Magi's Shinobu Ohtaka launches new manga Geek and Crown
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Magi and Orient creator Shinobu Ohtaka launches Geek and Crown on October 27 on Kodansha's Magazine Pocket app; the story hunts a traitorous military officer.
Shinobu Ohtaka, creator of Magi and Orient, launches a new manga on October 27, 2026. Titled Geek and Crown (Giikuraun in the original Japanese), the series debuts on Kodansha's Magazine Pocket app and is set in the middle of a royal succession war: the plot follows the exposure of a military officer who betrays his own country. The announcement was made by the app's official X (formerly Twitter) account in the early hours of Tuesday (20), Japan time, and already comes with a countdown revealing the main characters until the premiere.
Kodansha's official announcement
The reveal came from the official Magazine Pocket account (@magapoke), Kodansha's manga reading app that distributes Weekly Shōnen Magazine titles. The statement describes the work as Ohtaka's most recent project since Orient and invites readers to follow the premiere inside the app. The tagline already sets the tone of the story: a hunt for a traitor within the army's ranks, right in the middle of a fight for the crown.
"New series announcement! The new series starts on October 27 (Tuesday)! The latest work by Shinobu Ohtaka, of Orient and Magi: Geek Crown. Expose the traitorous officer hiding in the battle for the royal succession!"
𝕏Kodansha Magazine Pocket (@magapoke)on the official X"📢 New series announcement! ＼The new series starts on 10/27 (Tue)!!✨／ Shinobu Ohtaka, of 'Orient' and 'Magi', reveals her newest work: 'Giikuraun' — Expose the traitorous officer hiding in the battle for the royal succession! 👉 More details on the #Magapoke app!!"
Military fantasy amid a succession crisis
Just as Orient carried a samurai-and-motorcycle fantasy, Geek and Crown arrives labeled by its own team as a "military fantasy" (軍事ファンタジー). The central premise rests on three announced pillars: a war of royal succession, an officer who betrays the country, and the mission to unmask him. It is a more conspiratorial angle than Ohtaka's previous works, pointing to a narrative of political intrigue and investigation within a fictional armed-conflict setting.
The detail matters because Ohtaka built her career on adventure manga with ensemble structures: in Magi, the story advanced through the magic dungeons and the disputes between empires; in Orient, through battles against the oni and between samurai armies. Now the author trades the mythical sword for troops, ranks and dynastic disputes — new territory within her bibliography, yet one that preserves the large-scale battle engine that made her earlier works famous.
Kai Blackman: the revealed protagonist
The new manga's official account (@Ohtaka_magazine) started a countdown to the premiere and is publishing, one per day, the names of the six main characters. The first announced is the protagonist: Kai Blackman, an army second lieutenant and the third son of the noble Blackman family, one of the renowned houses of the story's armed forces. The reveal came with the character's first official art.
"6 days until Geek and Crown begins! Starting today, we will reveal the names of the six main characters. Beginning with our protagonist: second lieutenant Kai Blackman, third son of the noble Blackman military family!"
Shinobu Ohtaka: the legacy of Magi and Orient
Ohtaka achieved international recognition with Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, serialized by Kodansha between 2011 and 2017, with 37 compiled volumes and an anime adaptation that ran for two successful seasons. After that, she moved from Weekly Shōnen Sunday to Weekly Shōnen Magazine and launched Orient in May 2018. The manga moved to Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in February 2021, entered its final arc in July 2023 and ended its run in October 2024, totaling 22 volumes, with the last one published in November of that year.
In the West, Kodansha USA Publishing releases Orient in English — the 20th volume came out on April 14. In other words, Geek and Crown arrives about two years after the end of Orient, marking Ohtaka's return to regular serialization after a transitional pause between works.
Orient also became an anime
The television adaptation of Orient premiered in January 2022 in Japan, with international streaming on Crunchyroll, which also produced the English dub. The second part aired in July 2022 on TV Tokyo, covering the "Fierce Battle at Awaji Island" arc of the original manga. The series helped consolidate the author's international fanbase precisely during the period when the manga was changing magazines, and the community's warm reception kept Ohtaka's name in the spotlight while her next step remained a secret.
Key dates for Geek and Crown's debut
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| October 19–20, 2026 | Announcement of the new series by the official Magazine Pocket and Geek and Crown accounts on X |
| October 21, 2026 | Countdown begins and protagonist Kai Blackman is revealed |
| October 22–26, 2026 | Daily reveals of the other five main characters |
| October 27, 2026 | Geek and Crown debuts on Kodansha's Magazine Pocket app |
How to follow the debut
The first chapter arrives on Magazine Pocket on October 27. Until then, the official account is expected to keep the daily cast reveals, material that tends to be accompanied by new promotional announcements across the publisher's social networks. The expectation is that Kodansha will confirm more details about the staff and promotion over the coming days, keeping pace with the countdown.
For manga readers, Ohtaka's return is one of the milestones of the Japanese publishing calendar at this change of season — the author returns to Kodansha's app with a more military and political proposal, still anchored in large-scale conflicts. Follow the latest anime and manga news here at O Santuário Geek, and also check out the release date announcement for the MARRIAGE TOXIN anime, another manga adaptation produced by the Bones studio.
Primary sources: Anime News Network, Magazine Pocket's official account and Geek and Crown's official account.
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