Anime Expo began this past weekend, and on the first day we got a lot of new manga licenses. I, along with everyone else, were glued to their twitter feeds to see what manga series were getting licensed. Here are some of the ones I am excited for, broken down by publisher:
Kodansha:
A Sign of Affection Omnibuses
This one is a bit of a surprise. It is an ongoing series with 9 released volumes in Japan. There is unconfirmed leaks pointing to the series getting an anime adaptation which would explain why Kodansha will be releasing omnibuses for the series. Either way, it’ll make for the perfect edition for anyone interested in starting the series.
Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You
A shojo romance with the female lead having four male childhood friends. However, one goes on a limb and start making his move on her which disrupts the group. Also, I read that this takes place during the pandemic which is interesting!
The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity
A shonen romance series between a delinquent high school boy and prep high school girl. On the outside, they appear to live in different worlds. However, they find themselves drawn to each other and begin to grow close. Originally, I read this series online out of curiosity. I really loved what I read, so I am so excited to see that Kodansha picked this up. I think this has the potential to get an anime adaptation.
Gazing at the Star Next Door
A shojo romance centering two childhood friends, Chiaki and Subaru. Chiaki has always held a crush on Subaru. However, Subaru’s journey into the entertainment industry has her reevaluate this childhood flame and move towards finding new love. Most of what I know about this series comes from Twitter talking about it. The art style is cute, and it has a lot of people enthralled into the story. So, I am excited for this license!
Square Enix
The Villainess Guide to (Not) Falling in Love
This is a standard villainess manga series. The protagonist becomes the villainess in a story she read. However, nothing is going like the original story. I am a sucker for villainess manga. I will always be excited for new manga licenses that are villainess stories. They are repetitive, but I still love them!
Yen Press
The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine
This is a series that falls under reincarnation/transmigration stories. The main character gets pulled into this new world and has to find their way in surviving. This is actually a South Korean comic being published under Yen Press’ imprint, Ize Press. I have heard of this one online, but I have not read it. Still, I am excited nonetheless because there are many comics I want published, so I will always support new releases. Doing so will show publishers that there is a demand. That said, I am interested in the story based on its premise.
And that’s it! There were a lot of announcements this weekend, but these are the titles I am excited for! In the future, I hope to see more shojo and comic manga licenses!
To read about each series in more depth, I recommend searching it on Mangaupdates.
For a full list of the announcements made, here is a link to a google doc compiled by Gray Matter Manga on Twitter.
