Kodama Tales to Bring Smiles: Exciting English Release of Popular Manga
Exciting news! The highly anticipated English release is set for January 2026. Stay tuned for updates and get ready to experience it!
English Release Announced for Mitei Hattori's Smile! in January 2026
Exciting news for manga fans! During a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Kodama Tales Inc., a subsidiary of Kyodo Printing Co., Ltd., announced that they will publish Smile! (Smiley) by Mitei Hattori in English starting January 2026.
Image courtesy of Kodama Tales
What is Smile! About?
The manga follows Yuushi Kamome, a journalist overwhelmed by grief after losing his daughter and his wife going missing. His life takes a dark turn when two women from a cult-like group called the Smiling Hearts Society arrive at his door with a flyer showing his missing wife smiling. Curious and disturbed, Yuushi goes undercover to uncover the truth.
"What begins with a slammed door and a disturbingly joyful scream spirals into a twisted descent filled with manufactured joy, cult manipulation, and psychological torment."
Achievements and Background
- Smile! ranked second in the "I Want to Deliver It to the World! Top Recommended Manga" category at the Rakuten Kobo E-book Awards 2024.
- The series was launched in 2021 in Nihonbungeisha's Weekly Manga Goraku magazine and concluded on March 7, 2024.
- The final volume, the 11th, was shipped on March 28, 2024.
Future Titles and Publisher Info
The new publisher, Kodama Tales, has previously teased upcoming titles from notable companies like Asahi Shimbun Publications, Coamix, Daiwa Shobo, Hero's Inc., Nihonbungeisha, Shodensha, and Shonengahosha.
Stay tuned for more updates on this gripping psychological manga!
Source: Press release