News

Kodansha USA Reveals 21 New Print Licenses, 3 Omnibus Releases, 2 Digital Licenses (Updated)

ANN's coverage of Anime Expo 2023 sponsored by Yen Press!

Kodansha USA Publishing revealed its new slate of print licenses for spring 2024 and its digital debuts in July 2023 at its panel at Anime Expo on Saturday.

The new spring 2024 print releases include Box Set 3 for Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro (including volumes 13-18), and omnibus editions of the A Sign of Affection, Initial D, and Fairy Tail manga.

Update: Kodansha USA Publishing confirmed with ANN that its omnibus release of Initial D feature new translation and lettering, and is not a print release of any existing edition.

The other new 21 spring 2024 print releases include:

Title: Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss! (2-in-1 edition)
Author(s): Nmura
Summary: Hashimoto spends all day at his job redoing work for his boss, who's never happy! His only refuge is an online game, where his buddy "Uma" gives him a sympathetic ear. What he doesn't realize is...his demon boss and Uma are one and the same!

Title: Anyway, I'm Falling in Love with You.
Author(s): Haruka Mitsui
Summary: Brand-new manga from the author of I Fell in Love After School!

Mizuha's seventeenth birthday is the pits. Her parents totally forgot, and the senpai she likes isn't interested in her. But when her longtime childhood friend asks her out, Mizuha has to sort out what this change could mean…and all in the middle of a global pandemic!

Title: Medalist
Author(s): TSURUMAIKADA
Summary: The ice rink is the only place Inori can be herself—but everyone in her life insists she give up skating. Until she meets Tsukasa, a frustrated coach who will join Inori to form an unstoppable duo powered by hard work, transcendent joy, and an unshakeable belief that they can prove everyone wrong.

Title: My Noisy Roommate: The Roof Over My Head Comes With Monsters and a Hottie
Author(s): Tsukiji Nao
Summary: Osuke's excited about finally getting to live on his own, but on his first day in his new apartment, he finds himself kicked out onto the street! So, when a real estate agent appears out of nowhere offering him a beautiful, new place (with just a couple conditions), he jumps at the chance. But when he opens the door, a drop-dead gorgeous blond guy pops out! It turns out living with him is one of the conditions! His name is Nanami, and he tells Osuke that, not only are ghosts real, but Osuke himself is a magnet for all things supernatural…

Title: Kei x Yaku: Bound by Law
Author(s): Yoshie Kaoruhara
Summary: The manga that inspired the hit live-action drama starring Nobuyuki Suzuki and Atsuhiro Inukai!

Opposite sides of the law flirt with danger—and each other—in a tangled web of political intrigue that is fraught with deception and secrets. A suspenseful mystery sure to get the heart racing in more ways than one, perfect for fans of Banana Fish.

Title: Kaina of the Great Snow Sea
Author(s): Story by Tsutomu Nihei, Art by Itoe Takemoto
Summary: Kaina is the only youth in the last remaining village that clings to life on the Canopy, high above the surface of the world. When Liliha, a princess from the surface, makes her way to the Canopy, they both realize that there is more to their world than they knew. Kaina agrees to help Liliha return to the Great Snow Sea far below, where her kingdom is imperiled by the rapacious neighboring kingdom of Bargia.

The trip is arduous, and foes lie in wait at the end of their descent. With Liliha taken prisoner and her father the king too caught up in politics to rescue her, Kaina has no choice but to set off with only the young prince in tow, braving the dangers of the Great Snow Sea to rescue Liliha from Bargia's clutches...

Title: Nude Model: Tsubasa Yamaguchi Short Stories
Author(s): Tsubasa Yamaguchi
Summary: Three erotic short stories from the creator of Blue Period.

Nude Model, in which a high school delinquent tries to seduce an introverted artist in his class, only for her to turn the tables on him. Girl, in which a teenage boy becomes in-demand for his recordings of erotic moaning, and uncovers a sexual predator on the school's staff in the process. And Kamiya, in which a young doctor who can't stand the sight of blood overcomes her fears by going to a host club staffed by vampires, only to get caught up in a serial killer's web.

