atsushi ohkubo Archives - Graphic Policy

Kodansha House Announces Legendary Creator Lineup Featuring Atsushi Ohkubo, Fujita, and Suu Morishita

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Graphic Policy Team

Kodansha House has announced its creator lineup featuring the most celebrated names in manga: Atsushi Ohkubo, Fujita, and Suu Morishita will make rare U.S. appearances with Q&A sessions and signings at Kodansha House in October.

All Kodansha House programming is free to attend, but tickets are required. The date for creator ticket appearances will be announced in the coming weeks. Follow Kodansha House on social media or at kodanshahouse.com and sign up for newsletters for first access when tickets go live.

FEATURED CREATORS

Atsushi Ohkubo, author of Fire Force

Atsushi Ohkubo is a prolific artist best known for his work on the smash-hit manga Fire Force, source of the popular anime series. He has also lent his design and art skills to video games such as Lord of Vermillion, Bravely Default, and Bravely Second: End Layer. With a career spanning over two decades, his body of work speaks for itself.Ohkubo will pull the curtain back on the making of his popular series and let audiences into the world of Shinra Kusakable, third-generation pyrokinetic youth and hero of Fire Force.

Fujita, author of Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

In 2014, Fujita posted the first online pages of Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku. The work quickly gained traction and by 2015 began appearing in print through Ichijinsha. Today, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku has over 10 million copies in circulation, and has spawned multiple adaptations including an anime series and a live-action film. Fujita will reflect on the journey of this manga series from an amateur web project to professional scale, and the fun of writing and illustrating a romantic comedy.

Suu Morishita, author of Sign of Affection

Considered one of the most successful shojo manga creators of the last decade, Suu Morishita is known for Shortcake Cake, Like a Butterfly, and especially A Sign of Affection. Now in its twelfth volume, this popular series follows Yuki Itose, a student who experiences her quiet world as vibrant, where youth and love shine. A Sign of Affection has also been adapted into an anime series and a stage musical. Morishita will delve into the origins of A Sign of Affection, the process of writing and accurately representing a deaf character, and more.

Kodansha House opens to the public on October 4th at 210 Lafayette Street in SoHo and runs through October 19th, welcoming manga lovers Tuesdays to Sundays, 12pm to 9pm. The pop-up experience celebrates the world of manga and the communities, featuring interactive exhibits, hands-on workshops, movie screenings, special creator appearances, and many more! Designed as a space to connect, create, and celebrate, Kodansha House invites fans to step inside the stories they love.

Conventions

MBC Group and Tokyopop announce two Anime Productions – Kami.App and Protocol: Rain

Posted on October 21, 2023 by Graphic Policy Team

MBC Anime – a strategic initiative by MBC Group and Tokyopop have announced investments in two original anime productions scheduled to debut in Japan and worldwide this month. They are Kami.App and Protocol: Rain.

The shows, which are produced by Fuji TV and TV Asahi, will stream exclusively on Shahid, the world’s leading Arabic-streaming platform by MBC Group. To cater to current and future anime enthusiasts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), MBC Anime is also now part of the production committees of both Japanese broadcasters.

Kami.App

Streaming this week as a simulcast on Shahid, “Kami.App” is a battle-royale twisted action story where high school student Goro is pitted against rivals in a bid to become the ultimate kami, wielding the power to manipulate the cause and effect of the world. Jaded by everyday life, Goro must confront his high school crush Honoka as part of the deadly competition, revealing the deepest secrets of each kami candidate.

This original production brings together a remarkable creative dream team in the world of anime. Created by YOKO TARO (video game director of “Nier”), written by JIN (creator of “Kagerou Daze”), and directed by Hiroyuki Seshita (known for “Knights of Sidonia”, “Ajin” and “Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters”), “Kami.App” also features character designs by Atsushi Ohkubo, the manga author behind “Soul Eater” and “Fire Force.”

All 13 episodes of Season One are set to stream this year, with a second season planned for 2024.

Protocol: Rain

Also streaming this week as a simulcast on Shahid, “Protocol: Rain” tells the story of Shun Tokinoya, a high school student working part-time at an esports café. He must participate in the “Xaxxerion Championship” to win prize money, which he needs to save the one passion that keeps him going after the loss of his father.

Directed by Yasutaka Yamamoto (“Aharen-san wa Hakarenai”, “Nekopara”) and written by Katsuhiko Takayama (“The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat”, “ALDNOAH.ZERO”), all 12 episodes will stream on Shahid this year. Original character designs are done by booota (“Penguin Highway”) and Kanna Hirayama (“Rent A Girlfriend”, “【OSHI NO KO】”).