Tag: harold sakuishi

Creator Spotlight: Harold Sakuishi! First 5 volumes of BECK $5, other volumes up to 50% off (Ends 03/09)

Do you contain multitudes? Are you a fan of both battle of the bands indie rock sagas, and high drama historical fiction? Then we have a creator for you! Veteran mangaka Harold Sakuishi, has amazed fans for decades. First with BECK, his classic indie rock tale of a struggling high schooler finding confidence, friendship, and fame by forming a band. And most recently with his latest series, Seven Shakespeares about the journey to find the “real” Shakespeare comprised of seven different individuals! Now, in this Harold Sakuishi Creator Spotlight sale you can jump in headlong into both series at an amazing price!

Get the first five volumes of BECK for $5 (99¢ each), with all other volumes of both BECK & Seven Shakespeares up to 50% off! But this sale won’t last take advantage of this Creator Spotlight sale at our digital retail partners: BookWalker, comiXology, Google Play, Kindle, MyAnimeList, and nook.

Sale runs from March 3, until March 9.

 

Check out the first chapter of BECK and Seven Shakespeares FREE
by clicking on the covers or links!

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.

Big comiXology Originals Sale! Save up to 70% on Drops of God, Initial D, BECK, MARS + more! Ends 12/5

It’s been all fun—and profit!—with our pals at comiXology Originals, as we continue to drop one digital manga hit after another—in most cases putting out an entire series run at once so you can binge-read ’em! All of the illustrious titles below are available for purchase only on Kindle and comiXology and streaming on Amazon Prime Reading, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited.

But now, you know what? Now we’re putting them all on sale—a lot! Check out these deep deals. You can buy individual digital volumes for as little as $4.99 (that 55% off the regular price) and/or do it in style with even bigger savings with bundles! 

This is an incredible catalog of manga at the best prices you’ll see in a long time—sale ends December 5, though!

Here’s the Murderer’s Row of Manga now on sale:

At last, all of BECK compleat! + 2 new volumes of Seven Shakespeares available now on comiXology and Kindle!

It’s a great day for BECK fans, especially for those of us who’ve been following Koyuki and his band for the better part of the last decade! The legendary rock ‘n’ roll manga got rebooted as an comiXology Originals series last year from Kodansha Comics, and today—at last—all volumes of BECK just became available in English for the first time! Will the band’s dream of bring people together through music come true? What happened to Koyuki and his love interest? Read it all to the weepy conclusion only on comiXology and Kindle—and you can also binge read the whole series totally FREE with comiXology Unlimited!

BECK new Volumes 23-34 just launched today on comiXology and Kindle! 
The complete series is available for free with comiXology Unlimited!

But WAIT! That’s not all! Harold Sakuishi, the creator of BECK has been making history with his latest epic, Seven Shakespeares! With his ever so powerful artwork and storytelling, Sakuishi tackles the myths surrounding the literary legend, William Shakespeare. Two new volumes of Seven Shakespeares (volumes 8-9) also launched on comiXology and Kindle today! 

Seven Shakespeares Volumes 1-9 are available on comiXology and Kindle!
Check out this comiXology Original series for free with comiXology Unlimited!

Happy binge reading! 

 

Harold Sakuishi Creator Spotlight Sale! New volumes of BECK and Seven Shakespeares + up to 50% off! (ends 10/8)

Harold Sakuishi, legendary manga creator of BECK and Seven Shakespeares is coming to New York Comic Con 2018 October 4-7, and also receiving the International Spotlight Award from the Harvey Awards this year! And to celebrate his rare Stateside appearance, this week we’re hosting the Harold Sakuishi Creator Spotlight Sale together with our buds at comiXology and Kindle!

If you’ve been meaning to read up on Sakuishi’s materpieces, now is the perfect chance! Because on October 2, brand-new, never-before-translated volumes of BECK (volumes 15-22) as well as Seven Shakespeares (volumes 5-6) are launching as a part of the ComiXology Originals lineup—available exclusively as digital editions on comiXology and Kindle. And ALL the volumes, including these new ones, are going to be up to 50% off! (Sale ends 10/8.) 

BECK, volumes 1-22 now available exclusively as ComiXology Originals!

