry, because the sale will end on July 30!
Where do I start?

A brand new josei manga debuts on digital today, called Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live? by MAKIHIROCHI. It’s about two real estate agents, who are twins (also heavy metal fans), who put the “real” in the “real estate” game and school you about the under-the-radar neighborhoods in Tokyo. If you are looking for a good new read that takes place in Tokyo, THIS IS IT.  Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live? volume 1 debuts at 50% off cover price at $5.99. 

~ Kodansha Comics Fantasy Manga Sale  ~
July 24~30
Click on the link to read Chapter 1 for FREE!
Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live? 
Alive
Chihayafuru
City
Complex Age
COPPELION
Dragon Head
Fuuka
Genshiken
Inuyashiki
Liar x Liar
Moteki
Noragami: Stray God 
Princess Jellyfish
Real Girl
Suzuka
Tokyo Alice
Tokyo Mewmew Omnibus 
Tokyo Tarareba Girls
Welcome to the Ballroom
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
Your Lie in April
Yozakura Quartet

 
 

Attack on Titan Season 3 Sale! Volume 1 for 99¢

Posted on | Sales


It’s the Attack on Titan “Road to Season 3” Digital Sale! 
Hey, when the  Attack on Titan anime Season 3 finally starts on July 21, can you honestly say you are ready? If you really want to increase your chances of survival in a world filled with man-eating titans and human betrayal, you may want to refresh your memory and perhaps get ahead on the rapid-fire twists-and-turns and plot machinations by reading up on the manga! That’s why, for this week only, Kodansha Comics is hosting the Attack on Titan: Road to Season 3 Digital Sale (ends July 23) at all of our digital retail partners: BookWalker, comiXology, Google Play, iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, and nook!



What!? You’ve seen the anime but never read the manga? … I-it’s okay! Because this is the perfect chance to get into it, while the digital Volume 1 is on sale for ONLY 99¢! Then if you can’t stop reading it (you won’t), you can get the rest of the series are discounted up to 50% off.
There’s been SO MANY VOLUMES of manga since where we took off at the end of Attack on Titan Season 2 anime!

Besides that, there are more ways to enjoy the Attack on Titan manga:

Simulpub! 
Didja know that the newest chapters of Attack on Titan are available on the same day they come out in Japan? That means you can read ahead of the graphic novels (spoiler alert: there’s been some MAJOR DRAMA BREWING!)  before the next volume comes out! Attack on Titan simulpub chapters are also up to 50% off on comiXology until July 23.


Bundles! 
Ready to go all-in but daunted by the prospect of click-buying all those digital manga volumes one at a time? Not to worry! We’ve got Attack on Titan manga bundled up in correlation to Season 1 (volumes 1-8) and Season 2 (volumes 9-12) on comiXology. In addition to the regular bundle discount price (usually 30~40% off cover price), we’ll be taking off additional discount!  You can do the math … This is by far the cheapest offer yet—and it’s only one click of a button away!

Spinoffs! 
You’ve read the entire manga series by Hajime Isayama? But the Attack on Titan universe doesn’t stop there! These spinoff series take you into the history of the world of Attack on Titan as well as the daily lives (and goofy sides) of your favorite characters! 

All volumes of the spinoff series are also up to 50% off until July 23:

Attack on Titan: Before the Fall
Attack on Titan: Lost Girls
Attack on Titan: No Regrets
Attack on Titan: Junior High
Attack on Titan Anthology

… and to hype you up even further, here’s the trailer for
Attack on Titan Season 3 from Funimation! 




Psyched about Attack on Titan anime Season 3?
JOIN THE COUNTDOWN! 
Enter for a chance to win Attack on Titan manga & anime prizes
during Attack on Titan: Road to Season 3 Sweepstakes! (ends 8/7) 

Announcements from San Diego Comic Con (July 19-22)!

Posted on | Events | Licensing Announcements


Psssst! Going to San Diego Comic Con July 19-22? 
We’re going to have some exciting new announcements for Battle Angel Alita and The Ghost in the Shell—as well as other new licensing announcements for 2018 and beyond!. Plus, join the Q&A for a chance to win special giveaway items!
So come check out the Kodansha Comics panel on Saturday July 21, 2018 at 11:30am-12:30pm in Room 8!

