SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Digital manga subscription service Azuki is adding 23 manga series and one-shots from One Peace Books, Media Do International, Inc. and MediBang! to its library. The MD-i and MediBang! titles are part of a deal to add over 150 series in 2023. The 10 manga series — King's Game, Ms. Itsuya, Suzuki Just Wants a Quiet Life, Chima-san's Trinket Box, Fermata Life, Nobo and her?, kalyx, Which Hana?, Tenken, and Breathe Deeply — and 13 one-shots — Yukimi Records, Waiting in the Classroom, The Delicious Food Taster, The Class Rep's Glasses, Soft Arpeggio, Oda and Hototogi, Happy Bird, Goodbye Pumpkin, Flipboard, Dominant Seventh, Daily Life in 8 Pages, Ampersand, and Alpha Minus — are available now (including select free chapters) on the Azuki website and iOS and Android apps. Synopses for all ten series are below:
Tenken, by Yumiko Shirai, published by One Peace Books: The world has been annihilated and an evil bestial deity must be appeased. Saki, a young girl, trying to escape destiny, finds refuge in an unusual and rough line of work. But she has been chosen for an unthinkable role; a princess must be sacrificed to the monster Yamata-no-Orochi at the 50 year Tenken Festival. Can Manaka, the man who is in love with her, follow her into this abyss to save her from fate? Or will he accidentally uncover the dark secret of the ceremony?
Breathe Deeply, by Doton Yamaaki, published by One Peace Books: A battle ensues over life and death, belief and science, ethics and progress. Two boys, Sei and Oishi, fall madly in love with Yuko. When her untimely death wreaks havoc in their young lives, bitter memories cease to fade, and their tender hearts cling to the dream of a world where debilitating illnesses disappear in the face of science. But what would happen if they discovered that all they believed was a lie? Is there still a chance that their suffering may end? Will mercy and love prevail?
Ms. Itsuya, by Mizu Sahara, published by Coamix, distributed by MD-i: Ms. Itsuya isn't your average substitute teacher, her teaching method can only be described as “magical.” Meet her and her unique cast of students as she teaches them lifelong lessons and helps them work through complex family issues.
King's Game, by Hitori Renda, published by Futabasha, distributed by MD-i: Nobuaki's classmates start receiving mysterious text messages from someone who calls themselves ‘The King.' At first the texts are just simple commands, but soon they escalate and those who don't follow the orders are being killed! Fearing for their lives, classmates turn on each other and that's when the murders begin… The story originates from a mobile game horror novel and has been adapted into a live-action film, and a full-length anime.
Suzuki Just Wants a Quiet Life, by Hirohisa Sato, published by Coamix, distributed by MD-i: After his mother is murdered, Jinsuke runs away with his mysterious neighbor, Suzuki, who has a dark secret. Suzuki seeks to find a quiet life, Jinsuke dreams only of revenge as he decides to take matters into his own hands…
Nobo and her?, by Molico Ross, published by Coamix, distributed by MD-i: Rumors are flying around college that popular college junior Yasuhisa Nobo has a new girlfriend… but no one has ever seen her?!
Follow Nobo's day-to-day life as he lives with a jealous female ghost who talks using a floating whiteboard! Nobo fends off the advances of one of his college friends, but the ghost interferes – is she catching feelings for her human companion? And can Nobo help her regain her memories?
kalyx, by Sesuna Mikabe, published by Futabasha, distributed by MD-i: It's the year 2050 and Japan has become a harsh desert landscape on the brink of destruction. Soshi Sawamura is a soldier in the Saitama Nation's military who one day meets Nadeko, a girl diagnosed with a futuristic epidemic which makes some people refer to her as a “Flower Girl.” After getting caught in an ambush, Nadeko suddenly asks Sawamura if she can fall in love with him and her powers awaken. A tragic story about love in the heart of the battlefield.
