The April 1995 cover of Ribon, featuring Sana, Akito, and Tsuyoshi.
Kodocha is a 51 chapter manga series by Miho Obana. It began serialized publication in August 1994's issue of Ribon (a Shueisha published magazine) and concluded November 1998.
It was published in Tankōbon format spanning 10 volumes (6 chapters per book) from April 1995 - January 1999. It was later re-released in 2003 in Kanzenban format, and 2007 in Bunkoban format, both condense the series into 7 volumes (8 chapters per book).
The manga was officially translated and released in English by Tokyopop in 2002, however in 2006 Shueisha refused to renew Tokyopop's license of the series after becoming part-owner of rival publisher Viz Media, [1] which left the series out of print [2] (where it remains today). Tokyopop's release of the series is the same as the Japanese Tankōbon edition.
List of Chapters[]
| # | Title | Published | Location (T.) | Location (K. / B.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapter 1 | August 1994 | Volume 1 | Volume 1 |
| Sana Kurata (an 11 year old TV Star) has trouble at school because of a boy named Akito Hayama. Things escalate after Sana discusses these troubles during a live TV interview. | ||||
| 2 | Chapter 2 | September 1994 | Volume 1 | Volume 1 |
| Sana tries to get Akito to stop terrorizing their class by challenging him to a bungee jumping contest. She also confirms he's been blackmailing their teachers, and resolved that she'll get blackmail on him in an attempt to deescalate the problems ongoing in their class. | ||||
| 3 | Chapter 3 | October 1994 | Volume 1 | Volume 1 |
| Sana gets the blackmail on Akito (in the form of an embarrassing photo) with the help of Akito's best friend Tsuyoshi, which means he won't cause chaos in their class anymore! However in the process, Sana learned of Akito's bad home-life, and now feels sorry for him. | ||||
| 4 | Chapter 4 | November 1994 | Volume 1 | Volume 1 |
| Sana continues to feel sorry for Akito, which is exaggerated when she learns the reason his family acts the way they do is because Akito's mom died giving birth to him. Sana resolves to work hard on a TV movie she's acting in, due to it paralleling much of Akito's life, while having a good ending. | ||||
| 5 | Chapter 5 | December 1994 | Volume 1 | Volume 1 |
| Sana films the TV movie, and Akito's family watches it when it premieres. As Sana had hoped, it seems to cause his family to think more about how they've been treating him. | ||||
| 6 | Chapter 6 | January 1995 | Volume 2 | Volume 1 |
| Akito sees some positive changes in his family thanks to Sana. Meanwhile after an interview with Asako Kurumi, Sana realizes there's something going on between she and Sana's manager Rei. | ||||
| 7 | Chapter 7 | February 1995 | Volume 2 | Volume 1 |
| Sana learns that Asako is Rei's ex-girlfriend, and is self conscious about her place in Rei's life because of this. Meanwhile on a field trip, Akito surprises Sana with a kiss. | ||||
| 8 | Chapter 8 | March 1995 | Volume 2 | Volume 2 |
| Sana is upset about the kiss. Meanwhile Sana give's Tsuyoshi's sister Aono a chicken to encourage an innocent narrative she's come up with. Sana realizes the truth of she and Rei's relationship, and sees parallels between she and Aono. | ||||
| 9 | Chapter 9 | April 1995 | Volume 2 | Volume 2 |
| Sana feels more at peace about everything between she and Rei after a surprisingly pleasant conversation with Akito. Sana gives her blessing, and Rei and Asako get together. Akito's dad is rushed to hospital. | ||||
| 10 | Chapter 10 | May 1995 | Volume 2 | Volume 2 |
| Akito's dad is fine, and the whole situation puts into perspective how Sana has gotten unexpectedly close to Akito. Sana is ostracized by some classmates due to her being busy with work, meanwhile Akito worries about Tsuyoshi after he comes to school with odd injuries, and misses class. | ||||
| 11 | Chapter 11 | June 1995 | Volume 3 | Volume 2 |
| Tsuyoshi's parents have gotten a divorce, and Akito and Sana help him move. After Tsuyoshi is bullied, a timid classmate of their's: Aya confesses her feelings for Tsuyoshi - which are reciprocated. | ||||
| 12 | Chapter 12 | July 1995 | Volume 3 | Volume 2 |
| Sana's class goes on a field trip, but she's worried about her mom's book that will publish at the end of summer vacation. Akito notices that Sana is worried despite her hiding it. | ||||
