Aka Akasaka, known for “Kaguya-sama: Love Is War” and “Oshi no Ko,” has a history of manga with endings that disappointed fans. ‘ib:Instant Bullet’ ended prematurely in 2015, ‘Oshi no Ko’ concluded in 2024 with a controversial ending, and ‘Renai Daikou’ was axed in June 2024, adding to fan frustration.
Fan Reactions
Comments from Reddit threads show fans expressing strong sentiments against reading “Maerchen Crown,” citing past disappointments, one redditor commented,
“I think I’m gonna wait on this one and see how it turns out. Kaguya’s ending was simply meh, and OnKs ending was downright bad. Renai flat out got axed.”
Another Fan commented,
“Probably gonna be a great beginning, quite interesting hooks and compelling cliff hangers, then mediocre to shit ending.
Man just can’t create satisfactory conclusions and i’m no longer reading his shit lol”
Fan are saying Akasaka to stay away from creating more downright bad ending,
Comment
byu/gnshgtr from discussion
inanimenews
Fans are giving up on his manga, expressing their frustration for destroying the ending of great manga’s,
“Not gonna bother. He sold the endings of 2 great mangas already.”
Fan Backlash Against Aka Akasaka’s New Manga
Akasaka, a prominent mangaka renowned for series like “Kaguya-sama: Love Is War” and “Oshi no Ko,” is facing significant fan backlash with the announcement of his new manga, “Maerchen Crown,” set to debut on March 20, 2025, in Weekly Young Jump issue 16/2025.
This fantasy romance, illustrated by Aji Chika of “Record of Ragnarok” fame and with series composition by Aoi Kujira, promises a fairytale-like world exploring the love between a prince and princess.
However, the anticipation is marred by a growing sentiment of boycott among fans, driven by dissatisfaction with the endings of his previous works.
Background on Aka Akasaka and His Works
Akasaka’s career began with contributions to the visual novel “Wonderful Everyday” in 2010, followed by his manga debut with the adaptation of “Sayonara Piano Sonata” in 2011-2012.
His first original manga, “ib: Instant Bullet,” ran from 2013 to 2015, followed by the highly successful “Kaguya-sama: Love Is War” (2015-2022), which won the 65th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2020 and had over 22 million copies in circulation by 2022.
“Oshi no Ko,” serialized from April 2020 and concluding in November 2024, became his second major hit, known for its exploration of the entertainment industry’s dark side.
More recently, “Renai Daikou,” a romantic comedy serialized from April 2023 to June 2024 and illustrated by Nishizawa 5mm, added to his portfolio. These works have shaped his reputation, but the endings of several have sparked controversy.
ib: Instant Bullet (2013-2015): This seinen drama and fantasy manga, serialized in Dengeki Maoh, ended after 25 chapters across five volumes, axed prematurely without a satisfying conclusion. Fan reviews on platforms like MangaUpdates note,
“Now I’m so very sad since it got axed, since all the storylines that actually managed to get explored in the 25 chapters it had were really fascinating”
Oshi no Ko (2020-2024): Concluding in Chapter 166 on November 14, 2024, the ending has been widely criticized as rushed and controversial. Articles like “Oshi no Ko Ending Begs the Question: Is It One of the Worst Manga Finales Ever?” note fan frustration, with comments suggesting it
“didn’t have as smooth an ending as people would have liked” (Oshi no Ko Ending Begs the Question: Is It One of the Worst Manga Finales Ever?). The final arc, “Toward the Stars and Dreams,”
Failed to tie up loose ends for many, leading to accusations of disrespect toward fans.
Renai Daikou (2023-2024): This series, ending on June 6, 2024, after 39 chapters, was also axed, as evidenced by Reddit discussions:
“Damn, I never expected Renai Daikou to get axed. Such a shame that it’s gonna end prematurely. Looks like even akasaka can’t survive the axe.
He better focus now on oshi no ko .
I really enjoyed the story of Renai Daikou. Let’s see what akasaka makes after the ending of Renai Daikou and oshi no ko.
Thank you akasaka aka”
Still after many fans had hope that Akasaka will give ‘Oshi No Ko’ a better better ending, yet he ended like before with loose ending, leading fans to believe that no matter what ‘Maerchen Crown‘ will see share the same fate as previous ones.
Fan Reactions and Boycott Sentiment
The announcement of “Maerchen Crown” has triggered a wave of negative reactions on social media, particularly on Reddit, where fans express reluctance or outright refusal to engage.
“I won’t even be giving this a try after how bad oshi no ko turned out.. it’s literally not worth the investment if an author just repeatedly gets tired of his series and ends them abruptly without any respect for fans, especially those who buy his works legally.”
Comment
byu/gnshgtr from discussion
inKaguya_sama
Fans are asking for better ending for ‘Oshi No Ko’ manga, which seems to be fair after investing much faith on Akasaka, even after ‘Oshi No Ko’ song ‘IDOL’ reached billboard top 100 on 1 ranked, he flush it down the sink like it didn’t matter at all.
Given the current climate, “Maerchen Crown” faces an uphill battle to regain fan trust. Its success will depend on delivering a satisfying narrative arc, particularly in its conclusion, to counter the perception of Akasaka as a shit ending writer,
“Yeah no, Aka should retire. Dude just slapped us with OnK ending and expected us to be excited for more of his slop?
At this point EVERYONE should be well aware of what a shit ending writer Aka is”
The fantasy romance genre, while promising, carries the risk of repeating past mistakes, and fans memories of “Oshi no Ko’s” divisive ending and “Renai Daikou’s” axing loom large.
The evidence leans toward a significant boycott of “Maerchen Crown” due to the controversial endings of “ib: Instant Bullet,” “Oshi no Ko,” and “Renai Daikou.”
Fan reactions on Reddit underscore a deep-seated frustration, with many opting out of engaging with Akasaka’s new work.
This situation highlights the importance of narrative closure in manga, and whether “Maerchen Crown” can turn the tide remains to be seen, with its release date just weeks away.
