Manga Mavericks Books announced during its Anime Expo panel on Thrusday that it has licensed the following three manga for release in 2027.

Title: Motionless
Creator: Quick Obake
Release: February 2027 (physical/digital)
Summary: Make merriment, myth, and more while Motionless.

Illustrated by Quick Obake, known in Japan as the mangaka who pioneered “GIF Manga” in which characters move between panels, this collection of short stories perfectly encapsulates all of life’s fun little eccentricities.

Simple artwork belies outrageous stories with a motion all their own. From building a ladder to the moon to going on an adventure for tasty ramen, kicking back and getting Motionless has never been more fun.

Manga Mavericks Books will publish the manga in color.

Obake provided the following message for the convention panel:

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’m an artist who mainly goes by the name Quick Obake.

I can’t express how overjoyed I am that my manga is being translated and published in English. This manga is made up of little oddities and emotions I’ve experienced in my everyday life. I’m euphoric at the thought that this English version will be read by people who have a different worldview and culture from my own!

I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s feedback from the publisher. Thank you, and I hope you’ll enjoy the manga.”

TWO VIRGINS published the standalone manga in Japan.

Title: The Sword of Paros
Creators: Kaoru Kurimoto, Yumiko Igarashi
Release: April 2027 (physical Deluxe Edition/digital eBook)
Summary: The legends that speak of The Sword of Paros say that it can bestow either prosperity or ruin on its kingdom…depending on the heart of its wielder.

The kingdom’s current princess, the beautiful yet resentful Elminia, laments being treated as a soulless tool simply for being born in a woman’s body.

Accompanied by Count Yulias, Elminia rides as far away from the kingdom’s politics as possible. One day, Eliminia meets a beautiful young girl named Fiona, and their lives and the kingdom are changed forever.

Manga Mavericks Books will release the manga in a hardcover Deluxe Edition, including color pages that were recently recovered and restored by Yumiko Igarashi, Fairbell, and the Manga Mavericks team.

Igarashi said:

“Hello, everyone. Yumiko Igarashi here.

I’m very happy to see one of my manga get an English release. Even to me, The Sword of Paros remains an unforgettable, precious creation.

I hope you’ll all give it a read and enjoy your trip through my world.”

The manga debuted in 1986, and it had three compiled book volumes.

Title: Hero Company
Creator: Kazuhiko Shimamoto
Release: June 2027 (physical/digital 2-in-1 omnibus volumes)
Summary: At a time where heroism has become no different than any other day at the office, one young man stands for the people…

The year is 20XX, and a global recession has swept through the lands. One company, however, has seemingly remained unaffected by the sinking economy. Namely, Hero Company Inc.! They’re an organization that works by night to protect the lives of ordinary civilians…as long as their missions remain within tight profit margins and fit within their strict business guidelines.

Enter Ginga Amano, a passionate rookie who still holds strong to the ideals of heroism despite them being completely at odds with the strict office culture that’s come to dominate the field. He dreams of following in his father’s footsteps at Hero Company Inc., but can he truly uphold his sense of justice when reality demands that he ignore the people’s pleas to make it to his interview on time?

Find out in this exciting chronicle of the adventures and struggles of the Hero Company! Illustrated by legendary artist Kazuhiko Shimamoto and filled with his unique brand of polished artwork and hot-blooded storytelling!

Manga Mavericks Books will release the manga in 2-in-1 omnibus volumes.

Shimamoto shared the following message at the convention:

“Hello, this is Hero Company author Kazuhiko Shimamoto here, and I’d like to thank you in advance for your interest in my work.

Nowadays, there’s an abundance of series with heroes as central characters, but this is a unique take where fantasy meets typical Japanese corporate culture that prioritizes profits and efficiency above all else. And yet, despite it all, the protagonist desperately tries to be a superhero!

I hope you’ll come to love the lighthearted and entertaining exploits and struggles of the heroes in this story.”

Shimamoto launched the manga in Monthly Hero’s inaugural issue in 2011.

Sources: Email correspondence, Manga Mavericks Books‘ Anime Expo panel (Alex Mateo)

Voice actress Mariya Ise (Yakusoku no Neverland) joins the cast as Mu Qing.

