Start the year with tons of manga at a great price until 1/18!
To celebrate the New Year, we’re discounting more than 3000 select digital manga titles up to 50% off at participating digital retailers Bookwalker, comiXology, Google Play, Kindle, Nook and izneo, during the New Year, New Manga sale!
Kodansha USA Announces Expanding Partnership with INKR Comics
Anime Inspiring manga series, Attack on Titan, A Silent Voice, Your Lie in April, among this week’s new additions, with even more debuting next week
Read over 400 volumes from Kodansha USA on the new manga, webtoons, manhua, and comics streaming service
December 17, 2020 – New York, NY – Today, Kodansha USA, purveyors of some of the world’s most recognized manga properties, has expanded its partnership with INKR Comics, the immersive new comics reading and publishing app, to increase its existing library of fan-favorite manga to over 400 volumes. This week marks the debut of such popular series as Attack on Titan, To Your Eternity, A Silent Voice, Your Lie in April, and more. Also joining the INKR streaming service next week are a number of anime-inspiring manga series like Fire Force, FAIRY TAIL, and The Seven Deadly Sins. Kodansha USA is among the highest profile publishers to be a part of the INKR Comics app launch on October 15, 2020, and has continued to add titles to the budding manga, webtoons, manhua, and comics streaming service. Fans who want to try the new platform can download the app for iOS and Android, here. Once in the app, users can read select chapters of manga for free, and even sample the INKR EXTRA streaming service with a 30-day free trial. At the end of the trial, fans pay only $4.99 a month to continue using the service.
INKR offers readers universal access to comics from around the world, including Japanese manga from Kodansha USA and Tokyopop, Korean webtoons from Mr. Blue and Toons Family, Chinese manhua from Weibo and FanFan, and American comics from publishers such as Image, an unparalleled catalog of diverse works available to read on one app. For more information on this and other Kodansha USA Publishing titles please visit: https://kodansha.us/.
All the fun of Black Friday with none of the pushing and shoving!
We know your wallet might already be strained by all the crazy deals all over the internet BUT how many of them will open your eyes vast manga universes for just .99¢ a pop? Can’t think of one? Well we’re just THAT deal! Right now until Monday, November 30th, you can indulge in nearly 30 series ranging from sci-fi landscapes like in Battle Angel Alita, BLAME! and EDENS ZERO, to magical realms like FAIRY TAIL, The Seven Deadly Sins, and To Your Eternity, and the even love-filled corridors of romance series like in Domestic Girlfriend, Motekiand O’ Maidens in Your Savage Season– each one, only .99¢ for volume 1s.
It’s a deal that won’t last long but, also won’t burden your wallet! Just visit one of our participating digital vendors to start any (or ALL) of these amazing series for just 99¢ each!: Bookwalker, comiXology, Google Play, Kindle, Nook and izneo. Sale runs from November 25 – 30th!
~(Not Just) Black Friday Digital Manga Sale ~ November 25 – 30th See below for the full list of titles being offered during this sale, and click on the links below to read chapter 1s FREE!
Get on the bus (Gus) & save on these school-themed stories!
These days there’s plenty of reasons why we wish we were back during the simpler days of school. But with so-much keeping us away from those hallways and lockers we’re here to help you with the next best thing and transport you back to school via Manga!
Just visit one of our participating digital vendors to take up to 50% off select titles and fill your digital book back with (Not Quite) Back to School reading: Bookwalker, comiXology, Google Play, Kindle, Nook and izneo. Sale runs from September 15 to 28!
~(Not Quite) Back to School Digital Sale! ~ September 15 – 28 See below for the full list of titles being offered during this sale, and click on the links below to read chapter 1s FREE!
Is online dating leaving your heart cold? This Valentine’s Day Kodansha Comics & VERTICAL want to help you fall in love with one of over 100 romantic digital manga titles during our Love Romance Sale! As they say, love may be temporary, but manga is forever. And with our expanding digital library, these titles will be with you wherever you go! (We definitely weren’t stood up and left alone or anything…)
Whether you’re into steamy and tawdry romances like in My Boss’s Kitten, absurd and whimsical romps like That Wolf-boy is Mine, or coming of age tales of learning to love like O Maidens In Your Savage Season, our Love Romance sale has doki doki stories of all kinds to make your heart burst (not your wallet)!
