Profile

Ever since it was established in 1973, Hakusensha has been providing boys and girls with dreams and inspiration through our publications centered on manga comics and conveying the enjoyment of reading with each turn of the page.

Having launched such magazines as Hana to Yume (1974), LaLa (1976), and Young Animal (1992), we have constantly aimed to convey fascinating things by creating numerous appealing works in collaboration with our highly individualistic group of authors in not only the world of girls’ comics but also the fields of boys’ comics and picture books.

Sangatsu no Lion (March Comes in Like a Lion), which was made into a television anime series and live-action movie, is currently being published in the boys’ comic magazine Young Animal. Also currently serialized in Young Animal is the dark fantasy manga Berserk, which has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide and has been adapted into a television anime series, anime movie, and television game. We also publish a number of mixed-media works, including Natsume Yujin-cho (Natsume’s Book of Friends), which is currently serialized in the comic magazine LaLa; Fruits Basket, running as a serial in Hana to Yume; and Garasu no Kamen (Glass Mask), which is one of Japan’s most representative girls’ comic works.

Hakusensha has also published several picture books that have become hits with the Noraneko Gundan series selling more than 1.5 million copies to date, since the first installment was published in 2012.

In summer 2017, we launched the general entertainment app Manga Park. In addition to app-original works and works from all of Hakusensha’s magazines, this app provides voice actor radio segments and idol entertainer videos that are renewed daily, and it has been downloaded 4 million times (as of July 2019). Moreover, in January 2019, we released Manga Park W, an African version of Manga Park that is currently being distributed in two African countries, Kenya and Nigeria. Hakusensha also proactively publishes e-books and e-magazines, investing effort into the multi-faceted development of content that transcends the framework of manga, such as holding exhibitions and developing promotional merchandise, with the aim of attracting even more new readers and fans of our works.

Business activities

Hakusensha publishes ten magazines in total with eight manga magazines centered on the girls’ comic magazines Hana to Yume, The Hana to Yume, LaLa, LaLa DX, and Melody but also including the boys’ magazines Young Animal and Young Animal ZERO and the romantic comic Rakuen (Paradise), as well as ten non-manga magazines, MOE that presents lifestyles incorporating picture books, and the child-raising information magazine kodomoe. We also publish online e-magazines for both male and female readers, such as Love Silky, Love Jossie, Hana Yume Ai, and Harem.

In the area of books, Hakusensha publishes a rich variety of works, including Hana to Yume comics and Young Animal comics, together with Hakusensha paperbacks, Hanamaru paperbacks, novels, picture books, and novelized comics. In addition, we are broadly expanding our digital businesses, including e-books (sales website and the app Hakusensha e-net!) and the manga-centered general entertainment app Manga Park; copyright businesses in some 30 countries and regions; media-mixing of Hakusensha works; and promotional merchandise sales, collaboration cafes, and other character-related businesses.

FAQ

The following are questions that we frequently receive. Please read the FAQs before submitting your question.

For fans/readers

I want to send a fan letter to a manga/picture book author whose works are published by Hakusensha; how can I do that?

Please post your fan letter to Hakusensha, 2-2-2 Kanda-Awaji-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0063. We do not accept e-mail fan messages. If the manga/picture book author concerned accepts fan letters (some do not), we will make sure that yours is passed on. Also, please note that we cannot convey replies received on the Hakusensha Twitter account to manga/picture book authors.

I would like to meet a manga/picture book author whose works are published by Hakusensha. Is that possible?

A. No, it is not possible to introduce readers to manga/picture book authors whose works are published by Hakusensha. Please note that our manga/picture book authors do not work in the Hakusensha offices, so you will not be able to meet an author by visiting us.

I would like to visit the Hakusensha offices; can I do that?

Sorry, we do not allow visits by members of the general public, only those who are visiting for business purposes. If you wish to visit our offices on business, please be sure to make an appointment in advance.

How do I purchase Hakusensha-published magazines/comics/books outside of Japan?

You can purchase Hakusensha publications from any of the following Japanese bookstore chains that have branches in other countries.
・Kinokuniya
・Asahiya Shoten
・Junkudo

Operates mail-order websites and stores in Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and Thailand (mail-order website is only available in China).
・Animate

Or, you can use an online Japanese bookstore operated outside of Japan.
・Kinokuniya

Or, contact a Japanese online bookstore that ships internationally.
・Honto
*Membership registration requires an address in Japan, and the website is available in Japanese only.

・Kinokuniya Web Store
*Registration as an overseas member is required, and the website is available in Japanese only.

・Rakuten
*Rakuten membership registration and Rakuten Global Express registration are required. Also, only credit cards that are accepted in Japan may be used for payment. The website is available in Japanese only.

I want to purchase a Hakusensha e-book outside of Japan; how can I do that?

Please inquire through the e-book store that you normally use. The contact for inquiries(in Japanese) for Hakusensha e-net! is https://www.hakusensha-e.net/guide/inquiry.

I want to install and use the Hakusensha app Manga Park outside of Japan; how can I do that?

Please download the app from App Store or Google Play.
・App name: Manga Park
・Category: books, comics
・Price: Free of charge (in-app purchases available)
・Use environments: Smartphone, tablets, personal computers
・Supported OS: iOS9 onwards; Android™ 4.4 and later
・Download the app free of charge from the following website:　
＜For both App Store and Google Play＞
Manga Park’s African version, Manga Park W, is distributed in Kenya and Nigeria.

I would like to install and use the Hakusensha app Hakusensha e-net! outside of Japan. Can I do that?

No. Because the use specifications for the Hakusensha e-net! app are limited to within Japan, it is not possible to download the app from an overseas app store.

For creators

I would like to have my manga published in a Hakusensha magazine /app (Manga Park). How can I arrange that?

If you wish to have your work published in a Hakusensha magazine, please submit the manuscript to the relevant editing department by posting or bringing the material in. Contact addresses for each editing department are available here. If you would like to have your work published in Manga Park, please post the manuscript to Manga Lab! Membership registration is required in order to do that.

I would like to publish my picture book through Hakusensha. What is the procedure?

Please post your unpublished original picture book manuscript to the MOE Original Picture Book Grand Prize contest. Grand Prize-winning picture books are published by Hakusensha. Only dummy manuscripts are accepted; it is not necessary to post the original manuscript. For details regarding application procedures, please refer to the MOE magazine. Please note that we cannot accept manuscripts that are delivered in person to the Hakusensha offices.

For companies

We would like to translate and publish Hakusensha manga/books in our country. How can we arrange that?

Submit an inquiry (in Japanese) via the contact address shown on Hakusensha’s Japanese website. Please note that we do not respond to such inquiries from individuals.

We would like to make a Hakusensha manga/book into a movie. How do we go about it?

Submit an inquiry (in Japanese) via the contact address shown on Hakusensha’s Japanese website. Please note that we do not respond to such inquiries from individuals.

We would like to make a Hakusensha manga/book into a commercialize the characters. How do we go about it?

Submit an inquiry (in Japanese) via the contact address shown on Hakusensha’s Japanese website. Please note that we do not respond to such inquiries from individuals.