Been enjoying Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, the new chapter of Sakura’s adventure? Well, here’s some good news for you! We’re celebrating the debut of volume 2 (on sale Febuary 27), and if you buy a digital copy of Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card on BookWalker, you’ll get exclusive BookWalker bookshelf skins featuring beautiful and rare color illustrations by Cardcaptor Sakura creators CLAMP!
Each volumes comes with a unique bookshelf skin as a bonus item, so it makes you want to keep going back to get some more Sakura! Click here to find out more details on how to download the bookshelf skins on BookWalker.
This is a limited time offer which ends May 29, 2018.
So HURRY! Head over to BookWalker NOW!
Remember (or not) back in the days when manga was fairly new to all of us outside of Japan and we had no idea what to expect? We here at Kodansha Comics like to think we’re bringing back some those days of giddy manga discovery with our digital-first releases! And to really turn back the clock, we’re happy to announce today the release of all of Minetaro Mochizuki’s 90s cult classic Dragon Headas a digital release, with with the entire tightly wound ten-volume run droppingFebruary 27 at all of our partner digital book platforms. In addition—for one week only—Volume 1 of Dragon Head will be available for 99-cents on BookWalker, comiXology, Google Play, iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, and nook.
Dragon Head by Minetaro Mochizuki
The Complete Series (Volumes 1-10) available now on digital!
The end of everyone was just the beginning … Returning home by train after a class trip, Teru Aoki takes a most frightening ride inside a mountain tunnel. When the train derails, nearly everyone aboard is killed. Amidst the bloody carnage, Teru discovers two survivors—but salvation is far from their grasp. As they try to dig out from the wreck in order to come up with a plan to stay alive, the lack of light and food, combined with the stench of death and decay, will lead one member of the group down a dark and demented path. And with sudden, violent earthquakes shaking the tunnel, escaping to the outside world may lead them to an even greater danger … Originally released in English by TokyoPop, Dragon Head shocked readers used to lighter fare from the manga boom of 2000s and went on to become an underground classic. Publishers Weekly in a Starred Review called it “an emotionally and psychologically compelling drama that promises to be an unforgettable journey into darkness.” A relentless tour de force of disaster and psychedelia, it’s been long out of print, until now. Chapter 1 can be read for free here.
Are you ready? A digital debut every week!
There’s more. Dragon Head’s release kicks off a renewed barrage of digital-first manga releases from Kodansha Comics. Starting March 13, Kodansha Comics will be debuting one new digital manga series every week for the forseeable future. Great news for you readers with an undying thirst and curiosity for new manga! Here’s 3 new series starting up in March:
Starving Anonymous (debuting March 13) an intense dystopian horror thriller in the apocalyptic vein of Dragon Head and Attack on Titan, from the team that brought you zombie actioner Fort of Apocalypse.
Perfect World (debuting March 20) Rie Aruga’s touching drama about the romance that develops between an abled interior designer and her first love, whom she reencounters one day only to find he is wheelchair-bound.
Liar x Liar (debuting March 27) Renjuro Kindaichi’s devious romantic comedy about an off-kilter affair that’s kicked off by a high-school uniform and a case of mistaken identity!
Sailor Moon Musical to Premiere in Canada and Australia! Update March 20: It’s been announced that Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Musical -Le Mouvement Final- will be premiering at the selected theatres in Canada on April 4, followed by the premiere in Australia on April 5.
The U.S. Premiere of the Sailor Moon Musical! Experience Sailor Moon like never before! Don’t miss your chance to see Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Musical -Le Mouvement Final- on the big screen for the first time starting March 10! In Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Musical-Le Mouvement Final, the filmed version of the Japanese musical, Usagi Tsukino says farewell to Mamoru Chiba as he is set to leave for school in America. As Usagi says goodbye, she faints, and a super idol group called the Three Lights appear to catch her fall. Meanwhile, new enemies—the “Shadow Galactica”—are calling themselves Sailor Guardians and are aiming to steal Sailor Crystals! A mysterious young girl named Chibi-Chibi and a new group of Sailor Guardians, called the Sailor Starlights, also appear, but are they friend or foe? Can Sailor Moon and the Sailor Guardians stop the Shadow Galactica before it’s too late? Cosplay and singalong encouraged in theaters!