Save now up to 50% off more than 100 of our romantic digital manga titles at our partners: BookWalker, comiXology, Google Play, Kindle, MyAnimeList, and nook.
~ Kodansha Comics Love Romance Sale! ~ February 10-17 Click on the featured titles for more info or to read Chapter 1s FREE!
… but that’s not all! To celebrate, we’re putting all of our past-and-present award winners on sale! Each series is up to 50% off at our digital partnersBookWalker, comiXology, Google Play, Kindle, MyAnimeList, and nook! Sale ends February 3rd!
~ Kodansha Comics Award-Winning Manga Sale ~
January 28-February 3 Click on the featured titles to read Chapter 1 for FREE!
Looking to be a manga Santa this year? Or maybe you’re looking to give yourself a nice treat to curl up with!
To help out with your gift-hunting, we here at Kodansha Comics thought of the two most important parts of any present: who’s it for and what’s inside? So the following curated selection of manga features information about what you’re getting and who might want to get it!
Nothing feels better than checking off those names from the list (… well, besides seeing them open their gift of course!) Happy Holiday gift hunting!
Magic Knight Rayearth 25th Anniversary Manga Box Set 1
For: CLAMP fans, folks interested in a series with a classic art-style, anyone interested in a magical adventure series with female leads
What’s inside: This box set includes three volumes of manga covering the entire first series of Magic Knight Rayearth, plus the series’s super-rare full-color art book companion, all printed at a larger size than ever before, on premium paper featuring a newly revised translation and lettering, and exquisite foil-stamped covers.
For: Anyone. Great gift for any daydreamer, perfect coffee-table art book
What’s inside: a remastered art book by VOFAN, based on his original Taiwan release.
This version features an U.S. exclusive cover, updated art pieces, table of contents page, a brand new story (dream) and an extended interview with VOFAN!
For: For any fan looking for an entry point into one of the building blocks of science-fiction manga
What’s inside: This box set includes all five volumes of Battle Angel Alita plus a brand new book of short stories—more than 2,000 pages of manga—in a collector’s box set with special extras.
For:Cardcaptor Sakura brought a generation of readers to manga, and now it’s back in a definitive collector’s edition! Any fans of CLAMP, budding shojo readers, and collectors will love this gift!
What’s inside:Cardcaptor Sakura is one of the all-time classics of the magical-girl genre, and the Collector’s Edition will be the definitive version of the story, for both long-time fans and readers new to the story. Each volume comes with a bonus collectible Clow Card!
For:Anyone interested in a quirky, philosophical manga about friendship and finding a place in the world.
What’s inside:What manga could be more appropriate for Christmas than one featuring Jesus … with his roommate Buddha in a flat in western Tokyo!? This highly anticipated print release of one of the most talked about series comes with an extra-large 2-in-1 premium hardcover!
What’s inside: With the overwhelming popularity of the first box set of NISIOISIN’s MONOGATARI Series, we now present to you this beautiful new box set featuring all the novels of Season 2!
VOFAN has created new artwork exclusively for the project, which wraps around the package. Plus a beautiful art card included as a bonus item showcasing the Season 2 characters!
For:It’s the best way to read the series, it’s easy to read, and made with the power of love (and high quality printing.) Any fan of Sailor Moon would be THRILLED to get these!
What’s inside: The guardians in sailor suits return in this definitive edition of the greatest magical girl manga of all time! Features all-new cover illustrations by creator Naoko Takeuchi, a glittering holographic coating, an extra-large size, premium paper, French flaps, and a newly-revised translation!
Attack on Titan Season 3 Manga Box Set + Attack on TitanAnthology
For: Perfect for any anime fan looking to jump into the manga series. Also great for the new fan wanting to know what the hype is all about.
