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Naoshi Arakawa’s new series starts now—Chapter 1 on Kindle and comiXology

Posted on | New Release | Partners

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It's morning in the Land of the Rising Sun. Manga fans across Japan are at their local convenience store picking up the just released issue of Monthly Shonen Magazine, where they will find the 70-page Chapter 1 of Farewell, My Dear Cramer (Sayonara Watashi no Cramer), the new series by Your Lie in April creator Naoshi Arakawa …

… and you, everywhere outside of Japan, can read the debut of Farewell, My Dear Cramer at the same time as Japan in English—only on Kindle and comiXology!

Enjoy! Look for Chapter 2 on June 5!

And for those who missed it, here's a reprise, and link, of our announcement of Naoshi Arakawa's forthcoming visit to Anime Expo in Los Angeles this July:

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Naoshi Arakawa, creator of the critically acclaimed manga about the struggles of a teen piano prodigy, Your Lie in April, will be attending this year’s Anime Expo in Los Angeles on July 1-4 as an official Guest of Honor.

This marks the first time Arakawa, who lives in Japan, will be making a Stateside appearance in person. Arakawa’s activities at Anime Expo so far are to include a Q&A panel, media interviews, and fan autograph sessions. More at the link.

Get a free Attack on Titan Anthology sampler in the mail!

Posted on | General

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Hey, didja miss Free Comic Book Day on May 8—and with it your chance to get a sample of the Attack on Titan Anthology? Never fear! Kodansha Comics is giving away copies of our acclaimed Free Comic Book Day book to the first 300 people to fill out our survey!

Get a Free Attack on Titan Anthology Sampler in the mail*!
Click here to take the survey. 

*For first 300 participants. U.S. or Canadian residents only.
One sampler per person and/or household. No PO boxes.
You must be 18 years or older or provide permission from a parent or guardian.

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Here's newly revealed Attack on Titan Anthology art by Phil Jimenez.

Don’t miss out on this chance at the first preview of Attack on Titan stories and art by Eisner Award winner Michael Avon Oeming (Powers), Babs Tarr/Cameron Stewart/Brenden Fletcher (the renowned team behind Batgirl), Eisner Award nominees Asaf & Tomer Hanuka (The Divine), Eisner Award winner Evan Dorkin (Dork), Top Cow pilot winner Afua Richardson (Genius), and renowned cover artist Paolo Rivera! The book itself will also contain stories by Scott Snyder, Gail Simone, Faith Erin Hicks, and many others. Here’s what people are already saying about the book:

“The talent here is serious and stylistically diverse … A huge step forward for manga in this country … Nothing like this has ever been done.” —Comics Beat

“Some of our favorite comics creators … are giving us more human-munching giants.” —io9

“We’re sure to get some weird and wonderful side stories from the impressive pool of talent that’s come together … We can’t wait to see what they come up with.” —The Mary Sue

Attack on Titan Anthology will be release on October 18, 2016. 
Click here to preorder now! 

 

Humble Manga Bundle: name your price to support charity—BUNDLE ENDS MAY 18

Posted on | Partners | Sales

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Update: ONLY TWO MORE DAYS for the first-ever Humble Manga Bundle! Kodansha Comics has teamed up with our good pals at Humble Bundle, the phenomenal pay-what-you-want digital book bundler, on the first volumes of 10 digital manga series.

THIS SPECIAL BUNDLE ENDS WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 10:59 A.M. PACIFIC TIME.

While manga has appeared in previous Humble Bundle book bundles, this is Humble Bundle's first entirely manga bundle. For this first Humble Bundle offering, we've put together a collection of our best science-fiction and fantasy series:

Pay what you want for Space Brothers Volume 1, Vinland Saga Volume 1, Inuyashiki Volume 1, Parasyte Volume 1, and Attack on Titan Volume 1.

Pay more than the average price to also receive The Heroic Legend of Arslan Volume 1, Ajin: Demi-Human Volume 1, Inuyashiki Volume 2, Parasyte Volume 2, and Attack on Titan Volume 2.

Pay $17 or more for all of that, plus the just-released (as of yesterday) Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Omnibus Volume 1, The Seven Deadly Sins Volume 1, Knights of Sidonia Volume 1, Ajin: Demi-Human Volume 2, and Attack on Titan Volume 3.

Name your price. Together, the books in this bundle usually cost as much as $177. At Humble Bundle, though, you choose the price!

