Kodansha Comics to Begin Publishing Yaoi and Yuri Manga in Print
New York (October 11, 2018)—In its tenth year of releasing manga in English, Kodansha Comics announced that it would join the publishers serving readers of yaoi (also known as “boys love”) and yuri manga in print in 2019. Kodansha said it would begin with three titles, all releasing Jan. 1: the yaoi series 10 Dance and Hitorijime My Hero, and the yuri comedy Yuri Is My Job!
Kodansha kicked off its entry into yaoi, a genre of male-male romance comics also known in Japan as “boys love,” with the announcement of the elegant romance 10 Dance by Satoh Inoue. This manga introduces two bitter rivals – dance champions known as the “kings of the ballroom” – who are forced to train together. The sweat and skill they display engenders a grudging respect that gradually develops into something more. Packed with muscular dancing and a classic yaoi plotline, 10 Dance is sure to appeal to fans of the genre.
A little more on the comedic side is the boys love series Memeko Arii's Hitorijime My Hero, which was adapted into an anime last year that is now streaming on Amazon Prime and HIDIVE. 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, the series is a natural next step for fans of 10 count and Finder.
No genre of manga has grown more rapidly in recent years than yuri, romance comics that depict love between two girls, and Kodansha is getting into the game with Yuri Is My Job!, an uproarious comedy by Miman starring Hime, a high school girl who deeply cares about her image as a sweet, helpful princess but on the inside only cares about herself. Against her will, Hime gets manipulated into working as a waitress at a place that's part café, part theater, where all the waitresses pretend to be students at a fictional German all-girls boarding school. Hime finds herself falling for another waitress at the café, who in front of the customers gives Hime love and devotion like she's never known. There's just one problem: Behind the scenes, Hime's crush hates her guts.
The general manager of Kodansha USA Publishing, Naho Yamada, said she was thrilled to be finally releasing yaoi and yuri manga in print. “These new series appeal to readers who are finding a welcoming home in the world of manga, and we couldn't be happier to join that movement.”
The publisher said that these three titles are just the beginning. Kodansha Comics plans to release more yaoi and yuri manga in the future.
Expecting more than 180,000 attendees this year over its four-day run from Oct. 4-7, New York Comic Con is the largest gathering of pop culture fans in North America. It is the hometown show for New York City-based Kodansha Comics, and the publisher is operating a 30-foot booth (#2109) on the Jacob Javits Convention Center exhibit floor featuring exclusive merchandise, giveaways, and events for series including The Ghost in the Shell, Attack on Titan, BECK, and Sailor Moon.
About Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC
Kodansha USA Publishing (KUP) is a subsidiary of Kodansha, Japan's largest publisher. Since it began publishing under its Kodansha Comics imprint in 2019, KUP has grown into one of the world's top graphic novel publishers, thanks to classics such as Akira, The Ghost in the Shell, and Sailor Moon, as well as hit new titles including Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, and Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card. Kodansha Comics is distributed by Penguin Random House Publisher Services.
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