July 2023 & Spring 2024 New Licensing Announcement
Learn about all the new Kodansha print & digital manga announced at Anime Expo 2023
Kodansha USA revealed today at Anime Expo the newest slate of print manga licenses arriving in spring 2024, including all-new print titles, new omnibus editions, new-to-print titles & more! And for fans looking for new series to read (almost) immediately Kodansha announced two romantic and action-packed digital manga series arriving July 2023!
Spring sees the debut of all-new-in-English print manga like the BL isekai comedy, I Got Reincarnated in a (BL) World of Big (Man) Boobs; the spicy anthology from Blue Period creator, Nude Model: Tsubasa Yamaguchi Short Stories; as well as new editions of existing favorites like Initial D Omnibus, Fairy Tail Omnibus, Medalist, and even a new Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro box set!
More immediately July 2023 brings two new digital manga series debuts, the office romance starring a super tsundere, My Wife is a Little Intimidating; and the heart pounding mixed martial arts saga, Teppu.
Print titles announced will be available spring 2024 at physical and online book vendors like Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Amazon, and more! While July 2022 digital debuts will be available upon release across all our participating digital vendors, including Bookwalker, Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play, Nook, Kobo, MyAnimeList and more! Fans can also purchase and read all our digital manga on the new kodansha.us.
Take a look at the full roster of debuts coming in print spring 2024 and in digital July 2023.
SPRING 2024 PRINT LICENSES:
Initial D Omnibus
By Shuichi Shigeno
An all-new, large-sized, 2-in-1 print edition of the series that made Japanese street racing into a worldwide phenomenon.
Remember me? Relive Takumi Fujiwara's journey from tofu delivery boy to street-racing legend in a large-sized, 2-in-1 print edition of the series that made Japanese street racing into a worldwide phenomenon. This edition is still running in the '90s but features a new translation and lettering for the 2020s!
Rated: Older Teen 16+
A Sign of Affection Omnibus
By suu Morishita
Yuki, who’s always been deaf, is used to communicating with sign language and her phone. But she’s not used to English, so when a tourist from overseas asks for directions, she nearly panics…until a handsome stranger steps in to help. His name is Itsuomi, and it turns out he’s a friend of a friend. A charismatic globetrotter, Itsuomi speaks three languages, but he’s never had a deaf friend. The two feel drawn to each other and plan a date on a romantic winter’s night…but Yuki’s friend is afraid that she might be setting herself up to get hurt. Could this be something real? Or will these feelings melt away with the snow?
The best-selling romance that pairs a globetrotting guy and a sweet, curious woman who can’t hear, in a new, 3-in-1 omnibus edition!
Rated: Older Teen 16+
FAIRY TAIL Omnibus
By Hiro Mashima
Experience the magical adventures of Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, and all the wizards of the FAIRY TAIL world in a new three-in-one omnibus format!
The best way to collect the manga that inspired the long-running anime, including the new sequel series Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest.
Rated: Teen 13+
Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss!
By Nmura
Hashimoto spends all day at his job redoing work for his boss, who's never happy! His only refuge is an online game, where his buddy "Uma" gives him a sympathetic ear. What he doesn't realize is...his demon boss and Uma are one and the same!
A nerdy workplace BL dramedy manga perfect for fans of Cherry Magic! and Yagi the Bookshop Goat. Extra-long, 2-in-1 edition.
Rated: Older Teen 16+
Anyway, I’m Falling in Love With You.
By Haruka Mitsui
An irresistible shojo manga offering an all-you-can-eat buffet of high school drama, adolescent crushes, and childhood nostalgia.
Brand-new manga from the author of I Fell in Love After School!
Mizuha's seventeenth birthday is the pits. Her parents totally forgot, and the senpai she likes isn't interested in her. But when her longtime childhood friend asks her out, Mizuha has to sort out what this change could mean…and all in the middle of a global pandemic!
Rated: Teen 13+
Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro Box Set 3
By Nanashi
Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro 3rd box!
Includes volumes 13~18 of the manga, box with new artwork, plus a bonus item!
Rated: Teen 13+
Medalist
By TSURUMAIKADA
"A story about learning to believe in yourself even when everyone else tells you you're not good enough." — Anime News Network
The ice rink is the only place Inori can be herself—but everyone in her life insists she give up skating. Until she meets Tsukasa, a frustrated coach who will join Inori to form an unstoppable duo powered by hard work, transcendent joy, and an unshakeable belief that they can prove everyone wrong.
Winner Next Coming Manga Award 2022 and soon-to-be anime!