Kodansha Comics’ sibling publisher, Vertical Comics, has been publishing fine manga adaptations of the films of anime auteur Makoto Shinkai (of Your Name. fame) for some time now. And here’s a great way to enter that special world in one fell swoop: we’re launching the Makoto Shinkai Bundle, which includes 4 standalone mangabased on Shinkai’s films, including the latest, Voices of a Distant Star! The Makoto Shinkai Bundle is available on comiXology for$29.99 (a la carte price would be $47.88). But wait, that’s not all! To celebrate the bundle launch, we’re offerting a special promotion price of $19.99 for 1 week only! (Offer ends February 27)
Makoto Shinkai Bundle
Check out which manga are in the bundle!
You might remember this manga based on Shinkai’s first breakthrough film from 2003 from a previous edition published by TokyoPop. This new edition from Vertical comes with a new translation and lettering. Mikako Nagamine is recruited as a pilot to fight in an interstellar war against a force of alien invaders, leaving behind her one true love. Mikako’s only connection to Noboru Terao, who continues living the life of an ordinary student, is through cell phone text messages. As Mikako travels light years away, it takes longer and longer for Noboru to receive her messages, until finally one arrives eight years and seven months after she sent it … Check out the free Chapter 1 preview…
The manga adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s early short film from 1999 about a woman who lives alone with her cat—now also an anime television series. “It was the start of spring. It was raining. That was the day that she brought me home.” This is the story of Miyu, a woman who lives alone with her cat, Chobi. As Miyu navigates the world of adulthood, she discovers both the freedom and loneliness that come with living independently, and Chobi learns of the outside world through her actions. Time drifts slowly for Miyu and her cat, but the harsh realities of the world soon catch up …
Garden of Words By Makoto Shinkai, adapted by Midori Motohashi
The manga adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s award winning film from 2013. Can a poem save your life? Words are powerful. Insults and rumors can derail a career; a bit of encouragement can give someone the strength to pursue their dreams. When a high school boy skipping class to sketch shoe designs and a taciturn woman drinking a morning beer meet in a Tokyo park, they say little, but the woman bids farewell with an ancient tanka poem. Will the boy figure out the poem’s meaning—and its corresponding response—before it’s too late?
The manga adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s award winning film from 2007. Takaki Tohno quickly befriends Akari Shinohara when she transfers to his school. They grow closer to each other due to similar interests and attitudes; for instance, they both prefer to stay inside during recess due to their constitutions. As a result, they form a strong bond. Upon ending their school year, Akari moves to Tochigi, due to her parents’ jobs. The two keep in contact by writing letters, but eventually begin to drift apart. Read preview …
The Makoto Shinkai Bundle is available now on comiXology and BookWalker!
Spring is the beginning—of con season! And Kodansha Comics is hittin’ the road to deliver good news and geek out on some new manga with the fans. Our first stop: Emerald City Comic Con. Going to be in Seattle, Washington March 1-4? If so, come on down and see us at our panel, because this one is going to be an interesting one … (And if not … check our coverage and announcements here at kodanshacomics.com!) Panel title Kodansha Comics Got Weird Manga! Panel time & place Saturday, March 3 3:00-4:00 p.m., TCC L3—Room 3 Description Didja know Kodansha Comics has launched dozens of new digital-first manga series like Tokyo Tarareba Girls, To Your Eternity, Grand Blue Dreaming, and Toppu GP, offering an even more diverse and robust library of manga officially in English before it becomes available in print? This panel is your perfect chance to find out what’s going on and also add your two cents to our acquisition strategy. Ready to talk about far-fetched manga? Come to our panel and participate in the Q&A for a chance to win special prizes!