Read them anywhere. These comics are available in multiple formats including CBZ, PDF, and ePub, so they work on your computer, e-readers, iPads, cell phones, and a wide array of mobile devices! Instructions and a list of recommended reading programs can be found here.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes—between Kodansha Comics, three charities (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Worldreader, and Mental Health Foundation), and, if you'd like, a fourth charity of your choice via the PayPal Giving Fund. For details on how this works, click here. If you like this bundle or like what Humble Bundle does, you can leave a Humble Tip too.

First glimpse of Attack on Titan Anthology on Free Comic Book Day May 7

Posted on | General

On Free Comic Book Day, Saturday May 7, readers at comic shops across the country are going to get a first glimpse of the Attack on Titan Anthology, the daring new collaboration between Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama and an all-star roster of Western comics creators, including a variety ranging from Scott Snyder (Batman) and Gail Simone (Birds of Prey) to Kate Leth (Kate or Die!) and Ronald Wimberly (Prince of Cats)!

The writers and artists represented in this Saturday's free sampler will be

Michael Avon Oeming (Powers)
Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, and Babs Tarr (Batgirl)
Asaf Hanuka and Tomer Hanuka (The Divine)
Kevin Wada (The Wicked + The Divine)
Afua Richardson (Genius)
and
Evan Dorkin (Welcome to Eltingville)

And, to whet your appetite, we'd like to present some brand new pieces from that sampler, not seen anywhere else!

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Levi Pin-up by Afua Richardson

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by Asaf and Tomer Hanuka

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by Michael Avon Oeming

Follow this link to find a participating comic shop near you! See you Saturday!

(And if you like what you see, don't forget to preorder!)
 

Knights of Sidonia final volume out now; Tsutomu Nihei to visit San Diego Comic Con

Posted on | Creator Spotlight | Events | Sales

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Updated May 3. It's the 15th and final volume of Knights of Sidonia, science fiction mastermind Tsutomu Nihei's outer space epic that was adapted into a hit Netflix series. Both print (from Vertical) and digital (from Kodansha Comics) editions are available starting from April 26.

To celebrate the occasion, we're also making all previous 14 digital volumes of the series available for $4.99 on all platforms, which includes:

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iBooks

Kindle

Kobo

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Sale runs through Tuesday, May 3!

Also, Comic-Con International had announced that Tsutomu Nihei, the manga creator of Knights of Sidonia and BLAME! is coming to San Diego Comic Con 2016 as a special guest! 

Here's a special video message from Nihei-sensei about his anticipation to visit SDCC2016. 

Besides being generally excited about the event, it sounds like Nihei-sensei has some major announcements regarding his latest projects up his sleeve. For more info about his appearance during SDCC2016, stay tuned to KodanshaComics.com!

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About Tsutomu Nihei

Born in 1971 in Japan's Fukushima Prefecture, Tsutomu Nihei has been drawing comics professionally since the mid 1990s. In 1995 he was awarded the Jiro Taniguchi Special Prize in that year's Afternoon Magazine Four Seasons Awards for his submission called Blame. After working as an assistant to veteran comic artist Tsutomu Takahashi, Nihei went on to launch his debut series Blame! in Afternoon Magazine in 1998. Following the success of Blame! he next penned BioMega (Viz Media) and Wolverine SNIKT (Marvel). In 2009 Nihei returned to Afternoonto launch his latest series, Knights of Sidonia. In 2015 he won the Kodansha Manga Award in the General Comics category for his work on Knights of Sidonia.

Ajin: Demi-Human anime now on Netflix [trailer, manga preview]

Posted on | General

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Announcement! Starting April 12, Ajin: Demi-Human the anime starts streaming on Netflix as a Netflix Original series. The anime is based on the dark science-fiction manga by Gamon Sakurai, published by Vertical (digital edition available from Kodansha Comics).

The animation production is by Polygon Pictures, the same people who brought you Knights of Sidonia, based on the manga by Tsutomu Nihei, also published by Vertical and Kodansha Comics.

Official Japanese trailer for the Ajin: Demi-Human anime

Read the Manga

https://kodansha.us/series/ajin-demi-human/

The Ajin: Demi-Human anime is based on the dark science-fiction manga by Gamon Sakurai, with the latest chapters being serialized at comiXology and Crunchryoll. For a free preview, read all of Chapter 1 here:

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Say you get hit by a truck and die. You come back to life. Good or bad?

For high schooler Kei—and for at least forty-six others—immortality comes as the nastiest surprise ever.