Which Hana?, by Mizue Odawara, published by Futabasha, distributed by MD-i: Hana Kisugi is a somewhat apathetic 28-year-old office worker with no luck at work or with men. One day, she misses a step on a staircase and…wakes up in the body of a 17-year-old high school student named Hana Yamada! At a loss, she ends up living the life of a high school girl but why are so many high-school boys confessing to her?? Will this Hana be able to return to her former body?!
Chima-san's Trinket Box, by Emi Fukasaku published by TORICO with an English version by MediBang!: Hand-crafted cute little things are the specialty of Chima-san's shop! Although the owner might be a bit strange, Toriko cannot stop herself from coming back. Along with other lively customers, what kind of wonderful encounters will she have here? Will Toriko's dream to open her own shop come true?
Fermata Life by Emi Fukasaku published by TORICO with an English version by MediBang!: Welcome to “Fermata,” a star that acts as the boundary between worlds. Sometimes a dead soul on the earth will come to this planet. Freshly coming from her death, Mirako now began her extraordinary second life with Nico, a cheerful and kind girl, who has been observing Mariko's fate all this time.
13 miscellaneous one-shots by Emi Fukasaku:
Yukimi Records, Waiting in the Classroom, The Delicious Food Taster, The Class Rep's Glasses, Soft Arpeggio, Oda and Hototogi, Happy Bird, Goodbye Pumpkin, Flipboard, Dominant Seventh, Daily Life in 8 Pages, Ampersand, and Alpha Minus.
Azuki is available on the web at www.azuki.co and in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. The app features over 200 series, including international hits like Attack on Titan and acclaimed new series like Natsume & Natsume, Crescent Moon Marching, and My Dear Detective: Mitsuko's Case Files.
Start reading for free with advertisements today, or upgrade to Premium and access the full catalog for just $4.99 a month. A 14-day free trial and discounted annual plan are also available. All titles are available worldwide (except Japan). Stay up to date on the latest announcements by following Azuki at twitter.com/ReadAzuki, facebook.com/ReadAzuki, and instagram.com/readazuki.
About Azuki and KiraKira Media Inc.
Azuki is created by KiraKira Media Inc., a company dedicated to improving access to legally licensed manga led by a small team of passionate manga fans and tech experts in San Francisco, CA.
About One Peace Books
One Peace Books was founded in 2006 to translate and publish Japanese entertainment and literature for a North American audience. As the brainchild of successful Japanese publisher Sanctuary Books, One Peace Books occupies a unique place in the publishing industry—able to fully leverage connections and industry knowledge to publish Japanese literature in translation.
As One Peace Books has grown, we've utilized those connections and passions to expand our list to include popular series such as The Rising of the Shield Hero, which has sold over 1 million copies in the US alone and over 11 million copies worldwide, and I Hear the Sunspot, which was nominated a Best Graphic Novel for Teens by the American Library Association.
Publishing popular Japanese entertainment and literature is, in our own small way, an attempt to show that it truly is not language or borders that divide us. We believe that art and entertainment is an infectious, necessary, endlessly enjoyable way to bring diverse sets of people together to share in a singular cause or emotion.
About Media Do International, Inc.
Tokyo-based Media Do Co., Ltd. is one of the largest eBook distribution companies in the world and retains the largest share of Japan's eBook market. Media Do International, Inc. is based in San Diego, California. Media Do Group's mission is to make more content available for more people. NetGalley and its owner, Quality Solutions/Firebrand Technologies, were acquired by Media Do in 2021. Firebrand and NetGalley provide leading marketing and technology services to more than 500 publishers worldwide. NetGalley, LLC operates websites in the US, UK, France, Germany, and Japan. Supadü Ltd. was acquired by Media Do in 2022. Supadü is the lead provider of website and e-commerce solutions for more than 270 publishers in the US and Europe. For more information on Media Do's services and corporate divisions, please visit: https://mediado.jp/english.
About MediBang!
A dedicated manga localizer and distributor. Translating manga in-house with native speakers and sharing them to the rest of the world.
