Japanese manga artist Shiten Akiyama has confirmed that his debut manga Horizon, which had already built up a cult following among overseas fans, will get an official English release in January 2027.

This is my very first manga.

In Japan, it is still relatively unknown, and there were times when I didn’t know if it would even be able to continue.

There were moments when I felt completely frustrated and powerless, unsure of what I should do next.

Then, I started hearing… https://t.co/4Rasrg0ajs

— 秋山視点｜Shiten Akiyama (@shiten_room) June 25, 2026

Horizon is a mysterious slice-of-life manga about a burnt-out office worker called Meiko. Missing her teenage years, Mieko dons her old school uniform one night and has a life-changing meeting in her local park. Akiyama began the manga in 2025, and it soon picked up a dedicated fan following outside Japan, despite the volume only being officially available in Japanese.

Akiyama frequently posts on Twitter / X in English, interacting with international fans. He also previously tried posting his own English translation of Horizon online for free, but this led to issues with the Japanese publisher.

Now, LA-based publisher Kodama Tales has picked up the licence for an official English release of Horizon. Due out in January 2027, it will be translated by David Evelyn, who's transformed a bunch of manga series into English including City Hunter and Kaiju No.8.

What's up, amigos? I'm handling the translation for this title by Shiten Akiyama. Hope you guys pick it up this January! https://t.co/tJk2MlMicJ

— David Evelyn @ TMG, AX, ANYC, Otakon (@shinhoroko) June 24, 2026

Normally, manga artists and their creations need to become popular in Japan first before they are considered for translation into other languages. However, Shiten Akiyama, who refers to himself as an “unknown rookie manga artist,” is not a big name in Japan and Horizon is his first manga.

“In Japan, it (Horizon) is still relatively unknown,” said Akiyama, posting about the English version’s announcement on X. “I believe this marks a historic moment in the history of manga. This is something we achieved together. It was made possible by Kodama, who had the vision to believe in this work, and by every reader who believed in it and continued to make their voices heard.”

Back in April, Akiyama’s frank post about how struggling manga artists like him “can barely afford cheap coffee” went viral, as did the outpouring of supportive comments and donations from overseas fans (which according to the artist, exceeded over ¥900,000 (approx. $5,600) in less than 24 hours. This was 90% of his funding goal Ko-fi, which is now at 163%.

Image credit: @shiten_room / Twitter.

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.