At its Anime Boston 2026 panel on Saturday afternoon, Manga Mavericks announced two new licenses slated for English release in late 2026 and early 2027: Oni & Dawn – Bakumatsu High School Girls, Vol. 1 by Hana Ikuta, and Ball & Chain Omnibus, Vol. 1 by Minami Q-ta.
Oni & Dawn: Bakumatsu High School Girls, Vol. 1
Originally published in Japan by Two Virgins, Ikuta’s Oni & Dawn: Bakumatsu High School Girls, Vol. 1 begins a Girls’ Love series in which students at Koharu Girls’ High School possess the souls of samurai from the Bakumatsu period.
Here’s the synopsis:
Pack your bags and grab your sword, because class is now in session for this dramatic GL series.
Somewhere in Japan, very special students have gathered at Koharu Girls’ High School. What makes them special, you ask?
Sakamoto, Takasugi, Katsura, Katsu, Hijikata, Okita, Kondo…
All these girls possess the souls of the great samurai from the Bakumatsu period! Living as teenage girls with their memories intact, they must navigate modern society, deal with messy historical baggage, and fight for love in a school that forbids romance.
“The Oni & Dawn series was the first manga that a publisher asked me to work on, so it’s very close to my heart. Now, the series will cross the seas from Japan to America, a country I’ve yearned to visit,” said Ikuta in a message provided for Anime Boston attendees. “There’d be no greater joy than if readers in this country that I’ve long admired enjoy my work. I hope you’ll support my beloved Oni & Dawn series.”
Oni & Dawn will be available digitally and in print from Manga Mavericks in October. Print pre-orders are available now.
Ball & Chain Omnibus, Vol. 1
Currently published in Japan by Magazine House as an ongoing series, Q-ta’s Ball & Chain Omnibus, Vol. 1 explores gender through the lens of two queer characters, one in their 20s and one in their 50s, as they navigate what it means to be a “wife” when they don’t identify as any particular gender.
Here’s the synopsis:
“Maybe I could have chosen something different…”
Keito is a late-20s company employee who’s planning to get married as a “woman,” despite not feeling cemented into a specific gender or sexuality.
Meanwhile, Aya is a married woman in her 50s who continues playing out the role of “wife” despite being in a marriage that’s long since gone cold.
They both struggle with a gender that was decided upon birth and the “wife” role that became nothing more than a pantomime at some point.
This is a story of two queer people who harbor doubts about how they’ve been treated and shoved into a “normalized” box, and try to take back their true selves.
“I’m really excited about Manga Mavericks’ upcoming English release of Ball & Chain!” said Q-ta in a statement provided for Anime Boston attendees. “This manga has two main characters. One is Aya, a 50-something homemaker who has a husband and child. Aya’s life seems to be stable, but Aya also constantly wishes for an escape or the chance to travel somewhere far away.
“The other main character is Keito, a 20-something, energetic company employee,” Q-ta continued. “Keito is planning to get married to a boyfriend. They met through their job, but recently they’ve been fighting a lot, which has created mixed feelings within Keito.
“This is never clearly explained in the manga, but both of these characters are non-binary. This story is about two people who discover and free themselves. I hope you give it a try and ultimately enjoy it! From Q-ta, who’s also non-binary.”
Ball & Chain is currently nominated for the 30th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in Japan. Manga Mavericks will publish it in a 2-in-1 omnibus format in March 2027. Print pre-orders are available now.
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