Looking at some upcoming shoujo/josei releases from January 2025 and beyond that I find interesting, and maybe you will too!
With the new year just beginning, it's time to look forward to some of the most interesting, new, and anticipated manga releases of 2025. For this roundup, I am only looking at manga that has been serialized or published online and in magazines aimed at girls (shoujo) or women (josei). (Remember shoujo and josei are demographics, not genres.) The following 9 releases are the ones that I am looking forward to most, and maybe you are too, but first, some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
The Phantom Thief Baron Bat by Asuka Sachiko (1 volume/oneshot, complete)
2025 will be an excellent year for fans of old shoujo manga. Star Fruit Books is releasing the definitive edition of The Phantom Thief Baron Bat by Asuka Sachiko in one softcover volume for $40 USD. Per Anime News Network, the book will be 620 pages, and it will include Asuka Sachiko's three one-shot stories titled "The Strange Story of Elsinore Castle," “Lord Monsieur's Great Plan," and "The Beautiful Vampire." The manga was published in Kodansha's magazine for girls Shoujo Friend in 1967.
Star Fruit Books describes the story:
A suspense comedy series set after World War I that centers around Baron Bat, a thief who steals to help the weak.
The book will be released in Fall 2025. Check out Star Fruit Books here.
Miss Ruki by Fumiko Takano (1 volume/oneshot, complete)
Serialized in the women's magazine Hanako from 1988 to 1992, Miss Ruki is a slice-of-life josei manga about a young woman living a slow, carefree lifestyle.
New York Review Comics describes the story:
A classic of Japanese manga, Miss Ruki is a warm and vivid portrait of the lives of two young women in Tokyo during Japan’s 1980s bubble economy. The titular Miss Ruki spurns the fast-paced consumer culture of the era in favor of a lighthearted life dedicated to her hobbies, her books, and spending time with her anxious but far more pragmatic friend, Ecchan.
The 120-page manga will be published by New York Review Comics and released in June 2025. Check it out here.
Takahashi from the Bike Shop by Arare Matsumushi (8 vols, ongoing)
Serialized in Torch since 2019, Takahashi from the Bike Shop is an award-winning romance manga that has been adapted to a live-action drama. It's also a josei manga. Calling it now, but 2025 is the year of josei manga!
Yen Press describes the story:
From unwanted advances from her boss and work dumped onto her by coworkers, thirty-year-old Tomoko Hanno, or Panko for short, struggles to stand up for herself. But when her rusty bike breaks down, she meets Ryohei Takahashi from the neighborhood bike repair shop. Although he can be a bit overbearing, Panko finds herself relying on his considerate nature and her world begins to shift…
The first volume will be released on January 28, 2025. Check it out here.
Seven Seas Steamship titles
Last, but not least, anything released under Seven Seas' sexy imprint for women gets my attention. I still intend to collect all things Steamship. I am particularly looking forward to the mature-rated titles like Seduced by the Demon King: A Sensual Rebirth and Sweet Heat Before Falling in Love: The CEO and His Fated Omega. The hotter, the better. 👍
That's all of the honorable mentions. Now, it's time for the main event. Plenty of shoujo and josei manga to enjoy this year, but I have highlighted 9 shoujo/josei manga (or "shoujosei" manga, if you prefer) to look forward to in 2025. The list is in ordered by release date.
The List
Firefly Wedding by Oreco Tachibana (6 vols, ongoing)
Another year, another manga freed from digital jail. Firefly Wedding was exclusively licensed and released on Comikey until now. Viz announced the license for this manga in May 2024, and the manga will be filed under the Shojo Beat imprint. Surprisingly, Firefly Wedding is not the only Comikey license that Viz snagged. (Viz is also printing the shoujo manga Girl Crush in 2025, just not under the Shojo Beat imprint.)
By the same mangaka of Promise Cinderella (licensed by Comikey) comes a romantic suspense tale about a contract marriage.