Title: I Got Reincarnated in a (BL) World of Big (Man) Boobs
Author(s): Tsukiji Nao
Summary: "I just...wanted to...touch boobies..."

Nagare loves boobs. And he gets his wish to be reincarnated in a world of boobs...except these are man boobs. A zany BL isekai comedy full of titillation and satirical jabs at manga cliches of all kinds! An extra-long, 2-in-1 edition.

Title: I Can't Say No to the Lonely Girl
Author(s): Kashikaze
Summary: In this juicy yuri manga, the goody-goody high school girl Sakurai meets a lonely girl—and ends up entangled in a web of blackmail that might just lead to romance. It's hard to keep up with school when you can never say no to a devious classmate!

Title: A Brief Moment of Ichika
Author(s): Natsu Tadano
Summary: At the age of 16, Ichika Sendawara learned that she only had two years left to live. Now a sophomore college student, she lives a busy, upbeat life, despite never knowing when the end will come.

Everything changes when Ichika meets Professor Yurugi—for the first time, she feels she has something to live for. But then Yurugi quietly leaves the university, and Ichika is left wondering why, and what could have been...

A gentle love story that grapples with the deepest existential questions we face in life. As the Shuji Terayama poem quoted in the text says, "If life is nothing but goodbyes, who needs life?"

Title: The Yearning Fox Lies in Wait
Author(s): Nmura
Summary: In 1920s Tokyo, prodigy Kiyo has finally made it to university, only to find himself in a tough spot. He happens upon Ozaki, who invites him to live in his mansion. But is Ozaki just an eccentric recluse, or something far stranger? And what kind of relationship did he have with Kiyo's grandfather?

A supernatural, one-volume BL romance from the creator of Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss!

Title: Number Call
Author(s): Nagisa Furuya
Summary: From the creator of My Summer of You comes a new high school romance about the power of numbers—the author's Japanese debut, now available for the first time in English!

High schooler Eighto Tachibana has always hated his name, and the "8" jokes that came with it. One day, he meets a classmate named Tomoya Hatta, aka Hachi—the Japanese word for "8." What begins as casual greetings and small talk in the hallway soon becomes something much deeper, and Eighto realizes that it's more than just a similar nickname that draws him to Hachi. Could the number that Eight resented for so long finally bring him something he'll love?

Title: The White and Blue Between Us
Author(s): Kiyuhiko
Summary: Is it ever too late to make up for a lie? Or can the opportunity be swept away, like white clouds across a blue summer sky?

It's been seven years since Hozumi left behind the island town he grew up in, and Mishima—his close friend and first love from high school—with it. The two haven't spoken since Hozumi rejected Mishima and lied about his own feelings. When Hozumi returns for his high school reunion, he wants nothing more than to make amends, a task easier said than done.

A moving, dramatic, BL one-shot, perfect for fans of My Summer of You, Seven DAYS, or I Hear the Sunspot.

Title: The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
Author(s): Saka Mikami
Summary: The latest hit in Japan comes to print!

Two rival schools stand next door to each other: one for elite ladies, one for good-for-nothing boys. But one of those boys might just be a naturally chivalrous diamond in the rough, and one of those girls might be a little more open-minded than is proper...

Title: Gazing at the Star Next Door
Author(s): Ammitsu
Summary: The latest shojo from the creator of Ran the Peerless Beauty!

What do you do when your best friend (and secret crush) becomes a national sweetheart? This story of unrequited love between a girl and her best friend, whose acting career is pulling him further and further away, is perfect for fans of In the Clear Moonlit Dusk and Kimi ni Todoke.

Title: I See Your Face, Turned Away
Author(s): Rumi Ichinohe
Summary: From the creator of My Sweet Girl comes a new manga about four teenagers and their four stories of unrequited love. When you don't want to lose a friendship but long for something more, the only thing you can do is gaze at your beloved's face, turned away...

