Deadly Rom-Com Killing Line Debuts Digitally This January

Kodansha kicks off the new year with the reveal of January's new digital manga series debut Killing Line by Satoshi Morie, the creator of the dark romantic thriller Searching for My Perfect Brother.

Originally published in the pages of BeLove Magazine, Killing Line is a deadly romantic comedy following Mako, an abandoned and penniless high school girl who one day finds herself at the wrong end of an assassin's gun—but Mako has a plan where love (or at least pretend love) might just save her life! This exciting dark rom-com makes its digital debut Tuesday, January 28, 2025, but fans can read a free chapter one preview right now on the Kodansha Reader Portal.

Killing Line will be available upon release across all our participating digital vendors, including Amazon Kindle, BookWalker, Apple Books, Google Play, Nook, Kobo, MyAnimeList, Mangamo and more! Fans can also purchase and read all Kodansha digital manga on kodansha.us.

Read below for more details on this January digital manga debut from Kodansha:

Killing Line
By Satoshi Morie

Debut Date: January 28, 2025

Abandoned on her 18th birthday by her absent single father, Mako struggles to make ends meet. When her friend offers to introduce her to a sugar daddy for a casual dinner and some conversation, it all seems straightforward and simple. Little does Mako know, someone else has their sights set on her date—a ruthless assassin on a mission to take out his target and leave no witnesses… Before she realizes it, Mako's late-night liaison turns into a deadly encounter with a contract killer, and now, she'll need to think fast, be resourceful, and turn on the charm to survive. Can she melt the heart of a cold-blooded hit man or will this potential beau get the best of her? Find out in this thrilling new black comedy with life-and-death stakes from the author of Searching for My Perfect Brother.

This series takes place in a fictionalized criminal underworld and includes mildly graphic instances or mentions of murder, prostitution, suicide, sexual violence, and drug use. It also contains non-explicit depictions of sexual situations and nudity. Reader discretion is advised.

Age Rating: 16+

Read the FREE Chapter 1 of Killing Line

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.