Update March 3 We made a few new licensing announcements at our Emerald City Comic Con panel!
Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku by Fujita
The awkward, romantic comedy manga about geeks in love that inspired the new anime! Can a professional man who’s secretly a hardcore gamer and a woman who’s secretly a fujoshi date without their hobbies getting in the way, or revealing each other’s secrets?
Narumi and Hirotaka are, by all appearances, a power couple. They’re young, good-looking professionals. But they have secrets from everyone but each other: They’re serious geeks! Narumi is a fujoshi, and Hirotaka’s a hardcore gamer. Their sweet, awkward love story started life as a webcomic before becoming a full-blown manga series by popular demand, and is about to become a major anime series!
• Volume 1 on sale April 17 • Extra-long book includes 2 Japanese volumes at $17.99!
• New Anime from A-1 Pictures premiering in April 2018!
Attack on Titan Character Encyclopedia
From the brave warriors of the Survey Corps to the nameless villagers who end up as Titan chow, this detailed guide contains more than 200 entries on humans and others inside and outside the Walls.
Ever wondered about Eren Yeager’s birthday? Or wanted a collection of Connie’s dumbest word-salad moments? Are you taller than humanity’s strongest soldier Captain Levi? All those answers are within the pages of this collector’s dream guide, as well as a new interview with creator Hajime Isayama, all about the real-life inspiration for your favorite Attack on Titan characters. The book also includes the latest answers to the mysteries of the nine Titans in a brand-new section on the Titans with schematics and details.
• Birthdays, personal information, and other favorite moments of your favorite characters. • Latest answers to the mysteries of the nine Titans. • New interview with Hajime Isayama • Anime Season 3 is coming soon in July 2018 • $10.99
Devils’ Line
Simulpub update! Devils’ Line from Vertical Comics will be joining the Kodansha Comics simpulpub lineup in April—with the newest chapter releasing on Crunchyroll Manga, comiXology, and Kindle on April 21, the same day it appears in Japan.
What kind of love are you looking for? Romance season is ON! Looking for that special someone? Trying to plan a surprise for your sweetie? Or maybe you’re just looking for something more than plain ol’ “romance” per se … Hey, why don’t you get a clue from some manga 😉 Starting February 6, Kodansha Comics is offering a whopping 67 romantic manga from all genres for up to 50% off at all of our digital-partner platforms: BookWalker, comiXology, Google Play, iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, and nook. This offer will last for 2 weeks (ends February 19)! Been away from romance … or romance manga? We’ve picked up some of our recent favorites by powerhouse creators like Akiko Higashimura, Ema Toyama and Mari Yoshino. Check out the Chapter 1 previews and see if there’s something you like!
Kodansha Comics Romance Manga Sale (February 6-February 19) Click on links below for free Chapter 1 previews!
Superstar creator Mitsurou Kubo (original concept and character designs for Yuri!!! on ICE) has two new manga from Kodansha Comics and Vertical!—a dramatic, funny, time-traveling high school story about what it means to cheer on a friend and a romantic comedy about love, coming of age, and hope … at age 30! Scroll down, or click on the cover, to read Chapter 1 of Moteki for free! Again!! volume 1 comes out February 27. Preorder your copy now! Kinichiro Imamura isn’t a bad guy, really, but on the first day of high school his narrow eyes and bleached blonde hair made him look so shifty that his classmates assumed the worst. Three years later, without any friends or fond memories, he isn’t exactly feeling bittersweet about graduation. But after an accidental fall down a flight of stairs, Kinichiro wakes up three years in the past … on the first day of high school! Has he really gone back in time, or is this just a crazy dream? An encounter with an awkwardly eccentric fellow student might give Kinichiro the chance to live a different version of his dull high school life—if he can just bring himself to seize the chance …
Motekivolume 1 comes out April 3. Preorder your copy now! Yukiyo Fujimoto’s life has been in a rut. He is about to turn thirty and has never held a steady job or had a girlfriend. And at a time when the prospects for hope seem at their lowest, suddenly his phone blows up! Out of the blue he is contacted by several women from his past! Yukiyo may seem to have many options now, but is he ready for love? And are any of these women? The stage for love might be set, but the time might only be right for him to finally grow up!
