Kodansha USA is one of the most famous and well-known manga publishers in the United States, offering a variety of popular series in English for fans to enjoy. The publisher recently announced the launch of a new program called “Kodansha Print Club” aimed at printing series that were already licensed in English but were only available digitally.
Ivan Salazar, senior marketing director at Kodansha America, commented, noting that he has heard from fans expressing the importance of printing these titles.
One of the things Kodansha is known for is its large digital-first catalog, and since the inception of its digital program, it has noticed fan demand to make many of these series available in print. Kodansha Print Club is our way of trying to bridge this gap and fulfill some of the demands of our fans.
Haruko Hashimoto, senior editor of the digital department, highlights the potential of printed manga to engage readers who are not familiar with manga, adding:
In the United States, a number of conditions must be met for manga to survive through the traditional print publishing route. As fans know, there are many stories that deserve to reach a wider audience if given a physical format. Some people are following and championing these series on digital release, and it’s encouraging to see how ready people are for them.
Kodansha Print Club has selected three titles for its first launch: Love, That’s an Understatement, Teppu, and Blade Girl. Let’s take a closer look at these series.
Love is an understatement by Fujimomo
A spare eraser? check. Additional folding umbrella? Check. First aid kit? check. Risa Amakawa, a cool and calm high school student, keeps something in her heavy bag so that she can cope with any situation. What she needs, or doesn’t know how to ask for, is someone’s help. One rainy night, when she rescued a battered juvenile delinquent in the park, she refused any repayment. However, it turns out that saving the infamous Ohira Zen attracts the attention of people who don’t like her. As Zen swoops in to save her from one pickle after another, her feelings about relying on someone other than herself, and her feelings toward Zen, gradually begin to change… A new romantic comedy by the author of “Ellie”!
For more information on the series, check out Kodansha’s Love is an Understatement.
Tep by Moire Ota
Being great at everything is not easy. High school freshman Natsuo Ishito has always been a gifted athlete, and her ability to master any sport with ease has not only bought her a boring life, but also forced her to work hard for her accomplishments. I also earned the resentment of everyone else who didn’t have to do it. Natsuo isn’t worried about what others think. What she wants is a break from the monotony…a real challenge worth putting all her efforts into. A rival worthy of defeating, crushing, and demoralizing, an equal… It all seems like a pipe dream until a pair of annoyingly energetic transfer students arrive from Brazil to give her the challenge she craves. Teasing a brand new club, art until it launches mixed martial arts.
For more information on the series, please see Kodansha’s Teppu.
Blade Girl Narumi Shigematsu
© Kodansha USA
A year after losing her leg, 16-year-old Lynn was exhausted. Tired of painful physical therapy, tired of being treated differently, and tired of stupid, heavy, unwieldy prosthetics. Everything changes when she meets the “Blade Runners”, a group of one-legged athletes who run wearing “Blades” (carbon fiber prosthetic legs specialized for competitive running) created by the genius prosthetist Kazami. The blade is light, flexible and very difficult to control. Rin can barely walk, much less sprint, in one go. However, as he falls to the ground over and over again, he rediscovers many things he had forgotten and finds a new goal: to compete in the Paralympics.
For more information on the series, check out Kodansha’s Blade Girl.
Fans can find Volume 1 of Kodansha Print Club worldwide through online retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and Kinokuniya Bookstore. Priced at $14.99 USD / $19.99 CAD, these volumes will be available starting December 10, 2024. Readers can search their preferred retailer’s website to order a copy and submit requests for additional titles through Kodansha’s publication proposal form.
Kodansha’s licensing announcement at New York Comic Con provoked mixed reactions. Some fans expressed concerns about the titles chosen, feeling that the publisher did not prioritize genres such as shojo and josei, which target young girls and women. However, the upcoming releases of Kodansha Print Club show that the publisher is listening to these fans. This new program promises to satisfy readers who want their favorite series on their shelves.
Source: Kodansha USA
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