| 13 | Chapter 13 | August 1995 | Volume 3 | Volume 2 |
| Sana feels better about her mom's book after a shockingly good conversation with Akito. Sana gets cast in a commercial alongside fellow child actor Naozumi Kamura, who whispers that he knows her secret. | ||||
| 14 | Chapter 14 | September 1995 | Volume 3 | Volume 2 |
| Naozumi turns out to be a fan of Sana, and tells her he has "the same secret as her". Akito feels threatened by Naozumi's appearance, and starts taking karate lessons. | ||||
| 15 | Chapter 15 | ? | Volume 3 | Volume 2 |
| Sana's mom's book "My Daughter and I" gets published, and shocks people by revealing that Sana is adopted. Sana gets upset after tension between Rei and her mom erupt regarding the ethics of publishing such a book, and Akito whisks Sana away to his house to get her away from the conflict. | ||||
| 16 | Chapter 16 | ? | Volume 4 | Volume 3 |
| Sana spends the night at Akito's house to escape the attention "My Daughter and I" has created. At the sleepover, Sana confides in Akito about a fear. Naozumi puts out a press release in an attempt to get publicity to leave Sana alone. And back at the Kurata household, they get a phone call from Sana's birth mother. | ||||
| 17 | Chapter 17 | ? | Volume 4 | Volume 3 |
| Everyone meets Sana's birth mother, and has questions for her. Sana meets her younger half sister, and tells her birth mother she doesn't want to see her again since she already has a wonderful mother. The hubbub about the book has died down enough for Sana to start going to school again, and she feels closer to Akito after going through everything. | ||||
| 18 | Chapter 18 | ? | Volume 4 | Volume 3 |
| Sana visits the Kamura academy with Naozumi, and plans a middle birthday party with Akito. | ||||
| 19 | Chapter 19 | ? | Volume 4 | Volume 3 |
| Akito kisses Sana after their middle birthday party, which confuses her. Sana decides to accept an acting role after a conversation with Akito, and the group graduate 6th grade. | ||||
| 20 | Chapter 20 | ? | Volume 4 | Volume 3 |
| The group starts Junior High, and Sana becomes fast friends with a classmate named Fuka. | ||||
| 21 | Chapter 21 | May 1996 | Volume 5 | Volume 3 |
| It turns out that Akito, Tsuyoshi, and Fuka all went to kindergarten together, and back then, Akito kissed Fuka on a bet. Fuka is angry at Akito over the kiss. On a school trip, Akito shows Sana a beautiful nature view, and Tsuyoshi tells Sana that Akito likes her. | ||||
| 22 | Chapter 22 | June 1996 | Volume 5 | Volume 3 |
| Sana tells Tsuyoshi she's unsure she knows what love is, She prepares to leave for the film role she accepted, which means she'll be living in the mountains for two months. A classmate confesses his love to Sana, and she declines by lying that she and Naozumi are dating. As Sana leaves to film the movie, Akito tells her he has something important to say when she gets back. | ||||
| 23 | Chapter 23 | July 1996 | Volume 5 | Volume 4 |
| Akito struggles with having Sana be far away. Meanwhile Sana arrives on location and begins filming alongside fellow actors Asako Kurumi, and Naozumi. The tabloids see filming as an opportunity to ramp up rumors that Sana and Naozumi are dating. | ||||
| 24 | Chapter 24 | August 1996 | Volume 5 | Volume 4 |
| Fuka convinces Akito to pretend he's her boyfriend while her friends from Osaka visit. | ||||
| 25 | Chapter 25 | September 1996 | Volume 5 | Volume 4 |
| Sana feels more mature after buying her first bra. Rei feels insecure about he and Asako's relationship after she has to film a love scene. A trio of Naozumi fans act increasingly hostile to Sana. | ||||
| 26 | Chapter 26 | October 1996 | Volume 6 | Volume 4 |
| The trio of Naozumi fans attack Sana, resulting in a small fracture. Sana decides to continue acting in the movie despite this, and continues to be her usual chipper self, until she calls Akito and learns of he and Fuka dating. | ||||
| 27 | Chapter 27 | November 1996 | Volume 6 | Volume 4 |
| Sana is so heartbroken about the news of Akito and Fuka dating she can't film. Her mom visits in an attempt to lift her spirits, and Sana accepts that she's had feelings for Akito. Naozumi confesses his own feelings for Sana, which she doesn't reciprocate. | ||||
| 28 | Chapter 28 | December 1996 | Volume 6 | Volume 4 |
