© Kumiko Saiki, Hakusensha, Seven Seas Entertainment
The official X (formerly Twitter) account of Hakusensha’s Melody magazine announced on Monday that Kumiko Saiki’s Kageki Shojo!! manga will not return from its one-issue break on June 26 as scheduled, and will continue its hiatus due to Saiki’s poor health. The manga is now scheduled to resume serialization in the magazine’s October issue, which will ship on August 28. The manga’s 17th compiled book volume, which was initially slated for release this summer, has also been moved for release this fall.
The manga went on a one-issue break on April 28 due to Saiki’s health, and was scheduled to return in the magazine’s August issue that Hakusensha will release on June 26.
Saiki revealed on her X (formerly Twitter) account on April 6 that she was injured at a music festival she had attended in Ariake district in Tokyo on March 29, after someone in the audience did a sudden dive into the crowd, colliding with her head and arm.
The hospital diagnosed her with a sprained neck, but she stated then that she would return for a CT scan to assess the possibility of bleeding in the brain. The injuries made it difficult for Saiki to work at her desk for long periods of time, but she did not announce any changes in her publishing schedule at that time.
Both the messages announcing the manga’s break in April and on Monday did not specifically state that the breaks are related to the incident.
Seven Seas Entertainment publishes the manga in English and describes the story:
Ever since she was a little girl, Sarasa has wanted to play the role of Oscar as part of the Kouka Acting Troupe, an all-female acting troupe similar to the Takarazuka Revue. But before she can do that, she has to attend two years at the Kouka School of Musical and Theatrical Arts. As Sarasa practices singing, dancing, and acting, she grows closer to the other girls in her year, including her roommate, the stoic former J-idol, Ai. Though Sarasa is great at making friends, her outspoken nature and grand ambitions earn her lots of enemies as well.
Kageki Shojo!! entered its final arc in September and will conclude in the next volume.
The series took a short break in February 2025, but returned in March of the same year.
Saiki serialized the original manga under the title Kageki Shoujo! (with one exclamation mark) in Shueisha’s Jump Kai magazine from 2012 to 2014, and ended the original serialization after the magazine ceased publication in October 2014.
Saiki then launched the ongoing sequel manga under the title Kageki Shojo!! (with two exclamation marks) in Hakusensha’s Melody magazine in 2015. The manga was nominated for Best Shōjo Manga in Kodansha’s 44th annual Manga Awards in 2020.
Shueisha published the original manga in two compiled book volumes, but re-released the series in one volume in March 2019 with the title Kageki Shoujo!! Season Zero. Seven Seas released the manga in one omnibus volume in English under the title Kageki Shoujo!! The Curtain Rises.
The manga inspired a television anime adaptation that premiered in July 2021. Funimation streamed the series and also streamed an English dub. Funimation then released the series on home video.
Source: Melody magazine’s X/Twitter account