One might call Hikari extraordinarily ordinary. One day, she takes up a new hobby--imagining what a romance would be like between her pretty friend Mari and the cute guy in their class, Otani. It's all in harmless fun, until the roles start to get tangled in Hikari's mind. Does she really have to be just the best friend in this love story? And just who is on Otani's mind when his eyes drift?

Title: Ninja vs. Gokudo
Author(s): Shinsuke Kondō
Summary: Since before the dawn of memory, one thing has defined human history: the war between ninjas and yakuzas. This coarse and manly manga follows two members of these warring tribes who fill the gutters of modern Tokyo with blood to determine which elemental force will reign supreme!

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure meets Fist of the North Star in an outrageous new action series!

Title: A-DO
Author(s): Jaku Amano
Summary: A dystopian sci-fi action manga that pays homage to the classics.

Future Japan has became a volatile mix of cultures, rocked by the protests of xenophobic extremists. A brash, job-hopping young woman named Riko happens to save the life of a boy named Eito. Just as they're about to dig into some celebratory ramen, plant-like tendrils snake out from Eito's arm and stop a bullet in mid-flight. Who in the world is this boy, and why is the army after him?!

Title: The Blue Wolves of Mibu
Author(s): Tsuyoshi Yasuda
Summary: Nio is an orphan who can't help dreaming of a better world. In this action-packed manga, he meets two men who show him how much a few swords can change history.

This riveting samurai series from the acclaimed creator of DAYS shares its setting with Rurouni Kenshin and chronicles the founding of The Shinsen-gumi by handsome and volatile men fighting for justice...and for themselves!

Title: Sketchy
Author(s): MAKIHIROCHI
Summary: A portrait of young adulthood that will attract fans of Inio Asano, Akiko Higashimura, and Taiyo Matsumoto.

As her twenties slip by, Ako feels like she's falling behind. But a group of skateboarding girls will bring a newfound passion into her life in this reflective, relatable josei manga from the creator of Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live?

Title: Bless
Author(s): Yukino Sonoyama
Summary: They said Aia was destined to be a model, and Jun was bullied for her freckles. Together, they will take back the power to define themselves in an inspirational fashion manga that asks cutting questions about what it really means to be beautiful—and what it takes to overcome an arbitrary system that seems to respect talent over hard work.

The digital licenses debuting in July include:

Title: My Wife is a Little Intimidating
Author(s): Aguri Kurita
Release Date: July 4
Summary: With how far she's out of his league, Kosuke Shimizu never expected his senpai at work, Natsuna Shirahama, to go on a date with him…much less marry him! But with a wife so perfect, it's no surprise that the timid and indecisive Kosuke feels inadequate…and not just in bed. The truth is, they both have their fair share of flaws (especially when it comes to expressing their love), but working through them together will only strengthen their marriage…right?

Title: Teppu
Author(s): Moare Ohta
Release Date: July 18
Summary: It's not easy being good at everything. First-year high school student Natsuo Ishido has always been a gifted athlete, and her ability to easily master every sport has not only bought her a life of boredom, but the resentment of everyone else who has had to work hard for their achievements. Not that Natsuo cares what anyone else thinks. All she longs for is a break from the monotony...for a real challenge worthy of pouring all her efforts into. A rival—an equal—worth beating down, crushing, and demoralizing… That all seems like a pipe dream until a pair of annoyingly peppy transfer students arrive from Brazil and start up a brand-new club that teases the challenge she craves—Mixed Martial Arts.

Kodansha USA Publishing clarified during the Q&A portion of the panel that since the new KMANGA app is run by a different team, it is up to them to decide what manga from the releases announced today will go to that app. The staff also added regarding its recent boys-love and yuri licenses that now that these genres are selling well, it is "an opportunity to bring out a lot of great stories."

Sources: Email correspondence, Kodansha USA Publishing panel at Anime Expo (Deb Aoki)