Kodansha USA used Anime NYC to announce a varied new print lineup on August 21, 2026. It includes the first English printed omnibus edition of Hajime no Ippo, alongside several series selected for the Kodansha Print Club. The announced windows run from September 2026 to fall 2027, although no exact release day has been set.
The announcement in brief
- Kodansha USA revealed new printed manga licenses at Anime NYC on August 21, 2026.
- Hajime no Ippo by Joji Morikawa will appear in English for the first time as a printed omnibus edition.
- Trapped on Tape! by TNSK is among the printed debuts planned for fall 2027.
- How to Grill Our Love is announced for September 2026, while Abe-kun’s Got Me Now and I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die are announced for December 2026.
Quick answer: the August 21, 2026 announcement brings together two printed debuts planned for fall 2027 and five Print Club titles. Preorders for the latter are expected in the coming months, but no price or French release schedule has been confirmed.
To keep up with the announcements that matter in Japanese culture, also check out the latest video game and pop culture news. The interest here is not just the number of titles. Kodansha is putting two print ambitions side by side: giving a major international series a physical English edition and giving digitally launched works a second life on paper.
Hajime no Ippo gets its first English print edition
The largest announcement concerns Hajime no Ippo, Joji Morikawa’s boxing epic. Kodansha USA will publish it in English as a printed omnibus edition. For readers waiting for a physical English-language collection, that is the concrete change announced at the convention.
The limits are equally clear. Kodansha has not provided an exact day, a price or details about the volume schedule. The announcement confirms the edition and its place among the new print licenses, but it is not yet a complete sales listing.
An omnibus format is a coherent editorial choice for a long-running boxing series. Grouping volumes could make the collection easier to approach and reduce its fragmentation, but the unknown price and page count prevent any firm judgment on its value.
Trapped on Tape! brings horror to the 2027 lineup
Kodansha is also adding Trapped on Tape! by TNSK to its fall 2027 printed debuts. The publisher describes the manga as a found-footage-inspired horror work, giving the schedule a markedly more unsettling tone.
That contrast with Hajime no Ippo is one of the announcement’s clearest editorial features. A long-running boxing saga sits beside a horror concept built around found-footage codes. Rather than presenting a uniform collection, Kodansha is showing how differently its print catalog can address readers.
“Fall 2027” remains a broad window. It gives readers a timeframe, but not a release day or any guarantee of simultaneous availability across countries.
Kodansha is using print for different reading audiences
Compared with an announcement focused on one series, this lineup functions as an editorial showcase. Kodansha places an established boxing series beside a horror title with a distinct concept and five titles from its Print Club program. The combination points to a strategy that goes beyond changing formats: print is being used to bring together audiences and reading habits that are not the same. The evidence remains limited, since the announcement gives no print runs, page counts or distribution details for the titles.
For readers, the immediate consequence is practical. The announced months can be noted now, but preorder listings are still needed to compare editions and prices. Digital readers are also part of the plan: Kodansha says some digital versions will be available through several retailers when they launch. The choice between a physical collection and digital reading will therefore depend largely on each series’ schedule and availability.
Five digital-first series join the Print Club
The second part of the announcement concerns the Kodansha Print Club, which Kodansha presents as a print-on-demand program for manga that began digitally. Five titles are joining this wave: How to Grill Our Love, Abe-kun’s Got Me Now, I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die, Matcha Made in Heaven and Changes of Heart.
The selection spans several tones, including warm romance, comedy, strangeness and emotional horror. The announced classifications already offer some guidance: How to Grill Our Love and Abe-kun’s Got Me Now are rated 13+, while I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die is rated 16+ in the official excerpt.
Kodansha credits How to Grill Our Love to Shiori Hanatsuka, Abe-kun’s Got Me Now to Aki Iwai, I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die to Umi Shiina and Matcha Made in Heaven to Umebachi Yamanaka. The announcement gives no editorial details for Changes of Heart.
Print Club titles should be available for preorder in the coming months from several physical and online booksellers. The official Kodansha USA post also says that readers can suggest future series for the program. The official announcement visual captures the ambition to turn a digital selection into a lasting print catalog.
Here is the announced release schedule
Kodansha has announced release windows rather than exact days:
- September 2026: How to Grill Our Love by Shiori Hanatsuka.
- December 2026: Abe-kun’s Got Me Now by Aki Iwai, and I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die by Umi Shiina.
- January 2027: Matcha Made in Heaven by Umebachi Yamanaka.
- Fall 2027: the printed debuts of Hajime no Ippo in an English omnibus edition and Trapped on Tape!.
Changes of Heart is part of the upcoming Print Club wave, but no launch date has been specified. The difference matters: a release window is enough to track a project, not enough to plan a specific purchase.
Preorders and French availability remain open questions
None of these titles is presented as already available for purchase. Kodansha says that Print Club preorders will be offered in the coming months, so readers must wait for detailed listings before comparing editions, prices or shipping conditions.
For the printed licenses planned for fall 2027, Kodansha mentions physical and online booksellers. Some digital editions are also expected through several retailers when they launch. Digital manga remain directly available on kodansha.us.
No French edition, French publication date or French translation is confirmed in this announcement. French-speaking readers should therefore distinguish the English-language license announced by Kodansha USA from any potential local publication. International-order logistics may also vary according to the retailer.
That uncertainty does not erase the interest of the lineup. It defines its current status: a substantial convention announcement, but not yet a complete product listing. To follow the next editorial updates, our articles about manga and pop culture remain the best reference point on jeu.video.
What readers still need to know
The announcement sets the direction, while several purchasing details remain undecided.
- When will preorders open for each title ? Kodansha refers to the coming months without giving a series-by-series schedule.
- What will availability outside the United States look like ? The publisher mentions international orders, but confirms neither a French edition nor a specific local network.
- Will the digital editions launch at the same time as the print versions ? Kodansha announces digital editions for some titles without detailing each case.
This wave gives Kodansha’s print plans both scale and variety. Hajime no Ippo is finally receiving an English omnibus edition, while the Print Club is bringing several digital-first series to paper. The next concrete milestones are the preorder openings and the publication of prices, exact dates and distribution details.
Frequently asked questions
Which Kodansha manga were announced at Anime NYC ?
The announcement names Hajime no Ippo, Trapped on Tape! and five Kodansha Print Club titles: How to Grill Our Love, Abe-kun’s Got Me Now, I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die, Matcha Made in Heaven and Changes of Heart.
When will the first titles be released ?
How to Grill Our Love is announced for September 2026, two titles for December 2026, Matcha Made in Heaven for January 2027, followed by two printed debuts in fall 2027.
Are preorders already open ?
No. Kodansha says they will be offered in the coming months. The announcement does not yet give an opening date for each title.
Has a French edition been confirmed ?
No. The official page confirms printed licenses from Kodansha USA, but no French publication or date for France.
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Verified sources
These links can be used to verify the key information in this article.
- kodansha.us: Official Kodansha USA page dated exactly 2026-08-21. It confirms the new printed licenses, release windows and how the Print Club works; it is the recent source used for this article.
- kodansha.us: Official asset hosted on kodansha.us. It provides the announcement’s cover visual; no separate publication date is indicated for this image.
