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Kodansha

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Kodansha
Information
Industry Publishing (manga, books, magazines), virtual reality content
Founded November 1909
Founder Seiji Noma
Headquarters Otowa, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
Notable Personnel Yoshinobu Noma (president)
Products Manga, books and magazines; Hop Step Sing! (VR idol project); VR animated films through Kodansha VR Lab
Website https://www.kodansha.co.jp


Kodansha (Kodansha Ltd., 株式会社講談社) is a Japanese publisher of manga, books and magazines, headquartered in Otowa, Bunkyo, Tokyo. Its official company profile gives its founding as November 1909, and its corporate history names Seiji Noma as founder and first president.[1][2]

In July 2016 Kodansha set up a team whose core business was virtual reality (VR) content production and launched Hop Step Sing!, a three-member idol group built for VR, with music production by Lantis and video production by Polygon Pictures.[3] In October 2017 Kodansha and Polygon Pictures formed Kodansha VR Lab as a joint venture to make VR and AR content.[4] The subsidiary has released Hop Step Sing! music videos and VR concerts on Steam and the Meta Quest Store, and its VR animated films have won the VR prizes at Animafest Zagreb and the Ottawa International Animation Festival.[5][6]

Reviewed 11 October 2026. Corporate profile and history facts, the 2016 VR team and Hop Step Sing! launch, TGS 2016, Dospara and DNP showings, Kodansha VR Lab founding (ownership, capital, first president, current representative), Steam release dates/developers/publisher for all listed titles, the Everywhere! Quest release, manga, CD singles and VR Lab film festival awards against official pages, Steam data and press reports. About review dates.

History

Publishing company

According to Kodansha's corporate history, Seiji Noma founded the Dai Nippon Yubenkai (大日本雄弁会) in 1909 and started the Kodansha business in 1911 with the magazine Kodan Club. The company took the name Dai Nippon Yubenkai Kodansha in 1925 and became Kodansha Ltd. (株式会社講談社) in 1958. The same timeline lists the launch of Weekly Shonen Magazine in 1959, Kodansha's first e-book in 2010, Yoshinobu Noma becoming the seventh president in 2011, and the founding of Kodansha VR Lab in 2017.[2]

Kodansha's company profile lists Yoshinobu Noma as its representative, capital of 300 million yen, sales of 171.0 billion yen for fiscal 2024 and 972 employees as of April 2025. Its headquarters is at 2-12-21 Otowa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. The profile's list of group companies includes the publishers Kobunsha, Seikaisha and Ichijinsha, King Records, Kodansha VR Lab, and overseas companies in the United States, Europe, China and Taiwan.[1]

VR business team and Hop Step Sing! (2016-2017)

On 17 July 2016 Kodansha announced a new team for VR content production and the start of Hop Step Sing!, an idol character business that would begin with VR and extend to events and merchandise. Illustrator tanu designed the characters and stage, Yashikin (F.M.F) wrote, composed and arranged the music, Lantis produced the music and Polygon Pictures produced the video. Maria Sashide, Mariko Toribe and Natsumi Hioka voiced the members Niina Nijikawa, Shikiri Shiishiba and Mikasa Minowa. The first release was a full-CG VR live video of the song "Kisekiteki Shining!". Kodansha planned to sell it first as a paid smartphone app for Google Play and the App Store, viewed by placing the phone in a VR headset, with versions for other VR devices and VR video services to follow.[3] Anime Herald reported that later versions were planned for the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Gear VR.[7] By September 2016 the first song was available as an Android app, according to MoguLive.[8]

At Tokyo Game Show 2016, Hop Step Sing! was one of the demos at HTC's booth, where it was credited to AMD and Kodansha. Players could wave a penlight to cheer on the idols.[9][10] From 14 October 2016 the Vive version could be tried for free at Dospara VR Paradise, a VR demo space in Dospara's Akihabara store.[11]