What’s inside: It might be bad that humanity is boxed in, but it’s good that these books are! You can buy Attack on Titan manga in accordance with the anime, which makes both platforms all the more enjoyable!
The Ghost In The Shell Deluxe Complete Box Set + The Ghost In The Shell: Global Neural Network
For: Fans of science-fiction worldbuilding and timeless art. Folks intrigued by the movie and who might enjoy the source material. A beautiful set of books to display or to give as a gift!
What’s inside: Includes three large-sized hardcover volumes, plus a collectible lithograph by creator Shirow Masamune!
For: Anyone dealing with the struggles of moving into a place on your own and not feeling good enough. A great present for a recent college grad!
What’s inside: The complete story of Tsukimi, a girl obsessed with jellyfish, and her geeky friends. This massive set includes a bonus “Clara” jellyfish keychain and a huge poster with the Amars’ motto, “A Life With No Use for Men,” in English on one side and Japanese on the other. The box contains all nine volumes of the Princess Jellyfish manga, including a full-color illustration gallery, author interviews, extensive cultural annotations, and a look inside the creator’s studio.
For: This YALSA award winning series is great for any teen. Fantastic gift for fans of the movie or newcomers!
What’s inside: The acclaimed, best selling manga about a girl who can’t hear and the boy who bullied her, from start to finish, in a premium, collectible box set. Includes all seven volumes, plus an exclusive, double-sided 10-by-15-inch poster and a replica of Shoko’s communication notebook.
Sad summer’s over? Ready for school … ? You’re in good company! This week’s BIG digital sale features all kinds of your fellow students in every imaginable school setting! We’re not even sure how some of these characters have time to study! So tell your sensei and grab your senpai, cuz this massive list of academia-related titles is up to 50% off!
Whew, have we got a lot of manga set in school … That’s right, this week90+ of our school-themed series are now up to 50% off at our digital retail partners:BookWalker, comiXology, Google Play, Kindle, MyAnimeList, and nook. Sale ends on September 16.
And to help celebrate our school-manga theme, here’s our digital-first debut of the week! What more embarrassment can you face after you accidentally confess your love to your crush? Learn more in our new digital-first title Queen Bee, which debuts September 10—TODAY!
Click on the cover and read Chapter 1 FREE!
And here’s the complete lineup!
~ The BIG Back-To-School Manga Sale ~ September 10-16 Click on the link to read Chapter 1 for FREE!
Too hot to go out and do anything? Best buckle down with aircon blasting, an ice-cold drink, and an entire series of manga to read! This week, we’re hosting our first-ever Binge-Reading Sale featuring 30+ completed manga series—putting them up for a huge discount at our digital retail partners: BookWalker, comiXology, Google Play, Kindle, and nook.
Here’s the deal
Wanna try something new? Digital Volumes 1’s of select completed manga series are only 99¢ ($1.99 for omnibus volumes)!
If you like what you’re reading, keep goin’—becauseall the other volumes are up to50% off!
Pretty sweet deal huh? But you gotta hurry, because the sale will end on July 29!
Here’s a few recommendations!
Wow! Big-time 2019 Eisner Award winner for “Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia” (just announced at San Diego Comic-Con!), Akiko Higashimura’s Tokyo Tarareba Girls, leads off our Binge-Reading Sale!
And here’s the complete lineup!
~ Kodansha Comics Binge-Reading Sale ~ July 23-29
Click on the link to read Chapter 1 for FREE!
10 years of Kodansha Comics! The year 2019 marks the 10th anniversary of the first Kodansha Comics manga published in English. Please join us in celebration as we select one classic Kodansha Comics series each month for exclusive content, promotions, and other surprises!
A Silent VoiceVolumes 1-7 are available now from Kodansha Comics in a beautiful complete collector’s-edition box set for old and new fans alike!
