Tag Archives: akane torikai

Fantagraphics and MSX: Mangasplaining Extra Unveil Two New Manga Titles

Fantagraphics Books Inc. and MSX: Mangasplaining Extra have announced the forthcoming English-language publication of two groundbreaking manga by esteemed creators Atsushi Kaneko and Akane Torikai (respectively). Search and Destroy by Atsushi Kaneko is a three-volume sci-fi punk epic based on Osamu Tezuka’s best selling manga Dororo. Wandering Cat’s Cage by Akane Torikai is a thought-provoking graphic novel exploring a post-apocalyptic matriarchal society. Both works will captivate readers with their unflinching explorations of the human condition.

Starting this summer, both titles will be serialized digitally on MSX: Mangasplaining Extra’s platform. Following the digital serialization, Fantagraphics will release the print editions of these remarkable works in 2024. This partnership expands upon the existing collaboration between Fantagraphics and MSX, which currently features Susumu Higa’s Okinawa, releasing in print on August 22nd, 2023.

Search and Destroy, crafted by the visionary mind of Atsushi Kaneko (known for Bambi and Her Pink Gun), presents a contemporary reimagining of Osamu Tezuka’s Eisner Award-winning manga Dororo. Transplanting the vengeful action from feudal Japan into a dystopian future, where mercenary robots known as “creatures” serve the elites and oppress the desperate masses, Kaneko delivers a visually stunning and timely narrative. With a cast of scrappy heroes and chilling monsters set against a high-contrast backdrop, Search and Destroy confronts the timeless question of humanity’s essence. Combining Tezuka’s dark yet playful storytelling with Kaneko’s eclectic influences—from cartoonists like Daniel Clowes and Charles Burns to filmmakers like David Lynch—this sci-fi masterpiece promises a thrilling and visually rich experience.

Search and Destroy is created by Atsushi Kaneko, based on the work Dororo by Osamu Tezuka. The English edition is translated by Ben Applegate, and will be serialized weekly through the MSX Newsletter, commencing in August 2023. The three-volume softcover edition from Fantagraphics will debut in January 2024, allowing fans to delve into the gripping world Kaneko has meticulously crafted.

In Wandering Cat’s Cage, daring manga creator Akane Torikai presents a thought-provoking exploration of dystopia, sexual freedom, and societal fealty. Torikai’s intricate storytelling weaves a series of interconnected stories set in a dystopian world dominated by women. In this society, the body of a man remains an enigma, and a lone man in the slums sells his nights to women for survival. When a runaway human trafficking victim seeks refuge with him, they unwittingly unravel the true nature of their society: the near-extinction of male births. As the matriarchal society grapples with preserving humanity, difficult choices regarding freedom and reproduction emerge. With elements reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale and a gorgeous naturalistic art style, Torikai’s work challenges the notions of forced-birth and control within a society led by women who fiercely resist such measures.

Wandering Cat’s Cage is drawn and illustrated by Akane Torikai, author of Sensei’s Pious Lie (now available from Kodansha). The English edition of Wandering Cat’s Cage is translated by Jocelyne Allen, and will be serialized weekly through the MSX Newsletter, debuting in August 2023. Originally published in two volumes in Japanese, Fantagraphics will release a comprehensive one-volume hardcover graphic novel edition in Fall 2024, allowing readers to immerse themselves fully in Torikai’s compelling story.

Kodansha Announces New Manga, Premium Editions, and Box Sets Coming in Spring 2022

Kodansha has given fans a glimpse of all the amazing new print manga, premium editions, box sets, and more coming in Spring 2022.

The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse

By Nakaba Suzuki

Release Date: Spring 2022

The newest manga from Nakaba Suzuki, which continues the adventures in the world of The Seven Deadly Sins! This series can be read on its own or as part of The Seven Deadly Sins‘ experience!

The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse

Island in a Puddle

By Kei Sanbe

Release Date: Spring 2022

The new manga series from Kei Sanbe, the master of suspense behind Erased, plunges an innocent young boy into Tokyo’s criminal underworld, as he fights to keep his younger sister alive, and to return his soul to his own body!

The tiny apartment where Minato lives may as well be an isolated island in the middle of the ocean. Despite still being in elementary school, it falls on his shoulders to care for his little sister Nagisa, who never stops asking when their mother will make one of her infrequent visits home. On one of those visits, their mother takes them to an amusement park, only to give Minato some cash and leave them on a Ferris wheel… but as the wheel reaches the top, lightning strikes, and, instead of his sister, Minato sees the corpse of a woman… and, reflected in the glass looking back at him, an unfamiliar and menacing face!

Island in a Puddle

A Galaxy Next Door

By Gido Amagakura

Release Date: Spring 2022

The new sweet and wild romantic comedy from the creator of the hit manga and anime about food and family, Sweetness & Lightning! A desperate manga artist, called on to support his two young siblings, meets a new art assistant. But her arrival isn’t just a small step, it’s a giant leap…

Since his parents died, manga artist Ichiro has barely scraped by, forced to support his two younger siblings on just a middle school education. He doesn’t even have time to learn how to use a computer, which forces him to keep wrestling with pen and paper. When his art assistants quit to strike out on their own, on top of juggling deadlines, family, and the constant fear of losing his job, Ichiro feel close to a total breakdown. But then a new assistant pops into Ichiro’s life, and his prospects immediately start to brighten! She’s an incredible artist, she always finishes on time, and she’s beautiful, to boot! But she also seems to know an awful lot about him, and, soon, she makes a confession that bends Ichiro’s mind beyond the confines of Earth…

A Galaxy Next Door

Phantom of the Idol

By Hijiki Isoflavone

Release Date: Spring 2022

The story of a lazy male idol, ready to quit (or get fired), and the peppy poltergeist who brings him back from the brink, and rocketing to the heights of stardom! This madcap musical comedy is perfect for fans of My Dress-Up Darling, Kiss Him, Not Me! and Horimiya.

