The historical underground crime thriller Manchuria Opium Squad (Manshū Ahen Sadosu) is officially making the leap to the screen. Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine announced in its 45th issue that writer Tsukasa Monma and the late artist Shikako's critically acclaimed manga is receiving an anime adaptation, bringing its stark depiction of 1930s geopolitical survival to animated life.
Alongside the adaptation news, the series has resumed serialization in Weekly Young Magazine with new artist Tsurushima taking over the illustration duties. Tsurushima previously worked as a senior colleague and assistant alongside Shikako under Yasuhisa Hara on the sprawling historical epic Kingdom. The manga's return featured a poignant double-chapter release. Chapter 216 included 11 pages completed by Shikako prior to their passing from choroidal melanoma in November 2025, followed by a character-free transitional page arranged by Monma and backgrounds drawn by Shikako's assistants. Chapter 217 officially inaugurates Tsurushima's tenure as illustrator.
First launched on Kodansha's Comic Days platform in April 2020 before transitioning to Weekly Young Magazine in September 2021, the narrative follows Isamu Higata, a discharged soldier stationed in Japanese-controlled Manchukuo in 1937. Driven to save his ailing mother, Isamu stumbles upon a hidden field of poppies and plunges headfirst into the dangerous underworld of illicit drug production.
"Here in Manchuria, the cheapest thing you'll find is a person's life." In 1937, Isamu Higata is sent to the Japan-controlled Chinese puppet state of Manchukuo to serve in its standing army. After losing sight in his right eye during battle, he's banished to an agricultural facility where he's constantly abused by the commanding officers. Then, in a dusty corner, he discovers a field of poppies, the raw materials for opium.
K Manga, Official Synopsis
Kodansha publishes the series in English digitally via the K MANGA service, ensuring international readers can follow Isamu's perilous descent. With Tsurushima carrying forward Shikako's artistic legacy and an anime adaptation now officially on the horizon, the franchise enters a significant new chapter dedicated to fulfilling the late artist's original vision.
