One of the factors fueling the manga boom of the first decade of the 21st century was that a lot of the manga were good. Tokyopop in particular had a knack for picking winners, with now-classic series such as Fruits Basket (now published as two-in-one omnibi by Yen Press), Sailor Moon (available in several editions from Kodansha), and Planetes (two-volume oversized omnibus from Dark Horse, with a deluxe edition on the way), but the other publishers on the scene at the time had their share of solid titles as well. And then, as licenses expired and readers moved on, many of these early series went out of print, although a number have stayed available in digital format.
While there were more than a few forgettable duds in those halcyon years, publishers are still mining the archives for new editions, not just as deluxe hardcovers (see “The Boom in Deluxe Editions”) but as affordable omnibi as well. Here’s a look at some recently revived older series that still have an audience.
Pet Shop of Horrors, by Mari Akino (Seven Seas): Count D, the proprietor of a mysterious shop, sells pets to customers with strict contracts that must not be broken. Of course, the customer always breaks the contract, with dire consequences. Each chapter of this series is a standalone story that mixes the mundane and the uncanny, but it’s more monkey’s paw than Twilight Zone. A detective lurks in the shadows determined to uncover the secrets of Count D, so there is an overarching story arc. Seven Seas has brought it back with a new translation, larger trim size, and higher page count (see “AnimeNYC News Roundup”). The series is rated 15+, and the first volume came out in February 2025, with the second slated for May. MSRP is $24.99.
Initial D, by Shuichi Shigeno (Kodansha): This tale of street racing in the mountains was one of the first manga that Tokyopop picked up, in 2001, and in addition to spawning numerous anime, it is generally regarded as the inspiration for the Fast & Furious movies; professional race car driver Keiichi Tsuchiya, the stunt coordinator for the Tokyo Drift film, also was a consultant on the manga. Tokyopop published 38 of the 48 volumes before losing the license. Kodansha followed up by publishing the complete series digitally, and they launched the new print edition, two-in-one omnibi with larger trim size and a new translation, in Spring 2024 (see “Kodansha to Bring Back ‘Initial D’”). The series is rated 16+, and the MSRP is $22.99 per volume; Vol. 5 was released in March 2025.
Nana, by Ai Yazawa (VIZ Media): This series about sex, love, and punk rock, featuring two very different women with the same first name whose destinies collide when they both arrive in Tokyo seeking the next chapter of their lives, was a launch title for VIZ’s Shojo Beat magazine in 2005 and had a resurgence in popularity in 2023 after it was rediscovered by TikTok users. VIZ has kept the individual volumes in print, and it continues to be popular despite the fact that the story is unfinished: Yazawa put it on hiatus due to illness in 2009 and has never resumed it. Nonetheless, VIZ announced in January that it will publish a new two-in-one omnibus edition with larger trim size and French flaps, to celebrate the manga’s 25th anniversary (see “VIZ Announces ‘Nana’ Omnibus”).
Mushishi, by Yuki Urushibara (Kodansha): Back in the day, Del Rey was known as the serious manga reader’s manga publisher, and there was no clearer evidence of that than the fact that they published Mushishi. A supernatural horror series about a wanderer who can communicate with nature spirits, it launched in 2007 to critical acclaim and was adapted into anime and a live-action film, Bugmaster, directed by Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo. Nonetheless, Del Rey folded (and was transformed to Kodansha Comics) it went out of print. So it was big news for fans when Kodansha announced at ComicsPRO that it is bringing the series back as two-in-one hardcover omnibi with a new translation, larger trim size, color pages, and new covers (see “ComicsPRO”). The first omnibus will be released on November 4, 2025, with an MSRP of $29.99.
Dragon Head, by Minetaro Mochizuki (Kodansha): A horror story that starts with a train derailing in an underground tunnel, Dragon Head was first licensed by Tokyopop in 2006 and later kept alive digitally by Kodansha. At ComicsPRO 2025, Kodansha announced they would be bringing it back as 2.5-in-one omnibi, collecting the series in four paperback volumes instead of the original ten. The first volume will be released on December 16, 2025, with an MSRP of $29.95.
Gunsmith Cats, by Kenichi Sonoda (Dark Horse): Long before Tokyopop opened up the manga firehose, Dark Horse was publishing manga in English, and Gunsmith Cats was one of their first series. In fact, it’s so old that they first published it as single-issue comics before collecting it into nine tankoubon volumes that were released between 1996 and 2001. The 2007 two-in-one omnibus edition, Gunsmith Cats Revised Edition, was the first to read right to left (see “Dark Horse New and Repackaged Manga”). Now the tale of buxom bounty hunters is back in a new three-in-one paperback omnibus format; the first volume was released on March 4, 2025, with an MSRP of $29.99.
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Source: ICv2