“Do I have to be there?” For giveaways and fun—yes! But for the info, just check back here at kodanshacomics.com for breaking updates on our panel announcements!

Eisner Winner update!

 Congratulations to Katsuhiro Otomo and the designers and editors behind our Akira 35th Anniversary Edition box set, which won in two categories on July 20 at San Diego Comic-Con’s  2018 Will Eisner Comic Book Industry Awards!

Best Publication Design
Product design by Phil Balsman, Akira Saito (Veia), NORMA Editorial, and MASH•ROOM

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
By Katsuhiro Otomo, edited by Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye, and Lauren Scanlan

BIG kudos to all of you!

July 21 update!

Meanwhile, at our San Diego Comic Con panel, besides having special guest Shu Hashimoto, the editor of Boarding School Juliet, share behind-the-scenes process for making hit manga, we here at Kodansha Comics also made several new announcements—including new art reveal for the Battle Angel Alita box set (coming November 2018), and several August digital-first titles, including five yaoi titles launching August 21! Here’s the rundown:
Battle Angel Alita 
Coming November 2018, the  Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition Box Set includes Volumes 1-5 of the Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition, plus the Holy Night and Other Stories collection and a huge poster featuring brand new color art by Yukito Kishiro, created exclusively for this set!

Check it out! Here’s a first look at the poster art! 

The Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network 
The Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network, the anthology of The Ghost in the Shell  is coming this fall. The full creator credit and synopsis for the four stories had been revealed!

Story 1: “Automatic Behavior” by Max Gladstone & David López 
In this story by Max Gladstone, author of the Hugo-nominated Craft Sequence novels, and David López, the star artist of All-New Wolverine, Kusanagi and Aramaki are visiting Shanghai under cover as trade attachés when Aramaki is abducted in a sudden attack. Kusanagi recognizes the kidnappers as an elite American squadron she faced years earlier in Laos. But something is wrong – these soldiers should all be dead. Aramaki awakens inside a simulated world where his captors use repetition and pain to wear him down. Cut off from support, Kusanagi will have to reunite with an old friend to discover who has taken Aramaki and recover him before they break his ICE and access his ghost.
Story 2: “Redbloods” by Alex de Campi & Giannis Milonogiannis
From legendary writer Alex de Campi (Twisted Romance, Grindhouse) and Giannis Milonogiannis of Image Comics’s acclaimed Prophet. A raid on a pleasure cruise off the coast of Yokohama unveils an international gang of smugglers trading illegally in the cyber-bodies of children. The trail leads to a dank corner of what was once Louisiana, where Togusa and Saito find themselves alone and outgunned. Meanwhile, Chief Aramaki and Major Kusanagi clash over a difference in philosophy with major implications for one little girl.
Story 3: “After the Ball Is Over” by Genevieve Valentine & Brent Schoonover
By Genevieve Valentine (Catwoman) and Brent Schoonover (Ant-Man), this story is set amid the aftermath of the war that divided the United States into three separate entities now at an uneasy peace. A woman has lived without augmentations, making a living by smuggling information the analog way. But an encounter with a man she never thought to see again drives her to stick her neck out one last time, and brave the checkpoints and suspicion that now pock what was once the land of the free.
Story 4: “Star Gardens” by Brenden Fletcher & LRNZ
From the explosive combination of Brenden Fletcher (Batgirl, Motor Crush) and LRNZ (Golem) comes an exploration of the nature of identity and imagination, punctuated by stylized fights and homages to every past incarnation of Section 9. A mind-blowing, kinetic descent into the mind of Major Motoko Kusanagi concludes The Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network.
 Digital-First New Releases: August 2018 

Debuts August 7th! My Boy in Blue By Maki Miyoshi 
Kako gets tangled up when she lies about her age in order to attend a company-mixer party for singles and ends up totally infatuated with her young local policeman! And it looks like it’s mutual with Kota… until he finds out Kako’s still in high school. Read on to see if straight-arrow Kota manages to find a way to do the right thing as our story unfolds in the first volume of this upbeat new romantic comedy from Maki Miyoshi!