Rated: Teen 13+
My Noisy Roommate: The Roof Over My Head Comes With Monsters and a Hottie
By Tsukiji Nao
Osuke's excited about finally getting to live on his own, but on his first day in his new apartment, he finds himself kicked out onto the street! So, when a real estate agent appears out of nowhere offering him a beautiful, new place (with just a couple conditions), he jumps at the chance. But when he opens the door, a drop-dead gorgeous blond guy pops out! It turns out living with him is one of the conditions! His name is Nanami, and he tells Osuke that, not only are ghosts real, but Osuke himself is a magnet for all things supernatural…
Rated: Older Teen 16+
Kei X Yaku: Bound by Law
By Yoshie Kaoruhara
The manga that inspired the hit live-action drama starring Nobuyuki Suzuki and Atsuhiro Inukai!
Opposite sides of the law flirt with danger—and each other—in a tangled web of political intrigue that is fraught with deception and secrets. A suspenseful mystery sure to get the heart racing in more ways than one, perfect for fans of Banana Fish.
Rated: Older Teen 16+
Kaina of the Great Snow Sea
Story by Tsutomu Nihei, Art by Itoe Takemoto
Kaina is the only youth in the last remaining village that clings to life on the Canopy, high above the surface of the world. When Liliha, a princess from the surface, makes her way to the Canopy, they both realize that there is more to their world than they knew. Kaina agrees to help Liliha return to the Great Snow Sea far below, where her kingdom is imperiled by the rapacious neighboring kingdom of Bargia.
The trip is arduous, and foes lie in wait at the end of their descent. With Liliha taken prisoner and her father the king too caught up in politics to rescue her, Kaina has no choice but to set off with only the young prince in tow, braving the dangers of the Great Snow Sea to rescue Liliha from Bargia's clutches...
Rated: Older Teen 16+
Nude Model: Tsubasa Yamaguchi Short Stories
By Tsubasa Yamaguchi
Three erotic short stories from the creator of Blue Period.
Nude Model, in which a high school delinquent tries to seduce an introverted artist in his class, only for her to turn the tables on him. Girl, in which a teenage boy becomes in-demand for his recordings of erotic moaning, and uncovers a sexual predator on the school's staff in the process. And Kamiya, in which a young doctor who can't stand the sight of blood overcomes her fears by going to a host club staffed by vampires, only to get caught up in a serial killer's web.
Rated: 18+
I Got Reincarnated in a (BL) World of Big (Man) Boobs
By Tsukiji Nao
"I just...wanted to...touch boobies..."
Nagare loves boobs. And he gets his wish to be reincarnated in a world of boobs...except these are man boobs. A zany BL isekai comedy full of titillation and satirical jabs at manga cliches of all kinds! An extra-long, 2-in-1 edition.
Rated: Older Teen 16+ (obviously)
I Can’t Say No to the Lonely Girl
By Kashikaze
In this juicy yuri manga, the goody-goody high school girl Sakurai meets a lonely girl—and ends up entangled in a web of blackmail that might just lead to romance. It's hard to keep up with school when you can never say no to a devious classmate!
Rated: Older Teen 16+
A Brief Moment of Ichika
By Natsu Tadano
At the age of 16, Ichika Sendawara learned that she only had two years left to live. Now a sophomore college student, she lives a busy, upbeat life, despite never knowing when the end will come.
Everything changes when Ichika meets Professor Yurugi—for the first time, she feels she has something to live for. But then Yurugi quietly leaves the university, and Ichika is left wondering why, and what could have been...
A gentle love story that grapples with the deepest existential questions we face in life. As the Shuji Terayama poem quoted in the text says, "If life is nothing but goodbyes, who needs life?"
Rated: 13+
The Yearning Fox Lies in Wait
By Nmura
In 1920s Tokyo, prodigy Kiyo has finally made it to university, only to find himself in a tough spot. He happens upon Ozaki, who invites him to live in his mansion. But is Ozaki just an eccentric recluse, or something far stranger? And what kind of relationship did he have with Kiyo’s grandfather?
A supernatural, one-volume BL romance from the creator of Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss!
Rated: Older Teen 16+
Number Call
By Nagisa Furuya
From the creator of My Summer of You comes a new high school romance about the power of numbers—the author’s Japanese debut, now available for the first time in English!
High schooler Eighto Tachibana has always hated his name, and the "8" jokes that came with it. One day, he meets a classmate named Tomoya Hatta, aka Hachi—the Japanese word for "8." What begins as casual greetings and small talk in the hallway soon becomes something much deeper, and Eighto realizes that it's more than just a similar nickname that draws him to Hachi. Could the number that Eight resented for so long finally bring him something he'll love?
Rated: Teen 13+
The White and Blue Between Us
By Kiyuhiko
Is it ever too late to make up for a lie? Or can the opportunity be swept away, like white clouds across a blue summer sky?
