During Anime Boston, the North American publisher announced ONI & DAWN: BAKUMATSU HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS and BALL & CHAIN

Manga Mavericks Books, a manga publisher serving the North American market from Manga Mavericks LLC, announced 2 newly licensed titles during its panel at Anime Boston that will be added to its catalog in Q4 2026 and Q1 2027.

The latest releases include the girls’ love school drama series ONI & DAWN: BAKUMATSU HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS by Hana Ikuta (published in Japan by TWO VIRGINS), the first volume of which is scheduled for release in print and digital formats in October 2026, and the award nominated queer drama BALL & CHAIN by Minami Q-ta (published in Japan by MAGAZINE HOUSE), the first volume of which is scheduled for release in both print and digital in a 2-in-1 omnibus format starting in March 2027.

ONI & DAWN: BAKUMATSU HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS, VOLUME 1, by Hana Ikuta ∙ Print SRP: $14.99 / Digital SRP: $6.99 ∙  176 pages ∙ ISBN: 9781968054403 ∙ For Readers 13+ ∙ Available October 2026 

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.

ONI & DAWN: BAKUMATSU HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS is a 3 volume series published in Japan by TWO VIRGINS.

Manga Mavericks Books will be releasing the series in single volumes at A5 (5.83″ x 8.27″) size.

ONI & DAWN: BAKUMATSU HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS creator Hana Ikuta debuted as a published manga artist in 2017 and has gained viral attention on social media, with over 370K followers on X (formerly Twitter). Other notable works from Hana Ikuta include What is Normal Love? and The Shadow and the Flower.

Hana Ikuta provided the following message to share with convention attendees:

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’m Hana Ikuta, a manga artist. 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. 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.”

Print pre-orders are live now on the Manga Mavericks Store: https://store.mangamavericks.com/products/oni-dawn-bakumatsu-high-school-girls-volume-1

BALL & CHAIN, OMNIBUS 1, by Minami Q-ta ∙ Print SRP: $19.99 / Digital SRP: $9.99 ∙  320 pages ∙ ISBN: 9781968054465 ∙ For Readers 13+ ∙ Available March 2027   

“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.

BALL & CHAIN is an ongoing series in Japan published by MAGAZINE HOUSE, and is currently nominated for the 30th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.

Manga Mavericks Books will be releasing the series in a 2-in-1 omnibus format at A5 (5.83″ x 8.27″) size.

BALL & CHAIN creator Minami Q-ta has over two decades of experience crafting powerful character driven stories, which have been serialized in numerous josei and seinen manga magazines across Japan. Some of their previous works include Good Night, Pop Life, and Not All Girls Are Stupid.

Minami Q-ta provided the following message to share with convention attendees:

“Hello! I’m Minami Q-ta, a manga artist who lives in Tokyo. I’m really excited about Manga Mavericks’ upcoming English release of Ball & Chain! 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. 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.”

Print pre-orders are live now on the Manga Mavericks Store: https://store.mangamavericks.com/products/ball-chain-omnibus-1-volumes-1-2

About Manga Mavericks LLC

Originally launched as a manga news podcast in 2016, Manga Mavericks has grown into a multimedia company anchored by a successful podcast network and a team of journalists and reviewers dedicated to exploring manga as both a medium and as an industry across the world. With the launch of Manga Mavericks Books, the company seeks to expand further into the manga industry, highlighting the eclectic storytelling, artistry, and creativity of Japanese creators and comics.

Follow Manga Mavericks online:

https://store.mangamavericks.com/
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https://bsky.app/profile/mangamavericks.bsky.social
https://mangamavericks.substack.com
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The above information comprising this press release was provided by Erik Jansen of MediaLab Public Relations.