The New York Comic-Con weekend brought with it a bunch of manga announcements, including a big new slate from Kodansha USA. The publisher revealed new print licenses for fall 2025, as well as some new digital titles and upcoming box sets. The big fall 2025 box sets include the first collection of Kamome Shirahama’s Witch Hat Atelier and a new hardcover collection of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira. Let’s see what else is on the way!
Kodansha Fall 2025 Print Licenses
Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun: IruMafia Edition
by Hiroja
Original Series by Osamu NishiSynopsis:
Get ready to meet the lovable cast of Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun as you’ve never seen them before!
In this brand-new spinoff of the runaway hit series, Iruma is a dirt-poor but unfailingly cheerful young boy who grows up in a ruthless city slum. One day, Iruma gives an injured old man his last loaf of bread and nurses the stranger back to health—only to find out that the elder gent is none other than Don Sullivan, head of the Babyl Mafia! Soon after, Don Sullivan comes back, whisks Iruma away, and begs the boy to become his grandson. And just like that, Iruma begins his new life as the next in line to lead a gigantic gang of—dare we say—demonic mafiosos!
Sheeta’s Little Big World
by Yuki KambaSynopsis:
Sheeta and Nala live happily inside a hollowed-out log with their fellow “littlefolk,” who stand no taller than a blade of grass. When Nala runs off one day to investigate a mysterious smoke signal, Sheeta must summon all his wit and courage as he sets off in pursuit. Rats, ants, weasels, giants… The wide world is full of dangers, but the plucky Sheeta will stop at nothing to find his friend. A charming new adventure manga for young readers and teens alike.
A Curtain Call for You
Story by Shiho Satou
Art by Kiki EmodaSynopsis:
Shy, mousy Sakura Akutsu is content to keep her adventures confined to the pages of her notebook—until the brash, outgoing new transfer student Tsubame Hiiragi gets her hands on it, that is. The two secretly share the stories Sakura spins, but soon that secret proves too big to keep, and Tsubame whisks Sakura into a glittering world she could never have imagined!
As Sakura learns to be confident in who she is and ignore what others think, Tsubame learns to go below the surface and dig deep for emotional truths that may have eluded her… Together they’ll learn about art, love, truth, and most of all, the theater…!
This creative and emotionally rich series uses every visual tool available to express the confusion and elation of adolescence.
You Can’t Bluff the Sharp-Eyed Sister
Story by Natsu Hyuuga
Art by Yo Asami
Character Designs by Chiho ShinishiSynopsis:
In a sleepy countryside church, Chloe plays the part of a prim and naïve novice, studying to become a priestess. But when night falls, she sneaks out in disguise to win big money at cards!
Despite her best efforts, word gets around, and one day a handsome young holy knight named Heraldo—known as a rising star in the capital—arrives to enlist her help. A murder two years ago threatens the stability of the kingdom, and Heraldo thinks this card shark in sister’s clothes can solve it using her Gift—the rare blessing that allows someone to use magic. Little does Heraldo know, there’s nothing supernatural about Chloe’s winning streak. She’s just got a quick wit, and sharp eyes! Will that be enough to survive the den of devils that is the royal palace?
My Instructor Won’t Yield
by Deme KingyobachiSynopsis:
A quirky, sweet BL romance that’ll have you turning the page at full throttle!
Chiba’s kind manner, clear guidance, and pretty face easily make him the favorite instructor of every female student at the driving school where he works. But, while he’ll play up his charms to get good reviews, Chiba is diligent about politely—but firmly—rejecting any romantic gestures or advances that may come his way. His well-crafted persona is put to the test when he is matched with the mysterious Yaotome, a new student gaining a reputation of his own as the “Sharp-Suited Prince.” Despite his cool looks and demeanor, Yaotome can hardly compose himself when Chiba begins their lesson. Is it just nerves, or is there something more to it…?
Shoot Juliet Down
by Komachi KatsuraSynopsis:
Love is a brutal battle between vanity and desire.
Amidst the dark glamor of host club Velvet Kiss, Juri—also called Juliet—commands a vice-like grip on the number one position. Impressed by this poker-faced beauty’s supreme reign, newbie and number-two host Akatsuki decides he must learn Juliet’s secrets—and shoot him down from the top of the pack. But Akatsuki’s first up-close taste of Juliet’s intoxicating charm leaves him craving more than he’d expected. And as he may soon learn, some secrets are better left in their bottles, and the bullet that shoots through one heart might take out more than it bargained for…
Nezumi’s First Love
by Riku OsetoSynopsis:
Here’s the sweet, bloody yakuza love story we’ve all been waiting for! Nezumi was raised by the mob to be an emotionless killing machine, but a chance encounter in an arcade leads to a romance at total odds with everything she’s known. Equal parts ultraviolence and kawaii, Nezumi’s First Love turns both the hitman and love comedy genres on their heads!
Before You Go Extinct
Story by Takashi Ushiroyato
Art by Kanato AbikoSynopsis:
A darkly comic look at the meaning and meaninglessness of life, through the eyes of various adorable and occasionally psychopathic species facing extinction.
