Kodansha House Returned to New York with Ghost in the Shell, BLUE LOCK, More Manga

Kodansha returned once again to New York City to present a fun, casual experience for manga fans. Despite renting out a different building from last year, Kodansha House still brings the same chill, laid-back vibes with a few noticeable additions. Admission was still free, and despite having a cozy reading area with various titles that you can pick up and enjoy at your leisure, there were distinct titles that were showcased. However, they were different from last year, potentially hinting at Kodansha planning to rotate out different series each year.

This year it looks like the main titles that were being showcased were Atsushi Ohkubo's Fire Force, Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yūsuke Nomura's BLUE LOCK, Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan, Shirow Masamune's Ghost in the Shell, Fujita's Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku and Suu Morishita's A Sign of Affection. There were large murals dedicated to all these titles scattered throughout the hall, featuring distinct, high-quality manga panels arranged in various collages. All of them were extremely eye-catching, and next to them was even a little snack bar area selling food inspired by those particular titles. Some of these creators even visited the Kodansha House, allowing fans to hear from them directly.

One of the major differences between Kodansha House this year versus last year is the slightly increased level of interactivity. Last year, there were a few displays that people could pose in front of to take pictures like an Attack on Titan city miniature and a replica of the classic Akira bike. This year, that bike is noticeably missing, but the Attack on Titan miniature city is still present for you to take pictures in front of while pretending that you're the Colossal Titan looming over all of the helpless citizens. In place of the bike, there were three additional displays. There was a Ghost in the Shell deep-dive interactive experience. Visitors could experience the iconic building-leap scene from the Ghost in the Shell movie in first-person perspective. This display is admittedly very brief, as it is only that scene from the movie shown, which is only a few seconds. But I will admit, the first-person rendering was incredibly eye-catching, and I would love for them to expand the concept in the future.

On top of that, there was a BLUE LOCK display where you were able to pose with a soccer ball with one of your favorite BLUE LOCK characters hyper-imposed in the background. The image would appear in a curved tunnel to create a deep perspective effect that was really cool. It's a shame you couldn't actually do anything with the soccer ball because the display itself wasn't in a closed-off area. Finally, there was a cute Ghost in the Shell display right next to the BLUE LOCK. It featured four little tachikoma that appeared to have been crafted by hand. Unlike the traditional color scheme from the Ghost in the Shell series, these were visually stylized in a way that mirrored distinct paintings that they were displayed next to. It was very unique and showcased that the design could look good in multiple different styles.

There was a basement that had a small drink bar and a few arcade games, including the Initial D racing arcade cabinet. Everything about this basement just screamed retro, from the neon light signs to the CRT TVs flickering between screens to the interesting artwork displayed on the walls. Right by this area was the hall used to feature the mangaka whenever they arrived to interact with fans. This place had a bit more style and offered more activities aside from reading manga or checking out the large murals. There's a part of me that wishes Kodansha did a bit more with this, as it does feel like Kodansha is still testing the waters with making this an annual event. However, I hope they continue to return and expand upon the idea. Allowing creators to visit their fans in one of the densest cities in America for an event that celebrates the art of manga feels like a match made in heaven.