Sadly for Kei, but refreshingly for the reader, such a feat doesn’t make him a superhero. In the eyes of both the general public and governments, he’s a rare specimen who needs to be hunted down and handed over to scientists to be experimented on for life—a demi-human who must die a thousand deaths for the benefit of humanity.

Smart, fast-paced, and wrenching, Ajin: Demi-Human is a thriller that just keeps on getting better and deeper.

“The art is detailed and captivating. There is a real tangibility to the way characters are drawn and the world around them. The action panels are beautiful to look at, and most importantly, it’s all very clear and easy to follow. Some of the panels are incredibly violent—many showing the dismemberment of some of the characters—but it never comes across as exploitative or gratuitous … If you’re in search of a supernatural thriller, there’s a good chance that Ajin will leave you satisfied and hungry for more.” —Joseph Jammer Medina

“When I learned that the manga was at least in part about immortals in addition to being fairly dark in tone, I knew that I wanted to read it … Sakurai’s illustrations are what really give Ajin its effectively dark atmosphere.” —Experiments in Manga

Tokyo trip: A look at the Sailor Moon exhibit at Roppongi Hills

Posted on | Events

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A special Sailor Moon exhibit opened at Roppongi Hills in Tokyo on April 16, running through June 19. If you're luck enough to make it there in time, here's sneak peek of what's to come. And if perhaps understandably you can't make it, here's an exclusive glimpse of what's happening!

Sailor Moon—which first appeared in Nakayosi magazine from Kodansha in 1992—has been beloved by fans for over two decades. In the recent years, the new anime Sailor Moon Crystals reintroduced the property to both new and old fans alike. 

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At the main entrance, done up in the theme of the Moon Castle, awaits the full cast of Sailor Guardians. Azabu Jyuban, where Roppongi Hills is located, was also where the story of Sailor Moon took place. It's a perfect place for a photo op with your favorite characters and the Tokyo Tower in the background. At nighttime, you can see a special light show from here. 

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The illustrations and graphic novel artwork displayed were personally selected by Naoko Takeuchi herself, the creator of Sailor Moon.

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Plus, there are several brand-new works drawn by Takeuchi-sensei, just for this exhibit. 

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Very first Nakayosi magazine cover featuring Sailor Moon from 1992.

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Fully colorized Sailor Moon manga, Chapter 1.

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Timeline of Sailor Moon battles and storylines. 

In the museum section of the exhibit are 500+ rare toys and merchandise from 1990s and also reference materials that were used for the production of the animated series. 

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This Sailor Moon-themed bicycle is super clean!

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Storyboard sheets and animation cells are from the actual production of the Sailor Moon anime. 

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Special edition figurines manufactured for the 20th anniversary of Sailor Moon. 

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Costume of Prince Endymion used in the Sailor Moon musical.

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Statues of Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion.

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And don't forget to check out the gift shop for the Sailor Moon Exhibit for original merchandise!

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Ready to visit Japan? Let's go to Roppongi Hills and check out the Sailor Moon exhibit!


Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Exhibition
4/16/2016~6/19/2016
Hours: 10:00AM~10:00PM (Last Entry at 9:30PM)
Sky Gallery at Roppongi Hills Observation Deck: Tokyo City View 
Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 52F
Address: 6-10-1 Roppongi Minato-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN 


General Admission: 1800 yen
High school and College students: 1200 yen
Age 4 to Jr. High School students: 600 yen
Over age 65: 1500 yen

*Ticket includes admission to the observation deck and Mori Art Museum.

Sailor Moon Exhibit Official Website: http://roppongihills.com/tcv/jp/sailormoon/
Sailor Moon 20th Anniversaty Official Website: http://sailormoon-official.com/

 

 

Simulpub chapters for 17 series now on comiXology, Kindle

Posted on | New Release | Partners

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ComiXology and Amazon announced today the launch of new chapters from Kodansha Comics' best-selling manga series to be available in English the same day they are published in Japan (“simulpubs”), on both the comiXology platform as well as Amazon’s Kindle Store. 

Brand-new chapters of Attack on Titan Chapter 80 and The Heroic Legend of Arslan Chapter 34 go on sale today (April 8) on comiXology and Kindle, the same day they appear in Bessatsu Shonen magazine in Japan. All previous chapters from both series are also available. 

There are a total of 17 Kodansha Comics series debuting with simultaneous publication. Today also sees the launch of over 1, 900 chapters, creating a vast library for fans that want to dive in for the first time or get caught up before new chapters digitally debut in English.

