The Spellbook Library Debuts On Kodansha Reader Portal

US publisher Kodansha to publish new series, and original manga, The Spellbook Library, to their digital app in serialized format.

You know Kodansha as a US publisher and translator of pre-existing manga, but lately they’ve gotten into the business of producing original manga content themselves. The Kodansha Reader Portal is a digital app that allows the company to release new titles in a serialized format (kind of like a tablet-exclusive Shonen Jump), and the latest of these was announced at Anime NYC over the weekend.

The manga is a new series by Uta Isaki, creator of Is Love The Answer. It takes place in a world where hideous magical beasts terrorize the townspeople, and the only way to get rid of them is to seal them in spellbooks. That’s the job of the Spellbook Librarians, and our protagonist, former troublemaker Yan, wants to reform his reputation and become a heroic Librarian. He can’t get the job overnight, though…it requires training. Yan joins up with Tohru, his new friend, and together they work on mastering the skills necessary to build the Spellbook Library.

“I’ve never really left the area where I live, let alone been to the US. So, at first, I worried about whether I was capable of creating manga for American readers,” says Isaki. “But then I remembered all the times in my life when I’ve drawn on my love of American music and movies in creating my own work. Now, I’m working hard to put all of that into manga form for you. Manga has a way of transcending differences in culture and ways of thinking. I’d be very happy if this manga touched your heart.”

The Spellbook Library will see new episodes debut digitally every other Wednesday on Kodansha. One other original manga the service publishes is Blood Blade by Oma Sei, which has landed a physical publishing deal for 2024. Time will tell if The Spellbook Library can get a print edition itself.