About Mitsurou Kubo
Mitsurou Kubo is a manga artist born in Nagasaki prefecture. Her series 3.3.7 Byoshi!! (2001-2003), Tokkyu!! (2004-2008), and Again!! (2011-2014) were published in Weekly Shonen Magazine, and Moteki (2008-2010) was published in the seinen comics magazine Evening. After the publication of Again!! concluded, she met Sayo Yamamoto, director of the global smash-hit anime Yuri!!! on ICE. Working with Yamamoto, Kubo contributed the original concept, original character designs, and initial script for Yuri!!! on ICE. Again!! is her first manga to be published in English.
Welcome to our club! Didja know Kodansha Comics has launched dozens of new digital-first manga series, offering an even more diverse and robust library of manga officially in English than what’s available in print? Over the past year or so we’ve been pushing them out at a pretty rapid clip, so our Digital-first Manga Salethis week—with 60+ series on sale up to 50% off— is your perfect chance to go digital and catch up on what’s going on! Questions?—check out our new Digital-first Manga page to see what’s in store! Why “digital-first”? • Because some of these series are now—or soon will be—available in print as well, such as Grand Blue Dreaming, To Your Eternity, and Toppu GP. If it’s not in print yet, tell us what you like! • Because digital-first allows us to get some of these series to you faster, whether that’s to catch up to a recently animated series or as same-day-as-Japan simulpubs on Crunchyroll or comiXology. • Because it allows us to bring back some of our favorite out-of-print titles, like Rave Master, Suzuka, and Nodame Cantabile. • And because it allows us to try something we might not otherwise! For this week only, all digital-first series are on sale up to 50% off on all our digital-platform partners: BookWalker, comiXology, Google Play, iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, and nook. Sale ends 2/5. It’s deep, deep library of more than 60 series, so check out the list below and why not try something new?
Kodansha Comics Digital-First Manga Sale (January 30-February 5) Click on links below for free Chapter 1 previews!
Have you been enjoying reading Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, the new sequel of the phenomenal magical shojo manga by CLAMP? Does it take you back to the good old days watching your favorite show with your friends? Well, it’s 2018, and Crunchyroll has taken it up a notch by hostingCardcaptor Sakura Movie Night for 3 nights only–– January 31, Feburuary 3, and February 4!
In Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card, Sakura and Syaoran are reunited at last — but as Sakura tries to come to terms with her feelings for Syaoran, the two must face off against the strongest Clow Card ever made!
In addition, don’t miss the exclusive showing of the prologue episode of the new Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card TV series!
Get there early to get an exclusive artcard while supply last!
There were so many amazing anime based on Kodansha Comics in 2017. In fact, some of those series (8, to be precise) are runners-up for this year's Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Whether you're a fan of the manga or the anime, your vote matters and counts towards the glory! So let's get together and root for these nominees!
Now that trailers for the Alita: Battle Angel movie have hit the internet, it’s your big chance to tell everyone what Alita is all about, right? But how much do you really know? Of course, as a manga snob, you already know the Alita movie is based on the manga Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro. B-but when your friend asks for more intel, here’s the cheat sheet you need to show off your true knowledge.
Alita: Battle Angel starring Rosa Salazar, directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron, is set to be released December 2018.