Viz describes the story:
On the surface, Satoko has it all—she’s beautiful, the daughter of a nobleman, and at a prime age for marriage. Unfortunately, she is also quite ill and only has a short time left to live. Before she can secure a marriage that will redeem her worth in her family’s eyes, she finds herself the target of the mysterious assassin Shinpei, and her plans are put in jeopardy. In order to save herself, she makes a desperate proposal—of marriage! When it comes to love, however, Shinpei takes “until death do we part” seriously.
The male lead is a yandare. (Awesome!) Also, the Viz Editors recommend this title for fans of Yakuza Lover and Demon Love Spell. I'm a fan of those series so this may be perfect for me. I'm also intrigued by all of the chatter I've seen across my Twitter/X timeline regarding this story. So many people have enjoyed and praised this story so much. There is so much hype around this mature shoujo manga that I'm looking forward to having it in my hands soon. Vol. 1 arrives in stores on January 14, 2025. Check it out here. (Fingers crossed that Promise Cinderella will also be published in print too.)
Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector's Edition by Matsuri Akino (10 vols, complete)
Once upon a time, back in the 90s and 2000s when Viz still had real competition, Tokyopop had a lot of banger licenses, which includes this manga. It's hard to believe now, but Tokyopop was fighting toe-to-toe with Viz for first place on the sales charts. I'm not super nostalgic for old manga, but if I had to cobble together a list of manga that I would buy definitive, collector's editions of, Pet Shop of Horrors would definitely be on that list. Having read the original 10-volume supernatural series, I can say without a doubt that Pet Shop of Horrors is worth your time and money. (Also, check out the OVA!)
Seven Seas describes the story:
The cult hit classic returns in a beautiful new Collector’s Edition with an all-new translation!
In the depths of Chinatown lies a curious pet shop. There, it’s said you can find any animal you desire, no matter how fantastical…or dangerous. The city is plagued with strange accidents, and somehow, pets from that shop always seem to be involved. Detective Leon Orcot is determined to pin the blame on Count D, the shop’s caretaker. But the beautiful man is just as enigmatic as his pets—and he certainly isn’t talking.
The series will be released as large-trim omnibus books with brand-new translations. The first volume will hit store shelves on February 4, 2025. Check it out here.
Star Clock Liddell by Yoshimi Uchida (3 vols, complete)
I've mentioned this title since my first roundup article back in 2022, but it's finally coming out in 2025. That's right. Glacier Bay Books will release Star Clock Liddell in 2025! Now, I'm not a super fan of old shoujo manga, but I am a fan of shoujo mystery manga.
Glacier Bay Books describes the story:
Young American socialite Hugh is haunted by recurring dreams of a silent house shadowed in mystery. Slowly overcome by a premonition of living on the “other side”, he turns to his close friends for advice. And then one day, a girl appears in his dream asking for help…
A story about a man who becomes a ghost, which reaches for multiple deep themes about the nature of “home”, where people go when they find it, and when they lose it.
Each volume will be 180-200 pages, and the books will contain extra goodies like French flaps, sewn bindings, color pages, fold-out insert posters, afterwords, essays, and picture galleries. This will be a top-notch release! Glacier Bay Books opened up pre-orders briefly in November 2024. (I pre-ordered the Slipcase Edition.) If you didn't pre-order, don't panic. Glacier Bay Books will reopen orders again soon.
The books are expected to ship in February 2025. You can click on the "email me link" for the slipcase edition or the regular edition to be notified of when they will come back in stock, or you can reach the publisher directly via their contact page. I'm looking forward to reading more shoujo mystery series soon!
Veil by Kotteri (6 volumes, ongoing)
Serialized in Comic Ruelle since 2019, Veil by Kotteri is a stylish, historic josei manga about the relationship between a handsome policeman and a blind woman. Udon Entertainment is publishing the series in partnership with the Mangasplaining Podcast crew. The series was supposed to be released in 2024, but it has been delayed until now. We finally got a release date! Mark your calendars for March 11, 2025. (Pre-orders are up!)