Seven Shakespeares, volumes 1-6  now available exclusively as ComiXology Originals!

 

“I’m really honored to be able to attend as special an event as New York Comic Con.
A lot of influences from America—music, movies, culture—went into BECK.
It’s been eleven years since I last visited New York. I’m really looking forward to seeing it again. Thank you!” — Harold Sakuishi 

About Harold Sakuishi
Born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Harold Sakuishi has built one of the most storied careers in all of manga, starting in 1987, when his Souwaikan (That’s Not Going to Happen) won the Tetsuya Chiba Excellent Newcomers Award. Subsequent works include Gorillaman (winner of the Kodansha Manga Award in 1990), Bakaichi, Stopper Busujima, and RiN, but probably Sakuishi’s name will forever be entwined with his groundbreaking marriage of manga and indie rock—BECK, which  later became a global sensation as a hit anime series. His current ongoing serial, Seven Shakespeares, which speculates on the true identity of the Bard of Elizabethan England, is now being published in English, along with BECK, as part of the comiXology Originals line.

 

 See Harold Sakuishi at NYCC 2018!

Click here for more details on panels, signings, and exclusive giveaways!

Announcements from New York Comic Con 2018!


UPDATE — October 6!

Hey! We just made some cool announcements yesterday at our industry panel— where, besides the new licensing announcements recapped below, we had a special guest from Japan, Yohei Takami, the editor-in-chief of Monthly Shonen Magazine and founding editor of Noragami, to talk about his experience of working with Harold Sakuishi, who received this year’s International Spotlight Award at the Harvey Awards for his groundbreaking music manga BECK. 

Digital-first announcements

Debuts October 2nd! Are You Lost? by Kentaro Okamoto and Riri Sagara
Because of a plane crash … starting today, we’re spending the springtime of our lives on a desert island!! There’s nothing here, so we have to make everything!! And eat everything!! (Ugh!) Check out our high-school-girl survival story of courage and knowledge. We’re actually doing pretty well! Volume 1 includes: how to eat cicadas, how to build traps, a simple allergy test, how to eat hermit crabs, etc. (original Japanese title: Sounan desuka?)

Debuts October 9th! Kira-kun Today by Rin Mikimoto  
For one short year, haplessly awkward, cockatiel-toting Nino has to keep watch over class joker and nextdoor neighbor, Kira-kun. Can Kira-kun—who harbors a terrible secret—find it in himself to open up and learn something new from Nino, or will she be consumed by his world? Find out in this touching tale of two fates that intertwine to become the “closest love to Heaven”—the latest from Rin Mikimoto (Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight, Love’s Reach)!  (original Japanese title: Kyou no Kira-kun)

Debuts October 16th! Tokyo Revengers by Ken Wakui
Watching the news, Takemichi Hanagaki learns that his girlfriend from way back in middle school, Hinata Tachibana, has died. The only girlfriend he ever had was just killed by a villainous group known as the Tokyo Manji Gang. He lives in a crappy apartment with thin walls, and his six-years-younger boss treats him like an idiot. Plus, he’s a complete and total virgin … At the height of his rock-bottom life, he suddenly time-leaps twelve years back to his middle school days!! To save Hinata, and change the life he spent running away, hopeless part-timer Takemichi must aim for the top of Kanto’s most sinister delinquent gang!!

Debuts October 23rd! Forest of Piano by Makoto Isshiki
This is a story about a piano, pitifully abandoned in the woods, and a young boy, Kai, who grew up playing it as his favorite toy. While Kai cannot even read sheet music, one day, he meets Shuhei Amamiya, an aspiring child pianist who transfers schools from Tokyo, and their music teacher, Sosuke Ajino. Ajino was also once a gifted pianist, until a tragic accident stole his promising future from him forever. Each from a different background, the trio’s personalities gravitate to one another and rebound. All the while, the piano sits patiently, awaiting a hand to play it.