Debuts August 14th! Back Street Girls By Jasmine Gyuh 
Tough gangland retribution takes a disturbingly bright, shiny turn in this insanely guilty pleasure about 3 yakuzas who, as repayment for their failures, must undergo major surgery and become … a hot female idol trio! So what happens when they become the next big pop sensation!?     

Debuts August 28th! Peach Girl by Miwa Ueda  
Yes! The complete 18-volume run of Miwa Ueda’s ‘90s shojo megahit Peach Girl is back! Suntans and bleached hair were never quite so problematic, and high school drama was never quite so …. dramatic! This digital reissued edition combines the original Tokyopop run of Peach Girl and Peach Girl: Change of Heart.

… and last but not least! In addition to the print yaoi and yuri manga announcements we made at Anime Expo, we announced five new yaoi titles from Kodansha’s Honey Milk imprint for release on August 21! Behold:

Stray Bullet Baby by Kei Ichikawa 
Chihiro Murakami works at a film advertising firm and looks up to Kiyoharu Honna, the stylish editor of the trendy magazine his company does business with. He’s cool, his smile is beautiful, and he’s good at his job. But Chihiro hasn’t had a chance yet to get close to him. However, one day he ends up looking after a dead-drunk Honna and goes home with him and … !? A selfish beauty and the man wrapped around his finger.

Keeping His Whims in Check by Pi
Proclaimed handsome elite businessman, Yuto Shinonome, falls in love at first sight with Tamaki, a beauty who’s exactly his type. It hits him like a ton of bricks when he finds out Tamaki is actually a guy!! Nevertheless, Yuto still acts like a kid with a crush and teases Tamaki like there’s no tomorrow … How can perverse Yuto handle love!?

Intertwining Lives by KAZU
Yoshiya thinks it’s fate when he’s reunited with his first love; however, he learns they can never be together … For middle-aged scriptwriter Makoto and beautiful actor-in-the-making Yuu, it’s a chance meeting in which admiration turns to love, and love turns to doubt …?! A young and heartrending adolescent love story and a bittersweet mature romance. The stories of a group of men who mingle, intertwine, and change.

Key Ring Lock by ymz
Permanent part-timer, Yui, discovers a worn-out man fallen on the street. Unable to leave the strangely charming Toshiki alone, Yui helps him back home and then accepts Toshiki while being manipulated by him. However, when Yui gets up in the morning, he finds himself locked in and unable to leave. “Confinement is my hobby,” says a smiling Toshiki. Is this confinement, or is it … Their sensitive love flickers in the space between the normal and abnormal!

Trap in a Skirt by Puruchome
Androgynous Aoi has a traumatic past that makes it difficult for him to get the true satisfaction he desires. Meanwhile, Aoi’s classmate, Takano, the rough class outsider, makes a move on Aoi whenever he has the chance. Aoi doesn’t take him seriously in the beginning, however …

July 17 update!

Special guest appearance: Shu Hashimoto
At this year’s Kodansha Comics panel, we have special guest Shu Hashimoto—manga editor extraordinaire from Kodansha Japan. Shu’s worked closely behind-the-scenes with the creators of hit series you love like Fairy Tail, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches … and he’s also the founding editor of the up-and-coming manga-to-anime series, Boarding School Juliet! Mr. Hashimoto will share the creative process and behind-the-scenes of the making of our next hit manga!



Wanna know what’s like to be a manga editor? 
You can also follow Mr. Hashimoto on Twitter at @wmhashimoto 

Panel Exclusive: BECK Stickers!
To celebrate the launch of Harold Sakuishi’s ye olde schoole and ye newe schoole manga, i.e., BECK and Seven Shakespeares on comiXology Originals, we’ve got these here panel-exclusive BECK stickers! Be sure to come to Kodansha Comics panel early and grab one to decorate your laptop, drum set, ukulele, or whatever instruments of thy choice! 

