Orange Inc.’s emaqi e-bookstore service has officially added Yūji Nakamura’s popular action romantic comedy manga series, “Rokudo’s Bad Girls” (Rokudō no Onna-tachi), in English for digital release. The series is now available to readers in North America on the emaqi app and online platform, marking another significant expansion of the service’s growing library of translated manga.
Bringing “Rokudo’s Bad Girls” to English Audiences
The digital release of “Rokudo’s Bad Girls” on emaqi comes as welcome news for fans who have awaited an official English version of the completed series. Originally serialized in Akita Shoten’s Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine from June 2016 to April 2021, the manga spans 26 compiled tankōbon volumes. Its popularity also led to a television anime adaptation by Satelight, which aired from April to June 2023 and was streamed worldwide on Crunchyroll.
The Premise of “Rokudo’s Bad Girls”
The story centers on Tо̄suke Rokudо̄, a timid high school student who frequently finds himself a target for bullies and delinquents. His life takes an unexpected turn when he inherits a mysterious scroll from his late grandfather, which bestows upon him a peculiar mark on his forehead. This mark has an unusual effect: it causes delinquent girls to fall instantly in love with him upon making eye contact. This newfound ability thrusts Rokudō into the chaotic world of his school’s delinquent culture, leading to comedic and dramatic encounters as he navigates his changed life and helps rehabilitate various “bad girls,” many of whom genuinely fall for him or become close allies. The manga is praised for its fresh approach to “overpowered skill” tropes, focusing on the protagonist’s personal growth rather than relying solely on plot devices.
Emaqi’s Mission to Expand English Manga Access
Emaqi, launched in the United States and Canada by AI localization company Orange Inc. in September 2024, aims to significantly increase the availability of officially licensed manga in English. The platform debuted with approximately 6,000 volumes from 13 publishers and has an ambitious goal of adding 100 new titles that have never before received an English release by the end of 2025. Orange Inc. has secured translation, publishing, and distribution rights from major Japanese publishers including Akita Shoten, Shonengahosha, Futabasha, and Kodansha USA Publishing.
The service offers various reading options, including a “Wait Until Free” model for selected titles, allowing users to unlock one chapter every 23 hours at no cost, alongside digital volume purchases. While emaqi leverages AI-assisted translation, Orange Inc. has stated that its in-house team of approximately 20 human translators curates and finalizes the work, aiming to increase localization capacity significantly. The emaqi app, available on iOS and Google Play stores, also features intuitive discovery tools to help readers find new series.
The addition of “Rokudo’s Bad Girls” underscores emaqi’s commitment to bringing a diverse range of Japanese manga to a broader English-speaking audience, fulfilling its promise to expand the accessibility of titles previously unavailable outside of Japan.
