Best known for writing acclaimed shows such as Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War and Oshi no KoAka Akasaka is delving into several different genres. Less than a year since Oshi no Ko’s controversial ending, the author returned with a horror romance, Maerchen Crownin Shueisha’s Weekly Young Jump magazine. Illustrated by Azychika (Record of Ragnarok), the series is a reimagined version of the fairy tale, Rapunzel, with a dark twist. The story is set in a fantasy world where a young girl named Rapunzel lives in a tower all alone. The tower is located in the middle of the forest, where no one dares to enter because of the witch.
Although everyone fears the witch and her powers, Rapunzel trusts the person who raised her and obediently stays inside the tower despite longing to see the outside world. However, everything changes when a young village, driven by curiosity, enters the tower and meets Rapunzel. The girl escapes the tower with him, only to realize that the witch was right about the outside world being full of danger. Maerchen Crown is a weekly series that has only released 17 chapters so far. The series is available to read for free on the official Manga Plus app. While Akasaka’s latest romance series is currently ongoing, he releases two new series in August, titled RBR – Crazy Raccoon Battle Royale and Karubi Momareru.
What We Know About RBR – Crazy Raccoon Battle Royale So Far
The manga began serialization on August 20th, 2025, in the Comic HOWL magazine. Illustrated by Andou and composed by Hiromono, this new manga is a collaborative work between Akasaka and the video game organization, Crazy Raccoon. The story follows a recluse who becomes obsessed with games after shutting himself in following the tragic death of his older brother in a traffic accident. However, his life takes a major turn when he suddenly receives a mysterious email from the popular E-Sports Team Crazy Raccoon, who offer him an opportunity to participate in a Battle Royale. The manga is currently only available in Japanese, with no release date set for the English version.
What We Know About Karubi Momareru So Far
Debuting on the same day and in the same magazine as RBR – Crazy Raccoon Battle Royale, Karubi Momareru also happens to be a collaborative work with Crazy Raccoon. Shiromanta, the creator of My Senpai is Annoying, is also working alongside Akasaka for this project. It’s a full-color manga inspired by V-Tuber Akami Karubi, who is also part of Team Crazy Raccoon. The series is described as a “super-high calorie comedy” to highly Karubi’s larger-than-life online persona. Karubi Momareru also hasn’t set an English release date yet.
Both series as listed for a weekly schedule, releasing new chapters every Wednesday. The Japanese versions are available to read on Kodansha’s Pocket Shonen Magazine website. Both series have gathered a bunch of views since their debut, accumulating several hundred comments despite being available only domestically.
H/T: Crazy Raccoon on X