Soccer Manga Sale! Volume 1s 99¢ + additional digital volumes up to 50% off

Posted on | Sales


As the number of still-competing soccer teams dwindles in a certain high-profile tournament, we here at Kodansha Comics have been cheering on our favorite team … IN MANGA! Did you know that we publish not one, not two, not three, but four soccer manga series? This week, we’re hosting our inaugural Soccer Manga Sale at all of our digital retail partners: BookWalker, comiXology, Google Play, iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, and nook.
Here’s the deal
First of all: all digital Volumes 1s (or chapter 1s) of all series listed below only 99¢!
Next: if you like what you’re reading, keep going—because all other volumes are up to 50% off!
And to make it even easier for you, we’ve put some of the series available as a complete series bundles up to 60% off!
Pretty sweet deal huh? But you gotta hurry, because the sale will end on July 16!
Here’s the lineup!

~ Kodansha Comics Soccer Manga Sale  ~
July 10-16
Click on the cover to read Chapter 1 for FREE!


Days
by Tsuyoshi Yasuda
From Tsuyoshi Yasuda comes the most exciting soccer manga in the world! During his last spring break before starting high school, Tsukushi Tsukamoto meets Jin Kazama, who invites him to a pick-up soccer game. Their chance meeting, and his first-ever experience with soccer, move kind-hearted, timid Tsukushi to enroll in his new high school’s soccer club, which is among the strongest in all of Japan. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, there’s something amazing hidden inside Tsukushi’s heart … and through his trials and tribulations in the soccer club, it’s beginning to blossom!
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Giant Killing
by Masaya Tsunamoto and Tsujitomo
A truly great coach makes the game of soccer interesting! Tatsumi Takeshi is 35 and has spent the last few years coaching in England before being brought back to Japan to coach his old team. His favorite pastime? Causing giant upsets—a.k.a. Giant Killing!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sayonara, Football
by Naoshi Arakawa
Before Farewell, My Dear Cramer and Your Lie in April,  there was … Sayonara, Football, Naoshi Arakawa’s breakthrough soccer manga! 14-year-old Nozomi Onda has only one thing on her mind: playing beautiful soccer. There’s just one problem: no matter how much she longs to participate in official matches, she’d have physically superior boys as opponents. But when a boy from her past confronts her on the street, she decides she can’t wait any longer.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Farewell My Dear Cramer
by Naoshi Arakawa 
The new girls’ soccer manga from Naoshi Arakawa, creator of Your Lie in April! Read it now as simulpubbed chapters on comiXology and Kindle or streaming on Crunchyroll!

Attack on Titan: Road to Season 3 Sweepstakes July 7-August 7

Posted on | Giveaways


Season 3 of the Attack on Titan anime kicks off July 21! If you’re keeping up with the manga by Hajime Isayama, you know this is  going to be the most exciting season yet! Counting down the days until the first anime episode airs? Then join us for the Attack on Titan: Road to Season 3 Sweepstakes, hosted by Kodansha Comics and Funimation, with a chance to win some very cool Attack on Titan manga and anime prizes! 
Attack on Titan: Road to Season 3 Sweepstakes! 
When July 7-August 7, 2018 
How Tell us what you love about Attack on Titan by taking this survey and enter for a chance to win these prizes!


What 5 lucky winners will get the entire collection of Attack on Titan anime and manga! This consists of this massive bomb of physical and digital content:
– Attack on Titan Season 1 Part 1 Manga Box Set (contains Volumes 1-4)
– Attack on Titan Season 1 Part 2 Manga Box Set (contains Volumes 5-8)
– Attack on Titan Season 2 Manga Box Set (contains Volumes 9-12)
– Attack on Titan manga Volumes 13-16 (regular editions)
– Attack on Titan manga Volumes 17-20 (Special Editions w/”Lost Episodes” DVDs)
– Attack on Titan manga Volumes 21-25 (regular editions)
– Attack on Titan digital volumes 1-25 (on comiXology or iBooks)
– Attack on Titan Character Enclyclopedia
– Attack on Titan: The Anime Guide
– Garrison Girl: An Attack on Titan Novel  from Quirk Books
– Attack on Titan Complete Season 1 Blue-ray/DVD Combo Pack
– Attack on Titan Complete Season 2 Blue-ray/DVD Combo pack
– Plus! 1 month free subscription for FunimationNOW* where you can watch Attack on Titan anime Season 3! 
*requires credit card information when you create a new account.

