The School Library Journal is a professional publication with more than sixty years of history since its launch in 1954, and is aimed primarily at school librarians and educators in the United States. Each year, outstanding books are selected as “Best Books” in categories that include picture books and young elementary books, and a manga category was established in 2024.
We are pleased to announce that Volume 1 of the English edition of “I Wanna Be Your Girl” has been named in the manga category of the “Best Books 2025” announced in the United States on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
Volume 1 of “I Wanna Be Your Girl” was published in English by Penguin Random House on July 1, 2025, and Volume 2 was released in English on November 4, 2025.
At COMISMA, we will continue to train and support manga artists and enhance our manga distribution services with the aim of creating superior manga works originating from the Internet.
[Comment from author Umi Takase]
I was truly surprised when I heard that my manga was named in the Best Books list!
I had no idea when I was producing this work that it would be read by so many people across the seas… I am filled with gratitude. Thank you very much.
I filled “I Wanna Be Your Girl” with many things which I wish I could say to my child self, now that I am an adult.
Things I want to say to myself in those days when I was always worried, but couldn’t confide in anyone.
I sincerely hope that this story will gently reach the heart of even just one child who is suffering alone in the same way.
[About the manga “I Wanna Be Your Girl”]
■ Title: Kanojo ni Naritai Kimi to Boku
■ English title: I Wanna Be Your Girl
■ Author: Umi Takase
■ Distribution URL:https://ganma.jp/web/magazine/kanoboku
■ URL of English version:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/0EK/i-wanna-be-your-girl/
■ Synopsis:
The main character, Hime, enters high school with her childhood friend Akira. Akira, who has a girl’s soul in a boy’s body, stands out in class when Akira wears a female uniform. There’s only one thing Hime can do for Akira’s sake… wear a male uniform!
[About the manga app GANMA!]
GANMA! is a manga app that features over 400 original manga titles. Various genres of manga and webtoons including romance, suspense, romantic comedy, battle, isekai, horror, fantasy, and gag are released daily, and all original manga in serialization can be read for free, from the first issue to the latest.
GANMA! Premium, a subscription service that allows unlimited reading for a fixed monthly fee, allows users to read GANMA!’s original manga currently under serialization up to a month early, as well as all series of completed manga. In addition, the manga can be enjoyed without advertisements at all times.
■ Official website: https://ganma.jp/
■ Supported OS: iOS 15.0 or later, Android 7.0 or later
■ Supported browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.
■ Fees: Free; GANMA! Premium*: 680 yen/month; some G!TOON titles are available for a fee
*GANMA! Premium subscribers can read new issues of manga series up to one month before their standard release.
*The “illustration submission” function and “GANMA! Premium” are currently supported only in the app version.
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“iOS” is the name of Apple Inc.’s operating system. “iOS” is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the United States and other countries and is used under license.
“Firefox” is a registered trademark of the Mozilla Foundation in the United States and other countries.
“Safari” is a trademark or registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. in the United States.
[For inquiries regarding this matter]
Public Relations, COMISMA Inc.
E-mail：pr@comicsmart.co.jp
■ Overview of COMISMA Inc.
Main Business: IP platform business
Headquarters Location: 9th Floor, PMO Jimbocho, 2-10-4 Kanda-Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0051
Representative: Koki Sato, CEO
Company URL:https://www.comicsmart.co.jp/
