Well, it’s been months, but now I finally get to talk about this. Buckle up, people, cause it’s storytime.
So way back in the springtime, the Kengan team was scouted by a company who had an unprecedented proposition for us: They wanted to use our scans of the Kengan series for an official release. We of course were more than willing to collaborate, so the talks began. Things changed over the course of the negotiations, and it eventually became that the team would be hired to use the scans released through HnG as a base to redo over better quality source images and meet the requirements of the platform, while going back and fixing some of the glaring mistakes we’ve made along the way.
Then, when it seemed like the deal was just a matter of time, we decided to make a show of good faith and stop releasing the series through HnG. But of course, since we’re not amateur hour, we knew we couldn’t say why when it hadn’t been announced, or the deal even finalized yet. So we decided to say the most truthful thing we could: that we wanted to better our chances of an official release coming out. And it did, the publisher side was much more ready to trust us because of it. But while we thought the fans could read between the lines, or at least give us the benefit of the doubt based on the credibility we’d built up for years, we apparently thought wrong. And I get why you guys would be passionate about it without knowing the full story. The death threats I had to delete were a bit much, though.
But those dark four months are finally over. Kengan Omega is now officially up on Comikey! You can access the series page right HERE, where you’ll find the up to chapter 5, and 119 to the latest chapter that just came out in Japan. That’s right, this is a simulpub! Best of all, right now the chapters are free! All but the first few will be for pay after a set amount of time, but honestly if there’s a platform that deserves your hard-earned kromer it’s this one. The revamp of the backlog is ongoing, and more chapters will be up on a regular basis.
We said we wouldn’t have made this decision if we didn’t have 100% conviction that this would be for the best of Kengan and its fans around the world, and now look what we have. On the publisher’s side, the artists can be supported by a greater audience, and the publishers can get a real sense of the marketability of Kengan internationally. On the translation team’s side, they’re finally getting what they deserve for all the hours of thankless work they put in for so long. And most importantly, for the fans, you’ll get to read the latest chapter, for free, with zero delay, and by the same people (give or take a few) who made the high-quality version you’re already used to, at a quality that is only enhanced by going pro! And things can only get better from here.
So while Kengan has left the hands of Hokuto no Gun, you can be assured that not only is it in better hands than ever, but has been this whole time.
To those who believed in us, thank you.
To those who doubted us, you’re welcome.
To Scans of Metsudo, A for effort.
Now what are you waiting for? Get on over to Kengan Omega on Comikey and get reading!