Media Do International, a subsidiary of the Media Do Group, has announced that it is in agreement to acquire American independent manga publisher Seven Seas Entertainment.
According to a press release from the publisher, the acquisition “reflects continued global momentum in manga, light novels, and international storytelling across print, digital, and audio formats” and will position the company for “long-term growth within an expanding worldwide readership.”
Seven Seas also states that it will continue to operate under its existing leadership team and “editorial direction.” No changes are planned to be made to distribution, publishing schedules, or core operations, and all of its print imprints will continue to be distributed worldwide by Penguin Random House.
Seven Seas CEO Jason DeAngelis, who founded the publishing company in 2004, says the following of the acquisition:
For more than twenty years, our focus has been simple: publishing exceptional stories and treating them with care, respect, and the passion of fans who never forget what drew us to these stories in the first place… This partnership strengthens our long-term position while preserving the creative independence and publishing mission that define Seven Seas. We remain deeply committed to our creators, partners, and readers.
Daihei Shiohama, President and CEO of Media Do International, adds:
Seven Seas has built a distinctive and highly respected publishing program, with a strong track record and deep connections across the industry… We look forward to supporting their continued success and providing resources that allow the Seven Seas team to do what they do best — champion great stories for readers around the world.
Both companies state that they will collaborate to strengthen and support global distribution and the “continued growth of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean storytelling” in the English-language market.
Nikkei first reported the acquisition agreement earlier today, with Twitter/X account MangaAlerts confirming the expected sales price to be at 12.4 billion yen (US$80 million).
San Diego-based Media Do International is part of the MEDIA DO group — a Japanese eBook distribution company based in Tokyo, Japan. The company previously acquired MyAnimeList from mobile and web developer DeNA in 2019, and later sold its shares to Web3 and AI startup company Gaudiy last April.
Update (3/1/2026): Danmei News cites the Nikkei report as claiming that Media Do will use its own artificial intelligence technology to “assist translators in translating manga into English” to shorten the translation time to “about two months” per volume compared to the current “five to six months.” The company wants to increase its output of titles to around “2000 books a year.” Seven Seas has yet to comment on this matter, as of the time of writing.
MangaAlerts also adds in their Twitter/X thread that some current Seven Seas employees were unaware of the acquisition agreement prior to their online panel at Citrus Con 2026, and learned of the news at the same time as the public.
This article will be updated with more information as it arrives.
Sources: press release, Nikkei (via MangaAlerts Official Twitter)