A humble rock is at the center of this transmigratory tale of two souls who take the form of penguins, otters, crows, and more as they learn about the the value of culture, the beauty of play in the face of capitalist pressure to produce and reproduce, and the power of love in the face of total annihilation.
Notable Print Announcements
BLUE LOCK (New Monthly Volumes
by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke NomuraKodansha will publish one new volume each month starting in July 2025 until it’s caught up with the Japanese releases.
The Drops of God (2-in-1 Omnibus Reprints)
by Tadashi Agi and Shu OkimotoThe series is returning to shelves with reprints of the 2-in-1 omnibus collections
Ring (Novel)
by Koji SuzukiRelease Date: November 2024An exclusive variant edition is coming to Barnes & Noble, featuring a throwback mock VHS cover, sprayed TV static-style edges and an insert of the original cover with a printing of Suzuki’s signature.
Totto-chan The Little Girl at the Window: The Sequel (Novel)
by Tetsuko KuroyanagiRelease Window: Fall 2025Synopsis:
Over forty years ago, Japanese pop culture icon Testuko Kuroyanagi ended her childhood memoir shortly after her beloved school, Tomoe Gakuen, burned down beneath the American air raids of WWII. At last, she returns to continue little Totto’s tale, beginning with her family’s frantic effort to escape Tokyo and the worst of the war. Told with the same disarming charm that enamored over 25 million readers worldwide, this sequel invites us to see the harsh realities of war through the eyes of an ever-curious child who finds wonder in the darkest of places, and trace her path to becoming a trailblazing actress and philanthropist who forever changed the landscape of Japanese entertainment.
Upcoming Digital Licenses
As the Gods Will
Story by Muneyuki Kaneshiro
Art by Akeji Fujimura Release Date: November 12, 2024 (Free chapter)Synopsis:
Deep down inside, high school student Shun Takahata craves for some excitement in his boring life…but his teacher’s head randomly exploding isn’t exactly what he had in mind. And when some of his classmates suddenly suffer the same fate, he begins to realize he’s been thrust into a series of deadly supernatural children’s games. Shun and fellow survivors are completely in the dark, not knowing who’s responsible, why it’s happening, or when it will end. To have any hope of unraveling the mystery behind the gruesome games, they’ll first have to outlast the games…and each other.
India Calling Me Now
by Terako ShimaRelease Date: December 10, 2024Synopsis:
After years of struggling to get her work published, 28-year old manga artist Natsume is on the brink of giving up. When her boyfriend gets transferred to India and asks her to come, she takes it as a sign to finally let go of the dreams she’d pursued her whole life. But when she arrives and realizes that he sees her as little more than a dutiful future housewife, she dumps him on the spot and finds herself all alone in an unfamiliar land. Through her encounters with the resilient and radiant women she meets there, Natsume slowly finds the strength to follow her dreams once again.
Kodansha Fall 2025 Box Sets & Reissues
Witch Hat Atelier Manga Box Set 1
by Kamome ShirahamaSynopsis:
Can’t get enough of Witch Hat Atelier? See where the magic began in this manga box set containing the first six volumes of the manga that inspired the hit anime, plus an exclusive set of art cards!
In a world where everyone takes wonders like magic spells and dragons for granted, Coco is a girl with a simple dream: She wants to be a witch. But everybody knows witches are born, not made, and Coco was not born with a gift for magic. Resigned to her un-magical life, Coco is about to give up on her dream to become a witch…until the day she meets Qifrey, a mysterious, traveling witch. After secretly seeing Qifrey perform magic in a way she’s never seen before, Coco soon learns what everybody “knows” might not be the truth, and discovers that her magical dream may not be as far away as it may seem…
AKIRA Hardcover Collection
by Katsuhiro OtomoSynopsis:
One of the most acclaimed and influential comics of all time, with the original Japanese art and right-to-left reading format, now available in single-volume, collectible hardcovers!
Katsuhiro Otomo’s AKIRA, the dystopian, science fiction epic that changed anime and manga forever, returns in six beautiful hardcover collector’s edition volumes perfect for longtime fans and manga aficionados alike. Whether you’re a cult fan or are looking to dive into the world of Neo-Tokyo for the first time, there’s no better way to experience AKIRA than with these beautiful new hardcover editions, featuring the original Japanese art and right-to-left reading format.
Welcome to Neo-Tokyo, a city built on the ashes of a Tokyo annihilated by a blast of unknown origin that triggered World War III, whose streets have been ceded to motorcycle gangs and the rich and powerful run dangerous experiments on destructive, supernatural powers that they cannot control. The lives of two streetwise teenage friends, Tetsuo and Kaneda, change forever when paranormal abilities begin to waken in Tetsuo, making him a target for a shadowy agency that will stop at nothing to prevent another catastrophe like the one that leveled Tokyo. At the core of the agency’s motivation is a raw, all-consuming fear of an unthinkable, monstrous power known only as Akira.
Source: Kodansha
