At Anime Expo, Kodansha unveiled an incredible lineup of upcoming print licenses for Spring 2025. These new debuts include stories from celebrated creators like Hiro Mashima (FAIRY TAIL), Tsutomu Nihei (BLAME!, Knights of Sidonia), and Shuzo Oshimi (Blood on the Tracks). Also, readers can expect hotly anticipated romance stories, fun and exciting BL titles, and more.
Kodansha Licenses at Anime Expo
The print titles announced at Anime Expo on July 4, 2024 will be available starting Spring 2025 at physical and online book vendors like Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Amazon, and more. July 2024 digital debuts will be available upon release across participating vendors, including Bookwalker, Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play, Nook, Kobo, MyAnimeList, and more. Fans can also purchase and read all Kodansha digital manga directly on kodansha.us.
Kodansha titles debuting in Spring 2025:
Dead Rock, by Hiro Mashima, is a new fantasy adventure that pits the aspiring young denizens of Hell against each other in a battle royale to claim the ultimate prize: Earth itself. The story is rated for 16+.
The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride is a manga by Mamenosuke Fujimaru and created by Midori Yuma. Noragami meets My Happy Marriage in this mix of romance, action, and suspense that has already won legions of fans. The much-anticipated webtoon comes to print. From the creator of Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits and the artist behind Captive Hearts of Oz and the Alice in the Country of Clover series comes a steamy new historical fantasy romance about a cursed girl shunned by those around her and the demon hunter who falls for her. This series is rated 16+.
The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé by Fumito is an outrageous BL (boys’ love) manga about work, unlikely friends, and problems “down there.” At age 40, Takanashi is in the prime of his life, heading up a high-performing sales team and is a real stud as far as the ladies are concerned. Yet he turns them all down, because he has trouble performing in the bedroom! What will he do when a rising star on his team finds out his secret? The series is rated 18+.
How to Deal When Your Intimidating Neighbor is Actually an Omega is an Omegaverse romcom by Nikuya Inui. A college-aged Alpha lives next door to a scary-looking hottie whom he assumes is an Alpha, too. However, a shocking encounter will correct that assumption! An irresistible, tattooed Omega is living next door. This story is complete in one volume and is rated 18+.
A Vampire in the Bathhouse by Niko Izuki is a heartwarming and hilarious comedy about a vampire who just wants to unwind. The story follows Luka, the hot and picture-perfect vampire, and the family that runs the bathhouse where he crashes. This is also complete in one volume and is rated 16+.
Hauntress by Minetaro Mochizuki is a work of horror from 1993. It incorporates elements of psychological horror and urban legend. Also, this story is credited with introducing the idea of stalking to Japan. Mochizuki’s early masterpiece remains just as terrifying as it was when it first appeared over 30 years ago. Hauntress has a rating of 16+.
More series coming in 2025:
Tower Dungeon, by Tsutomu Nihei, turns the isekai genre on its head. An evil sorcerer slays the king and takes over his body. The sorcerer then kidnaps the princess and takes her away to the legendary Dragon Tower. The Royal Guard is rebuffed in their attempt to rescue her. In order to replace the wounded, a young farmhand named Yuva is called up into service. With only a pot lid for a shield and a strong back to carry supplies, Yuva joins the soldiers on the perilous quest to climb the tower and rescue the princess. This series is rated 13+.
Toxic Daughter: Chi-chan is a dark one-shot by acclaimed manga author, Shuzo Oshimi. The story follows friends Yua and Koudai who decide to save their delinquent classmate Chi from truancy. However, they find themselves sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness that seems to haunt everything she touches. This story is rated 16+.
23:45 is the manga debut of author Ohana. This bittersweet romantic mystery follows shy college freshman Iku, who has recently discovered he can see ghosts. Mimori is the friendly phantom that latches on to him. Iku wants to find out why this spirit is forced, night after night at 23:45, to relive the fall that turned him into a ghost in the first place. 23:45 is rated 16+.
Spacewalking with you follows Kobayashi, who saves Uno from getting scammed. That close encounter launches a new friendship. Uno’s definitely a space cadet, but Kobayashi can’t help admiring the way he floats through life. Before he knows it, he might start feeling his feet lift off the ground, too. This series is rated 13+.
The thrilling and dramatic final arc of CLAMP’s manga masterwork Magic Knight Rayearth comes to paperback with a new translation! Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu return to a Cefiro that is not the one they left. They realize that there was always more to this other world than they realized. This series is also rated 13+.
Codename: Sailor V 1 (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) by Naoko Takeuchi tells the story of Minako Aino before meeting Sailor Moon and becoming Sailor Venus. Minako was the first hero to find her calling one year before meeting Sailor Moon. At age 13, all this teen can talk about is finding a boyfriend. However, her dreams change when a talking cat with a crescent moon on his forehead reveals her true identity as the Soldier of Justice, Sailor V! This collection is rated 13+.
Two New Digital Licenses Coming This Month
Among the licenses Kodonsha unveiled are two soon-to-debut digital manga series, Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns 2, the latest installment of Akiko Higashimura’s Tokyo Tarareba Girls saga, and My Journey to Her, Yuna Hirasawa’s the poignant diary-like memoir about gender affirming surgery. Both titles arrive this July 2024.
Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns 2 debuts on July 9, 2024. 30-year-old Reina Hirota’s chill life of snacking and watching TV shows gets a wake-up call through a forgotten childhood dream buried in a time capsule. Suddenly, her content solitude seems more like a forever-solo voyage. This prompts her to crawl off the couch and start husband hunting. Not just to find love, but to help her family find their groove again. Now, if only she knew what she wanted, not just in life, but in a guy, too. The series is rated 16+.
My Journey to Her debuts July 23, 2024. After graduating university, Yuna receives a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. In 2015, Yuna travels to Thailand for her gender-affirming surgery. The support of her siblings, new strangers, and documenting her experience through manga helps her begin to heal in more ways than one. Told in an honest and, at times, humorous tone, this memoir is a blend of manga and detailed prose that does not shy away from sensitive topics. The story is rated 13+.
