Azuki to Publish Two Series with Scholastic Graphix, and Add Four New Manga Series
NEW YORK, NY—At their industry panel at anime convention Anime NYC, digital manga app Azuki revealed that two series released as digital exclusives on Azuki — Hikaru in the Light! and Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms — will receive full-color print editions from Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education, and media company, under the Graphix imprint. Additionally, Azuki is adding four new manga series to its subscription: Kotonoha, Ryoji Renjo: Gourmet Detective, Sweeter Than Cake, and Dreamnautes, all distributed by MediBang.
The first volume of Hikaru in the Light! by Mai Matsuda will be published by Graphix in March 2025, and the first volume of Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms by Yoshino Koyoka and TriF will follow in April 2025. The Mecha-Ude TV anime series is produced by TriF and will be released in October 2024.
The new titles from MediBang are now available worldwide (except Japan) on the Azuki website and iOS and Android apps, with select free chapters available.
A full list of the series is provided below:
Hikaru in the Light! by Mai Matsuda: Middle-school student Hikaru Ogino is known as the “songbird” of her family's bath house in Tokyo. But when her best friend Ran — a former girl group idol — invites her to try out for a pop star “survival camp” together, it'll put her talents to the test. Can Hikaru outshine the competition and make her stage debut, or will she fall flat?
Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms by Yoshino Koyoka and TriF: Kita-Kagami City is a pretty normal town… except that some people have gotten their hands on Mecha-Ude: powerful, sentient, mechanical beings that attach themselves to their human hosts and have awesome capabilities. When middle-school kid Hikaru accidentally activates Alma, a robotic arm Mecha-Ude that has no memory of its past, they must team up to uncover the mystery of Alma's identity and prevent the powerful Mecha-Ude from ending up in the wrong hands.
Kotonoha by Kisugae, distributed by MediBang: When Fujita was in high school, she had but one romantic encounter — and it was with another girl. It happened one day when they ended up kissing. However, somewhere inside her, she knew a girl kissing another girl was wrong, so she chose to remain as just friends. Even when graduation came, she could not confess her feelings, and so the two girls split ways. Five years later, Fujita still thinks back to that romantic encounter. Meanwhile at work, due to one of her colleagues going on maternity leave, a new designer is brought into the company... and who does that designer turn out to be? None other than her high school crush!
Ryoji Renjo: Gourmet Detective by Tadashi Kato, distributed by MediBang: Ryoji is just supposed to be that private detective everyone hires to solve their trivial personal cases. But why does he have this outstanding cooking skill that mesmerizes every cook he meets in the investigation? What is his connection with the famous head from Togawa restaurant? Together with Aoi, the outgoing woman who's also a foodie, Ryoji spreads his cooking skill that will bring more taste to Japan's urban culinary scene!
Sweeter Than Cake by Yuga Kuromiya, distributed by MediBang: For Takuya Otsuki, his everyday routine after school is to pick up his brother Yuta at daycare, then go home and make dinner for the two of them, while their parents both work. He doesn't stop by the game center, go out for karaoke, or visit cafes like the rest of his classmates. He is responsible for Yuta... who's just disappeared into thin air!? As big bro Takuya chases after his small but swift baby brother, he finally catches him at the park, ogling at some cakes held by a suspicious looking red-haired man! Uh oh... What will Takuya have to do to pay him back for the trouble Yuta has caused....? Be his cake taster...? Is that... some sort of euphemism...?
Dreamnautes by Yasuyuki Oshima, distributed by MediBang: Every time Nattsu shuts his eyes, his world changes into a cloudy dimension with bizarre creatures and strange humans. What exactly is Nattsu's purpose in that world? Why does he keep getting more and more tired? Dreamnautes is an instant shonen classic with unique art and a charming concept. Not to be missed.
About Azuki and KiraKira Media Inc.
Azuki is a digital comics publisher and subscription app run by a small team of manga fans and tech experts at KiraKira Media Inc. in San Francisco, CA.
Azuki is available on the web at www.azuki.co and in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. The app features over 350 manga series, with new chapters updated daily. Manga fans can start reading for free with advertisements today, or upgrade to Premium to unlock thousands of chapters for $4.99 a month. A 14-day free trial and discounted annual plan are also available, and additional volumes outside the subscription can be purchased via direct volume sales. Most titles are available worldwide (except Japan). Stay up to date on the latest announcements by following Azuki at x.com/ReadAzuki, facebook.com/ReadAzuki, and instagram.com/readazuki.
About Graphix
Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic, is committed to publishing creator-driven graphic novels for early, middle grade and young adult readers. Graphix launched in 2005 with the publication of Jeff Smith's acclaimed epic series, BONE. Graphix titles have become bestsellers around the globe and continue to receive awards and critical acclaim including multiple Eisner Award wins and nominations, a National Book Award Longlist selection (Hey, Kiddo), a Stonewall Book Award Honor (Drama), a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor (Smile), an Edgar Allan Poe nomination (The Lost Boy), and more than twenty-five New York Times bestsellers to date. The list now features the Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey, Raina Telgemeier's books, the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi, the Sunny books by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, Twins by Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright, Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter, the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman, and the graphic novel adaptations of The Baby-sitters Club and Wings of Fire series.
