Hachi Report! March 2026

Welcome to Hachi Report, a monthly newsletter breaking down recent developments in the manga and manhwa world! Thanks to the efforts of our hardworking delivery fox Hachi, we have all the information you need about upcoming comics, new and notable events, and backstage publisher maneuvering. This month: the passing of a Vertical co-founder, waves at Seven Seas Entertainment, and a new era for both Star Fruit Books and Glacier Bay Books.

⚓ Table of Contents:

• Licensing Highlights – a few licenses we are excited for
• Breaking News – News
• Hachi Snacks – Articles from other sites
• ICYMI – Article we put out that might interest you

Licensing Highlights

Basement Attic

Writer/Artist: Naoto Yamakawa
Publisher: Glacier Bay Books
Debut: 2026

Synopsis: Short stories full of humor, verve, charm, and the occasional slyly cynical undertone…

The Pitch: While Glacier Bay Books’s first manga anthology Glaeolia previously featured Yamakawa’s story “For Sleepless Nights,” Basement Attic will be the first full collection of his work in English.

The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao’s Notes on the Inner Palace

Writer/Artist: Minoji Kurata
Original Creator: Hyuganatsu
Original Character Design: Touko Shino
Publisher: Viz
Debut: Fall 2026

Synopsis: The official manga adaptation of the light novel! Including a bonus story and color art.

The Pitch: This adaptation of The Apothecary Diaries light novel at Shogakukan began three months after Square Enix’s award-winning rendition, but is currently longer at 21 volumes.

Sound of a Blink

Writer/Artist: Shuzo Oshimi
Publisher: Viz
Debut: Fall 2026

Synopsis: “From acclaimed creator Shuzo Oshimi comes a raw, intimate, coming-of-age memoir about family, guilt, and facing a future shaped by tragedy.”

The Pitch: It’s a memoir by Oshimi. What more do you need? Few others in the manga industry do thorny psychosexual tales of adolescence like this guy.

Horror Picture Book: Is It There or Not

Writer: Natsuhiko Kyogoku
Artist: Naoko Machida
Publisher: Viz
Debut: Fall 2026

Synopsis: “High above the rafters in Grandma’s crumbling house is a world of darkness. Is something lurking there?”

The Pitch: Between rarely translated occult mystery novelist Kyogoku’s involvement and Naoko Machida’s love of cats, this is the most “for me” book featured on this newsletter so far. Sue me.

The Devil’s in the Lunch Deals

Writer/Artist: Ishiko
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Debut: August 4, 2026

Synopsis: Lainey is an ordinary human girl who runs a bento shop. But in her previous life, she was a god named Solange, the Goddess of Harvests and Death, who was expelled from the Northern Kingdom thirty years ago due to causing a war between it and the Southern Kingdom. In order to regain her godhood, Lainey has to accumulate good deeds.

The Pitch: Funny premise aside, The Devil’s in the Lunch Deals has been nominated for multiple awards, including the Manga Taisho and the Next Manga Award for webcomics.

Six

Writer: Nashi
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Debut: October 27th, 2026

Synopsis: A certain roof-top amusement park on a certain department store. A stone monument by the mountain road. A 23-minute, 45-second film. A guideline for cultivating plants. The corpse of a ghost. The sounds echoing through an elevator.

The Pitch: This appears to be a horror collection of linked stories rather than a manga, but apparently it’s quite good! Fans of About a Place in the Kinki Region may enjoy this one.

Deep-Sea Aquarium Magmell

Writer/Artist: Kiyomi Sugishita
Publisher: Yen Press
Debut: August 2026

Synopsis: The deep sea is home to some of the most fantastic creatures the world has ever seen. And 200 meters below Tokyo Bay at the Magmell Deep Sea Aquarium, they’re on display for all to see—Kotaro’s idea of heaven.

The Pitch: The cover promises beautifully drawn fish, and sometimes that’s all you need.

