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Kodansha Comics Licenses New Manga by Ema Toyama, Kaori Yuki, More

Kodansha Comics announced two new manga licenses on its website that will debut in summer 2021 and listed nine new manga titles that will debut digitally in December 2020. The new licenses slated for summer 2021 are:

Title: Boys Run the Riot
Author: Keito Gaku
Synopsis: A transgender teen named Ryo finds an escape from the expectations and anxieties of his daily life in the world of street fashion. This personal, heartfelt, fictional story from a Japanese transgender manga creator is completely unique.

High schooler Ryo knows he's transgender. But he doesn't have anyone to confide in about the confusion he feels. He can't tell his best friend, who he's secretly got a crush on, and he can't tell his mom, who's constantly asking why Ryo is always “dressing like a boy.” He certainly can't tell Jin, the new transfer student who looks like just another bully. The only time Ryo feels at ease is when he's wearing his favorite clothes. Then, and only then, the world melts away, and he can be his true self. One day, while out shopping, Ryo sees an unexpected sight: Jin. The kid who looked so tough in class is shopping for the same clothes that Ryo loves. And Jin offers Ryo a proposal: to start their own brand and create apparel to help everyone feel comfortable in their skin. At last, Ryo has someone he can open up to–and the journey ahead might finally give him a way to express himself to everyone else.

Title: Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost
Author: Kaori Yuki
Synopsis: The story of Belle and her beast as you've never seen it before, with sinister, creeping shadows suffusing a door to a wider, magical world. This dark, fairytale adventure is the latest sumptuous masterpiece from the creator of Angel Sanctuary and Alice in Murderland, perfect for fans of The Ancient Magus' Bride!

Young and rambunctious Belle insists on going out to play in the forbidden woods, but her adventurous streak abruptly ends when her mother is spirited away by a beast known to kidnap beautiful women. Twisted by the loss of his wife, Belle's father keeps his daughter, who has unusual, violet hair, locked away in an effort to “protect” her from prying eyes. Finally emerging after years of solitude, Belle ventures back into the woods where she lost her mother and encounters the beast once more…

The company will also release new editions of Quintessential Quintuplets, Sailor Moon, A Silent Voice, and Battle Angel Alita next spring and summer:

• Quintessential Quintuplets Season One Box Set - August 2021
• Sailor Moon Naoko Takeuchi Collection - April 2021
• A Silent Voice Complete Collector's Edition - August 2021
• Battle Angel Alita Paperback - July 2021

Additionally, Kodansha Comics announced that the first volume of Mashima HERO'S will launch digitally and in print on December 1. The volume was previously slated for November 3.

Kodansha Comics also revealed the following new licenses that will debut over consecutive Tuesdays in December:

Title: The Invincible Reincarnated Ponkotsu
Author: Reona Umitsuki
Debut Date: December 1
Synopsis: Shota Kanda is your average 16-year-old first-year in high school. On his way to school with his hot but useless childhood friend Sanae Kondo and his big-chested but shy friend Kana Funami, Sanae's strength gets them killed...literally. They wake up in another world with powers that are not to be believed—Shota's world-class defense against getting slapped becomes world-class defense against demons, Kana's now-magic chest heals all their wounds, and Sanae? Her strength has turned to something truly terrifying. Will the three be able to live in this strange new world, and someday even get back to their own?

Title: Shangri-La Frontier
Author: Katarina, Ryōsuke Fuji
Debut Date: December 8
Synopsis: Second year high school student Rakuro Hizutome is interested in one thing only: finding "shitty games" and beating the crap out of them. His gaming skills are second to none, and no game is too bad for him to enjoy. So when he's introduced to the new VR game Shangri-La Frontier, he does what he does best—min-maxes and skips the prologue to jump straight into the action. But can even an expert gamer like Rakuro discover all the secrets that Shangri-La Frontier hides...?

Title: The Story of Our Unlikely Love
Author: Sora Mizuki
Debut Date: December 8
Synopsis: Good-natured Chihiro Hiyoshi takes being the class rep seriously, but her partner, Haruka Kisaragi does not. He's got too many rumors swirling around him, but when a chance meeting brings them into each other's lives for just a moment, they form an unsteady bond. But bad boy Haruka may be too much for a good girl like Chihiro to handle...but something in her may have just awoken a hidden softness in him, too.

Title: I Guess I Became the Mother of the Great Demon King's 10 Children in Another World
Author: Ema Toyama
Debut Date: December 15
Synopsis: Akari was a typical game-loving 16-year-old girl who lived with her mother, until a fateful accident left her an orphan. A year later, she makes a fateful wish on a game cartredge to be a great mother for a family of her own—only to be swept through a portal into another world! She finds she's been summoned as the "priestess from another world"...whose role is to become mother to the children of the demon king himself?!

Title: What I Love About You
Author: Rurihara Zurachi
Debut Date: December 22
Synopsis: Yunoki has not only found himself in bed with a woman he doesn't know, but she insists they're already a couple?! The woman, Kotoka Hatsushima, is a charming,23-year-old writer...who has one heck of a back fetish, and Yunoki fit the bill! And when she tells Yunoki that it was her hair that sealed the deal for him, he realizes the truth—she knows about his hair fetish, AND she's absolutely right! He's mortified, but Kotoka sees reason—if they float each others' boats and already know about each other's predilictions...why not start a relationship? And Yunoki can't argue with that...thus the back/hair (not to be confused with back hair!) hijinks ensue!

Title: Pretty Boy Detective Club (Bishōnen Tanteidan)
Author: NISIOISIN
Debut Date: December 29
Synopsis: The Pretty Boy Detective Club, a mysterious organization that's rumored to solve problems at Yubiwa Academy….

Manabu the Aesthete, lover of beauty

Michiru the Epicure, he of the beautiful palate

Hyota the Adonis, he of the beautiful legs

Nagahiro the Orato, he of the beautiful voice

Sosaku the Artiste, creator of beauty

To search for a star she glimpsed 10 years ago, second-year student Mayumi Dojima calls on these five Pretty Boys to help her solve the case! Which Pretty Boy is your favorite?

Title: Sachi's Monstrous Appetite
Author: Chomoran
Debut Date: December 29
Synopsis: Makie's a boy in love, with his tall, older classmate Sachi. As a sign of his affection, he makes Sachi a special lunch every day. Sachi loves Makie, too, but she has a secret... she's actually a shapeshifting monster called a watari, and she was drawn to Makie because he smells...delicious! But it's not just Sachi who's drawn to Makie's scent, and soon, he realizes the entire monster world is after him. Fortunately, Sachi's a watari who eats watari, and she pledges to protect him. But how long can Makie survive, with Sachi's appetite the only thing between him and a monster's belly?

Title: We're New at This
Author: Ren Kawahara
Debut Date: December 29
Synopsis: Ikuma Saeki finally married his childhood friend and the girl of his dreams, Sumika. But while years of pining came easily to him, physical closeness does not...and he's having trouble navigating the intimacy that comes with marriage. Sumika, too, is having trouble bridging the gap between friend and lover...what is this innocent couple to do but navigate it together, awkwardness and all! A new rom-com from the author of Ao-chan Can't Study!

Sources: Kodansha Comics (link 2), ICv2 (Brigid Alverson)