Shogakukan’s Manga ONE app is gearing up to continue Uru Okabe’s Yajin manga by the end of this year. The series, which originally launched on Shogakukan’s Manga ONE and Ura Sunday services in May 2018, has been on hiatus since 2018. Okabe is currently working on resuming the manga, much to the anticipation of fans.
The first volume of Yajin was released in August 2018, followed by the second in December of the same year. A related prequel, Good Night World End, made its debut in August 2023. This prequel’s first volume came out on October 12, and the third volume is also on the way. Good Night World itself, which was serialized on Ura Sunday starting in 2016, concluded with its fifth volume in March 2017.
Good Night World delves into the lives of a dysfunctional family of four who find solace in the virtual reality MMORPG Planet. The family members—Taichiro Arima, a reclusive gaming addict; his younger brother Asuma, a high achiever; their estranged father Kojiro; and their neglectful mother Sayaka—use the game as an escape from their real-world problems. Within the game, they form a pseudo-family known as The Akabane Family, which is much more stable than their real-life relationships, as long as they abide by the rule of not probing into each other’s offline lives.
However, as the game starts to merge with reality, the revelation of their true identities could either strengthen or break their familial bonds in both the virtual and real worlds. This adds a layer of tension to their quest to defeat the final boss monster, the Black Bird of Happiness.
Netflix summarizes the story as follows: “In the online game Planet, a powerful team called The Akabane Family exists solely within the game. Unbeknownst to them, these four players are a fractured family in reality. The story unfolds with their online adventures and battles against monsters, all while exploring the disconnection and unfulfilled familial warmth they experience in real life.”
A prequel series, Good Night World End, ran from August 1, 2023, to May 21, 2024, with its chapters compiled into three tankōbon volumes published between October 2023 and August 2024.
In addition, an original net animation adaptation was announced on July 31, 2023. Produced by Studio NAZ, the anime is directed by Katsuya Kikuchi, with scripts by Michiko Yokote, character designs by Rena Okuyama, and music composed by Takatsugu Wakabayashi. The series premiered on Netflix on October 12, 2023. The opening theme, “Black Crack,” is performed by VTuber Kuzuha of Nijisanji, while the ending theme, “Salvia,” is by Nornis, a vocal unit featuring Nijisanji members Machita Chima and Inui Toko.
