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Kiss – Current Serializations

Kiss is a josei manga magazine published by Kodansha on a monthly basis that is aimed at an older female audience. We’ve gotten series in North America from expired publishers like DelRey. If we got any new series they would most likely come from Kodansha now.



So which series have we seen in North America? We’ve gotten two series from Kiss that I know. Nodame Cantabile was published by DelRey before it folded, and we never got the entire story. Man would it be nice to see that one rescued, but most likely not. Kimi wa Pet we got here from TokyoPop back long ago under the title Tramps Like Us . (Which was a horrible title for the series. You’re My Pet would have been cuter and more interesting. But that’s beside the point.) Tramps Like Us was the first josei title I ever read. Well, what other josei titles can we beg publishers for? Here’s what’s currently running in Kiss:



Kurage Hime

Kurage Hime

(Princess Jellyfish)

Akiko Higashimura

Tokyo Tarareba-Jou

Tokyo Tarareba-Jou

(What if You’re Single in Tokyo)

Akiko Hagashimura

Tokyo Alice

Tokyo Alice

Toriko Chiya

Gin no Spoon

Gin no Spoon

(Spoon of Silver)

Mari Ozawa

Barairo no Seisen

Barairo no Seisen

(War of Roses)

Yukari Koyama

Ginban Kishi

Ginban Kishi

(Knight of the Skating Rink)

Yayoi Ogawa

Nigeru wa Hachida ga Yakunitatsu

Nigeru wa Hachida ga Yukunitatsu

(It’s a Shame If You Escape)

Tsunami Umino

Koiiji

Koiiji

(Love Appetite)

Takako Shimura

Nanatsuya

Nanatsuya: Shinobu no Housekibako

(Pawnshop: Shinobu’s Jewelrybox)

Tomoko Ninomiya

Hotaru no Hikari SP

Hotaru no Hikari SP

(Light of the Fireflies SP)

Satoru Hiura

Hanasakimai ga Damattenai

Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai

(Mai Hanasaki Won’t Be Silent)

Jun Ikeido & Ikumi Rotta

Umi to Dolittle

Umi to Dolittle

(Dolittle and the Sea)

Yuki Isoya

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs

Mari Yamazaki

Ohitori-sama Monogatari

Ohitori-sama Monogatari

(Ohitori-sama’s Story)

Fumiko Tanikawa

Kakafukaka

Kakafukaka

(Ha Ha Fu Haha *Sounds of Laughter*)

Takumi Ishida

Koi no Uniform

Koi no Uniform

(Uniform of Love)

Haru Emoto

Nodaka no Niwa

Nodaka no Niwa

(Idyllic Garden)

Kaori Akiyama

Love Rerun

Love Rerun

Aki Amazawa

9-ji ni wa Ouchi ni Kaeritai

9-ji ni wa Ouchi ni Kaeritai

(I Want to Stay Up Past Nine Together)

Iriko Aoiro

Tenjo no Niji

Tenjo no Niji

(Heavenly Rainbow)

Machiko Satonaka

Yosh! Those are all the series currently running in Kiss. There are always short stories and one shots of course. These are the main series you will see that are ongoing.



So which of these series that’s non-licensed would I like to see? I haven’t read any of these series, so it’s hard to just choose. There are familiar mangaka, though.

  • Kurage Hime is the one that most josei readers have heard of as Princess Jellyfish. Funimation has run the anime, and maybe we’ll get to read this series eventually.
  • Tokyo Tarareba-Jou is also by Akiko Higashimura of Princess Jellyfish.
  • I’d like to read Nanatsuya: Shinobu no Housekibako because it’s by the same mangaka as Nodame Cantabile. That’s still my favorite josei to date.
  • Ooh, ooh, I want to read Ginban Kishi because it’s a story about ice skating and magic. I previewed the first chapter on Kiss and I’m hooked. 🙂 Looks like it’s gotten a French and a Spanish adaptation. OHHHH! – and it’s by the same mangaka who wrote Kimi wa Pet, which we got here as Tramps Like Us. Gimme!

How about you? What title would you buy if it was on the shelf?

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6 Comments

  • When do new series debut in Japanese magazines? How can I know if a new series is starting in a magazine? Is there a date for debuts? I am learning the language, but I would like to be able to buy one of these magazines with a new series starting in it.

    • New series can debut at any time. Series conclude all the time, and the mangaka start new ones. The only way to know is to watch the website of the magazine. Most of them announce new series on their sites. If it’s a well known mangaka, you might see an announcement on Anime News Network, but it’s kind of rare. Akiko Hagashimura is currently writing 3 series that I know of. Two in Kiss and one in Cocohana. The shoujo magazine that just started the newest amount of series is Cheese! If you got the most recent issue from Amazon.jp, you’d get the start of several new series. I’m not sure about josei, but I have a friend I can ask.

      • Thank you VERY much!! 😀

        • The best time to start on a josei magazine would be Cocohana this spring. They’re running lots of one shots right now, and will most likely debut more new series soon.

  • Princess JellyfisH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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