Kodansha's YanMaga Web website announced on Monday that Daisaku Tsuru's Protocol Ryugu manga will get a Japanese serialization, launching on the website on June 18. The announcement marks a unique milestone: the series originally debuted in English before securing a Japanese publication.
Details
Protocol Ryugu was first featured in the special English issue of Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine published last year. The manga was one of several titles eligible for a readers' vote, and its popularity among international readers helped pave the way for this Japanese serialization.
The Weekly Young Magazine special issue describes the ocean science fiction manga as follows:
"In a world encased in ice, a group that obtains a UFO become the rulers of Earth."
Tsuru is a veteran manga creator with a distinctive body of work. His nacuN manga ran in Kodansha's Afternoon magazine from 2006 to 2010, and his Mushinuyun launched in Shogakukan's Big Comic Superior in 2013, ending with its sixth compiled volume in 2018. His most recent completed work, Uichi no Shima, ran on Shinchosha's Kurage Bunch website from November 2023 and concluded with its fifth and final volume on December 9.
Tsuru's background is notably scientific — he holds a Master's degree from Kyoto University where he specialized in zoology, a background that often informs the ecological and biological themes in his work.
Community Reception
The announcement has drawn interest from manga enthusiasts who followed the original English release of Protocol Ryugu. Commenters on ANN have noted the unusual path of the series — originating in English before finding a home in the Japanese market — and expressed curiosity about how the story will develop in a full serialization format. The YanMaga Web platform has been actively expanding its digital-first lineup, making this a strategic addition to its catalog.
Why It Matters
The reverse-import trajectory of Protocol Ryugu — from a special English magazine to full Japanese serialization — highlights the growing bidirectional flow in the manga industry. International audiences are no longer just consumers of translated Japanese content; reader demand can now directly influence what gets serialized in Japan. For fans of Tsuru's previous work, this new serialization represents the first ongoing series from the creator since Uichi no Shima concluded.