Kodansha USA Publishing announced today their latest all-new digital manga licenses debuting in March 2023: The emotionally complex coming-of-age story Life, and the equally tempestuous crime thriller sequel, Life 2: Giver/Taker, both by Keiko Suenobu. Check outt he summaries and images for the new titles below!
Life by Keiko Suenobu
All Ayumu dreams of is making it into the same high school as her best friend. But when she gets in and her friend doesn't, their friendship crumbles—sending Ayumu spiraling into depression. She finds relief in cutting herself, but soon realizes that her scars may interfere with her budding high school life. Can she trust her new friend, Manami, who seems too good to be true? Or will Ayumu's apparent lack of compassion and understanding get her tossed aside like she was before? And is there anyone else out there who could possibly love her for who she is? A melancholy coming-of-age story by Keiko Suenobu!
WARNING: This volume contains depictions of self harm and suicidal ideation/attempts. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings, you are not alone, and there is help. In the United States, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or go to 988lifeline.org. Otherwise, visit findahelpline.com to find support.
Life 2: Giver/Taker by Keiko Suenobu
When the charming young boy who moves next door turns out to be a psychopath who murders her little sister, Itsuki vows to fight the injustice that allowed him a second chance at life while her sister lies dead. Blaming herself for what happened, she becomes a stone-cold cop who fears nothing to prevent others from living through a similar tragedy. But six years later, on the very same day the killer is finally set free, she finds a chilling letter in her mailbox threatening to once again steal what’s most important to her. And though she wants nothing more than to make him pay for her sister’s life that he stole, she’ll have to watch her back now that there’s a killer on the loose.
WARNING: This volume contains depictions of suicide, suicide attempts and/or suicidal ideation. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings, you are not alone, and there is help. In the United States, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or go to 988lifeline.org. Otherwise, visit findahelpline.com to find support.
Kodansha's March debut digital manga series will both be available upon release across all our participating digital vendors, including Bookwalker, Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play, Nook, Kobo, MyAnimeList and more!
About Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC
A subsidiary of Kodansha, Japan’s largest publisher, Kodansha USA Publishing is the English-language publisher of some of the world’s most recognizable manga properties, including Katsuhiro Otomo’s AKIRA and Naoko Takeuchi’s Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, along with a robust catalog of English-language Japanese novels, cookbooks, craft guides, historical and cultural literature, and more. Today, thanks to recent fan-favorite and critically acclaimed hits like Attack on Titan, Battle Angel Alita, Witch Hat Atelier, and the popular MONOGATARI novels, Kodansha USA Publishing is one of the best-selling manga publishers in the United States. Kodansha USA Publishing’s print offerings are distributed by Penguin Random House Publisher Services, and their digital manga and select digital books are available across a number of digital comics, manga, and book vendors.
Let us know if you will be reading either of these new mangas once they are released in the comments below!