Udon Entertainment describes the story:
Like a classic film, he and she encountered each other by chance. He was an on-duty police officer in the city. She was a runaway heiress. When he learned that she is looking for work, he decided to welcome her as the police station's telephone operator... This was the beginning of the everyday lives of he and she, and the delicate distance between them. Enjoy witty dialogue and bold illustrations, in this in full-color manga collection by Kotteri!
I can cross another manga off my most wanted list! Check out Udon Entertainment here and the Mangasplaining Podcast here.
Pink Candy Kiss by Ami Uozumi (3 vols, ongoing)
I'm not a Yuri expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I am intrigued by this title for a few reasons. First, Pink Candy Kiss will be Shojo Beat's first yuri manga. All of Viz's other yuri releases have been filed under the general Viz Media imprint. Secondly, Pink Candy Kiss is a josei manga. This manga has been serialized in Cocohana since 2022, and Cocohana is home to other licensed josei manga like Blank Canvas by Akiko Higashimura (licensed by Seven Seas), Tamaki & Amane by Fumi Yoshinaga (licensed by Yen Press and coming soon in 2025), and Honey and Clover by Chica Umino (licensed by Viz under the Shojo Beat imprint). We don't get a lot of Cocohana titles in print. Lastly, I'm interested in this title because of the art. The art looks pretty. The story sounds good too.
Viz describes the story:
After 20 years apart, Takara reconnects with Ema, a classmate from middle school—and the girl she nearly kissed. She’s bewildered by how the shy, quiet girl she once knew has grown into a beautiful woman with an air of mystique. Despite Ema being married, Takara can’t help but think there’s something special about Ema’s cool, soft hands against her skin…
Takara has never felt jealous over any of her boyfriends, and she’s never been disappointed after breaking up with them. She’s just not a possessive person. Then her world turns upside down when Ema reenters her life. Seeing the kind of woman Ema becomes around her husband makes Takara’s chest hurt with a pain she’s never felt before. Is this swirl of passionate emotions the feeling she's been missing?
Make no mistake this manga is huge news. Perhaps, Shojo Beat is finally growing up after all. The first volume will be released in April 2025. Check it out here.
Gene Bride by Hitomi Takano (4 vols, complete)
By the same mangaka of My Boy (seinen manga licensed by Kodansha/Vertical) comes an award-winning sci-fi drama about a woman fed up with workplace misogyny and the man she matched to from a middle school experiment.
Seven Seas describes the story:
Isahaya Ichi is fed up with men, a woman navigating a world where she’s underestimated at work because of her gender and sexually harassed. But when her former classmate, Masaki, unexpectedly shows up, everything changes. He claims to be the other half of her “destined pair” from a junior high school event called “Gene Bride,” where genetic information matched students into couples for a day. While Ichi barely remembers the event, Masaki’s sudden reappearance sparks a journey of rediscovery and buried secrets.
Gene Bride was serialized in Feel Young magazine from 2021 to 2024. So, it's really surprising we got this series very quickly. If you're looking for a non-romance josei manga, this one may be for you. (Certainly sounds good to me!) The first volume will hit store shelves in April 2025. Check it out here.
A Witch's Life in Mongol by Tomato Soup (4 vols, ongoing)
Another Kono Manga ga Sugoi! (This Manga is Amazing!) winner is coming in 2025. A Witch's Life in Mongol was #1 on the list for female readers in 2023, and I talked about it sometime ago in an angry rant about how we've been cheated out of good manga in 2023. It was really embarrassing how none of the top 10 winners were out in English at the time of publication. Maybe Yen Press is picking up the slack and making up for loss time. In addition to A Witch's Life in Mongol, Yen Press will also be publishing recent Kono Manga ga Sugoi winners Takahashi From the Bike Shop and Tamaki & Amane in 2025.
Yen Press describes A Witch's Life in Mongol:
In the harem of the Khan, wisdom is beauty.
