Saturday at Anime NYC ’23 has rolled around, and with that comes one of the most interesting announcements I’ve seen. In a surprise special announcement, Kodansha US revealed it had licensed the rights to the English first release of The Spellbook Library, the latest series from Uta Isaki, the mangaka behind the poignant asexual coming-of-age tale Is Love the Answer? which was previously released in English by Kodansha.
This brand new series will be released by Kodansha US immediately through their kodansha.us website, with brand new chapters releasing every other Wednesday. The series will be free to read for all Kodansha Readers until the initial volume is released in the fall of 2024.
The official release from Kodansha US is as follows:
Special Announcement
The Spellbook Library – English First Release (Available Now!)
Creator: Uta Isaki (Is Love The Answer?)
“We are very excited to work with Uta Isaki to serialize their new manga, The Spellbook Library, as our latest Kodansha Reader Portal Series,” says Alvin Lu, Kodansha USA Publishing President & CEO. “Isaki-sensei is a tremendous talent, who has already proven their thoughtful storytelling abilities with Is Love the Answer?, will no doubt excite fans with their latest fantasy adventure available to read right now.”
In the world of The Spellbook Library, spellbook librarians protect townsfolk from dangerous spellbeasts, sealing them in spellbooks that hold more than just magic. When he was a child, troublemaker Yan was attacked by a ferocious spellbeast—until he was rescued by a group of spellbook librarians. Inspired by the librarians’ heroic efforts, Yan vows to turn over a new leaf and become a spellbook librarian to repay their kindness. On the day of his employment exam, he meets Tohru, a mysterious young boy who has his own reasons for wanting to work at the library. Together, Yan and Tohru set off and join the ranks of The Spellbook Library, and begin the long journey to learn just what it takes to become a spellbook librarian!
The Spellbook Library is the latest all-original Kodansha Reader Portal Series to debut and serialize exclusively on kodansha.us. BLOOD BLADE by Oma Sei, announced at Comic-Con International, began serialization in September 2023 and will see a print edition of volume 1 in winter 2024.
The new Kodansha Reader Portal allows new and existing manga fans to read exclusive Kodansha Reader Portal series, buy digital manga with greater ease, sample extended previews of hundreds of Kodansha series, take advantage of exclusive discounts, and much more. To experience the full benefits of becoming a Kodansha Reader, visit kodansha.us and sign up for a free account today.
What are your thoughts on Kodansha’s major announcement? I, for one, was surprised but really happy about this announcement. Is Love The Answer? by Uta Isaki is one series that has been heavily recommended to me since its release, and I am excited to read it in the near future.
Do you want to catch up on Anime NYC ’23’s other licensing announcements? You can click here to view my coverage from this weekend and past licensing announcements and manga reviews I have written.
