Another digital company heard from and this time in the manga arena. Bookwalker is a kind of Japanese Comixology, offering digital manga and light novels. They debuted in the US at NYCC and have deep pockets as a division of the huge Japanese publisher Kadowkawa. And now they’re launching in English with more than 750 titles from Kodansha Comics, including Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail and A Silent Voice. The first batch of Kodansha Comics on BookWalker will be available to readers immediately, with new releases added every Tuesday.
As part of the launch, BookWalker is offering 18% off for all eBooks on their global store. global.bookwalker.jp. The iOS BookWalker apps for iPhone and iPad are now available on the Apple App store or the BookWalker Android apps on Google Play.
In a statement, Alvin Lu, General Manager of Kodansha Advanced Media, said “The goal at Kodansha Comics is to meet our readers wherever and however they best love to read. For the hardcore manga fan, few places in the online world speak to them as directly as BookWalker Global, and we’re very excited to make the breadth of our title list available here.”
Yoichi Yasumoto, President of BookWalker added, “At BookWalker, we’re extremely thrilled to add Kodansha Comics to our lineup. As a platform that caters specifically to the light novel and manga fans, our priority is to offer our users as much quality content as possible. With this huge addition to our store, we are closer to becoming the go-to place for manga and light novels that fans have been dreaming of.”
Featured new releases now available on BookWalker Global:
・Attack on Titan Anthology by various artists, edited by Jeanine Schaefer and Ben Applegate
The manga megahit Attack on Titan, reinterpreted by some of comics’ top talent! Featuring original stories by a long roster of comic superstars such as Scott Snyder, Gail Simone, Faith Erin Hicks, Michael Avon Oeming, Paolo Rivera, Cameron Stewart, and Babs Tarr! This unprecedented, full-color collaboration between East and West will be released first in English, making it indispensable for Attack on Titan fans and curious comic fans.
・Neo Parasyte f
Parasites: shape-shifting aliens whose only purpose is to assimilate with and consume the human race … but do these monsters have a different side? A parasite becomes a prince to save his romance-obsessed female host from a dangerous stalker. Another hosts a cooking show, in which the real monsters are revealed. These and 13 more stories, from some of the greatest shojo manga artists alive today, together make up a chilling, funny, and entertaining, tribute to Hitoshi Iwaaki’s manga horror classic!
・The Ghost and the Lady, Vol. 1 by Kazuhiro Fujita
Deep in London’s Scotland Yard sits an evidence room dedicated to the greatest mysteries of British history. In this “Black Museum” sits a misshapen hunk of lead—two bullets fused together—the key to the untold story of a wartime encounter between Florence Nightingale, the mother of modern nursing, and a supernatural Man in Grey. The record books show Florence fought for compassion as empires’ petty rivalries threatened to destroy the hopes and lives of common people. But a guest in the Black Museum knows the truth is not so simple, and the famed Lady with the Lamp had a ghastly secret…
・Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai Vol. 1 by Hiroyuki Takei
From the creator of Shaman King and co-creator of Ultimo! In medieval Japan, it’s a hard life for a stray cat. Every day is filled with struggles and prejudice, from oppression by fellow cats working for cruel masters to extortion by catnip drug lords. But being a stray also means incredible pride and independence. The wandering samurai Norachiyo has no master, though he still wears the telltale bell of a cat who has a “person.” This rogue warrior travels across Japan, protecting the weak and cutting down those who have forgotten the virtues of being a stray—all with unrivaled swordsmanship. Although Norachiyo leaves little trace but his fearsome reputation, this enigmatic warrior has made plenty of enemies who are more than willing to get their claws on his head. Will Norachiyo’s past catch up with him, or can he spend his nine lives in freedom?To see the full list of Kodansha Comics titles available now on BookWalker, visit Kodansha Advanced Media LLC.