Attack on Titan Survey Sweeptakes
Take the Survey HERE to enter for a chance to win!
Sweepstakes ends on August 7, 2018 at 11 p.m. Pacific Time!

Good Luck! 


Attack on Titan, volumes 1-25 are available in print & digital from Kodansha Comics!

AX2018 Recap: a summary of all our new licensing announcements and more!

Posted on | Licensing Announcements


Gotta say we had quite a blast at Anime Expo this year! We hosted several major events, made lots of announcements about new manga and projects (see below!), and had a great time with all of you who stopped by our biggest and baddest ever Anime Expo booth! Here’s a day-by day recap of what went down at America’s premier anime con in 2018:
July 5 (Thursday) BECK and Seven Shakespeares digital debut! In which we debuted not one but two new manga by Harold Sakuishi, the creator of all-time rock ‘n’ roll manga BECK. Not only did we announce that we’d go beyond where that manga last left off in English, we announced Sakuishi-sensei’s latest too: Seven Shakespeares. It all came in one massive drop on July 5 of 18 volumes of manga courtesy of comiXology Originals!


July 6 (Friday) The Seven Deadly Sins Panel In which Yuki Kaji and Bryce Papenbrook, the Japanese and American voice-actor stars of the hit anime The Seven Deadly Sins, did a manga live reading and terrific Q&A with the audience. Check out our live tweet highlights here. 


July 7 (Saturday) Kodansha Comics/Vertical Panel And last but not least, here’s a big breakdown of a bevy of major new licensing announcements we made for for Fall 2018 new titles at our industry panel! 

Hiro Mashima’s Playground
by Hiro Mashima
A new collection of short stories by Hiro Mashima, creator of Fairy Tail and Rave Master! Read some of Mashima’s never-before-seen debut stories, including the first appearance of the Fairy Tail guild!
Coming October 2018!

Fairy Tail: Lightning Gods
by Kyouta Shibano and created by Hiro Mashima
The final Fairy Tail spinoff manga, following the volatile and handsome lightning wizard, Laxus! Complete your collection that began with Fairy Tail: Twin Dragons of Saber Tooth and Fairy Tail: Rhodonite.
Coming November 2018! 

Edens Zero
by Hiro Mashima
It’s here! The creator of Fairy Tail, manga superstar Hiro Mashima, is back with a high-flying space adventure! All the steadfast friendship, crazy fighting, and blue cats you’ve come to expect … IN SPACE!
Simulpub available now on Crunchryoll, comiXology, and Kindle. Volume 1 simultaneous global print release in October 2018!

The Seven Deadly Sins: 7 Days
by You Kokikuji and Mamoru Iwasa, created by Nakaba Suzuki

A new, two-volume adventure in the world of the hit manga and Netflix Original Series The Seven Deadly Sins! Seven Days follows fan-favorite character Ban in a romance caught between eternal life and unconquerable death …
Volume 1 coming October 2018, Volume 2 coming November 2018!

Boarding School Juliet
by Yousuke Kaneda

The Romeo and Juliet high school rom-com that inspired the upcoming anime! Rival dorms on an extravagant island campus fight a schoolyard war, but can two star-crossed lovers keep their budding relationship a secret?
Digital-to-Print debut in October 2018!

The Quintessential Quintuplets
by Negi Haruba

A high school romantic comedy with five times the cute girls! A high school boy must work part-time to help five sisters study so they can graduate, but the only thing these quintuplets have in common is that they all hate studying!
Coming in January 2018!


Gleipnir
by Sun Takeda

Dark, disturbing, sexy, and shameful, this new science-fiction action manga stars a dominating teenage girl searching for a sister who became a monster, and a submissive boy with the strange power to turn into a ragged but powerful beast, with a zipper down his back and a compartment on the inside just big enough to hold a human body. It’s like one of those cute kid’s monster manga, but with a dose of S&M!
Coming March 2019!