The first two songs, "Kisekiteki Shining!" and "kiss×kiss×kiss", came out on Steam as separate VR-only "HQ Edition" titles on 29 June 2017.[12][13] In August 2017 Kodansha and the publisher Degica announced the third VR music clip, "Kimamani☆Summer Vacation", for release on Steam for Windows on 18 August (Japan time) at 6.99 US dollars or 698 yen. Degica was named as publisher and Kodansha as developer.[14] The same summer, Dai Nippon Printing (DNP), Kodansha and Shueisha ran a "Japan Character VR Matsuri" booth of manga and anime VR content at Anime Expo in Los Angeles (1-4 July 2017), with follow-up showings planned at Japan Expo in Paris and HYPER JAPAN in London. DNP's announcement for the London event listed Hop Step Sing! on HTC Vive as Kodansha's content.[15]

Kodansha VR Lab (2017 onward)

Kodansha and Polygon Pictures established Kodansha VR Lab on 17 October 2017. Anime News Network reported that the joint venture had capital of 10 million yen, that Kodansha owned 70 percent and Polygon Pictures 30 percent, and that it would "create VR and AR content such as videos, games, and other digital content" for a global market.[4] WWD Japan reported that Kodansha director Hiroaki Morita became president, and that the company aimed to research new forms of storytelling with VR and AR and to make works that could compete for international film and video awards.[16] Mogura VR News described continued character work, including Hop Step Sing!, as part of the plan.[17]

As of October 2026 the lab's website lists Kenji Ishimaru as representative director and an address in Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. It describes the business as planning and producing virtual reality content, video, games and other digital content, and groups its work into original works, Hop Step Sing! and client work.[18]

Products

Hop Step Sing! VR releases

From the fourth title onward, the Steam store pages credit Kodansha VR Lab as co-developer. All of the titles below list KOMODO as publisher on Steam as of October 2026. The dates are Steam store release dates.

Title Steam release VR support on Steam Developers listed on Steam
Hop Step Sing! Kisekiteki Shining! (HQ Edition) 29 June 2017 VR only Kodansha, Polygon Pictures, Lantis[12]
Hop Step Sing! kiss×kiss×kiss (HQ Edition) 29 June 2017 VR only Kodansha, Polygon Pictures, Lantis[13]
Hop Step Sing! Kimamani☆Summer vacation (HQ Edition) 17 August 2017 VR only Kodansha, Polygon Pictures, Lantis[19]
Hop Step Sing! Nozokanaide Naked Heart (HQ Edition) 10 September 2018 VR only Kodansha, Kodansha VR Lab, Lantis[20]
Hop Step Sing! Astral Piece 12 December 2019 VR only Kodansha, Kodansha VR Lab[21]
Hop Step Sing! VR Live 《Hop★Summer Tour 2020》 1 April 2021 VR supported Kodansha, Kodansha VR Lab[22]
Hop Step Sing! Happy People 26 August 2021 VR only Kodansha, Kodansha VR Lab[23]
Hop Step Sing! VR Live Hop☆Summer 2nd 2 August 2022 VR supported Kodansha, Kodansha VR Lab[24]
Hop Step Sing! Shikiri Shiishiba - By My Side 27 July 2023 VR only Kodansha, Kodansha VR Lab[25]
Hop Step Sing! Summer Live 2023 26 November 2024 VR supported Kodansha, Kodansha VR Lab[26]

On 5 January 2025 the official Hop Step Sing! site announced a VR (MR) music video of "Everywhere!", a solo song by Mikasa Minowa, sold on the Quest Store from 1 January 2025. The site called it the group's eighth music video. It uses passthrough and hand tracking on Meta Quest 3 and 3S to place the character in the user's room, and it added Japanese singing and dialogue to a song previously available only in English.[27] The site also lists three CD singles: "Kisekiteki Shining! / kiss×kiss×kiss" (21 December 2016), "Kimamani☆Summer Vacation" (23 August 2017) and "Nozokanaide NAKED Heart" (29 August 2018).[28]

