In a significant development in the manga industry, Kore Yamazaki, the acclaimed manga artist known for works like “The Ancient Magus’ Bride,” is set to transition from Mag Garden to Bushiroad. The move involves a contract liquidation, with Bushiroad Works compensating IG Port, Mag Garden’s parent company, with 200 million yen for the settlement.
This shift in alliances follows the departure of Kyohei Shinpuku, a longstanding editor at Mag Garden, who left IG Port in July 2023 to become the new representative director of Bushiroad. Shinpuku’s influence seems evident in Yamazaki’s decision to join the new platform.
IG Port, anticipating minor impacts on its publishing business performance, will record the compensation as extraordinary income in the third quarter of the fiscal year ending May 2024. Additionally, the company had previously outlined plans to suspend production of “The Ancient Magus’ Bride” in its medium-term management plan announced in July 2023.
Kore Yamazaki, who made a debut as a manga artist in 2013, achieved significant success with “The Ancient Magus’ Bride,” garnering a cumulative circulation of over 10 million copies. The series has been adapted into anime, with IG Port’s involvement in its production.
Bushiroad Works, expanding its electronic manga distribution service, will rebrand the existing platform as “Comic Growl” starting December 21, 2023. Simultaneously, a new chapter of “The Ancient Magus’ Bride” will begin serialization, serving as a centerpiece for the revamped site. Another work by Yamazaki, “Ghost and Witch,” will also start serialization on December 22nd.
The latest volume (20) of “The Ancient Magus’ Bride” is scheduled for release around April 2024. Notably, the already published volumes will be reissued under the Bushiroad version, maintaining the same title, size, book design, and title logo from the previous Mag Garden edition. Mag Garden will liquidate its inventory, with specific details still under scrutiny.