Also debuts October 23rd! Mikami-sensei’s Way of Love by Hiro Aikawa
Without a single boyfriend in sixteen years, Natsume has zero relationship experience … and it’s all thanks to her super overprotective neighbor—high school teacher, Mikami-sensei!! Whether at home or at school, Natsume is always being manipulated by his strangely overbearing affections. But while it may have seemed like sibling love at first, their relationship soon takes an unexpected turn … ! (original Japanese title: Mikami-sensei no aishikata)

Debuts October 3oth! Princess Resurrection Nightmare by Yasunori Mitsunaga
With her flowing black dress, roaring chainsaw, and android, werewolf, vampire, and blood warrior at her service … the Princess of Monsters is back! Yasunori Mitsunaga’s masterpiece, Princess Resurrection, is hereby resurrected for a new series!

New licensing announcements—Kodansha Comics

I’m Standing on A Million Lives by Akinari Nao and Naoki Yamakawa
Releases in print May 2019. Volumes 1-3 currently available on digital. Check out free chapter 1 preview.  The digital-first hit comes to print! A teenage loner boy gets transported into a fantasy world with his two scary female classmates. The girls find themselves as a wizard and a warrior, but he’s woken up as … a farmer?! How will be become a hero now? An original fantasy-action adventure manga for fans of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime! 

Magus of the Library by Mitsu Izumi
Releases July 2019. An all-ages story about one boy and the (literal) magic of reading set in a lushly-detailed Arabian Nights-inspired fantasy world! The whole villages mocks the poor little elf boy, calling him “Knife-Ears.” His only solace is in sneaking into the small branch library to read. Then one day, he meets Sedona, a librarian at the magical central library, who will sweep him away into a world of new knowledge and adventures! 

O Maidens in Your Savage Season by Mari Okada and Nao Emoto
Releases April 2019. Legendary anime creator Mari Okada (anohana, Maquia, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans) makes her manga series debut with a moving, funny, so-true-it’s-embarrassing story of high school girls coming of age together. The girls in a high school literature club do a little icebreaker to get to know each other: answering the question, “What’s one thing you want to do before you die?” One of the girls blurts out, “Sex.” Little do they know, the whirlwind unleashed by that word pushes each of these girls, with different backgrounds and personalities, onto their own clumsy, funny, painful, and emotional paths toward adulthood.

New licensing announcements—Vertical Comics

The Golden Sheep by Kaori Ozaki
Releases September 2019. From the creator of Gods Lie! Tsugu-chan is separated from her friends (Sora, Yuushin and Asari) when she moves away. After a few years, she finally returns and is happy to be reunited with them. Tsugu-chan believes that her friends didn’t change, but that doesn’t turn out to be the case.  Themes of changes in life, friendship and bullying.

Don’t Mess with Me, Nagatoro by Nanashi
Releases November 2019. Mischievous Nagatoro-san always bugs Senpai to get a reaction out of him. What is her motivation? Does she just want to create misery for Senpai? Or maybe she secretly likes him?

Voices of a Distant Star (Novel) Original story by Makoto Shinkai, adapted by Arata Kanoh
Releases July 2019. Great novel for Makoto Shinkai and Voices of a Distant Star fans! The manga adaptation of Voices of a Distant Star is currently available in print and digital. This story narrates the story from a tangent. It also fills in a lot of the gaps and answers many questions present in the manga/OVA. 

Harvey Awards 2018

Congratulations to Harold Sakuishi (creator of BECK, Seven Shakespeares) for receiving this year’s International Creator Spotlight Award at the Harvey Awards for his achievements in creating the groundbreaking music manga, BECK!

Harold Sakuishi (BECK) meets Dave Gibbons (Watchmen) at the Harvey Awards 2018. 

____________________________________

New York Comic Con is just around the corner, and that means another NYCC of epic new panels, news announcements, con-exclusive goods, and more from Kodansha Comics and Vertical Comics! In New York October 4 through 7? Look for our Kodansha Comics / Vertical Comics booth (#2109) and events at New York Comic Con and Anime Fest, featuring The Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network, Sailor Moon Eternal Edition, APOSIMZ, BECK creator Harold Sakuishi, and more!

GUESTS!

Harold Sakuishi It’s been announced that Harold Sakuishi (BECK, Seven Shakespeares) is receiving the International Spotlight Award from the Harvey Awards this year. He will also be making appearances at New York Comic Con as a ComiXology Originals guest—doing signings at the comiXology booth (Artists Alley #1B5), appearing at the  International Creator Spotlight panel, and meeting you in person! For more details on Harold Sakuishi’s rare Stateside appearance, click here. 

