Shinta Harekawa’s romantic comedy manga Akira Failing in Love has reached a major milestone, with more than one million copies now in circulation worldwide. The achievement was revealed in the combined 42nd and 43rd issue of Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday, released on September 16, 2026. The series, known in Japan as Momose Akira no Hatsukoi Hatan-chū, has continued to expand its readership since making its debut just over two years ago.
The story follows Akira, a high school student who returns to the countryside with one clear objective: finally winning the heart of her childhood crush. Things quickly become more complicated as neither of them seems capable of understanding the other’s feelings, despite their obvious mutual affection. The series blends romance and comedy around this misunderstanding, a formula that has steadily attracted readers in Japan and overseas. Viz Media currently publishes the manga in English.
Harekawa launched Akira Failing in Love in Weekly Shonen Sunday in August 2024. Shogakukan released the first collected volume in December of the same year, while Volume 8 arrived in Japan on September 16, 2026. The English edition is also progressing, with Viz Media releasing Volume 4 on September 8.
Before working on Akira Failing in Love, Harekawa created several other manga projects. These include the BL series Senpai, This Can’t Be Love!, which later received a sequel and inspired an eight-episode live action adaptation in 2022. The author also created Three Exorcism Siblings, a supernatural manga serialized from 2021 to 2023. Its seven-volume run has also reached international readers through an English release licensed by Titan Comics.
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