Anya Forger has entered idol campaign mode — and yes, it is as cute as it sounds.
Japanese idol group Hinatazaka46 has revealed a new collaboration illustration featuring Anya from SPY x FAMILY alongside the group’s mascot character, Poka. The artwork was released on Tuesday as part of a wider manga celebration tied to Shueisha’s 100th anniversary.
The collab is for the “Hinata Oshi Manga Campaign,” which roughly positions Hinatazaka46 members as manga fans sharing the titles they personally enjoy. Instead of just being another pretty promo visual, the campaign is built around the idea of idols talking about manga they love, manga that stayed with them, and new releases that made an impact.
For anime and manga fans in Malaysia, this is the kind of Japan-side campaign that may look small at first, but actually says a lot about how mainstream manga culture has become. You have a major publisher celebrating a huge milestone, a popular idol group lending its audience, and a character like Anya acting as the perfect bridge between casual anime viewers and manga readers. Basically: Shueisha knows exactly who can stop the scroll.
What the campaign includes
The Anya and Poka illustration is part of a campaign that will also feature collaboration artwork from manga creators. On top of that, several Hinatazaka46 members are highlighting their manga picks.
The members involved include:
- Nao Kosaka
- Mikuni Takahashi
- Yoko Shogenji
- Rina Watanabe
- Sakura Matsuo
Kosaka’s listed favourites include Sugar Soldier, Tsubasa to Hotaru, and Honey Lemon Soda — all titles that lean into the shōjo/romance side of manga. That is a nice contrast if your only exposure to Shueisha is the big action-heavy names like One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia, or SPY x FAMILY.
And that is probably the point. Shueisha’s catalogue is massive, and this campaign looks designed to remind readers that manga culture is not just about the loudest weekly battle series. There are romance titles, school-life stories, emotional dramas, and comfort reads that build fandoms in a very different way.
Why SEA fans should care
For Malaysian and SEA anime fans, Anya is still one of the most recognisable modern anime faces. Even people who do not follow every seasonal release know the pink-haired gremlin from SPY x FAMILY memes, merch shelves, and convention booths.
So while this Hinatazaka46 campaign is based in Japan, it is still relevant for fans here because these collaborations often shape what gets pushed across social media, bookstores, fan pages, and eventually convention culture. A cute Anya illustration can easily become the thing that pulls casual fans into checking out the wider campaign — and maybe discovering manga they would not normally pick up.
It also shows how anime, idols, and manga marketing continue to overlap. In SEA, where fandoms are already super mixed between anime watchers, J-pop/J-idol followers, cosplayers, collectors, and manga readers, this kind of crossover makes sense. It is not just “anime promo”; it is lifestyle fandom content.
The Hinata Oshi Manga Campaign is scheduled to run until May 31, so fans who want to follow the full rollout still have time to check out the featured manga picks and campaign updates.
No word from the provided details on any Malaysia-specific release, merch, or event tie-in for this campaign, so treat this mainly as an online Japan campaign for now. Still, Anya plus idol culture plus Shueisha’s 100th anniversary? That is a very easy win for the timeline.
Source: Anime News Network