During Anime NYC’s opening night, Manga Mavericks 2027 release schedule got announced. While two titles may seem like a modest lineup, perhaps the publisher has bigger plans to reveal later. For fans of small-press works, these genre-defying releases look promising. Preorders are now live through the official website, and without further ado, here they are:
Midnight Robot, Volume One
Created by Yohei Sajita, the series follows Fumiko Daidouji, whose seemingly ordinary life is turned upside down when her estranged father suddenly returns with a rather unusual gift: a screw embedded in her skull. According to her father, the screw is necessary to protect Fumiko from a mysterious organization. Unfortunately for her, the organization actually exists, and it has a very specific reason for wanting that screw. It can be used to summon a giant robot.
Before long, Fumiko finds herself caught in a battle involving the destruction of the world, a parallel universe and the mysterious Midnight Robot that connects the two.
This manga was first published in 2015, and one of the series’ most distinctive features is its unusual two-colour red-and-black artwork. Manga Mavericks will retain that colour palette for its English print edition, which will be published in A5 format. The publisher says this will also be the first print edition of Midnight Robot anywhere in the world.
Sajita, who made their manga debut in 1998 with the one-shot Flask, described the series as being influenced by the absurdist science-fiction manga of the 1960s and 1970s. The creator originally continued working on Midnight Robot independently because they wanted to create the sort of manga they would have enjoyed as a child, while still making something that could stand up to adult scrutiny.
The print edition will retail for $19.99, while the digital edition will cost $6.99. It is scheduled for release in May 2027.
Arai-Kun & Haruma-Senpai
This boys’ love slice-of-life manga centres on two university students who couldn’t seem more different. Haruma Ohara is a charming and athletic upperclassman, while Ao Arai is a shy and adorably chubby underclassman. Their relationship begins with a chance encounter in an elevator. What follows is a slow-burn romance as the introverted Arai is gradually swept up in Haruma’s outgoing personality.
After exchanging contact information, the two begin running into each other around campus. While it seems obvious to everyone else that Haruma has developed a crush, Arai takes a little longer to understand what he is feeling.
The series was originally self-published by Akahachi in 2022 and has since found an audience among fans of the creator’s boys’ love works. Akahachi’s other titles include A Businessman and a Driver, Couples and Tonari no Lunch.
Arai-Kun & Haruma-Senpai will be printed in A5 format. The digital edition will arrive first in December 2026, followed by the print edition in June 2027.
The 152-page volume is rated for readers 13 and up, with a suggested retail price of $6.99 for the digital edition and $14.99 for print.
