Recently, Shonen Jump has released its first English manga animation. Now, in an attempt to gain dominance over its competitor, Kodansha USA has announced its original “English-first” manga series releases.
As reported on Anime Network News, Kodansha USA announced that Yoshinori Matsuoka’s new “climate-punk” manga Re:Anima would be available for immediate release via its Kodansha Reader Portal Service. The manga is the third title of its new, exclusive series featuring original English stories rather than being English translations of Japanese-first works.
Kodansha USA listed fall 2024 and spring 2025 as launch dates for the first volume’s release in its initial announcement. In addition, Kodansha USA’s website lists December 17, 2024 as the physical and digital release date. Here is story as described by the company:
It’s the near future in Tokyo, and the average temperature is around 170 degrees. Humanity lives underground to escape the deadly heat, only seeing the surface through the eyes of remote-controlled robots called Re:Anima. Shinano and Kara are members of the Enforcement Bureau, policing surface crime and illegal Re:Anima mods. But Kara has a secret: He lives on the surface full-time, in his real body!
Kodansha’s “English-first” special series released in September 2023 with the premiere of Oma Sei’s vampire horror story Blood Blade. Then, in November 2023, the platform released fan-favorite author Uta Isaki’s SPELLBOOK LIBRARY.
Kodansha and Shonen Jump have been strong contenders.
Kodansha has remained one of the most prominent manga publishers in the world. The company even became 2023’s top-selling manga spot with Blue Lock. Now, with the release of its English-First manga series, Kodansha is making efforts to reclaim its spot above Shōnen Jump. In addition to getting access to the English-only titles of the series, members can also enjoy a range of perks and benefits, ranging from free chapters of Kodansha’s extensive library of manga to discounts for manga purposes.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.