 

Kodansha Comics’s BECK and Seven Shakespeares are now both available exclusively as comiXology Originals!

The Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network Creators The Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network is debuting at this year’s NYCC (on-sale date: October 21,) the minds behind this brand-new original comics anthology will be sharing the process behind the making of this project. Plus they will be doing signings at the Kodansha Comics booth (#2109) several times throughout the NYCC weekend. Here are the list of guests: 

Alejandro Arbona –– Editor, Black Magick, Old Guard
David Lopez –– Artist, Mystic, New Mutants
Brenden Fletcher –– Writer, Batgirl, Motor Crush
Genevieve Valentine ––Writer, Mechanique, Catwoman
Alex de Campi ––Writer, Smoke, No Mercy

SIGNINGS at the Kodansha Comics Booth (#2109)
Come and get your fresh copy of The Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network signed by the creators!
Friday, October 5, 5-6 pm
Saturday, October 6, 5:30-6:30 pm
Sunday, October 7, 11:00-12:00pm

Make sure to grab a copy of The Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network debuting at NYCC, or preorder now! 

PANELS!

Thursday, October 4

Sailor Moon Presented by Kodansha Comics
The original Sailor Moon manga returns this year in a beautiful, definitive Eternal Edition, and this is your chance to see what’s in store! Come see new cover illustrations, color pages that have never been printed in any English edition, and details and videos about Sailor Moon live shows and concerts. Plus, ask some of the Sailor Moon Eternal Edition localization team your questions and win fabulous prizes straight from Japan!
Date Thursday, October 4
Time 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location  Anime Fest – Main Stage

Friday, October 5

The Kodansha Comics and Vertical Comics Big 2019 Mangastravaganza
The publishers of classics like Akira, Sailor Moon, and Battle Angel Alita, as well as new hits like Attack on Titan, APOSIMZ, Pop Team Epic, and Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, reveal their exciting slate of titles for 2019 for the first time. Don’t miss this chance to be the first to see where manga in the US is headed next! Talk to the editors and publishers of your favorite series, get free manga samplers, and win fun, exclusive prizes straight from Japan.
Date Friday, October 5
Time 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location Javits Center, Room 1A24

Saturday, October 6

Making Manga: From Mind to Magazine to Your Bookshelf
A team of manga professionals presents a unique inside look at how your favorite Japanese comics are created. Learn about the differences between American comics and manga, then experience a live demonstration featuring the translation, design, and lettering of an English-language manga. Ask a question and you could win a free book! Presented by Kodansha Comics.
Date Saturday, October 6
Time 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Location  Anime Fest – Mirai Stage

Master manga creator Harold Sakuishi has built a storied decades-long career with his kinetic style and award-winning manga, like the musically charged BECK and historical drama Seven Shakespeares—both available via ComiXology Originals. Join comiXologists Matt Kolowski and Kiersten Wing in this rare chance to hear from renowned mangaka Harold Sakuishi in an intimate and wide-reaching conversation, along with Sakuishi’s editor at Kodansha, Yohei Takami, and Kodansha USA’s Misaki Kido—it’s a panel no manga fan can miss!
Date Saturday, October 6
Time 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM
Location Javits Center, Room 1A02

The Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network Creator Panel
Meet the minds behind this brand-new original comics anthology, supervised by The Ghost in the Shell creator Shirow Masamune, including Alex de Campi (Twisted Romance), Brenden Fletcher (Motor Crush, Batgirl), David López (All-New Wolverine), and Genevieve Valentine (Catwoman). Speak with the writers and editors about their contributions to the Ghost in the Shell world, and see the future of Section 9!
Date Saturday, October 6
Time 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location Javits Center, Room 1A24

Kodansha Comics / Vertical Comics Booth #2109!

WHAT’S FOR SALE? 

PRESTREETS!

APOSIMZ, volume 1
Battle Angel Alita, Deluxe Edition volume 5
Battle Angel Alita: Holy Night and Other Stories
The Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network


CON EXCLUSIVE MERCH!

