Manga tends to not get a lot of big representation or news at Anime Expo since they have the San Diego Comic-Con in a couple of weeks where the comics and print artform takes precedence. We did get some news out of Kodansha Comics this weekend though as they announced two new series. The first is Koe no Katachi, which is localized as A Silent Voice, which is produced by Yoshitoki Oima and is currently getting a simulpub run on Crunchyroll. They expect to bring the first volume out in the spring of 2015 with new volumes following bi-monthly. They’ve also picked up the rights to Junketsu no Maria, aka Maria the Virgin Witch. The series ran for three volumes in Japan and will be getting a similar release here starting next spring. The title comes from Masayuki Ishikawa, who created Moyashimon, so fans of that series may be intrigued by this one.
Koe no Katachi: I wish we had never met. I wish we could meet once again.
A boy who can hear, Shoya Ishida, and a transfer student who can’t, Shoko Nishimiya. One fateful day, the two meet, and Shoya leads the class in bullying Shoko. But before long, the class shifts its target from Shoko to Shoya. Years later, Shoya feels strongly that he must see Shoko once again.
Junketsu no Maria: Maria is a witch living during the Hundred Years’ War between England and France. Our young heroine hates war, so to keep the people of the village she protects safe, Maria will use all the power at her disposal to stop the fighting, whether that means conjuring giant dragons or sending her succubus familiar out to mesmerize the warring generals with her charms. But what do the villagers think of her “help”? And what will happen if Heaven notices her interference into human affairs? This story has a funny touch with a little history thrown in.