Love In Focus
by Yoko Nogiri

From the creator of New York Times bestselling manga That Wolf-Boy Is Mine! comes a feel-good romance about a teenage girl whose passion for photography leads her to a new school, a new dorm, and a new love triangle!
Coming March 2019!

Witch Hat Atelier
by Kamome Shirahama

A beautifully-illustrated story about a girl who longs for magic in her life and learns that, on the inside, she already is what she wishes she could be. Reminiscent of Studio Ghibli, this lushly-drawn story was voted one of the top 10 manga of the year in 2018 by the Japanese manga industry.
Coming March 2019! 

10 Dance
by Satoh Inoue

Yaoi fans, dip into your new obsession! The beautifully-detailed, lithe bodies of the two “kings of the ballroom” fly across the dance floor as rivals build a volatile bond in this red-hot romance!
Coming January 2019!

Hitorijime My Hero
by Memeko Arii

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! Now a hit anime on Amazon Prime!
Coming January 2019!

Yuri Is My Job!
by Miman

The new, hilarious yuri comedy! Hime gets roped into working at a weird café where the waitresses pretend to be students at an all-girl boarding school. She’s strangely taken with her partner Mitsuki, who’s so kind to her in front of the customers. There’s just one problem … Mitsuki really can’t stand her!
Coming January 2019!

Attack on Titan: Road to Season 3 Sweepstakes
… and to help gear you up for the new season of the Attack on Titan anime, Kodansha Comics and Funimation are teaming up to host the Attack on Titan Survey Sweepstakes. To enter a chance to win these massive manga and anime prizes, take this survey, and tell us how you feel about Attack on Titan! 

Anime Expo sale on comiXology: everything 50% off 7/5-7/9

Posted on | Sales


Anime Expo goers! We know that you’re all about the bargains and rare treasure hunting! But lugging around all the goodies that you bought could slow your actions on the show floor. Luckily, some things are much easier to take home when it’s on digital–– namely lots and lots of awesome manga from Kodansha Comics! 
During Anime Expo (July 5 thru July 9), comiXology is having a massive 50% off sale on (almost) entire collection of manga from Kodansha Comics and Vertical Inc*. All you have to do is use the code “manga” at the cart page during the check out. 
*Offer does not include Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, xxxHOLiC Omnibus, xxxHOLic Rei, Tsubasa Omnibus, and Tsubasa: WoRLD CHRoNiCLE, or any titles that are already discounted, or released after June 26, 2018. 
So what are you waiting for?  Head over to comiXology now and check out what’s on sale! 

Happy hunting! 
 

BECK and Seven Shakespeares: 2 x Harold Sakuishi debut July 5!

Posted on | Creator Spotlight | New Release


Creator Spotlight: Harold Sakuishi

It’s been a long time since he rock and rolled (in English), but Harold Sakuishi is back—and beyond!
Today, July 5, we debut not one but two new manga by the creator of the all-time rock ‘n’ roll manga BECK. And not only do we go beyond where that manga last left off in English, we bring you Sakuishi-sensei’s latest: Seven Shakespeares. And it all comes to you in one massive drop in one day of 18 volumes of manga courtesy of comiXology Originals! 
BECK returns with new, never-before-translated volumes and debuts today with the first 14 volumes available to read now. This release of BECK will see the series completed for the first time in English. Read all of Chapter 1—as a free preview—below!
Sakuishi’s latest ongoing series Seven Shakespeares launches for the first time ever in English with 4 volumes available today.  
Both Beck and Seven Shakespeares are being made availably by comiXology Originals and are available for now only on Kindle and comiXology.

BECK
BECK is back! Harold Sakuishi’s wildly addictive 34-volume rock ‘n’ roll epic that redefined for a generation what manga could be returns—at last complete in English. Fourteen-year-old Yukio Tanaka is one heck of a boring guy. He has no hobbies, weak taste in music, and only a small vestige of a personality. His shy and somewhat neurotic personality makes him his own worst enemy. Little does he know that his life will be forever changed when he meets rocker Ryusuke Minami, an unpredictable sixteen-year-old with a cool dog named Beck. Ryusuke has just returned to Japan from America, and when he inspires Yukio to get into music, the two begin a journey through the world of rock ‘n’ roll dreams! Lace up your Docs and head to the mosh pit—Harold Sakuishi’s manga series that spawned the hit anime is back!

