In a recent series of tweets, mangaka Hajime Yoshida, known for their work on the Girls Und Panzer spin-off manga Garupan Demonium (Girls Pandemonium) expressed profound frustration and disappointment over the lack of communication by Kadokawa regarding important decisions involving his manga.

The author voiced his concerns in reply to a post which noted that Girls Pandemonium manga was no longer available on Comic Walker.

Yoshida began by lamenting the lack of consultation or communication from the publisher before taking such a crucial action. He stated that this lack of communication has been a recurring issue since the serialization of the manga began.

The author also refuted Kadokawa’s claim of having discussions regarding the series’ termination, which was made in their statement, asserting that no such dialogue took place.

“As usual, not a single word of advice or contact. It’s been like this since the series started.. Come to think of it, they claim we had discussions when the serialization ended, but that’s not true at all.“

Expressing regret over not pursuing independent publication through doujinshi, Yoshida speculated that had he done so, he might still be actively creating manga.

The mangaka criticized what he perceived as a fundamental disrespect towards manga artists, viewing them merely as subcontractors who can be dismissed without regard for their dedication and effort.

“I think fundamentally they look down on manga artists. They see us as nothing more than subcontractors. That’s why they can just cut us off without a word after we’ve poured our hearts into our work.“

Yoshida recounted that he was put through a lot before, probably refering to how the cancellation of the manga was handled. However, he put up will all that because he could still read his work.

However, the decision to terminate the series & remove it from Comic Walker without any consultation crossed a line for him, prompting consideration of more candid expression regarding the situation.

“I’ve been through some really awful stuff, but I’ve put up with it because at least I could still read my work. But if they’re going to disregard even the bare minimum without consulting me, maybe I should just lay it all out. Seriously, this is ridiculous.“

The artist also expressed bewilderment and anger over Kadokawa’s reference to “short-term serialization,” a term previously unfamiliar to him, but was used to refer his manga in the statement which announced its cancellation.

He speculated that this may be an attempt by the publisher to shift blame for mishandling the series and its cancellation.

Yoshida once again emphasized the lack of communication and agreement on the matter.

“I’m so pissed off that I didn’t even bother reading that statement properly, but what the hell is ‘short-term serialization’? I’ve never heard of it before. Maybe they’re trying to shift some of the blame for cancelling a serialization they screwed up, but there’s no point in lying if they’re not going to coordinate with us. There was no discussion or agreement at all.“

Translation of the statement: “Girls Pandemonium” has been on hiatus for some time now. From the beginning of its serialization, it was planned as a short-term intensive serialization. However, due to difficulties in continuing this serialization, after numerous discussions with Mr. Yoshida, it has been decided to end the serialization.

Despite acknowledging that Kadokawa will likely be unscathed by his statements, Yoshida asserted his unwillingness to passively accept mistreatment. He vowed to fight back against unfair treatment.

Yoshida also clarified that he had no intentions of committing suicide, probably keeping in mind the recent unfortunate event that happened in the industry, dispelling any concerns of self-harm. Instead, the author claimed that he will continue living brazenly, unless the company decided to send hitmen in order to silence him.

“I know no matter how much I say, they’ll come out unscathed, but I don’t want to be seen as someone who just takes a beating without fighting back even if it’s unreasonable. If I get punched, I’ll punch back.

Some might be worried, but I have no plans to commit suicide. As long as the company doesn’t send in a hitman to silence me, I’ll continue living brazenly, so I’ll be fine. I believe the best revenge against those who hate me is for me to keep on existing.“

Girls Pandemonium was a short comedy spinoff of Girls Und Panzer created by Hajime Yoshida. It was serialized on Monthly Comic Alive magazine’s web label Comic Alive+ on the websites ComicWalker and Niconico Seiga on October 2022, and ended in November 2023.

Source: Twitter