“English readers can now buy chapters of their favorite manga series the same day Japanese fans are picking up new issues in convenience stores,” said Alvin Lu, General Manager at Kodansha Advanced Media. “A simulpub initiative has never been done like this before—it’s effectively a new format and it’s made possible by digital publishing. Doing this through comiXology and Amazon connects the global readership for this broad range of series at a level we’ve never seen.”

“We’re so excited to completely cut the wait time for English-speaking manga fans to no wait at all to read same day as Japan releases of their favorite Kodansha titles” said comiXology’s Senior Director of Communication, Chip Mosher. “Immediate access to new popular Kodansha manga is something we know both comiXology and Kindle fans love and we’re thrilled to be able to provide that access to manga fans everywhere on the same day all around the world.”

The launch of this unprecedented program on comiXology and Kindle worldwide, makes same-day manga chapters more widely available to English-language readers than ever before. (These English translations will not be available in Japan.)

Included in today’s launch are the following series, to be released in English on comiXology and Kindle on a weekly as well as bi-weekly, monthly, and semi-regular basis:

Weekly
As the Gods Will: The Second Series
Fairy Tail
Fuuka
GTO Paradise Lost
The Seven Deadly Sins
UQ Holder
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches

Bi-Weekly
Inuyashiki
Space Brothers

Monthly
Ajin: Demi-Human
Attack on Titan
Kiss Him, Not Me
The Heroic Legend of Arslan
Magatsuki
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth Side: P4
Sweetness and Lightning

Semi-regularly
Princess Jellyfish

 

Your Lie in April’s Naoshi Arakawa to attend Anime Expo 2016

Posted on | Creator Spotlight | Events

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Yes, it's true: Naoshi Arakawa, creator of the critically acclaimed manga about the struggles of a teen piano prodigy, Your Lie in April, will be attending this year’s Anime Expo in Los Angeles on July 1-4 as an official Guest of Honor.

This marks the first time Arakawa, who lives in Japan, will be making a Stateside appearance in person. With more details to follow, Arakawa’s activities at Anime Expo so far are to include a Q&A panel, media interviews, and fan autograph sessions. A schedule will be announced shortly.

Arakawa’s visit comes on the strength of the growing popularity in North America of Your Lie in April, which recently made the list of “2016 Great Graphic Novels for Teens” announced by the Young Adult Library Services Association (a division of the American Library Association). In Japan, Your Lie in April won the Shonen Category of the 37th Kodansha Manga Awards and was singled out by global bestselling artist Eiichiro Oda (creator of One Piece) as “the manga I’m most jealous of.” Your Lie in April has been adapted into a hit anime series (available from Aniplex of America) that was voted 1st place for the SUGOI Japan Award 2016 by Japanese fans. A live-action film is forthcoming in Japan later this year.

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The announcement from the April 6 issue of Monthly Shonen Magazine (click to enlarge image)

Arakawa’s appearance at Anime Expo was first announced in Japanese, in the print issue of Monthly Shonen Magazine released on April 6 (above). In that issue, it was also announced that Arakawa would be debuting a brand-new series, titled Sayonara Watashi no Cramer (see preview image, below), in the June issue of Monthly Shonen Magazine, on May 6.

 
Image from Naoshi Arakawa's forthcoming new series, Sayonara Watashi no Cramer (click to enlarge image)

About Naoshi Arakawa 
Naoshi Arakawa made his debut as a manga artist in 2007 with Tsumetai Kousha no Toki wa Tomaru (The Time Stops on a Frozen Campus), a manga adaptation of the mystery novel by Mizuki Tsujimura. After his original soccer series, Sayonara Football, he started his most renowned work, Your Lie in April in 2011. The series about the lives of young and talented classical musicians won the Kodansha Manga Award in 2013. It was adapted into an anime series in 2014 and will be a live-action movie in 2016. He is currently preparing to launch a brand new series in Monthly Shonen Magazine.

Media Contact:
Misaki Kido
[email protected]
For a PDF of the press release, click here

Attack on Titan 18 + Special Edition with DVD on sale now

Posted on | Sales

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Yes, Attack on Titan Volume 18 is in stores now—both print and digital editions.

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And fans of collector editions and the Attack on Titan anime will want to check out the Volume 18 Special Edition that comes with an exclusive brand-new anime episode on DVD: “Attack on Titan: No Regrets”—the backstory of Captain Levi. This Special Edition also includes a special variant dust jacket by comics artist Cameron Stewart (artist of Batgirl and Catwoman)!