| The final scene of the movie is filmed, where a building is burned down. Sana struggles to exit the burning building due to her leg injury. After filming is complete, Sana returns to Tokyo, and is nervous to see her friends. | ||||
| 29 | Chapter 29 | January 1997 | Volume 6 | Volume 4 |
| Sana returns to school, and feels weird about Fuka and Akito dating. This is made worse when she learns they all believed the rumors that she and Naozumi were dating. | ||||
| 30 | Chapter 30 | February 1997 | Volume 7 | Volume 5 |
| After hearing about the trouble Sana's had because of the rumors, Naozumi spills the whole truth on a talk show -- including a fact that will make only Akito know that Sana has feelings for him. Sana is furious Naozumi did this, and tries to avoid Akito in an attempt to avoid learning if he watched the show or not. | ||||
| 31 | Chapter 31 | March 1997 | Volume 7 | Volume 5 |
| Akito directly asks Sana how she feels about him, admitting that he loves her. Sana says she loves him too, but backpedals when she learns Fuka heard the whole thing. To avoid the stress of all this, Sana decides to forget about Akito, and focus on her acting career. | ||||
| 32 | Chapter 32 | April 1997 | Volume 7 | Volume 5 |
| Akito punches a teacher (in self defense, but no one believes him), resulting in a 10 day suspension from school. Meanwhile Sana's career is going great. | ||||
| 33 | Chapter 33 | May 1997 | Volume 7 | Volume 5 |
| Akito seems to be reverting to how he acted before he met Sana. At an arcade with friends, he brutally beats up some older arcade goers, which disturbs Fuka. Sana bumps into Akito and is distraught by the look in his eyes. | ||||
| 34 | Chapter 34 | June 1997 | Volume 7 | Volume 5 |
| Sana can't stop thinking about Akito, so decides to go back to school. She and Fuka have a tense conversation about their friendship, and Akito. | ||||
| 35 | Chapter 35 | July 1997 | Volume 7 | Volume 5 |
| A classmate of Akito and Tsuyoshi's goes missing, and the blame is put on Akito. Akito decides to find him, seeing this as his chance to make amends for all the bad he's done in his life. | ||||
| 36 | Chapter 36 | August 1997 | Volume 8 | Volume 5 |
| Akito finds the missing classmate, named Kazuyuki, and is able to talk him out of committing suicide, but only after he stabs Akito in the arm. | ||||
| 37 | Chapter 37 | September 1997 | Volume 8 | Volume 6 |
| Akito is in critical condition thanks to the stab wound Kazuyuki inflicted. He nearly dies, but pulls through after a dream like experience where he meets his mom. Sana misses a live broadcast to stay by Akito's side at the hospital. | ||||
| 38 | Chapter 38 | October 1997 | Volume 8 | Volume 6 |
| Sana's acting career takes a hit due to her absence during the live show. Fuka breaks up with Akito at the hospital. Akito learns his hand has been paralyzed as a result of his injury. | ||||
| 39 | Chapter 39 | November 1997 | Volume 8 | Volume 6 |
| Sana visits Akito in the hospital, Fuka and Sana have a difficult conversation, and Sana and Rei sneak Akito out of the hospital so he can see Kazuyuki (who is moving) off. | ||||
| 40 | Chapter 40 | December 1997 | Volume 9 | Volume 6 |
| Sana and Akito have a conversation about their relationship, and Akito deals with the reality of his paralyzed hand after returning home. | ||||
| 41 | Chapter 41 | January 1998 | Volume 9 | Volume 6 |
| Sana invites people to a proposed middle birthday party for she and Akito, but everyone declines. Sana realizes Akito's probably considered her boyfriend now, while separately Naozumi drops by to tell Akito he better not make Sana cry any more. | ||||
| 42 | Chapter 42 | February 1998 | Volume 9 | Volume 6 |
| Sana and Akito are finally on the same page that they're dating. Therefore, since no one could come to their middle birthday party - they have a date on Christmas eve. | ||||
| 43 | Chapter 43 | March 1998 | Volume 9 | Volume 6 |
| Sana and Akito give Fuka a late birthday present - the phone number of the boy she had a crush on before she moved to Tokyo. | ||||
| 44 | Chapter 44 | April 1998 | Volume 9 | Volume 7 |
| Akito's dad drops the bomb that his job is transferring him to Los Angeles, so their whole family will be moving. Sana has a strong reaction that surprises even her. | ||||
| 45 | Chapter 45 | May 1998 | Volume 9 | Volume 7 |