Battle Angel Alita The original series Originally published in Japan in 1990 under the title “Gunmu” (銃夢 literal translation “gun dream”), it took Kishiro 5 years to establish the worldview and overarching stories in this 9-volume original series. Synopsis: In a dump in the lawless settlement of Scrapyard, far beneath the mysterious space city of Zalem, disgraced cyber-doctor Daisuke Ido makes a strange find: the detached head of a cyborg woman who has lost all her memories. He names her Alita and equips her with a powerful new body, the Berserker. While Alita remembers no details of her former life, a moment of desperation reawakens in her nerves the legendary school of martial arts known as Panzer Kunst. In a place where there is no justice but what people make for themselves, Alita decides to become a hunter-killer, tracking down and taking out those who prey on the weak. But can she hold onto her humanity as she begins to revel in her own bloodlust? Print Edition:Volumes 1-2 are currently available in a 2-in-1 deluxe hardcover edition with all-new translation. More volumes coming soon! Digital Edition: Volumes 1-2 are now available on all digital platforms. The entire series (volumes 1-9) is already exclusively available on Kindle and ComiXology.
You thought you said “goodbye” to Alita by the end of the original series. Think again. This sequel series tells you how Alita and other characters survived even further into the future! Synopsis: Alita wakes up alone in the sky city of Tiphares, her brain and body reconstructed by the mad scientist Desty Nova. There’s no time to wonder why Alita’s greatest enemy would resurrect her, though—the royal city has been thrown into chaos by Nova’s revelation that the Tiphareans have had their brains replaced by bio-chips! Everyone needs answers—and Alita will fight to get them! Battle Angel Alita: Last Order is available as omnibus volumes 1-5, plus latest volumes 16-19 in print & digital editions!
Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Debuting on January 23, the latest story arc of the Battle Angel saga goes back into what Alita was looking for all along–– her childhood memories on Mars. Synopsis: For centuries, war has raged on the dusty, red surface of Mars. This apocalyptic crucible will produce the solar system’s most fearsome warrior, Alita. But for now that warrior is just a little girl named Yoko. The future and past of the battle angel fan out across the reaches of space in the final chapter of one of the greatest sci-fi epics of all time! Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle volume 1 is now avaiable as a digital & print edition!
About the creator: Yukito Kishiro
Regarded as one of the finest action illustrators in global comics, Yukito Kishiro is best known for creating the cyberpunk manga Battle Angel Alita. When he was only 17, Kishiro was nominated for Japanese publisher Shogakukan’s Best New Comic award. Creator of other popular manga titles, Kishiro is known for his strong characters, original settings, and intricate, lifelike artwork.
After 10+ years of shenanigans, Hiro Mashima's legendary fantasy manga Fairy Tail is coming to an end—withfinal volume 63 hitting stores January 23. But don’t say goodbye just yet! We're counting down to the conclusion of our beloved bestselling fantasy shonen series with an online celebration RIGHT HERE at Fairy Tail Hideout!
Click on the link for the debut of some special messages and one last interactive whirl with a few of your favorite Fairy Tail characters! And then party on with your fellow Fairy Tail friends IRL on #FairyTailDay January 27 at a participating bookstore!
ENTER to join the Fairy Tail Final Volume Celebration Countdown! We recommend using Chrome for browser to play.
Having issues with the online celebration? Just email us at [email protected]
Special Message––UNLOCKED!
And here’s a special message from none other than the creator of Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima!
Mark Your Calendar! #FairyTailDay on January 27!
What better way to celebrate the Fairy Tail Guild than by throwing a big party? So on Saturday, January 27, the week of the release of the final volume, come to your local bookstore for games, contests, photos, and free stuff!
The first 50 fans to show up will receive an exclusive, full-color, 48-page, comic-book version of the final chapter of Fairy Tail, plus two free 200-page paperbacks packed with the latest manga. This will be the only way to get this Fairy Tail Day-exclusive chapter in color, so don’t miss it!
Come in cosplay, and you’ll be eligible to win a free enamel pin. If you’re a creative type too shy to dress up, don’t worry—you’ll also have a shot at a pin in the “Design Your Own Guild Mark” contest. All attendees will be able to take photos in front of an exclusive Fairy Tail Day photo backdrop. Show us who’s in your guild with the hashtag #FairyTailDay on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and you might get a surprise!
See below for participating locations, and be sure to check with your local store for the start time.