Bye-Bye Beanbag

Writer/Artist: Takeda Kazuyoshi
Publisher: Kana
Debut: October 20, 2026

Synopsis: A testicular cancer diagnosis at age 35 rips through Kazuyoshi Takeda’s life but also brings unexpected love, friendship, and the courage to tell his story. Treatment pulls him into long hospital days, yet he still notices the moments that keep him going—the kindness of nurses, the quirks of his roommates, and the bond he forms with a fellow patient who understands his fear. As his illness worsens, the people in his life show up with a tenderness he never expected. Their care pushes him back to the manga he has dreamed of finishing, giving him a reason to keep cheery even on the hardest days. Bye Bye Beanbag is a moving manga memoir about fear, hope, and the small connections that make life worth fighting for.

The Pitch: Another award-nominated work of graphic medicine manga. Curious to read this one! I also appreciate how the translator localized the title: it was originally “Sayonara, Tama-chan.”

Breaking News

Vertical Co-Founder Ioannis Mentzas Passes Away

Kodansha USA announced via Instagram that Ioannis “Yani” Mentzas, Kodansha USA Editorial Director and Vertical co-founder, had passed away. “‘Yani’ was a key figure in the growth of Japanese literature and manga in English translation,” the post said. “Today, we at Kodansha USA honor his contributions and the tremendous impact he made. He will be missed.”

Mentzas founded Vertical with Hiroki Sakai in 2003. Per Princeton Alumni Weekly, Mentzas “wanted to be a professor” until Sakai approached him with the desire to publish Japanese children’s books in English. Mentzas convinced him to instead focus on popular adult fiction like The Ring and Summer of the Ubume, as well as manga by Osamu Tezuka and Keiko Takemiya. As Vertical shifted gears from prose to “books with a visual component” as a matter of financial necessity, Mentzas’s interest in seinen manga shaped the company’s output until its acquisition by Kodansha and subsequent rebranding as Kodansha USA in 2011.

Star Fruit Books Licenses Transferred to Glacier Bay Books

The small publisher Star Fruit Books announced via its website that per the wishes of its founder, Matt Haasch, who passed away last September, it is “transferring our publishing line to Glacier Bay Books to carry on our artistic mission.” Glacier Bay Books clarified over Bluesky that “I have been working with Matt’s mother and the rest of the Star Fruit Books team to ensure a continuation to their publishing work,” including “transferring all existing licenses and publications from SFB to GBB.” Glacier Bay Books will also “fulfill all SFB’s outstanding direct orders.” The publisher otherwise does not yet have information as to when these titles might be available, except that it is now “finalizing the arrangements and integrating their release schedule with our own.”

Like Star Fruit Books, Glacier Bay Books is a small publisher specializing in independent manga. The two companies were founded just a year apart with Glacier Bay in 2019 and Star Fruit in 2020. With luck, the company might one day fulfill Haasch’s dream of publishing “a classic shojo from a year 24 author.”

Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Terminates Marvel Agreement in March 2026

Per Deb Aoki, Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions (ShoPro Books) announced via X that it will terminate its publishing agreement with Marvel Comics on March 31st, 2026. “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation,” it said. While some Marvel comics are still available as of February 20th, the publisher encourages readers to buy copies as soon as possible before stock runs out.

ShoPro (says Aoki) “is the primary publisher of Marvel and DC comics in Japanese, both classic & recent series.” While superhero comics are relatively niche in Japan, artists like Hiroyuki Imaishi, Hiroshi Nagahama and the late Kazuki Takahashi are/were dedicated fans. There is no word as of yet what company will fill the gap left by ShoPro in the Japanese market.

Nominees Announced for 30th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize

Per Anime News Network, the Asashi Shinbun announced 10 nominees for the 30th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize. Spacewalking With You is the only one previously available in English. Draw This, Then Die! and Half is More have been licensed for publication in the United States this year. Other picks include Ball and Chain by Minami Q-ta (of Pop Life fame), bookseller manga Hon Nara Uru Hodo, and Solaris, an adaptation of Stanislaw Lem’s SF novel by artist Takehito Moriizumi. Also notable is Sukima by Taiwanese artist Yan Gao.

The Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize is sponsored by Asashi Shinbun and has run since 1997. Previous Grand Prize winners include Uoto’s Orb: On the Movements of the Earth as well as Kazumi Yamashita’s Land.

GlobalComix Teams Up With Seven Seas Entertainment

Per Comics Beat, GlobalComix announced that it has partnered with publisher Seven Seas Entertainment. Over 50 titles are currently available for GlobalComix Gold members including the first volumes of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, X-Gender and Skeleton Knight in Another World. Over 1000 titles are also available to purchase digitally, with Gold members offered a discount. “We are incredibly excited to bring this massive wave of Asian content to our platform and our Gold members,” says Eric Tapper, VP of Business Development.

GlobalComix was founded in 2017 by Christopher Carter, Alessio Deiana, Eric Tapper and Robert Hofffer. Aside from Seven Seas, the company has previously made deals with DC, Marvel and Kodansha. Users may purchase comics via the site, or read a selection via a $69.99 per year (or $6.99 per month) Gold subscription.

Seven Seas Entertainment Announces New Baihe Imprint

Seven Seas Entertainment announced via Bluesky that it is launching a new label for baihe (Girls’ Love) novels. It also says that “new licenses for the label will come soon,” although no other information is available at present. Seven Seas published its first baihe novel, The Beauty’s Blade: Mei Ren Jian, in November 2025.

Chinese danmei (Boys’ Love) novels have become increasingly accessible in English translation, thanks to the success of TV drama adaptations like The Untamed and Word of Honor. Baihe is much more scarce, paralleling the difference in sales between Boys’ Love and yuri Japanese manga. In recent years, though, just as yuri fans have fought to save series like Love Bullet, baihe readers have pushed publishers like Seven Seas and Rosmei to diversify their offerings.

Seven Seas Entertainment Acquired by Media Do

In a press release, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that it has been acquired by Media Do International, Inc., part of the MEDIA DO Group. “Seven Seas will continue to operate under its existing leadership team and editorial direction,” it says. “There are no changes to distribution, publishing schedules, or core operations as a result of this transaction. All Seven Seas print imprints will continue to be distributed worldwide by Penguin Random House Publisher Services.”

Media Do is “Japan’s largest eBook distribution company and a global leader in digital publishing infrastructure.” Per Anime News Network, the company acquired Seven Seas for $80 million. Otherwise, at this moment, there remain unknowns. Seven Seas’s press release does not acknowledge the company’s union that it voluntarily recognized in 2022, save for noting that there will be “no changes to distribution…or core operation.” Additionally, Manga Alerts reports that “some Seven Seas employees were not told of this acquisition ahead of time and are finding out about it at the same time as the public.”

Even more worrisome is that Media Do has said in the past its priority is to “develop an artificial intelligence-based automatic translation system to make its e-books available for English-speaking readers.” A Media Do Medium-Term Management Plan confirms that the company will try to combine its LLM-driven MDTS (Media Do Translation System) with human translators. Of course, as human translators will tell you, translating from scratch is rarely slower or less efficient than editing scripts generated by an LLM.

Seven Seas responded via Bluesky to fan inquiries by saying that the company “remains committed to human translators and the high editorial standards our readers & creators expect. Nothing about the acquisition changes how we translate our books.” Media Do later published an additional statement claiming that its MDTS system” is an AI-assisted tool designed to help Japanese translators manage their translated text when working on Japanese literature. It is not intended for implementation in Seven Seas translation operations…it is truly regrettable that our previous announcement caused misunderstandings among those who cherish Seven Seas publications.”

When workers at Seven Seas announced in 2022 that they were forming a union, their statement read that “with rapid growth comes growing pains, and we, the workers of Seven Seas, have been shouldering much of that pain.” That “rapid growth” at the expense of staff aligns neatly with Media Do’s motto, “more content for more people.” My immediate worry was therefore that Media Do sought to ramp up output at the expense of staff. Media Do’s statement following the acquisition, combined with Seven Seas’s insistence on independence, is an important step towards easing those concerns. Even so, whether you’re a manga reader or a fellow industry freelancer, all of us have a role to play in ensuring that Seven Seas treat its staff and its audience with respect.

