Kodansha Comics has four new series debuting in the next four months, and they are making it easier to binge on the runaway hit Attack on Titan with four-volume box sets—and we have an exclusive first look at the stickers that will come with the first two.
Attack on Titan was a sleeper hit that really woke up when the anime started streaming in English, and it should get a similar boost when the third season launches in July. In the meantime, Kodansha will release four-volume box sets in April and May, so newcomers can get up to speed. (For those who are already up to speed, volume 24 is coming in April as well.) The first set covers the first half of the first season and has an MSRP of $43.96. The first new series is Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, which launches in April with a double-sized volume priced at $17.99. Otaku is the Japanese word for someone with an obsession—often with manga, anime, or games. Narimu Momose, the main character, keeps her otaku side hidden because it interferes with her love life—but when her co-worker finds out about it, and she plots to keep him quiet, he suggests that they start going out instead. This sort of otakus-in-love story should appeal to fans of Genshiken and other nerdy rom-coms.Golosseum, which launches in May, is a mix of political satire and extreme martial arts. Advances in technology have allowed humans to neutralize all weapons, so the only way to settle differences is through mixed martial arts competitions. The first volume pits Russian President Putinov against American President Billary Quintone, with a teenage warrior, who can see into the past, and her partner Rasputin, who can see into the future, doing some fighting of their own. The first volume is due out on May 22 and has an MSRP of $12.99.
Tokyo Tarareba Girls, by Akiko Higashimura, is a romantic comedy that has been described as the manga version of Sex and the City. Soap opera writer Rinko is still single at 33, and she spends most of her evenings drinking with two friends. After a few too many, she decides that she must get married before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This will be a natural pickup for fans of Higashimura’s Princess Jellyfish and other josei manga such as Everyone’s Getting Married, Happy Marriage?! and Nana. The first volume will be released on June 26 with an MSRP of $12.99. Finally, high summer brings booze, babes, and bros in the form of Grand Blue Dreaming, a seinen comedy about a student enjoying college life in a seaside town. Iori Kitahara’s uncle runs a diving shop in the college town, and this manga features some beautiful underwater landscapes and scuba-diving scenes, as well as dudes playing strip rock-paper-scissors. The first volume has a release date of July 10 and an MSRP of $12.99.