A Hop Step Sing! manga by Rei Kodama and Yui Asube launched in English and Japanese on Kodansha's Comic Days website in July 2019. It was the first series that Comic Days published in English.[29] Kodansha published the third and final volume, a digital-only release, on 13 January 2021.[30]

Kodansha VR Lab films

Title Director Steam release Festival recognition
Otawamure Yoriko Mizushiri 18 July 2019 (self-published by Kodansha VR Lab)[31] Winner, VR Animation Competition, Animafest Zagreb 2021[5]
Thank You for Sharing Your World Yu Sakudo 14 November 2023[32] Venice Immersive selection, Venice Film Festival 2022[33]
My Inner Ear Quartet Koji Yamamura 9 October 2024[34] Award for Best Virtual Reality Animation, Ottawa International Animation Festival 2023[6]
If You See a Cat Atsushi Wada 2 April 2026[35] Silver award, VR category, Telly Awards; official selection, SXSW London 2026 (per Kodansha VR Lab)[18]

Thank You for Sharing Your World is a 33-minute Japanese work listed in the 2022 Venice Immersive section with Kodansha VR Lab as production company. It follows Takashi, who lost his sight in grade school, and his autistic friend Shinji.[33] My Inner Ear Quartet is based on a story by Yoko Ogawa, who co-wrote the screenplay with Yamamura. It runs about 35 minutes, and Kodansha VR Lab planned and produced it. gamebiz reported its Steam release on 10 October 2024, the same day Kodansha published a novel version; the Steam store lists the release date as 9 October 2024.[36] The Ottawa jury cited "its handcrafted feel and heartfelt storyline that weaves simple interactivity with a gentle but powerful narrative voice."[6] On 9 April 2026 the lab announced that If You See a Cat was available on Steam and Meta's store.[18]

XR work

Most of Kodansha's VR output has come through character content and short animated films, not games. Hop Step Sing! began as a smartphone VR video in 2016. It then moved to PC VR on Steam for headsets such as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, and later to standalone mixed reality on Meta Quest 3.[3][28][27] Kodansha VR Lab's films are distributed on Steam, mostly through KOMODO, and have screened at animation and film festivals.[34][33] The lab's site also lists client work, including a project for the Attack on Titan exhibition "進撃の巨人展FINAL × SKY DECK".[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "会社概要 (Company profile)". Kodansha. https://www.kodansha.co.jp/company/about. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "歴史 (History)". Kodansha corporate site. Kodansha. https://www.kodansha.com/jp/history/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "講談社、VR事業チームを新設…VRを起点としたアイドルキャラクター事業を開始 第1弾アプリを今夏配信 開発にランティス、ポリゴン・ピクチュアズら". gamebiz. 2016-07-17. https://gamebiz.jp/news/165347. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Crystalyn Hodgkins (2017-10-27). "Kodansha, Polygon Pictures Establish 'Kodansha VR Lab' VR Company". Anime News Network. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-10-27/kodansha-polygon-pictures-establish-kodansha-vr-lab-vr-company/.123287. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Winners of the 31st World Festival of Animated Film - Animafest Zagreb 2021". Animafest Zagreb. 2021-06-12. https://animafest.hr/en/vijesti/pobjednici-31-svjetskog-festivala-animiranog-filma-animafesta-zagreb-2021. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Ottawa International Animation Festival 2023 award winners". Ottawa International Animation Festival. 2023-09-23. https://www.animationfestival.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/09_23_23_MR_OIAF23_AwardWinners_EN.pdf. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  7. ↑ Samantha Ferreira (2016-07-17). "Kodansha & Polygon Pictures Create "Hop Step Sing!" VR Idol Project". Anime Herald. https://www.animeherald.com/2016/07/17/kodansha-polygon-create-hop-step-sing-vr-idol-project/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  8. ↑ "美少女VR好きが選ぶ 幸せになれる「美少女スマホVR」4選". MoguLive. 2016-09-19. https://www.moguravr.com/?p=22909. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  9. ↑ "【TGS2016】HTC、VR製品「VIVE」を試遊できるブースを展示 国内パートナーも発表". gamebiz. 2016-09-12. https://gamebiz.jp/news/168998. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  10. ↑ Yoshitomo Nagai (2016-09-12). "HTC Vive、東京ゲームショウでの公式体験コンテンツが発表". MoguLive. https://www.moguravr.com/?p=22027. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  11. ↑ "バーチャル空間で可愛いアイドルのライブを鑑賞!秋葉原最大級のVR体験施設"ドスパラ VRパラダイス"に新コンテンツ『Hop Step Sing!』が登場". value press. Dospara. 2016-10-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20251211132753/https://www.value-press.com/pressrelease/171598. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Hop Step Sing! Kisekiteki Shining! (HQ Edition) on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/538000/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Hop Step Sing! kiss×kiss×kiss (HQ Edition) on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/646530/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  14. ↑ "講談社とデジカ、VRアイドルプロジェクト「Hop Step Sing!」の新曲を8月18日に公開へ". gamebiz. 2017-08-15. https://gamebiz.jp/news/191234. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  15. ↑ "DNP to Exhibit at HYPER JAPAN Festival 2017, UK's Largest Cool Japan Event". DNP Group. Dai Nippon Printing. 2017-07-07. https://www.global.dnp/en/news/detail/2017/07/0707_20167085/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  16. ↑ "講談社がVRに特化した子会社を設立、世界レベルのVRコンテンツ制作目指す". WWD Japan. 2017-10-27. https://www.wwdjapan.com/501502. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  17. ↑ "講談社、「VRラボ」設立 新たな物語表現を研究制作". Mogura VR News. 2017-10-30. https://www.moguravr.com/?p=58762. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 "講談社VRラボ - Kodansha VR Lab, Ltd.". Kodansha VR Lab. https://kodanshavrlab.com/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  19. ↑ "Hop Step Sing! Kimamani☆Summer vacation (HQ Edition) on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/689710/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  20. ↑ "Hop Step Sing! Nozokanaide Naked Heart (HQ Edition) on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/929120/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  21. ↑ "Hop Step Sing! Astral Piece on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1204930/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  22. ↑ "Hop Step Sing! VR Live Hop Summer Tour 2020 on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1574470/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  23. ↑ "Hop Step Sing! Happy People on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1722140/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  24. ↑ "Hop Step Sing! VR Live Hop Summer 2nd on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2072110/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  25. ↑ "Hop Step Sing! Shikiri Shiishiba - By My Side on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2493710/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  26. ↑ "Hop Step Sing! Summer Live 2023 on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3337150/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "VRMV『Everywhere!』がQuest Storeに登場!". Hop Step Sing! official site. Kodansha. 2025-01-05. https://hopstepsing.com/news/484.html. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "VR ZONE - Hop Step Sing! official site". Hop Step Sing! official site. Kodansha. https://hopstepsing.com/vrzone/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  29. ↑ Crystalyn Hodgkins (2019-07-12). "Kodansha's Comic Days Website Launches Hop Step Sing! Manga in English". Anime News Network. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-07-12/kodansha-comic-days-website-launches-hop-step-sing-manga-in-english/.148938. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  30. ↑ "Hop Step Sing! ~VRアイドルストーリー~(3)". Kodansha. https://www.kodansha.co.jp/comic/products/0000348346. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  31. ↑ "Otawamure on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1100090/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  32. ↑ "Thank you for sharing your world on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2676920/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 "Biennale Cinema 2022 - Thank You for Sharing Your World". La Biennale di Venezia. https://www.labiennale.org/en/node/11116. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "My Inner Ear Quartet on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3074510/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  35. ↑ "IF YOU SEE A CAT on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/4458990/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  36. ↑ "講談社VRラボ、小川洋子氏原作&山村浩二監督のVRアニメ『耳に棲むもの』をSteamで発売…小説版『耳に棲むもの』も同時発売". gamebiz. 2024-10-11. https://gamebiz.jp/news/393975. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
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