Manta Opens Applications for International Artists

Manta, an online comics platform owned and operated by RIDI Corporation, opened an application page on its website for international artists. “Manta is currently accepting webcomic submissions in all genres, including both all-ages and mature content,” it says. Rules and limitations insist that the artist, who must be 18 years or older, may submit original work in English that they own the rights to. There is otherwise no restriction on the author’s experience or whether they are an individual or a studio. For monetization, Manta offers either a “hybrid” model (subscription plus pay per episode) or a PPE model (pay per episode only); the company says that it “matches each title with the right model, based on content type and reader experience, to support creators and maximize earnings.”

Manta’s competitors WEBTOON and Tapas have long allowed for artists to submit webcomics for publication. In fact, WEBTOON’s global strategy was built around recruiting artists abroad like Dean Haspiel and Rachel Smythe. Manta instead prioritized its slate of licensed webcomics including Under the Oak Tree, Mom, I’m Gay, and (my personal favorite) Because I Love You. Now it is trying something else.

Shogakukan, MangaOne Editorial Apologizes for Hiring Abusers

Per Japan Anime News, Shogakukan has “suspended distribution of the manga Joujin Kamen” in print as well as via the app MangaOne. A statement by the editorial team published on February 27th admits that series writer Ichiro Hajime was a pseudonym for the author of Daten Sakusen, who was arrested and found guilty in February 2020 for grooming a student. This author began Joujin Kamen under the Hajime pseudonym in 2022, the same year that Daten Sakusen’s serialization ended in MangaOne. The victim filed a civil lawsuit against the author in July of 2022. The trial came to an end in February 2026, holding the author responsible for 11 million yen in damages.

Strict Algorithm LLC says that “editors from MangaOne were involved in the court settlement, discussing how to handle settlements that essentially pay for the victim’s silence in exchange for withdrawal of their plea.” This is therefore not just a story of one bad actor, but of a publisher’s efforts to shield its brand from scrutiny. MangaOne’s re-hiring of the offending author under the Hajime pseudonym also affects series artist Eri Tsuruyoshi, who had no idea of their colleague’s past actions and is now out of a serialization. Other manga artists like Kaeru Mizuho (Magical Girl Dandelion) and Sumito Owara (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!) have requested that their work be removed from MangaOne.

“The statement issued by Shogakukan is frankly lacking,” wrote Strict Algorithm LLC. “As Shogakukan fans, it is heartbreaking that they’d cover up someone’s pain for the sake of profit. As such, we will reconsider how we cover the publisher (especially MangaOne) going forward.”

Then on March 2nd, again via Strict Algorithm LLC, MangaOne announced that it had also hired Tatsuya Matsuki, the former writer of the cancelled Shonen Jump series act age, to write the series Seisou no Shinrishi under the pseudonym Yatsunami Itsuki. “Discussions began regarding him writing the series in August 2024 after consulting with experts on his rehabilitation and internal discussion,” it says, with the illustrator being informed of Matsuki’s past actions before accepting the job. Shogakukan has now suspended the series.

Matsuki previously left Shonen Jump after (per Anime News Network) being “arrested on suspicion of committing an indecent act with a female middle school student.” The police later found that “a similar incident” committed by Matsuki “on a nearby road with a different female middle school student occurred” an hour later.

Hachi Snacks

• For Anime News Network, Andrew Osmond interviewed Rei Yoshimura regarding the evolution of 1970s shojo manga.
• Also for Anime News Network, Erica Friedman attended Yen Press Yuri Café in New York City and wrote about the experience.
• For The Comics Journal, Kaoru Kumi wrote about the Higashi Eguchi tracing scandal.
• For Anime Feminist, AJ Mack addressed disability representation and Cripple Punk in Tank Chair.
• For Tokyo Weekender, Christian Dakin wrote about the daily life of a manga editor.

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

Meanwhile, don’t forget to check out these Yatta-Tachi’s articles:

• March 2026 Manga/hwa/hua, Light Novel, & Book Releases
• NEW RESOURCE: March 2026 BL / Yaoi Manga, Manhwa, Manhua, Danmei, & Light Novel Releases in Print

Featured Sponsor - JAST

The sweetest romance and the darkest corruption, the biggest titles and the indie darlings; for visual novels and eroge, there's nowhere better.

Visit JAST's Website