Themangaindustry can be a complicated business. The typical creation process begins like any other. An author writes; someone illustrates the story; a publishing company distributes the story to eager audiences. It’s not always so simple, though.
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A handful ofmangago through multiple publishers in their lifetime. The circumstances vary for this event. The company might fall on hard time. Alternatively, it may be a question of rights and who’s willing to pay for them. The end result to both scenarios is that readers have a tougher time accessing their favorite manga.
6Shaman King
Here, the change in publisher came not in the middle of the run, but long after. The manga chronicles a boy’s attempts tobuild his strength as a shaman. Competing against others in this field, he hopes to become the eponymous Shaman King. Such progression is a solid foundation for any tale. Because of that, the narrative lasted from 1998 to 2004. During that time, the folks at Shueisha handled the publishing. They remained in charge of distribution for the following years.
In 2017, though, Kodansha acquired the rights to the property. The company then republished the manga in both print and e-book forms from 2018 to 2021. Incidentally, Kodansha’s American division also took over distribution from Viz Media. In short,Shaman Kingsaw a two-pronged takeover.
5Katabami To Ougon
It’s tricky when multiple parties compete for a gold mine.Set during the California Gold Rush,Katabami to Ougondetails the exploits of two Irish immigrants as they seek their piece of the pie. The Shueisha company distributed it via theUltra Jumpmagazine in 2019. Almost as soon as it started, though, the publisher’s tenure ended.
Kodansha took over in 2021, assuming distribution after only six volumes. The folks here published the following chapters in print and on their Comic Days digital service. For consistency’s sake, they also put out a re-edition of the prior chapters. Though this discontinued the Shueisha line, it conveniently put the entire manga under one roof.
4Neighborhood Story
This entry might be a stretch.Neighborhood Storyisa quaint tale about a group of high school studentswho specialize in the arts. Ai Yazawa wrote it, and Shueisha published it in theRibbonmagazine in 1995. The last issue dropped in 1998. This would normally have been the end, but no.
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Yazawa soon constructed a follow-up calledParadise Kiss.Although it focuses on a different set of students, it takes place in the same universe asNeighborhood Story. That doesn’t extend to the publisher, however. This time, Shodensha picked up the property. The company ran it in theZipperfashion magazine from 1999 to 2003. Though Yazawa’s subsequent works have also switched publishers, they don’t have the same connective tissue in their narratives.
3Fruits Basket
ForFruits Basket, the publisher swap was exclusive to the West.Fruits Basket,a story aboutan orphan girl who helps a family with a zodiac curse, saw a long run in Japan from 1998 to 2006. Hakusensha published the installments during this period. Starting in 2007, Tokyopop began bringing the manga to North America. Here’s where the paths diverge.
While Hakusensha remained the sole Japanese publisher ofFruits Basket, Tokyopop closed its North American facility in 2011. The company eventually attempted a relaunch, but it did so withoutFruits Basket. Yen Press scooped up the proverbial basket and ran with it. The new publisher re-licensed and redistributed the manga in multiple editions. It began these exploits in 2016. Considering the Yen Press bunch held onto publishing duties for the sequel,Fruits Basket Another, it’s safe to say that they’ll maintain it for the foreseeable future.
2Chobits
This manga mirrorsFruits Basketin major ways. Both have consistent publishing in their home country, with Kodansha in charge ofChobitsduring its 2000-2002 run and continuing to this day. In addition, both works haveerratic publication history in the West. Once again, Tokyopop had the distribution reigns in North America, but this wouldn’t last. Their hold expired in 2009, only a year before the property’s 10th anniversary.Dark Horse Mangasaw that opportunity and jumped on it. To celebrate the decade since the debut, this new company published an omnibus edition in 2010. Afterward, it would retain the rights for almost ten more years.
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Their tenure eventually ended in 2019. It was at this point thatChobitscame home (in a manner of speaking). Kodansha, specifically the USA branch, acquired the IP, thus paralleling the East. The guys here soon published another anniversary edition in 2020. In a strange way, the manga’s journey came full circle.
1Tokyo Revengers
In the case ofTokyo Revengers, the change in publisher goes hand-in-hand with the format.Tokyo Revengersstars a homeless guy whoinadvertently travels back in time. He encounters his late girlfriend, and he decides to use this chance to prevent her tragic death. The familiar Kodansha published the work in Japan from 2017 to 2022 as a straightforward release in theShonen Magazine. It’s the tale’s journey to the West where things get hazy.
The international publication splits in two. Kodansha’s USA division distributed a digital edition in 2018. In 2022, though, an omnibus version debuted in the print medium. Heading this effort was Seven Seas Entertainment. One might think this heralded a change, but no. Kodansha still handled the digital form of not only the original work, but also the spin-offs. Seven Seas has a relatively small stake.
