Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches Manga Editions Guide

So you want to collect Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches but the different manga editions and volume numbering have you confused? You’re not alone. The English release doesn’t line up neatly with the Japanese one, and if you’re browsing listings without context, it’s easy to wonder whether you’re missing something or buying duplicates.

Here’s the short version: the full story is available in English, the series is complete, and you can just buy the English volumes in order starting with volume 1 — print or digital, your choice — and you won’t miss a thing. Once you understand how the editions are structured, picking up the whole run is straightforward. Let’s break it all down.

Every Manga Edition of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Explained

The complete manga spans 28 Japanese volumes and 22 English volumes, all published by Kodansha. The story runs 243 chapters from start to finish, and every single one of them is available in the English release — nothing was skipped or left untranslated.

The English edition uses single volumes for volumes 1 through 16, then switches to a 2-in-1 omnibus format from volumes 17-18 onward. An omnibus simply means two Japanese volumes packaged together into one thicker English book. That’s why the English count stops at 22 instead of 28: those final twelve Japanese volumes are bundled into six thicker 2-in-1 books.

The series is rated 16+ in English, and it’s available in both print and digital formats. Since it wrapped up years ago, you can buy and read the entire thing without waiting for new releases.

If you’re new to this series and just want the simplest path: buy the English volumes in numbered order, starting with volume 1. Print or digital both work. You’ll get the complete story either way.

Japanese Original Edition

The Japanese edition of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches (山田くんと7人の魔女) was published by Kodansha and serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine, a manga magazine aimed at younger male readers. The run spans 28 volumes and 243 chapters.

The first volume hit shelves in Japan on June 15, 2012, and the final volume was released on April 17, 2017. Serialization in the magazine concluded on February 22, 2017, with the collected volume following a couple months later.

All 28 volumes are still available, and digital editions exist for readers who prefer that format. For importers or Japanese-language readers, the volumes are numbered 1 through 28 in straightforward sequence — no special editions or variant numbering to worry about.

English Edition — Single Volumes and 2-in-1 Omnibus Format

The English-language release is published by Kodansha (their English division) and covers the entire 28-volume Japanese run across 22 English books. Here’s exactly how the format breaks down:

Volumes 1–16: Single format

Each English volume corresponds to one Japanese volume. Volume 1 in English = Volume 1 in Japanese, Volume 2 = Volume 2, and so on through Volume 16. These are standard manga-sized paperbacks.

Volumes 17-18 through 27-28: 2-in-1 omnibus format

Starting with the book labeled “17-18,” Kodansha began packaging two Japanese volumes into each English release. This continues through the final book, “27-28.” That gives you six omnibus books covering twelve Japanese volumes.

Here’s a quick reference:

English Volume	Japanese Volumes Covered	Format
1	1	Single
2	2	Single
3	3	Single
4–15	4–15 (one-to-one)	Single
16	16	Single
17-18	17 + 18	2-in-1 Omnibus
19-20	19 + 20	2-in-1 Omnibus
21-22	21 + 22	2-in-1 Omnibus
23-24	23 + 24	2-in-1 Omnibus
25-26	25 + 26	2-in-1 Omnibus
27-28	27 + 28	2-in-1 Omnibus

Volumes 4 through 15 each follow the same single-volume pattern — one English book per one Japanese book, numbered identically.

The series is rated 16+ and available in both print and digital. Everything is complete — no volumes are out of print in the “we’ll get to it eventually” sense. The full manga is out there.

Why the Format Changes Midway — What Collectors Should Know

Whether you’re a dedicated shelf-builder or a first-time buyer, here’s a practical detail worth knowing: the physical books change size partway through the series.

Volumes 1 through 16 are standard single-volume thickness. Then volumes 17-18 onward are roughly twice as thick, since each one contains two Japanese volumes’ worth of content. Lined up together on a shelf, you’ll have sixteen thinner spines followed by six chunkier ones. The collection won’t look perfectly uniform in terms of book size.

This kind of mid-run format shift isn’t unique to this series. Kodansha has done this with other longer English releases, typically when a series is deep enough into its run that bundling volumes helps keep the publication schedule moving. It doesn’t affect the reading experience at all — you’re getting every chapter, every page, every panel. The content is identical to the Japanese edition.

For readers who want visual consistency, the digital editions sidestep this issue entirely since there are no physical spines to compare. But if you’re building a physical shelf and the mismatch would bother you, at least you know going in.

The 2-in-1 omnibus volumes do offer slightly better value per chapter compared to the singles, since you’re getting two volumes’ worth of content in a single purchase. Something to keep in mind if you’re budgeting for the full run.

One more thing: no chapters are skipped in the transition. Volume 16 ends where it ends, and the 17-18 omnibus picks up right where you left off. The numbering makes this clear, but it’s worth confirming since format changes sometimes make people nervous about gaps.

Digital Availability

Both the Japanese and English editions of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches are available digitally. This is a solid option for several reasons:

• No shelf space concerns. Twenty-two physical volumes (or 28 if you’re collecting Japanese) take up real estate. Digital lets you own the whole series on a tablet or phone without dedicating a shelf to it.
• No size-mismatch issue. Since there are no physical books, the singles-to-omnibus format shift is invisible. You’re just reading through chapters.
• Portability. It’s a 243-chapter series. Having it all accessible on one device is genuinely convenient if you want to revisit favorite moments.

If you’re deciding between print and digital, it really comes down to personal preference. Print collectors get the satisfaction of a physical shelf and the ability to lend volumes to friends. Digital readers get instant access, portability, and sometimes lower per-volume pricing at major retailers. Both formats contain the complete, unabridged story.

You can pick up the first volume to see if the format and story click for you before committing to the full run.

Romance at the Core — What the Story Is About

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches is a comedy-fantasy-romance manga, and that last genre isn’t just window dressing. The entire premise revolves around a body-swapping mechanic triggered by kissing — romance isn’t a subplot that shows up late in the story, it’s woven into the series from chapter one.

The setup: troublemaker student Yamada accidentally kisses honor student Shiraishi, and they swap bodies. From there, the series expands into a mystery about seven witches at their school, each with a unique supernatural power activated by — you guessed it — a kiss. The romantic comedy moments come naturally from the premise, and the relationships between characters drive the plot forward through all 243 chapters.

There is also an anime adaptation (an animated TV version of the story) that covers a portion of the manga. If you watched the anime and want the full picture, the manga is where you’ll find it. The complete 28-volume story builds on what the anime established and carries the narrative much further, which is why many readers end up picking up the manga editions to get the whole experience.

The same author, Miki Yoshikawa (吉河美希), also created A Couple of Cuckoos (カッコウの許嫁), another romantic comedy that fans of Yamada-kun tend to gravitate toward.

Reading Order for New Readers

This is refreshingly simple. No spinoffs, no side stories, no alternate timelines.

Japanese edition: Read volumes 1 through 28 in numeric order. Done.

English edition: Follow the release order:

1. Volumes 1 through 16 (single volumes, in order)
2. Volumes 17-18, 19-20, 21-22, 23-24, 25-26, 27-28 (2-in-1 omnibus books, in order)

The story is fully self-contained. You start at volume 1, you end at volume 28 (or the 27-28 omnibus in English), and you’ve experienced everything. No required prequels, no companion guides, no supplementary reading needed.

For newcomers, just grab volume 1 and start reading. The body-swap hook kicks in almost immediately, and the romantic comedy tone establishes itself within the first few chapters. If it clicks for you, the remaining 21 English volumes are waiting — and the complete series status means you’ll never hit a cliffhanger with no continuation in sight.

If you’re ready to start, you can pick up volume 1 here: