Top Publishers of Japanese Manga & Novels Announce Exciting 2019 Titles
New Kodansha and Vertical series include Bakemonogatari, Rayearth, new Fairy Tail & Cells at Work!
New York (March 4, 2019)— Kodansha Comics, Vertical Comics, and Vertical, Inc., three leading imprints for Japanese novels and comics in translation, announced their upcoming slate of new titles today, running the gamut from new manga series to re-releases of classics.
Vertical Comics announced the highly anticipated manga adaptation of NISIOISIN's blockbuster Bakemonogatari series by acclaimed creator Oh! Great (Air Gear). The series will begin October 2019. Another major announcement was a new novel by the acclaimed Monogatari franchise creator, Hanging High School, the third book in the Zaregoto series, in September. Fans have clamored for the next episode in the series since the release of the second book in 2018, preceded by the hit first volume in 2017. During the announcement, Vertical revealed new cover art by VOFAN, the star illustrator of the Monogatari Series, for Makoto Shinkai's Voices of a Distant Star (novel), to release in July, and for VOFAN's own full-color artbook previously only published in Taiwan, Colorful Dreams, to release in October. Vertical also added Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose Resurrection at Nineteen, the prequel novels of the hit manga series for their light novel lineup in December 2019.
The publishers unveiled three new highly anticipated box sets. The Monogatari series will see a “Season 2” box set later this year from Vertical, Inc. To coincide with the work's 25th anniversary, Kodansha Comics will re-release CLAMP's Magic Knight Rayearth in two beautiful three-volume hardcover box sets. The first is due Fall 2019, and on top of the three volumes of manga, each will include one full-color art book of rare pieces by the creators and an additional bonus item to be revealed.
Also coming to the box set format is the bestselling fantasy epic Fairy Tail, which will see its first 11-volume box set released this fall, with two per year to follow. Kodansha also announced Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest, the sequel to Fairy Tail, which this summer will continue the adventures of Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and the entire magical guild, with layouts and story by creator Hiro Mashima.
In another addition to a beloved Kodansha Comics series, Cells at Work! CODE BLACK will be released this summer. Where the original series followed a Red Blood Cell and a White Blood Cell through a (relatively) healthy body, this spinoff is set in one that's falling apart, with smoking, drinking, fatty liver, gout, and more intimate ailments to deal with. The book will carry a “surgeon-general's warning” that it's only for ages 18 and up!
Joining Yuri Is My Job!, Kodansha's premier yuri (girl-girl romance) manga title that debuted this January, Kodansha will publish If I Could Reach You, a serious yuri title about a teenage girl coming to terms with her own sexuality through her crush on her brother's wife. Vol. 1 is coming this fall.
Kodansha will publish the manga adaptation of the online game Granblue Fantasy, which featured design work and music by key creative figures from the Final Fantasy series and has proven a global hit. The manga, by cocho and Makoto Fuugetsu, will begin this fall. Finally, Kodansha will bring to print the digital-first title Drifting Dragons, about a “whaling ship” that floats through the air and hunts dragons! Vol. 1 is coming this holiday season.
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 2009, 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. http://www.kodanshacomics.com
About Vertical, Inc.
Vertical publishes a mix of titles from contemporary award winners, Japanese bestsellers and edgy manga. Recent fiction works include the Monogatari Series, Katanagatari, and The Dark Maidens. Vertical Comics imprint has released hits such as Chi's Sweet Home, Mobile Suit Gundam the Origin, Black Jack and Pop Team Epic.
Vertical and Vertical Comics is a subsidiary of Kodansha.
http://www.vertical-inc.com
New York (March 4, 2019)— Kodansha Comics, Vertical Comics, and Vertical, Inc., three leading imprints for Japanese novels and comics in translation, announced their upcoming slate of new titles today, running the gamut from new manga series to re-releases of classics.
Vertical Comics announced the highly anticipated manga adaptation of NISIOISIN's blockbuster Bakemonogatari series by acclaimed creator Oh! Great (Air Gear). The series will begin October 2019. Another major announcement was a new novel by the acclaimed Monogatari franchise creator, Hanging High School, the third book in the Zaregoto series, in September. Fans have clamored for the next episode in the series since the release of the second book in 2018, preceded by the hit first volume in 2017. During the announcement, Vertical revealed new cover art by VOFAN, the star illustrator of the Monogatari Series, for Makoto Shinkai's Voices of a Distant Star (novel), to release in July, and for VOFAN's own full-color artbook previously only published in Taiwan, Colorful Dreams, to release in October. Vertical also added Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose Resurrection at Nineteen, the prequel novels of the hit manga series for their light novel lineup in December 2019.
The publishers unveiled three new highly anticipated box sets. The Monogatari series will see a “Season 2” box set later this year from Vertical, Inc. To coincide with the work's 25th anniversary, Kodansha Comics will re-release CLAMP's Magic Knight Rayearth in two beautiful three-volume hardcover box sets. The first is due Fall 2019, and on top of the three volumes of manga, each will include one full-color art book of rare pieces by the creators and an additional bonus item to be revealed.
Also coming to the box set format is the bestselling fantasy epic Fairy Tail, which will see its first 11-volume box set released this fall, with two per year to follow. Kodansha also announced Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest, the sequel to Fairy Tail, which this summer will continue the adventures of Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and the entire magical guild, with layouts and story by creator Hiro Mashima.
In another addition to a beloved Kodansha Comics series, Cells at Work! CODE BLACK will be released this summer. Where the original series followed a Red Blood Cell and a White Blood Cell through a (relatively) healthy body, this spinoff is set in one that's falling apart, with smoking, drinking, fatty liver, gout, and more intimate ailments to deal with. The book will carry a “surgeon-general's warning” that it's only for ages 18 and up!
Joining Yuri Is My Job!, Kodansha's premier yuri (girl-girl romance) manga title that debuted this January, Kodansha will publish If I Could Reach You, a serious yuri title about a teenage girl coming to terms with her own sexuality through her crush on her brother's wife. Vol. 1 is coming this fall.
Kodansha will publish the manga adaptation of the online game Granblue Fantasy, which featured design work and music by key creative figures from the Final Fantasy series and has proven a global hit. The manga, by cocho and Makoto Fuugetsu, will begin this fall. Finally, Kodansha will bring to print the digital-first title Drifting Dragons, about a “whaling ship” that floats through the air and hunts dragons! Vol. 1 is coming this holiday season.
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 2009, 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. http://www.kodanshacomics.com
About Vertical, Inc.
Vertical publishes a mix of titles from contemporary award winners, Japanese bestsellers and edgy manga. Recent fiction works include the Monogatari Series, Katanagatari, and The Dark Maidens. Vertical Comics imprint has released hits such as Chi's Sweet Home, Mobile Suit Gundam the Origin, Black Jack and Pop Team Epic.
Vertical and Vertical Comics is a subsidiary of Kodansha.
http://www.vertical-inc.com
bookmark/share with:
