In one of the more depressing bits of news that’s crossed my desk this year, it looks like the Haikasoru imprint from Viz Media is getting ready to take a break for an indeterminate amount of time. With the smaller imprint side often being run or overseen by just one or two people, the person behind this one has revealed that after working on the final volume of the Legend of Galactic Heroes novel series that they’ll be taking a break from new acquisitions.
Considering the scope and scale of that series, it’s quite reasonable to just take a pause. Hopefully, it won’t be a long one because Haikasoru has been key to bringing out some of the best of Japanese science fiction.
The imprint was created in 2009 under Viz Media and launched with The Lord of the Sands of Time by Issui Ogawa, ZOO by Otsuichi, All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, and Usurper of the Sun by Hōsuke Nojiri. They worked on a great range of titles over the years, including the Project Itoh work Harmony, but for many it was the acquisition of Legend of Galactic Heroes that made a lot of fans. Since the project was uncertain as to whether there was enough interest to complete the series, that we actually got there is fantastic.
After this production, I will take a break from new acquisitions for Haikasoru a while and would like to see what I can do the next. Meanwhile, please check our backlist titles that you haven't read yet. https://t.co/ka7zPNHif7
— Haikasoru (@Haikasoru) August 28, 2019
