Also ‘Attack on Titan FLY’ Art Book, New Series from ‘Blue Lock’ Writer, ‘Pet Shop of Horrors’ Returns
Manga publishers came to AnimeNYC last weekend armed with a slew of new license announcements.
The digital manga platform Azuki revealed that two of its series, Hikaru in the Light, by Mai Matsuda, and Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms, by Yoshino Koyoka, will be published in full color by Graphix starting in spring 2025. These are part of the new Graphix manga line which launched in August 2024 with the first volume of Unico (see “ICv2 Interview: Graphix Co-Founder and Publisher David Saylor“).
Kodansha is catering to Attack on Titan superfans with Attack on Titan FLY, the final Attack on Titan art book, packaged in a slipcased set along with several bonuses including an exclusive “Vol. 35” booklet with a new chapter focusing on the character Levi. The oversized collector’s set was available by preorder only in Japan and is now being published in English for the first time.
Seven Seas announced Pet Shop of Horrors: Collectors Edition, bringing back the horror series, first published by Tokyopop in 2003 (see “Tokyopop’s June Manga Launches“), about a sinister pet shop and the unusual agreement that buyers must make with the mysterious Count D. The new edition will be released as large-trim omnibus volumes with the first one due out in February 2025 with an MSRP of $24.99.
Also on deck from Seven Seas:
- EAT, by Nagabe, an anthropomorphic boys love manga by the creator of The Girl from the Other Side (see “Seven Seas Announces 8 New Licenses“), debuting in February 2025 with an MSRP of $14.99;
- Ichi the Killer, by Hideo Yamamoto (creator of Homunculus), a violent yakuza tale that inspired the horror film of the same name, to be released in two-in-one omnibus volumes priced at $27.99 and debuting in July 2025;
- Tough Love at the Office: The Complete Yuri Collection, by Sal Jiang, binding up the three-volume series, originally titled Black and White, in a single omnibus volume that will be released in July 2025 with an MSRP of $29.99;
- SHWD: The Complete Yuri Collection, by sono.N, collects the three-volume series, including the second and third volumes, which have never been published in English before, in a single volume, to be released in June 2025 with an MSRP of $29.99.
Yen Press announced a new series by Blue Lock writer Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Prison School creator Akira Hiramoto, Super Ball Girls, in which a chocolate factory worker walking home on Christmas night catches a ball that turns into a beautiful woman. While Blue Lock has been the bigger hit, it seems like this manga will have an adult orientation that’s closer to Prison School.
The Yen Press lineup included some new spinoffs of familiar titles, including Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Minor Myths and Legends, a collection of short stories based on the popular series Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, which already has several spinoffs; Sword Art Online Ordinal Scale, which goes beyond the tech of the original trapped-in-a-VR-game story to introduce a new MMORPG that uses augmented reality to blur the lines between game and life; and Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts Heir: White Rabbit and the Prince of Beasts,which picks up after the original 15-volume series with the story of the title couple’s son.
Click Gallery below for covers!
Source: ICv2
