Manchuria Opium Squad Gets Anime as Manga Resumes With New Artist

Manchuria Opium Squad is getting an anime adaptation. The project was announced on October 5, 2026, alongside the manga’s return in issue 45 of Weekly Young Magazine. An announcement visual has been released, but the production has not said whether the adaptation will be a television series, a film or another format.

The studio, lead staff, cast, release window and international distribution also remain unconfirmed. Any voice cast lists, episode counts or launch estimates circulating at this stage should therefore be treated as speculation rather than official information.

The announcement also marks the manga’s return

Tsukasa Monma’s series began on Kodansha’s Comic Days service in April 2020 before moving to Weekly Young Magazine in September 2021. According to the publisher, its 22 collected volumes have surpassed 3.5 million copies in circulation in Japan.

The manga went on hiatus after original artist Shikako died on November 8, 2025. In its account of the transition, the editorial team said the artist had expressed a wish for the story to continue with a successor. Tsurushima, who worked alongside Shikako as an assistant in Kingdom creator Yasuhisa Hara’s studio, now handles the artwork. Shikako remains credited for the visual concept.

The resumed serialization makes that handoff visible to readers. Chapter 216 contains the final pages produced by Shikako, completed with support from Monma and the series’ assistants. Chapter 217 begins the run illustrated by Tsurushima. The publication is therefore documenting more than a routine production change: it preserves the former artist’s contribution while clearly marking the start of a new phase.

A historical crime story with key adaptation choices still unknown

The story is set in 1937 in Manchukuo, the Japanese-installed puppet state in northeastern China. Its protagonist, Isamu Higata, is a former Kwantung Army soldier who lost sight in his right eye. After discovering poppies on a farm, he enters the illegal opium trade to raise money for his sick mother, drawing the attention of criminal organizations and the period’s repressive state structures.

That premise gives the adaptation significant creative and historical choices to make. The source material combines crime, violence and drugs with a setting shaped by Japanese imperialism. Because the studio, director and writing team have not been disclosed, it is not yet possible to say how the anime will frame that history or balance political context with thriller storytelling. The only confirmed production fact for now is that the adaptation is underway.

Announcing the anime on the same day as the manga’s return potentially broadens the franchise’s reach, but the two developments serve different purposes. Serialization secures the printed story’s continuation through a documented transfer of artistic responsibility. The anime opens a separate production track whose staff and schedule will be revealed later. Until those details arrive, the announcement visual is evidence of development, not a sign that a premiere is imminent.