It's been seven years since Hozumi left behind the island town he grew up in, and Mishima—his close friend and first love from high school—with it. The two haven’t spoken since Hozumi rejected Mishima and lied about his own feelings. When Hozumi returns for his high school reunion, he wants nothing more than to make amends, a task easier said than done.
A moving, dramatic, BL one-shot, perfect for fans of My Summer of You, Seven Days, or I Hear the Sunspot.
Rated: Mature 18+
The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
By Saka Mikami
The latest hit in Japan comes to print!
Two rival schools stand next door to each other: one for elite ladies, one for good-for-nothing boys. But one of those boys might just be a naturally chivalrous diamond in the rough, and one of those girls might be a little more open-minded than is proper...
Rated: Teen 13+
Gazing at the Star Next Door
By Ammitsu
The latest shojo from the creator of Ran the Peerless Beauty!
What do you do when your best friend (and secret crush) becomes a national sweetheart? This story of unrequited love between a girl and her best friend, whose acting career is pulling him further and further away, is perfect for fans of In the Clear Moonlit Dusk and Kimi ni Todoke.
Rated: Teen 13+
I See Your Face, Turned Away
By Rumi Ichinohe
From the creator of My Sweet Girl comes a new manga about four teenagers and their four stories of unrequited love. When you don't want to lose a friendship but long for something more, the only thing you can do is gaze at your beloved's face, turned away...
One might call Hikari extraordinarily ordinary. One day, she takes up a new hobby--imagining what a romance would be like between her pretty friend Mari and the cute guy in their class, Otani. It's all in harmless fun, until the roles start to get tangled in Hikari's mind. Does she really have to be just the best friend in this love story? And just who is on Otani's mind when his eyes drift?
Rated: Teen 13+
Ninja vs. Gokudo
By Shinsuke Kondo
Since before the dawn of memory, one thing has defined human history: the war between ninjas and yakuzas. This coarse and manly manga follows two members of these warring tribes who fill the gutters of modern Tokyo with blood to determine which elemental force will reign supreme!
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure meets Fist of the North Star in an outrageous new action series!
Rated: Older Teen 16+
A-DO
By Jaku Amano
A dystopian sci-fi action manga that pays homage to the classics.
Future Japan has became a volatile mix of cultures, rocked by the protests of xenophobic extremists. A brash, job-hopping young woman named Riko happens to save the life of a boy named Eito. Just as they’re about to dig into some celebratory ramen, plant-like tendrils snake out from Eito’s arm and stop a bullet in mid-flight. Who in the world is this boy, and why is the army after him?!
Rated: Older Teen 16+
The Blue Wolves of Mibu
By Tsuyoshi Yasuda
Nio is an orphan who can't help dreaming of a better world. In this action-packed manga, he meets two men who show him how much a few swords can change history.
This riveting samurai series from the acclaimed creator of Days shares its setting with Rurouni Kenshin and chronicles the founding of the Shinsengumi by handsome and volatile men fighting for justice...and for themselves!
Rated: Teen 13+
Sketchy
By MAKIHIROCHI
A portrait of young adulthood that will attract fans of Inio Asano, Akiko Higashimura, and Taiyo Matsumoto.
As her twenties slip by, Ako feels like she's falling behind. But a group of skateboarding girls will bring a newfound passion into her life in this reflective, relatable josei manga from the creator of Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live?
Rated: Older Teen 16+
Bless
By Yukino Sonoyama
They said Aia was destined to be a model, and Jun was bullied for her freckles. Together, they will take back the power to define themselves in an inspirational fashion manga that asks cutting questions about what it really means to be beautiful—and what it takes to overcome an arbitrary system that seems to respect talent over hard work.
Rated: Teen 13+
JULY 2023 DIGITAL LICENSES:
My Wife is a Little Intimidating
By Aguri Kurita
Debut Date: July 4, 2023
With how far she’s out of his league, Kosuke Shimizu never expected his senpai at work, Natsuna Shirahama, to go on a date with him…much less marry him! But with a wife so perfect, it’s no surprise that the timid and indecisive Kosuke feels inadequate…and not just in bed. The truth is, they both have their fair share of flaws (especially when it comes to expressing their love), but working through them together will only strengthen their marriage…right?
Rated: 18+
Teppu
By Moare Ohta
Debut Date: July 18, 2023
It's not easy being good at everything. First-year high school student Natsuo Ishido has always been a gifted athlete, and her ability to easily master every sport has not only bought her a life of boredom, but the resentment of everyone else who has had to work hard for their achievements. Not that Natsuo cares what anyone else thinks. All she longs for is a break from the monotony...for a real challenge worthy of pouring all her efforts into. A rival—an equal—worth beating down, crushing, and demoralizing… That all seems like a pipe dream until a pair of annoyingly peppy transfer students arrive from Brazil and start up a brand-new club that teases the challenge she craves—Mixed Martial Arts.
Rated: 13+