| The news of Akito moving has hit Sana so hard it's induced and episode of "doll syndrome", an emotional illness she had a bout of as a seven year old. Meanwhile unbeknownst to Akito, his sister Natsumi questions if the move is happening for reasons beyond the dad's job. | ||||
| 46 | Chapter 46 | June 1998 | Volume 9 | Volume 7 |
| Sana's family is trying to figure out what cured her doll syndrome when she was younger to see if it will give any insight on what could help her now, and learn that Naozumi had a role in it. | ||||
| 47 | Chapter 47 | July 1998 | Volume 10 | Volume 7 |
| Naozumi and Akito agree they have the same goal at the moment (helping Sana), but can't help arguing nevertheless. Akito wants to learn how he can help Sana, which proves difficult. | ||||
| 48 | Chapter 48 | August 1998 | Volume 10 | Volume 7 |
| Sana can no longer recognize Akito, which freaks him out. Sana decides things would be easier if she reciprocated Naozumi's feelings, Naozumi is insulted by this - and he helps her remember Akito. Sana recognizes that somethings wrong with her. | ||||
| 49 | Chapter 49 | September 1998 | Volume 10 | Volume 7 |
| Sana's condition continues to worsen. Fuka, Aya, and Tsuyoshi visit Sana and are supportive of her. As the Hayama's move inches closer, Sana and Akito discuss their options. | ||||
| 50 | Chapter 50 | October 1998 | Volume 10 | Volume 7 |
| Sana and Akito run away together to a theme park. Akito breaks down, expressing everything he's bottled up, causing Sana to be cured of her doll syndrome. They learn that the Hayama's move to Los Angeles isn't because of Mr. Hayama's job - it's for Akito to get treatment for his hand. Because of this, the two feel better about being separated. | ||||
| 51 | Chapter 51 | November 1998 | Volume 10 | Volume 7 |
| Two years pass, and Sana runs a successful advice radio show with Fuka, in addition to a crisis hotline. Akito wins a junior karate championship, and his hand continues to improve. He visits Tokyo for the first time, and tells everyone he'll be moving back to attend high school with them. | ||||
Extra Chapters[]
| # | Title | Location (T.) | Location (K. / B.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Destroy the Hayama Monster! / Misako & Maro | Volume 1 | Volume 1 |
| Sana has a dream where Akito is a harmful species of moth, and we get some insight on how Sana's mom came into keeping her pet chipmunk Maro. | |||
| 2 | Cool Girl Karen VS. Spacey Girl Sana | Volume 3 | Volume 4 |
| Karen Ikehata is a featured guest on Kodocha Live: Sana's special report! The pair bicker, and eat their least favorite foods (to negative consequences). | |||
| 3 | An Egg Full of Thorns | Volume 6 | Volume ? |
| Key moments that shape the Hayama family into the way it is at the beginning of the series. | |||
| 4 | Days Without Anything | N/A | N/A |
| TBA | |||
| 5 | Kodomo no Omocha X Hot Pepper Beauty | N/A | N/A |
| 15-year-old 1st year high school student Sana Kurata worries about her image after being cast in a movie. She feels better after getting her hair done at a salon, at the recommendation of her friends. | |||
List of Volumes[]
Tankōbon Edition[]
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June 25, 2002 (ENG) |
ISBN 978-1-931514-50-7 (ENG) | |
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July 23, 2002 (ENG) |
ISBN 978-1-931514-51-4 (ENG) | |
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September 24, 2002 (ENG) |
ISBN 978-1-931514-52-1 (ENG) | |
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November 19, 2002 (ENG) |
ISBN 978-1-931514-53-8 (ENG) | |
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January 14, 2003 (ENG) |
ISBN 978-1-59182-089-5 (ENG) | |
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April 15, 2003 (ENG) |
ISBN 978-1-59182-182-3 (ENG) | |
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May 6, 2003 (ENG) |
ISBN 978-1-59182-183-0 (ENG) | |
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July 15, 2003 (ENG) |
ISBN 978-1-59182-184-7 (ENG) | |
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September 16, 2003 (ENG) |
ISBN 978-1-59182-185-4 (ENG) | |
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November 11, 2003 (ENG) |
ISBN 978-1-59182-186-1 (ENG) |
Kanzenban Edition[]
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Bunkoban Edition[]
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Deep Clear "Honey Bitter" x "Kodocha" Special Extra Edition[]
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