Gangan is a manga imprint owned by Square Enix Holdings. It originated as a manga imprint for Enix before the company re-branded as Square Enix. It publishes manga in several anthologies aimed at different reader demographic groups in the Japanese market. Its anthologies are home to some popular Square Enix manga series which were adapted into anime series, like Fullmetal Alchemist, Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, Nabari no Ou, Inu x Boku SS, The Case Study of Vanitas and Soul Eater. The comics are later collected in paperback volumes under brand names such as Gangan Comics, Gangan Comics Joker and Young Gangan Comics, which identify the anthology of serialisation. These paperback brand names are formed by omitting any gekkan or shōnen in the magazine name and inserting Comics directly after the word Gangan.
Higurashi When They Cry is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion that comprises the first two entries of the When They Cry franchise. The series focuses on a group of young friends living in the fictional village of Hinamizawa and the strange events that occur there in 1983.
07th Expansion is a Japanese dōjin circle specialized in the creation of visual novels. They started out drawing for the trading card game Leaf Fight, but are better known for creating the game series When They Cry. The remake games on additional consoles for Higurashi When They Cry were produced by Alchemist.
Material Puzzle is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masahiro Totsuka. It was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan from 2002 to 2007, followed by gaiden chapters and a short series subtitled Saikō Shōnen, published from 2007 to 2008. A prequel series by Kimitake Yoshioka, titled Material Puzzle: Zero Kreuz, was serialized in Monthly Shōnen Gangan and Gangan Online from 2008 to 2009. Nine years after the original series' finale, Totsuka started another series, titled Material Puzzle: Kaminaki Sekai no Mahoutsukai, in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Morning Two, which ran from 2018 to 2022.
Umineko When They Cry is a Japanese dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion. Its first episode debuted at Comiket 72 for Windows in August 2007. The story focuses on a group of eighteen people on a secluded island for a period of two days, and the mysterious murders that befall them. Readers are challenged to discern whether the murders were committed by a human or some other, supernatural source, as well as the method and motive behind them. The eight main Umineko games are split into two sets of four, which are considered the third and fourth titles in the When They Cry series, preceded by the two sets of Higurashi When They Cry games and followed by Ciconia When They Cry.
Book Girl is a collection of Japanese light novels by Mizuki Nomura, with illustrations by Miho Takeoka. The series contains 16 volumes: eight cover the original series, four are short story collections, and four are of a side story. The novels were published between April 2006 and April 2011 by Enterbrain under their Famitsu Bunko imprint. Yen Press licensed the light novel series and began releasing it in English in North America in July 2010. There have been four manga adaptations serialized in Square Enix's shōnen Gangan Powered and Gangan Joker, and Kadokawa Shoten's shōjo Beans Ace and Monthly Asuka. An anime film adaptation produced by Production I.G was released in Japanese theaters on May 1, 2010.
Saki (咲-Saki-) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ritz Kobayashi. The story revolves around a first-year high school girl named Saki Miyanaga who is brought into the competitive world of mahjong by another first-year, Nodoka Haramura. The manga has been serialized in Square Enix's Young Gangan since February 3, 2006 and is licensed in English by Yen Press. A 25-episode anime adaptation by Gonzo aired between April and September 2009 on TV Tokyo.
Natsuiro Kiseki is a Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise and directed by Seiji Mizushima. The series aired on MBS between April and June 2012. A manga adaptation illustrated by Tatsuhiko was serialized in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine between January 2012 and March 2013.
Jun Mochizuki is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for creating the manga series Pandora Hearts and The Case Study of Vanitas.
Rose Guns Days is a four-part Japanese dōjin visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion and playable on Windows PCs. The first game in the series, Season 1, was released on August 11, 2012, and the fourth game, Last Season, was released on December 31, 2013. There have been six manga adaptations based on Rose Guns Days published by Kodansha and Square Enix.
Ciconia When They Cry is an episodic visual novel game series in development by 07th Expansion, collectively considered the fifth entry in the When They Cry series, following Higurashi When They Cry and Umineko When They Cry. It follows people trying to prevent the outbreak of World War IV. It is released episodically for Microsoft Windows and macOS, by 07th Expansion in Japan and by MangaGamer internationally, and is planned to be four episodes long. The first, "Phase 1: For You, the Replaceable Ones", was released in October 2019; the second was planned for release in 2020, but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Ryukishi at his Anime Expo 2024 Q&A, the second phase is on indefinite hiatus due to the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Shibuya Goldfish is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroumi Aoi. It was serialized in Square Enix's Gangan Joker from September 2016 to April 2021 and published in 11 volumes.
A Herbivorous Dragon of 5,000 Years Gets Unfairly Villainized is a Japanese light novel series written by Kaisei Enomoto and illustrated by Shugao. It was serialized online between June 2017 and June 2020 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was later acquired by Kadokawa Shoten, who have published three volumes from February 2018 to October 2019 under their Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation with art by Kōichi Muro was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga magazine Monthly Gangan Joker from January 2018 to November 2019. It was collected in five tankōbon volumes. An original net (ONA) anime adaptation by Studio LAN aired in Chinese on Bilibili from July to October 2022, with the Japanese dub airing on television from January to March 2023. A second season is set to premiere in Japan in October 2024.
Homura Kawamoto is a Japanese manga artist and writer. After publishing manga anonymously, he launched his first series, Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler, in 2014, which has achieved commercial success. Following Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler's success, Kawamoto has been involved with many other manga, anime, and video game series, such as Cheat Slayer, Build Divide, and High Card.
Tokyo Aliens is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoe. It has been serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy since April 2020.