Staff

Director: Norihiro Naganuma (Mahoutsukai no Yome)

Script: Yuuko Kakihara (Ao no Hako)

Character Design, Chief Animation Director: Yukiko Nakatani (One Piece: Episode of Luffy – Hand Island no Bouken)

Color Design: Misato Aida (Fujimoto Tatsuki 17-26)

Art Director: Masakazu Miyake (Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu) NEW

Art Boards: Takumi Tanji (Kimi no Na Wa. art director) NEW, TJ (Summer Ghost art) NEW[/color][/size]

CG Producer: Masaya Machida (Chou Kaguya-hime! CG director) NEW

Director of Photography: Atsushi Takeyama (Hellsing) NEW

Editing: Daisuke Imai (Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri)

Sound Director: Shouji Hata (Sousou no Frieren)

Music: Satoru Kousaki (Bakemonogatari), Kevin Penkin (Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari), Alisa Okehazama (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Studio: TOHO animation STUDIO

Distribution: TOHO NEW

Note: The staff denoted with the legend NEW are new in their respective roles.

Produced by OLM and TOHO animation STUDIO, the first and second season aired in Fall 2023 and Winter 2025, respectively, each airing in 24 episodes. Crunchyroll streamed the anime with subs and dubs in multiple languages, excluding Asia.

Hyuuga began penning the novel on the Shousetsuka ni Narou website in October 2011. Shufunotomo began publishing the novel under its Hero Bunko imprint with illustrations by Touko Shino in August 2014 and published the 16th volume in May 2025.

Nekokurage began drawing a manga adaptation in Big Gangan in May 2017. Square Enix published the 16th volume in November 2025, and the 17th volume is scheduled for publication on July 24.

A second manga adaptation by Minoji Kurata began serializing in Sunday Gene-X in August 2017. Shogakukan published the 22nd volume on June 18.

J-Novel Club licensed the light novel for digital release in English in November 2020 and published the 16th volume on May 29. Square Enix licensed the manga adaptation for English release in November 2019 and published the 15th volume on March 17.

Teaser Trailer

Source: Comic Natalie

Art and storytelling, like many things in life, tend to follow trends, whether it’s aesthetics, story concepts, or even technology. In anime, the industry has almost entirely moved towards digitally assisted animation, offering flexibility, consistency, and powerful new tools for editing and storytelling. But as technology saturates every facet of human life, there are creators who still dream in 2D and find ways to keep old traditions alive.

Meet Takushi Koide, the director and creator who’s keeping the 90s alive with the thick lines and hand-drawn animation of this summer’s mermaid romantic fantasy Goodbye, Lara. Koide, himself a seasoned animator (Made in Abyss, Revue Starlight), was a special guest on Day One of Anime Expo, where he appeared after a screening of the first episode to discuss his passion project. “It’s always been my dream to direct an original anime,” he said with a smile, even though it comes with its own challenges. Unlike many adaptations, which can have lightning-fast turnaround times and time-sensitive production schedules, Goodbye, Lara is five years in the making. Just fleshing out the original concept took about two years, followed by a long period of shopping the proposal around to several studios.

The story takes its initial cues from Hans Christian Andersen‘s famous “The Little Mermaid” (with some inspiration from the classic Disney adaptation as well), as the first episode takes viewers through much of the classic tale of land-bound love, transformation, and tragedy, but a surprise waits at the end. After the mermaid Lara meets a tragic end, she finds herself reborn in modern-day Japan in a bustling city on the shores of Lake Biwa.

According to Koide (who believes the quickest way to charm anyone from Shiga Prefecture is to complement Lake Biwa, a source of immense local pride), one of the hardest things about working on an original project is also one of the most rewarding—the difficulty of having to craft everything from scratch, from the premise to the character designs.

“The time management is hard, too,” he confesses. But it also allowed him and his team to craft the exact visuals that he envisioned for the project. For instance, all the background art is meticulously hand-painted, as reflected in the series’ lush settings. Koide worked with Mari Fujino from Studio Pablo, one of three remaining studios that still specialize in hand-drawn backgrounds. “I’m so happy we were able to apply that style to this anime,” said Koide. “I never want to lose the hand-drawing method.”

It’s not just the backgrounds that nod back to a more nostalgic time. Even the character designs, a collaboration with Shiori Tani, are a throwback to ’90s anime. “We both love 90s anime,” Koide said, saying that they intentionally wanted something that was different from the modern trend of thin lines and pastel color palettes. “That’s why we wanted the opposite—thicker lines and more vibrant colors.”

It may sound cliché, but Koide agrees that there’s a magic to the human touch. Even if the animators at production studio Kinema Citrus may have long eschewed celluloid for tablets, you won’t find a lot of 3D-CG or AI-assisted art on this project. “It’s traditional, but I still see the potential of hand-drawn animation.” Goodbye, Lara may be about a mermaid who has the opportunity to experience modernity 200 years from her time, but maybe certain things—like love—be it for humans or the art of animation—are timeless. Goodbye, Lara will officially premiere on July 5, and will be available to watch streaming on Crunchyroll.

Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.