April Spotlight: A Silent Voice
Our April Spotlight title is Yoshitoki Oima’s moving coming-of-age manga A Silent Voice, and with the release of the A Silent Voice movie now out on Bluray and DVD, it couldn’t be better timing to celebrate this Eisner-nominated series! So what kind of “special surprises” do we have waiting for you this month? Check these out …
Surprise 1: Exclusive A Silent Voice pin! As a part of the 10 Years of Kodansha Comics project, we’ve teamed up with our friends at Rightstuf to bring you these awesome exclusiveA Silent Voice pins! Visit Rightstuf and order any volume of A Silent Voice or the A Silent Voice Complete Series Box Set and you’ll receive an exclusive A Silent Voice pin for FREE! Available this month (April 2019) only or while supplies last.
All you have to do is take this survey by April 30 to enter for a chance to win.
Surprise 3: Yoshitoki Oima long interview excerpt
Kodansha Comics is also proud to present a special interview with Yoshitoki Oima! First appearing in the A Silent Voice Fanbook (Japan only), this interview with A Silent Voice creator Yoshitoki Oima has never before been translated into English … until now!
About Yoshitoki Oima
Yoshitoki Oima won the 80thWeekly Shonen Magazine Rookie Manga Prize, and debuted in 2009 with Mardock Scramble. FollowingA Silent Voice, her new series, To Your Eternity, began serializing inWeekly Shonen Magazine at the end of 2016.
Really See, Really Hear: A Silent Voice Yoshitoki Oima Long Interview
An excerpt from the interview first published in the A Silent Voice Fanbook (September 2016)
A Theme of Communication
Q. A Silent Voice deals with a lot of very serious themes, including bullying and hearing impairment. The series comes across as a very brave act. Do you feel that way?
Yoshitoki Oima (YO): I’m a little uncomfortable reducing the work to simplistic statements like “It’s about bullying.” Personally, I never saw the series as being “about” bullying or hearing impairment; instead, I was attempting to illustrate, literally, how difficult it can be for people to communicate their feelings to each other. So while the title may be A Silent Voice, I very much intended to depict communication as a whole. Shoko can’t hear, that’s true, but that’s really just one of the things that makes her who she is; and in the same way, the bullying in this series is one result of a particular kind of communication. Q. Is there something specific that motivated you to take on communication, and the difficulty of communicating feelings, as your theme?
YO: A Silent Voice actually draws a lot from my own experience: the regret over my failure to take notice of and listen to the voice of one girl in particular; it deeply influenced Shoya’s commitment to “really see, really listen.” It’s not that my friend couldn’t hear, but in this story, Shoko’s inability to hear is partially a nudge to help readers key in to the main theme. It wasn’t intended to be the core of the series, per se.
Q. It’s true that Shoya never once uses the word “bullying” to describe his own actions.
YO: Shoya is all too aware how it would sound if he described his past behavior toward Shoko as “bullying,” so he strongly resists using that word and labeling it that way.
In contrast, the people around him, including Miki, Naoka, and Mr. Takeuchi, are perfectly happy calling it “bullying”. That compartmentalizes the bullying, and sort of lets them feel that they weren’t involved. That’s a relief for them, and they find “bullying” a very convenient term as they create their own narratives of themselves.
Q. Miki and Naoka sometimes use the word “karma” to describe the events of the series. Is this something else they say simply because it’s convenient for them, like “bullying”?
YO: “Karma” is a word the characters use as an easy dodge. They’re trying to live their own lives, and “karma” is a box they can compartmentalize things in to help make sense of them. For me personally, “karma” is not a significant factor in the series.
It’s possible one reason people focus so much on the word “karma” is that it gives readers a certain sense of relief, too. Words like “karma,” or phrases like “crime and punishment” and “good is rewarded; evil is punished,” are frameworks that lend themselves very well to stories. Some readers might expect characters who do something wrong to be punished, but I wasn’t specifically thinking about that during the writing.
I do want to be clear about one thing, though: I didn’t write Miki, or even Mr. Takeuchi or Shoko’s paternal family, to be “villains.”
