In attendance at Anime NYC 2026 over the weekend, Manga Mavericks Books announced two new manga license acquisitions during their dedicated industry panel. On offer in the near future will be the alternate sci-fi action manga Midnight Robot by Yohei Sajita, set to hit store shelves in May 2027. Meanwhile, the boys’ love slice-of-mlife manga Arai-kun & Haruma-Senpai by Akahachi will be released digitally starting December 2026, followed by print releases in June 2027.
You can read more about each of the newly acquired titles below:
Midnight Robot Volume 1
By: Yohei Sajita
Price: $19.99 (Print), $6.99 (Digital)
Releasing: May 2027
Boys and girls, it’s time to get in the robot!
Fumiko Daidouji has become used to her dad not being in her life, until he suddenly returns home with a gift: a screw lodged into her cranium! He claims it’s to protect her from a secret, nameless organization, and not surprisingly, she figures her Dad has a screw loose himself.
However, the organization is very real – and they want Fumiko’s screw to summon a giant robot! Dragged against her will into a battle to save the world, Fumiko quickly realizes that her once ordinary life is gone. Now, she faces world destruction, a parallel cosmos, and the midnight robot that connects them all.
I’m Yohei Sajita, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.
Yohei Sajita
The notion that people will be able to read Midnight Robot in English has me overcome with emotion. When reading this manga, you might think the style is reminiscent of a certain type of absurdist sci-fi manga from the 60s and 70s, and thus, it’s the type of work that likely wouldn’t catch on nowadays.
It’s for that reason that I’ve been drawing this manga on my own for some time now. I drew this manga with the mindset of creating something I’d want to read myself. A manga that, as a child, I would have been excited to experience, while simultaneously standing up to adult scrutiny as well. Striving for both of those ideals was my goal.
If readers were to experience that same feeling, then I’d experience a high like no other.
Arai-kun & Haruma-Senpai
By: Akahachi
Price: $14.99 (Print), $6.99 (Digital)
Releasing: June 2027
Hello, manga lovers!
Akahachi
Arai-kun & Haruma-senpai is finally coming out in English! Releasing my manga in other languages has always been something I’ve deeply wished for, but making that happen has never been easy, and there were many times it left me feeling disheartened. For Arai-kun & Haruma-senpai, I’ve been getting requests for an English edition for years.
And now, at last, Manga Mavericks Books has made this dream come true. I couldn’t be happier, and I can’t wait for the release date! Whether you’ve read my manga before or are just discovering it for the first time, I’d love for you to grab a copy!
Manga Mavericks Books has also announced that with the permission of Fairbell Inc. and Yumiko Igarashi, they are actively recovering and restoring colour illustrations from the original serialisation of The Sword of Paros, which ran in Monthly Asuka from 1986 to 1987, for inclusion in the English-language release. While they have tracked down some of the pages, they have sent out an open call for any leads on finding the following issues of Monthly Asuka:
- June 1986
- August 1986
- November 1986
- January 1987
- February 1987
