New Publisher Invites You to Read Mahjong Pros

At the end of April, Mahjong Pros enters the graphic novel market. You’ve never heard the name before, and it’s unclear to me if their first four books are translations of previous manga or it they are all original to the U.S. market. Maybe both. Why are they called Mahjong Pros? Also unclear, but two of the first four titles do feature mahjong players. One title, Getter Robo High, bears the influence of Go Nagai.

Any publisher launching in this age of distribution troubles must have absolute confidence in their material. Though I note that the press release names online book retailers and doesn’t specifically call out comic shops. I wish it were otherwise, but I don’t blame them.

Those who have followed my ridiculously long journey with Fanboy Planet know that manga has often been a hard sell for me. I’ve also had a long enough journey that I broke that bias when I started obsessively buying up every Shunji Ito work I could find. And Attack on Titan and Kaiju No.8 and well, suddenly I don’t care where the content comes from as long as it’s good.

From Mahjong Pros:

Mahjong Pros, a new startup North American publisher, has announced the release this Spring of its first quartet of graphic novel titles.  The first releases will be available in-print and digitally and kick off a series of upcoming licensing and new title announcements that will continue to grow the publisher’s catalog.

The first round includes the launch of CRYBABY MERMAID: ILLUSTRATED MEMOIR OF YUUMI UOTANI, an intimate illustrated memoir about the quiet, relentless work of learning to believe you belong. Next comes REFORM WITH NO WASTED DRAWS: THE LEGEND OF KOIZUMI,an engrossing story of how the fate of nations rests on Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s mahjong diplomacy. GETTER ROBO HIGH delivers a tense spin on the super robot sci-fi classic, Getter Robo, originally created by the famed creator Go Nagai, where doubt, pressure, and split-second decisions decide the fight. This is followed by the release of VERMILION STELLA: – ILLUSTRATED MEMOIR OF ARISA DATE, a poignant portrait of what it costs to keep going while the world waits for you to fail.

Crybaby Mermaid – Illustrated Memoir of Yuumi Uotani, story by Yoshiki Suda, art by Mio Junta · Digital SRP: $9.99 / Print SRP: $15.00 · 212 pages · ISBN: 9781969071065 · Available April 28^th

Crybaby Mermaid: Illustrated Memoir of Yumi Uotani is about the quiet difficulty of continuing when doubt never fully disappears. It follows Yumi Uotani, a professional mahjong player, through the uncertain early years of a public career, where each setback lingers, each success feels temporary, and the question of whether she truly belongs never quite goes away.

Rather than a story of sudden breakthrough, the story focuses on the emotional weight of performance: the pressure of expectations, the anxiety that follows setbacks, and the quiet effort required to continue despite uncertainty. Uotani’s progress unfolds through everyday moments of practice, reflection, and gradual change, presenting achievement as something built over time rather than defined by sudden success.

Rendered in a restrained visual style that lingers on expression and silence, this is a portrait of a working life built in increments, and of the fragile, ongoing work of learning to stand in a role that still feels uncertain. Together, Suda and Junta create a character-driven account of how confidence develops slowly, and how a professional identity emerges through endurance, self-awareness, and time.

Reform with No Wasted Draws: The Legend of Koizumi Vol. 1, story and art by Hideki Ohwada · Digital SRP: $9.99 / Print SRP: $15.00 · 208 pages · ISBN: 9781969071027 · Available May 5^th

In The Legend of Koizumi, manga artist Hideki Ohwada reimagines international politics as a series of direct confrontations in which diplomacy gives way to decisive action. Global crises are settled through high-stakes mahjong, turning geopolitical conflict into a test of judgment, nerve, and national resolve.

At the center is former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, portrayed with unwavering composure and a refusal to yield. Around him, real political figures appear as adversaries in escalating encounters where the stakes quickly move from negotiation to survival. Each confrontation raises the risk, forcing leaders to act under pressure as retreat becomes politically unthinkable.

Ohwada pushes events far beyond realism while presenting them with complete seriousness. The scale grows extreme, but the emotional logic remains familiar: positions harden, reputations are on the line, and escalation follows when neither side can afford to back down. The intensity is deliberate. Escalation is the engine of the story.

Mahjong provides the framework for these confrontations, reducing global crisis to a visible contest of will. The result is a work of political satire that treats leadership as performance under pressure and conflict as a struggle driven by pride, resolve, and the cost of retreat.

Getter Robo High, story by Bingo Morihashi, art by Drill Jill · Digital SRP: $9.99 / Print SRP: $15.00 · 210 pages ISBN: 9781969071058 · Available May 30^th

When a technologically advanced civilization rises from the ocean and conventional weapons fail, three pilots are assigned to operate an experimental machine powered by Getter Rays. Their opponents do not rely on force alone. Each battle is designed to disrupt judgment, break coordination, and push them into mistakes made under pressure.

Written by Bingo Morihashi and illustrated by Drill Jill, Getter Robo High centers on conflict shaped by uncertainty. Decisions must be made quickly and with incomplete information. Hesitation, misreading an opponent, or acting too aggressively can change the outcome without warning.

As the fighting continues, the threat becomes less predictable, and the stakes grow beyond what the pilots expected. The strain of responsibility and isolation begins to affect how they think, how they trust each other, and how much risk they are willing to take.

Drawn in dense, high-contrast black and white, the artwork creates a constant sense of compression and urgency, keeping the action close and immediate. In the darker tradition of Getter Robo, escalation comes through sudden reversals and mounting risk. The story focuses on what sustained pressure does to people when every decision carries consequences.

Vermilion Stella – Illustrated Memoir of Arisa Date, story and art by Ayato Sasakura · Digital SRP: $9.99 / Print SRP: $15.00 · 212 pages · ISBN: 9781969071072 · Available June 30^th

Arisa Date steps into the national spotlight as a professional mahjong player with a reputation already decided for her. She is seen as a face chosen for attention, someone placed there to be watched rather than believed. Every appearance is public. Every mistake travels farther than the work behind it.

Illustrated by Ayato Sasakura, Vermilion Stella is a memoir about the private cost of being judged in public. It follows the strain of continuing when doubt surrounds you, the isolation of working while your failures are expected, and the quiet discipline required to return again and again while the world waits for confirmation that you do not belong.

There is no sudden turning point, no speech or reinvention that changes everything at once. Instead, the story unfolds through time, as small results accumulate and perception begins to shift almost imperceptibly.

At its heart, this is a story about living inside someone else’s version of you and the long, patient work of becoming visible as you are.

In addition to major retailers, the titles are also available for pre-order at: https://mahjongpros.com. However, as an affiliate of Bookshop.org, I’ve included links to order through there. Pre-orders through these links will be credited to either Vroman’s Books in Pasadena or Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego. They may also generate a commission for Fanboy Planet.