The first volume of Hikaru in the Light! by Mai Matsuda will be published by Graphix in March 2025, and the first volume of Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms by Yoshino Koyoka and TriF will follow in April 2025. The Mecha-Ude TV anime series is produced by TriF and will be released in October 2024.
The new titles from MediBang are now available worldwide (except Japan) on the Azuki website and iOS and Android apps, with select free chapters available.
A full list of the series is provided below:
Hikaru in the Light! by Mai Matsuda: Middle-school student Hikaru Ogino is known as the “songbird” of her family's bath house in Tokyo. But when her best friend Ran — a former girl group idol — invites her to try out for a pop star “survival camp” together, it'll put her talents to the test. Can Hikaru outshine the competition and make her stage debut, or will she fall flat?
Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms by Yoshino Koyoka and TriF: Kita-Kagami City is a pretty normal town… except that some people have gotten their hands on Mecha-Ude: powerful, sentient, mechanical beings that attach themselves to their human hosts and have awesome capabilities. When middle-school kid Hikaru accidentally activates Alma, a robotic arm Mecha-Ude that has no memory of its past, they must team up to uncover the mystery of Alma's identity and prevent the powerful Mecha-Ude from ending up in the wrong hands.
Kotonoha by Kisugae, distributed by MediBang: When Fujita was in high school, she had but one romantic encounter — and it was with another girl. It happened one day when they ended up kissing. However, somewhere inside her, she knew a girl kissing another girl was wrong, so she chose to remain as just friends. Even when graduation came, she could not confess her feelings, and so the two girls split ways. Five years later, Fujita still thinks back to that romantic encounter. Meanwhile at work, due to one of her colleagues going on maternity leave, a new designer is brought into the company... and who does that designer turn out to be? None other than her high school crush!
Ryoji Renjo: Gourmet Detective by Tadashi Kato, distributed by MediBang: Ryoji is just supposed to be that private detective everyone hires to solve their trivial personal cases. But why does he have this outstanding cooking skill that mesmerizes every cook he meets in the investigation? What is his connection with the famous head from Togawa restaurant? Together with Aoi, the outgoing woman who's also a foodie, Ryoji spreads his cooking skill that will bring more taste to Japan's urban culinary scene!
Sweeter Than Cake by Yuga Kuromiya, distributed by MediBang: For Takuya Otsuki, his everyday routine after school is to pick up his brother Yuta at daycare, then go home and make dinner for the two of them, while their parents both work. He doesn't stop by the game center, go out for karaoke, or visit cafes like the rest of his classmates. He is responsible for Yuta... who's just disappeared into thin air!? As big bro Takuya chases after his small but swift baby brother, he finally catches him at the park, ogling at some cakes held by a suspicious looking red-haired man! Uh oh... What will Takuya have to do to pay him back for the trouble Yuta has caused....? Be his cake taster...? Is that... some sort of euphemism...?
Dreamnautes by Yasuyuki Oshima, distributed by MediBang: Every time Nattsu shuts his eyes, his world changes into a cloudy dimension with bizarre creatures and strange humans. What exactly is Nattsu's purpose in that world? Why does he keep getting more and more tired? Dreamnautes is an instant shonen classic with unique art and a charming concept. Not to be missed.
About Azuki and KiraKira Media Inc.
Azuki is a digital comics publisher and subscription app run by a small team of manga fans and tech experts at KiraKira Media Inc. in San Francisco, CA.
Azuki is available on the web at www.azuki.co and in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. The app features over 350 manga series, with new chapters updated daily. Manga fans can start reading for free with advertisements today, or upgrade to Premium to unlock thousands of chapters for $4.99 a month. A 14-day free trial and discounted annual plan are also available, and additional volumes outside the subscription can be purchased via direct volume sales. Most titles are available worldwide (except Japan). Stay up to date on the latest announcements by following Azuki at x.com/ReadAzuki, facebook.com/ReadAzuki, and instagram.com/readazuki.
About Graphix
Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic, is committed to publishing creator-driven graphic novels for early, middle grade and young adult readers. Graphix launched in 2005 with the publication of Jeff Smith's acclaimed epic series, BONE. Graphix titles have become bestsellers around the globe and continue to receive awards and critical acclaim including multiple Eisner Award wins and nominations, a National Book Award Longlist selection (Hey, Kiddo), a Stonewall Book Award Honor (Drama), a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor (Smile), an Edgar Allan Poe nomination (The Lost Boy), and more than twenty-five New York Times bestsellers to date. The list now features the Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey, Raina Telgemeier's books, the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi, the Sunny books by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, Twins by Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright, Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter, the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman, and the graphic novel adaptations of The Baby-sitters Club and Wings of Fire series.
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