Kodansha Reveals New Manga Licenses for September 2024 & Summer 2025
As announced today at Anime NYC 2024, Kodansha has expanded its upcoming print lineup with a collection of brand-new series, fresh editions, and box sets arriving in Summer 2025.
Kodansha also announced the digital debut of Manchuria Opium Squad, a gritty historical crime drama that will launch this September.
The print titles unveiled today will hit shelves starting next summer at major retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Amazon, and more. Meanwhile, the digital release debuting in September 2024 will be available across various platforms, including Bookwalker, Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play, Nook, Kobo, MyAnimeList, Mangamo, and others. Fans can also purchase and enjoy all Kodansha digital manga directly on kodansha.us.
Check below for the full lineup of upcoming print and digital releases from Kodansha.
SUMMER 2025 NEW PRINT LICENSES:
Last Samurai Standing
By TATSUZ
In a rapidly changing world, a sinister game of life-or-death brutally culls Japan's fading warrior class. Who is rounding up the few who still cling to their swords and is forcing them to fight? And who will be the last samurai standing?
It is the 11th year of the Meiji era in Japan, and more than a decade since the samurai were stripped of their privileges, with swords outlawed on public streets. A mysterious poster appears in all corners of the land, luring those skilled in martial arts to Kyoto with the promise of riches beyond common imagination. As warriors deprived of purpose flock to the appointed place at the appointed time, what awaits them is no ordinary task, but an all-out war—against each other!
Rated: 16+
You're All Mine Tonight
By Takiba
A steamy new BL one-shot about a businessman longing to reunite with his past lover—who wants nothing more than to put his own troubled past behind him.
Kanzaki is your typical businessman: He's stoic, dependable, and respected by all of his subordinates. But he has a secret he can't tell anyone: Five years ago, he became involved with a male sex worker named Nagi. The more nights they spent together, the more lust gave way to love, and Kanzaki hasn't been able to get Nagi off his mind since. After being sent to work abroad, Kanzaki returns to Japan and meets one of his new subordinates—a young man named Futagami, who looks exactly like Nagi. As the part of Kanzaki's past that was once frozen in time begins to thaw, can the two men find their way back toward each other, or will the passionate nights they spent together remain a thing of the past?
Rated: 18+
Light of My Life
By Takiba
Aki and Minagi were inseparable in high school, until an incident pulled their friendship apart at the seams. Years later, both men have given up on their high school dreams, and on each other. But when Minagi shows up one night on Aki's doorstep, is it just the push the two men need in order to address their past and repair their future?
Back in high school, best friends Aki and Minagi were inseparable. Aki dreamed of becoming a professional football player, while Minagi was seen as a “genius” who was eager to chase his dream of working in medicine. Years later, Aki has taken over his grandfather's hair salon, and Minagi set his interest in medicine aside to work in a host club. Despite the growing tension between them following their high school fallout, Minagi shows up at Aki's apartment one day asking for a place to stay. Can the two men confront their past in order to repair their future?
Rated: 18+
Attack on Titan FLY
By Hajime Isayama
That was not the end! This super-premium collector's set includes a colossal-sized art book with color illustrations and a new interview with creator Hajime Isayama, replicas of Eren's key and Mikasa's scarf, and, for the first time, the exclusive manga booklet Vol. 35.
The ultimate addition to every collection, Attack on Titan: FLY—previously only available in Japan in limited quantities—is coming to the world in English! This huge box set includes the final Attack on Titan art book, featuring every AoT color illustration known to man (or Titan!) and an exclusive new interview with Hajime Isayama, housed in a beautiful slipcase, alongside bonuses true Titan fans are going to love, like a full-sized replica set of the manuscript pages of the last chapter of Attack on Titan; the padlock and key housing the secrets behind the basement of Eren's family home; the scarf Eren gave to Mikasa; and, most exciting of all the exclusive manga “Volume 35”—a new chapter of manga focused on fan-favorite Levi, plus the rough layouts of the final chapter, all presented for the first time in English!
Rated: 16+
SPECIAL COVER REVEALS:
Musashi (New Edition)
By Eiji Yoshikawa, Translated by Charles Terry
Eiji Yoshikawa's classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman. New Edition features a new original cover design by a renowned creator, Takehiko Inoue (Slam Dunk, Vagabond)!
Miyamoto Musashi was the child of an era when Japan was emerging from decades of civil strife. Lured to the great Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 by the hope of becoming a samurai--without really knowing what it meant--he regains consciousness after the battle to find himself lying defeated, dazed and wounded among thousands of the dead and dying. On his way home, he commits a rash act, becomes a fugitive and brings life in his own village to a standstill—until he is captured by a weaponless Zen monk.
Rated: 16+
Twilight Out of Focus Box Set
By Jyanome
This collector's box set contains volumes 1-4 of the Twilight Out of Focus series and includes a special booklet with U.S.-edition-exclusive art, a never-before translated short story, and all-new full-color illustrations!
Second-years Mao Tsuchiya and Hisashi Otomo make three promises: 1) That Mao will never tell anyone that Hisashi is gay and has a boyfriend, 2) That Hisashi will never think of Mao “in that way,” and 3) That they'll always knock before entering, in case someone is having some “private time.” The two's ground rules should ensure a peaceful life together in their dorm, but life is never as simple as it should be, and some things are not so easily promised...
Rated: 18+
SEPTEMBER 2024 NEW DIGITAL LICENSE:
Manchuria Opium Squad
By Tsukasa Monma and Shikako
Debut Date: September 10, 2024
In the corrupt, conflict-ridden Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, the illegal opium trade is a perilous path to quick riches-or a swift death. Desperate to save his doomed family, the young Isamu Higata seizes a dangerous opportunity, using his botanical expertise to make mind-blowing opium in hopes of cashing in. But when sinister gangs and the oppressive state catch wind of his operation, Isamu is thrust deeper and deeper into a treacherous world of deceit and depravity to protect himself and those he loves.
This series is a work of fiction and contains graphic depictions of intense violence, drug abuse, and other shocking imagery. The story and its contents are not recommended for young or sensitive readers. Reader discretion is advised.
Rated: 18+
About Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC
A subsidiary of Kodansha, Japan's largest publisher, Kodansha USA Publishing is the English-language publisher of some of the world's most recognizable manga properties, including Katsuhiro Ōtomo's AKIRA and Naoko Takeuchi's Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, along with a robust catalog of English-language Japanese novels, cookbooks, craft guides, historical and cultural literature, and more. Today, thanks to recent fan-favorite and critically acclaimed hits like Attack on Titan, Battle Angel Alita, Witch Hat Atelier, and the popular Monogatari Novels, Kodansha USA Publishing is one of the best-selling manga publishers in the United States. Kodansha USA Publishing's print offerings are distributed by Penguin Random House Publisher Services, and their digital manga and select digital books are available across a number of digital comics, manga, and book vendors. For more information visit kodansha.us.
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