Attack on Titan Poster Set
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Enamel Pin Set
Cells at Work! Acrylic Keychain Set
Devils’ Line Manuscript Replica
Pop Team Epic Chara Dice
Pop Team Epic Selfie Sticks
Pop Team Epic Acrylic Stamps

FREEBIES*!

EDENS ZEROglobal pin (the US Edition) with Kodansha Comics newsletter sign up! …Details
 Kodansha Comics x Vertical Comics con exclusive tote bagwith gift with purchase of $25 or more
The Seven Deadly Sins, Devils’ Line, or Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Cardmini shikishi free with purchase
Pop Team Epic keychain with purchase of Pop Team Epic volume 1
& MORE!
*while supplies last.

PLUS – DON’T MISS OUR OFFICIAL SAILOR MOON POP UP SHOP!
Visit Kodansha Comics at NYCC Javits Center Booth #2109 to pick up a Sailor Moon discount flyer couponand exclusive Sailor Moon merchandise straight from Japan, such as Moon Stick, original illustration hand towel, handkerchief, and more!


Sailor MoonEternal Edition is available now from Kodansha Comics!

BECK creator Harold Sakuishi coming to New York Comic Con 2018!

Just announced! Harold Sakuishi, legendary manga creator of BECK and Seven Shakespeares, is going to attend New York Comic Con 2018 October 4-7!

Harold Sakuishi has published several award-winning works in his native Japan, but his name will probably be forever entwined with his groundbreaking marriage of manga and indie rock, BECK, which is currently being published in English by comiXology Originals and Kodansha Comics. This is a rare Stateside appearance by the manga legend!

 

Kodansha Comics’s BECK and Seven Shakespeares are now both available exclusively as comiXology Originals! 

“I’m really honored to be able to attend as special an event as New York Comic Con.
A lot of influences from America—music, movies, culture—went into BECK.
It’s been eleven years since I last visited New York. I’m really looking forward to seeing it again. Thank you!” — Harold Sakuishi 

About Harold Sakuishi
Born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Harold Sakuishi has built one of the most storied careers in all of manga, starting in 1987, when his Souwaikan (That’s Not Going to Happen) won the Tetsuya Chiba Excellent Newcomers Award. Subsequent works include Gorillaman (winner of the Kodansha Manga Award in 1990), Bakaichi, Stopper Busujima, and RiN, but probably Sakuishi’s name will forever be entwined with his groundbreaking marriage of manga and indie rock—BECK, which  later became a global sensation as a hit anime series. His current ongoing serial, Seven Shakespeares, which speculates on the true identity of the Bard of Elizabethan England, is now being published in English, along with BECK, as part of the comiXology Originals line.

 

See Harold Sakuishi at NYCC 2018!

Panel International Creator Spotlight – Harold Sakuishi
Master Manga creator Harold Sakuishi has amazed fans for decades with his kinetic style and award-winning Manga like the musically charged BECK and historical drama Seven Shakespeares – both available via comiXology Originals. Join comiXologists Matt Kolowski and Kiersten Wing for an intimate and wide-reaching conversation with renowned mangaka Harold Sakuishi, and special guests, Yohei Takami (Chief Editor, Kodansha) and Misaki Kido (Kodansha) – it’s a panel no Manga fan can miss!
Date: 10/6/2018
Time: 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM
Location: 1A02


SIGNINGS in Artist Alley at the ComiXology Booth (#1B5)
Thursday 10/4 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Friday 10/5 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Saturday 10/6 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Get Your Limited Edition BECK pins for FREE! 
Update 10/2 Today ComiXology Originals announced Harold Sakuishi will be signing FREE limited-edition BECK pins at NYCC 2018! Be sure to come by the ComiXology Booth in Artist Alley (#1B5) during Harold Sakuishi’s signing to get this special commemorative pin set autographed! 

 

 

Harold Sakuishi Sale on ComiXology! 
If you’ve been meaning to read up on Sakuishi’s materpieces, now is the perfect chance! Because on October 2, brand-new, never-before-translated volumes of BECK (volumes 15-22) as well as Seven Shakespeares (volumes 5-6) are launching as a part of the ComiXology Originals lineup—available exclusively as digital editions on ComiXology and Kindle. And ALL the volumes, including these new ones, are going to be up to 50% off! (Sale ends 10/8.)

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

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! 

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

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! 

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

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.