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The Ancient Magus' Bride Manga's Return Gets Simultaneous English Release Using AI Translation (Updated)
posted on by Alex Mateo
The official Twitter account for Kore Yamazaki's The Ancient Magus Bride announced on Thursday that Bushiroad is using AI translation by Mantra to release the manga simultaneously in English and Japanese for its return from hiatus. Mantra is also providing AI translation services for simultaneous English releases of Yamazaki's Ghost and Witch manga. In addition, the companies plan to add simultaneous releases in Simplified Chinese starting in May.
The Ancient Magus Bride launched its new arc "Shishigari" (Beast Hunting, previously announced with the title "Kemono") on Thursday.
Both The Ancient Magus Bride and Ghost and Witch went on hiatus on March 12 earlier this year. Bushiroad announced on December 1 that both manga would move to Bushiroad Works' Comic Growl (formerly Comic Bushiroad Web) manga website. Ghost and Witch is resuming on Friday.
Yamazaki launched Ghost and Witch on the Manga Doa app in September 2021. The manga's first volume shipped on March 10. Bushiroad will publish the manga's second volume in April 2024.
Seven Seas Entertainment is releasing the The Ancient Magus Bride manga in English. Seven Seas is also releasing several spinoff manga and supplement books in the series.
The main manga's first animated adaptation was the The Ancient Magus' Bride: Those Awaiting a Star OVA in 2017, followed by the first television anime season that premiered in Japan in 2017, the three-episode The Ancient Magus' Bride - The Boy from the West and the Knight of the Blue Storm OAD from 2021 to 2022, and then the second television anime season that premiered on April 6. The second season's second half premiered on October 5.
Industry analyst and reporter Tadashi Sudo revealed on his Animation Business Journal blog earlier this month that Bushiroad Works is paying IG Port (the parent company of Mag Garden) 200 million yen (about US$1.36 million) in compensation for the dissolution of Yamazaki's contract with IG Port. Sudo also stated that Kyōhei Shinpuku, who was the editor in charge of Mag Garden for many years, left IG Port in July 2023 and is now the representative director of Bushiroad Works. Sudo speculated Shinpuku's move to Bushiroad Works had an influence on Yamazaki's move to Bushiroad Works.
Update: The official Twitter account for The Ancient Magus Bride made a new English post on Friday regarding the simultaneous English translation of the manga. The post stated Mantra's AI-assisted translation system "combines their unique machine translation technology with the editing and proofreading by professional translators." The post also stated the manga has "continuously suffered" damages from online piracy and illegal English translations, adding: "Initiatives like the one we are undertaking now have been proven effective in reducing piracy damage, as demonstrated by precedent cases with Shueisha's works." Regarding compiled book volume releases by foreign publishers, the Twitter post stated: "If there are any offers from various companies, they will continue to be considered, and if conditions are met, publications will proceed as before. This situation remains unchanged." ANN has reached out to Seven Seas for comment.
Sources: The Ancient Magus' Bride manga's Twitter account, PR Times
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