Yuuya, one half of the boy pop duo ZINGS, may be the laziest performer in the Japanese music industry. His partner is out there giving 110% every night (and, thankfully, he’s quite popular), but Yuuya’s half-assed, sloppy dancing, and his frankly hostile attitude toward the audience, has the fans hating him and his agent looking for any excuse to cut him loose. The career of a pop idol just isn’t the path of easy leisure and adulation Yuuya expected…

After a particularly lifeless concert appearance, Yuuya meets a girl backstage. She’s dressed to the nines in a colorful outfit, she’s full of vim and vigor, and all she wants from life is to perform. There’s just one problem: She’s been dead for a year. This is the ghost of Asahi Mogami, the beloved singer whose time on the stage was tragically cut short, unless… If ghosts are real, is spirit possession really that much of a stretch?

Phantom of the Idol

Wandance

By Coffee

Release Date: Spring 2022

A boy named Kaboku sees a girl named Wanda dance, and suddenly burns with a need to join in. With its thrilling scenes of Japanese hip-hop dance and quirky, charming characters, this is a new, inspirational manga for fans of coming-of-age stories like Blue Period and Your Lie in April. Get up and join the Wandance!

Kaboku has always just gone with the flow, marching in step to the drumbeat of the expectations of those around him: parents, school, plans for the future. It feels predictable, safe, and… empty. But one night, Kaboku’s at school late, and he happens on a girl alone, moving wildly, turning a blank space of concrete into a canvas. This is Hikari Wanda, a member of the hip-hop dance club. Kaboku is immediately smitten, but the road to stepping out of his shell is a long one. The club is almost entirely girls, and they’re all, well, way better than him. What’s ahead is unknown, and that’s terrifying, but it also means, for the first time in Kaboku’s life… a taste of freedom.

Wandance

Welcome Back, Alice

By Shuzo Oshimi

Release Date: Spring 2022

Yohei, Kei and Yui are childhood friends and things get complicated when Yohei witnesses Kei and Yui in an intimate moment. But when Kei unexpectedly moves away and returns a few years later to reunite in high school, he seems to be a bit different.

Welcome Back, Alice

Devil Ecstasy

By Shuzo Oshimi

Release Date: Spring 2022

Noboru Kusakabe is an 18-year-old virgin college student who developed a trauma for big breasts. Desperately wanting to lose his virginity, Noboru and his friend discover a mysterious brothel called “Devil Ecstasy”. Although he was nervous about his first experience, Noboru is thrilled by a beautiful girl with small breasts named Meruru who holds a scary secret about the brothel!

Devil Ecstasy

Sensei’s Pious Lie

By Akane Torikai

Release Date: Spring 2022

Misuzu Hara is a 24-year-old high school teacher. Her peaceful days of instructing her students begin to change with the advent of her friend Minako’s fiancé, Hayafuji. What happened between them?

A dramatic story about sexual inequalities that lie between men and women.

Sensei’s Pious Lie

Blackguard

By Ryo Hanada

Release Date: Spring 2022

A new dark fantasy from the creator of Devils’ Line, Ryo Hanada.

The world is suddenly overrun by monsters called “shojo” and anyone who is bit by one is infected with a mysterious virus, which turns them into the same being. To defeat the shojo, humans live in “aerial cities” and formed units called “guards”. Nanao Minami, also known as the Blackguard, fights but without regard for his own life. What is his motivation and why does he want to die so readily?

Blackguard

Tezuka New Omnibus Editions – Apollo’s Song, Princess Knight, Ode to Kirihito

By Osamu Tezuka

Release Date: Spring 2022

From the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame inductee creator

Classic Osamu Tezuka titles are back in print in an all new format
Each title will now be one volume, complete omnibus editions for the first time ever!
New covers created by renowned designer Peter Mendulsund

Tezuka New Omnibus Editions – Apollo’s Song, Princess Knight, Ode to Kirihito

The Shining Sea

By Koji Suzuki

Release Date: Spring 2022

A young woman who attempted suicide by drowning has lost her memory. Her lover, a young man, is on a pelagic tuna fishing boat. What happened between them? From renowned author Koji Suzuki, the creator of the Ring series.

The Shining Sea

AKIRA: Art of Wall

By Katsuhiro Otomo

Release Date: Spring 2022

A UNIQUE ARTIFACT: Reproduction of an art project inspired by AKIRA and carried out with the involvement of the original creator.

RARE COLLECTIBLE: AKIRA is one of the most important and popular manga ever published, and official merchandise based on this property is vanishingly rare.

HUGE FRANCHISE: The complete, $200 box set published by Kodansha in 2017 is the #1 best selling ISBN ever published by the imprint by net dollars.

AKIRA: Art of Wall