Anime NYC 2024 had plenty of license announcements, including a fresh batch from Kodansha for September 2024 and Summer 2025. Among the print releases are some big box sets, chief among them being Attack on Titan FLY. The premium collector’s set packs in the final Attack on Titan art book with a new interview with creator Hajime Isayama, replicas of Eren’s key and Mikasa’s scarf, and the first English release of exclusive manga booklet Vol. 35, featuring rough layouts of the final chapter and a new manga chapter centered on Levi.
Kodansha Summer 2025 Print Licenses
Last Samurai Standing
by TATSUZSynopsis:
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!
You’re All Mine Tonight
by TakibaSynopsis:
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?
Light of My Life
by TakibaSynopsis:
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?
Attack on Titan FLY
by Hajime IsayamaSynopsis:
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!
Special Cover Reveals
Musashi (New Edition)
by Eiji Yoshikawa, Translated by Charles TerrySynopsis:
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.
Twilight Out of Focus Box Set
by JyanomeSynopsis:
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…
Kodansha September 2024 Digital Licenses
Manchuria Opium Squad
by Tsukasa Monma and ShikakoSeptember 10, 2024Synopsis:
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.
Source: Kodansha USA
