Manchuria Opium Squad Manga Gets Anime
This year's 45th issue of Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine announced on Monday that writer Tsukasa Monma and late artist Shikako's Manchuria Opium Squad manga is receiving an anime adaptation.
The manga also resumed serialization in the magazine on Monday, with new artist Tsurushima drawing the manga. Tsurushima was Shikako's senior colleague while working as assistant for Yasuhisa Hara's Kingdom manga. The manga resumed with two chapters. The 12-page chapter 216 was originally planned to be 16 pages long. Shikako was able to complete 11 pages before they died. Monma arranged the 12th page, which does not feature any characters, and the assistant(s) who had been supporting Shikako drew the background. From chapter 217, the manga takes a new step with art by Tsurushima.
Kodansha publishes the series in English on the K MANGA service and describes the story:
"Here in Manchuria, the cheapest thing you'll find is a person's life." In 1937, Isamu Higata is sent to the Japan-controlled Chinese puppet state of Manchukuo to serve in its standing army. After losing sight in his right eye during battle, he's banished to an agricultural facility where he's constantly abused by the commanding officers. Then, in a dusty corner, he discovers a field of poppies, the raw materials for opium. In order to raise money for his seriously ill mother, Isamu decides to produce the illicit drug - a choice that sends his future and the fate of all Manchuria into directions unknown.
The manga launched on Kodansha's Comic Days service from April 2020 to September 2021. The manga moved to Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine in September 2021, with its 43rd issue of 2021. Kodansha shipped the 22nd compiled book volume in November 2025.
Shikako died on November 8, 2025 due to choroidal melanoma, a rare form of cancer that develops in the eye. The artist wanted someone to complete the manga series in their place, and the Weekly Young Magazine staff stated then that they would respect Shikako's wishes.
Source: Comic Natalie
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.