{"rewrite":{"id":"r_6ca1ab748fe8ea29c092d4cb","clusterId":"c_011af128035ab0def4cac18e","slug":"manga-mavericks-books-licenses-midnight-robot-and-arai-kun-haruma-senpai","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Manga Mavericks Books Licenses Midnight Robot and Arai-kun \u0026 Haruma-senpai","summary":"Manga Mavericks Books announced at its Anime NYC panel that it has licensed two manga. Midnight Robot by Yōhei Sajita, a story about a girl with a screw in her head that can summon a giant robot, arrives in May 2027. Arai-kun \u0026 Haruma-senpai by Akahachi, a campus romance, hits digital in December 2026 and print in June 2027.","whyItMatters":"The announcement pairs a long-running robot adventure with a fluffy campus romance, while the publisher also begins restoring color illustrations for The Sword of Paros, signaling a broader restoration effort for older series.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe publisher confirmed the two licenses during its panel at Anime NYC on Friday. Midnight Robot follows Fumiko Daidouji, whose father returns home after an absence and installs a screw in her head, claiming it will protect her from a secret organization. The organization turns out to be real and wants the screw to summon a giant robot. Sajita started self-publishing the manga in 2015, and Hayakawa Publishing has run it on its Hayacomi website since 2024, with the second compiled volume out in September 2025.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eArai-kun \u0026amp; Haruma-senpai is a campus romance about a shy underclassman and a charismatic upperclassman who meet in an elevator. Akahachi published the manga in April 2023.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eManga Mavericks Books is also restoring color illustrations from the original serialization of The Sword of Paros with permission from Fairbell Inc. and Yumiko Igarashi, and has put out an open call for leads on issues of Monthly Asuka magazine from 1986 and 1987.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMidnight Robot\u003c/strong\u003e: Release May 2027\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArai-kun \u0026amp; Haruma-senpai\u003c/strong\u003e: Digital December 2026, print June 2027\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e","blueskyPost":"Manga Mavericks is front-loading its manga slate with digital-first releases, pushing Arai-kun \u0026 Haruma-senpai to December 2026 while Midnight Robot waits until May 2027.","twitterPost":"Manga Mavericks staggers its two new licenses, with Arai-kun \u0026 Haruma-senpai hitting digital months before print.","threadsPost":"Manga Mavericks licensed two titles at Anime NYC, but the real signal is the release strategy: Arai-kun \u0026 Haruma-senpai goes digital in December 2026 and print in June 2027, while Midnight Robot lands in May 2027. Digital-first is how they're building buzz.","newsletterBlurb":"Manga Mavericks Books picked up two new licenses at Anime NYC: Midnight Robot, a giant robot tale from Yōhei Sajita arriving May 2027, and Arai-kun \u0026 Haruma-senpai, a campus romance from Akahachi coming digitally in December 2026. The publisher also plans to restore color illustrations from The Sword of Paros.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-08-21/manga-mavericks-books-licenses-midnight-robot-arai-kun-and-haruma-senpai-manga/.240788\",\"title\":\"Manga Mavericks Books Licenses Midnight Robot, 'Arai-kun \\u0026 Haruma-senpai' Manga\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4533,"outputTokens":792,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1787347074,"createdAt":"2026-08-21T21:13:01.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-21T21:16:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-21T21:13:01.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_011af128035ab0def4cac18e","canonicalTitle":"News\nManga Mavericks Books Licenses Midnight Robot, 'Arai-kun \u0026 Haruma-senpai' Manga","representativeArticleId":"a_3bea10ee8953b2d12a9d8e5a","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[\"Midnight Robot\",\"Arai-kun \\u0026 Haruma-senpai\"],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Manga Mavericks\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"license\",\"domain\":\"manga\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-21T20:30:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-21T20:30:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-21T21:16:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-08-21/manga-mavericks-books-licenses-midnight-robot-arai-kun-and-haruma-senpai-manga/.240788","title":"News\nManga Mavericks Books Licenses Midnight Robot, 'Arai-kun \u0026 Haruma-senpai' Manga"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":["Midnight Robot","Arai-kun \u0026 Haruma-senpai"],"work_titles":[],"studios":["Manga Mavericks"],"people":[],"type":"license","domain":"manga","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}