Q. Do you mean they’re each right in their own way – or at least have their own feelings about all this?
YO: I drew each scene with empathy for the character in question—like how Mr. Takeuchi acts in the elementary school, and when Shoko’s paternal grandfather says, “We don’t want anyone like that in our family” (vol 4, ch. 32: Gum Syrup). These characters all realize that “If I say something like this, I might come off as a bad person.” But they all say these things convinced that “raising a child with disabilities isn’t as simple as you think.”
While each character says these things in their own way, the words they speak and the attitudes they exhibit spring from brutally honest feelings they can’t deny. These are things I might have even said myself if I were ignorant of people with disabilities. For example, when faced with serious issues and cornered to make a decision, maybe I would’ve also said something like, “This may be taboo, but I’m going to speak my mind.”
Of course, it’s up to each individual to think about what’s good and bad, and that is what Shoko’s mother found troubling.
Shoko’s Feelings, Conveyed in the Communication Notebook Q. The communication notebook plays a crucial role in the meeting, conflict, and finally reunion between Shoya and Shoko.
YO: With her grandmother, Shoko practiced speaking aloud; she was making an effort to use her voice to talk. But when she stopped speaking, that notebook became her one line of communication with hearing people.
Q. Why does Shoko stop talking?
YO: It has a lot to do with her mother and Yuzuru. It made Shoko unbearably sad to see Yuzuru getting bullied because Shoko couldn’t speak like everyone else; that’s the first reason. The second reason was that her mother wanted Shoko to be able to speak well, but when things don’t go as smoothly as planned, her mother becomes frustrated—Shoko picks up on that. So she slowly stops using her voice.
The message Shoko displays in the notebook when she transfers to Suimon Elementary School—“I would like to get to know everyone through this notebook”—really says it all. For her, the communication notebook isn’t just the one tool that allows her to communicate; it’s a symbol of Shoko’s hope that she can be friends with her classmates.
Q. But some pretty cruel things end up written in that notebook.
YO: Shoko starts out being able to converse normally with everyone through the notebook, but gradually all the notes turn to complaints, and then to outright meanness. Shoko sees all this as her own fault, so—as a means of self-defense and to smooth things over with everyone else—she hides how she really feels and just starts to apologize all the time. It culminates in Shoya throwing the notebook into the pond, and even though she immediately rushes to fish it out again, Shoko herself decides to throw the notebook away immediately afterward. It was her only haven, and now she’s abandoning it: she’s given up on communicating. This encounter with Shoya is the last straw; Shoko can no longer hold back all the feelings she’s been keeping inside, and confesses to Yuzuru that she wants to die. The notebook was just that important to her.
How can everyone write such awful things in this precious notebook of hers? It’s because nobody can see how important it is—not even her mother. That’s why her mother can throw it off the bridge like she does. I gave that chapter the title “I Gave Up Once Before” because it answers the question “What did Shoko give up in elementary school?” When, in high school, Shoya suddenly shows up with the notebook Shoko thought she’d abandoned, to her it’s much more than just an old notebook. It’s as if Shoya has brought back with him the whole hope of being friends with everyone that Shoko had thrown away in elementary school—friends she was going to make with that notebook.
When Shoya asks, “Is that notebook really that important?”, Shoko responds, “It matters because you brought it back to me.” She clasps it to her chest with one hand over the other, letting him know how precious it is.
Q. Shoya pulled the communication notebook out of the pond and kept it all that time. Does that show that, on some level, he had a sense of how much it meant to Shoko?
YO: Having experienced bullying himself, Shoya can look at the notebook and realize what awful things everyone wrote there. But at the same time, he sees how Shoko never wrote anything but “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He starts to ask himself, why would she throw away something that mattered so much to her? And he starts to wonder: was there more she wanted to say? That’s why he held onto it for so long.
Q. So when Shoya hits Shoko, that’s because he thinks she ought to be more open about herself, right?
YO: The way Shoko only ever wrote “I’m sorry” in the notebook gnaws at Shoya. He wanted to bring out—maybe you could call it—Shoko’s true self. He wanted to know how she really felt.