The time: the thirteenth century. The place: Yeke Mongol Ulus, the greatest empire the world has ever known. The woman: Fatima, hailing from Persia, where medical technique and scientific knowledge have been perfected beyond all precedent. Fatima’s desire for a stage where she can put her knowledge to work has brought her to the palace of the Mongols, where she falls under the wing of Töregene, the sixth wife of Ögedei, the second Great Khan—a mighty woman with complicated feelings about the direction of the empire. These two women are the axel upon which the politics of the palace, and soon the very world, will turn…
I am looking forward to reading more historical josei in 2025. Look for the manga on store shelves in May 2025. In the meantime, check out Safron Apple Pie's post about the first volume on Tumblr here.
Wolf's Daughter: A Werewolf's Tale by Yuki Kodoma (5 vols, onging)
This is the first Yuki Kodama manga licensed in English ever. If you're familiar with Yuki Kodama's works, chances are it's either because you have read or watched Kids on the Slope (Sakamichi no Apollon). Maybe you have also read the pottery romance story Ao no Hana Utsuwa no Mori. If you have read or watched any of these, then you are more of an expert on Kodama's works than I am. I have heard of the mangaka and of her works, but I've never bothered to sit down to read or watch them. To be honest, I am only interested in this particular title because it involves wolf shifters, and I love paranormal shifter stories.
Seven Seas describes the story:
Tsukina is an average high school girl with a supernatural secret—one that even she is unaware of. After an encounter with a man named Hayate, Tsukina begins to realize she’s not entirely human. Her great athletic ability, her enhanced sight at night, even the reason she craves raw meat, all comes down to one answer: She’s a werewolf. But every answer leads her to more questions. Who is she really? What does any of this mean? Just where will Tsukina’s journey of self discovery lead her?
Wolf's Daughter is Kodama's latest work, and it's serialized in Flowers. I'm glad that we're getting a lot of non-romance focused stories in 2025, and I'm even happier that I'll have a lot more josei manga to read in 2025. It's about time Seven Seas gets its flowers for taking chances.
This coming-of-age josei manga will be released in June 2025. Check it out here.
Roar: A Star in the Abyss by Ai Okaue (4 vols, ongoing)
Serialized on Kodansha's digital Japanese platform Palcy since 2023, Roar: A Star in the Abyss is a revenge thriller by the same mangaka of Guilty. I LOVED Guilty. (My review here.) So, I'm really looking forward to this release. In fact, Roar is the number one release that I'm looking forward to from Kodansha. Kodansha's announcements for 2025 have been underwhelming, especially in the shoujosei department. I'm not tempted to read many new series from them this year, but I will read this. I just wish Guilty got the same print treatment. (Maybe Guilty will be published next via Kodansha's Print Club.)
Kodansha describes the story:
“Who is the villain of your story…?”
Misato had a perfect childhood, with parents who loved her and a home on an idyllic island in Japan’s inland sea. But then a TV show starts shooting in town. Misato’s cast as an extra, and in an instant, her life is turned on its head. A woman appears claiming to be her real mother, and before she knows it Misato is living in a lavish mansion surrounded by greedy schemers of all stripes. The curtain rises on the story of a rising star who plunges into an abyss—where the only sustenance is vengeance!
Roar v.1 will be released in June 2025. Check it out here.
My Top 3
Gun to my head, these are the three series I am looking forward to reading in 2025, and they are Star Clock Liddell, Roar: A Star in the Abyss, and Veil. Exactly in that order. It was a toss-up for third place. I was torn between Veil and Pet Shop of Horrors, but it's not a big deal. I am looking forward to reading all 9 manga soon enough.
Conclusion
And there you have it! 9 awesome shoujo/josei manga to look forward to and a few honorable mentions. The year is just beginning. So, we will have more new licenses coming our way soon. What are you looking forward to reading this year? What are you hoping publishers will license this year? Let me know.
Have a Happy New Year! 🎉🎉🎉
(Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura)
(NOTE: release dates are subject to change. As of this post, the release dates are accurate.)