Seven Shakespeares
Literary secrets come alive when Harold Sakuishi, creator of the all-time-classic rock ‘n’ roll manga BECK, tackles a different kind of legend: William Shakespeare. He’s said to be the greatest playwright and poet in history, the author of Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth, but just who was Shakespeare? Harold Sakuishi unlocks the secrets behind the writer you only thought you knew! Volumes 1-3 come in special, 520-page 2-in-1 editions!

“I’m so happy to see BECK and Seven Shakespeares in English—now they can really be enjoyed by everyone. I also want to thank all the music, the musicians, and William Shakespeare, for the inspiration. Hope you will enjoy them too. Thank you!” —Harold Sakuishi

About Harold Sakuishi 
Harold Sakuishi was born in 1969 in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. He started his career as a manga-ka in 1987, when he won the 17th annual Tetsuya Chiba Excellent Newcomers Award with his one-shot manga Souwaikan (That’s Not Going to Happen). The following year, he debuted his first serial, Gorillaman, which went on to win the Kodansha Manga Award in 1990. He has since serialized various manga in Kodansha’s Young Magazine, such as Bakaichi and Stopper Busujima. In 1999, he started what would become his signature work, BECK, which won him his second Kodansha Manga Award. Other notable manga include RiN and his current ongoing serial, Seven Shakespeares. 

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Japan Crate x Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card for July Premium Crate

Posted on | Partners


Kodansha Comics is teaming up with Japan Crate to present to you a magically delicious crate featuring Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card!
To celebrate the new chapter in the saga of Cardcaptor Sakura, Japan Crate has created a delectable box of snacks and goodies perfect for enjoying as you follow Sakura’s adventures. With goodies every bit as adorable as Sakura herself, not even the famously ravenous Yukito is in danger of going hungry with them. Dig in as you dive into the latest volume of Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card!
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-themed Premium Crate includes:
・Limited Edition Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-skinned crate
・Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card x Japan Crate collaboration booklet
・Exclusive Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card x Japan Crate manga sampler

HURRY! Time is running out!
To get the Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card x Japan Crate, subscribe to Japan Crate by July 31, 2018*! (Going to be at AnimeExpo? Subscribe in-person at the Japan Crate booth!!)
For more info on the subscription, check out Japan Crate’s website. 
*While supplies last.

When you get your Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Japan Crate in August, post your crate (and happy face!) on social media to share your experience with your friends! Also, be sure to keep your eyes on Japan Crate’s Twitter and Facebook for special giveaways!
About Japan Crate:
Japan Crate is the leading Japanese culture subscription box that shares the experience of Japan through monthly crates of candy, snacks, kawaii items, noodles and beauty products. Japan Crate’s products include Japan Crate, Doki Doki Crate, Umai Crate and Kira Kira Crate.
Learn more at www.japancrate.com

Attack on Titan Season 3 World Premiere Event! July 10-11

Posted on | Events

Seems like forever we’ve waiting for this moment. But it’s FINALLY HAPPENING. The new season of the Attack on Titan anime kicks off  July 21! If you’re keeping up with the manga by Hajime Isayama, you know this is possibly going to be the most exciting season yet!

Can’t wait that long?! On July 10 and 11, Funimation Films presents Attack on Titan Season 2 Movie: Roar of Awakening and the Attack on Titan Season 3 world premiere in select U.S. and Canadian theaters! 



This Attack on Titan Season 3 event immediately follows up the recap movie with a special presentation of Season 3 Episode 1 of the series. This North American world premiere will be the first ever for the franchise and is a must-see event for U.S. and Canadian fans to experience Attack on Titan Season 3 nearly two weeks before the series’ scheduled television debut in Japan on July 22.


Click here to find the participating theater near you & buy tickets!