Roku Sakura is heading back into rom-com territory, and this one sounds like peak otaku misunderstanding chaos.
Kadokawa’s Young Ace magazine has announced that Sakura, best known for April Showers Bring May Flowers (Busu ni Hanataba o), will launch a new romantic comedy manga titled Osananajimi o Shiawase ni Suru Made Shinenai!!. The title roughly means I Won’t Die Until I’ve Made My Childhood Friend Happy!!.
The new series will begin in the magazine’s next issue, which goes on sale in Japan on June 4. Young Ace is also giving the manga a big push straight away, with the new series set to appear on the issue’s front cover.
A rom-com built on one very wrong ship
The story follows Momiji Koyama, a girl with two close male childhood friends: Ryō, who is tall, clever, and good-looking, and Aohi, who is athletic but has a softer, more feminine appearance.
Momiji has grown up beside both of them, but instead of seeing herself as the main character in a love triangle, she has basically become their loudest supporter. She is the kind of fan who watches from the side and keeps hyping them up, convinced that these two boys are absolutely amazing.
Then, during lunch break, Momiji spots something between Ryō and Aohi and completely reads the situation the wrong way. In her head, the two childhood friends must be in love with each other. From there, she becomes fully committed to making that “ship” happen.
The joke, of course, is that Ryō and Aohi are not actually aiming for each other. Both boys are in love with Momiji.
So yes, we are looking at a romantic comedy where the heroine is confidently pushing the wrong route while the actual love interests are probably screaming internally. For readers who enjoy messy shoujo-style misunderstandings, childhood-friend tension, and otaku shipping brain, this premise has plenty of room to be funny.
Why SEA manga fans should keep an eye on this
For Malaysian and SEA fans, the big hook here is Sakura’s track record. April Showers Bring May Flowers already has an English release through Yen Press, meaning Sakura’s work is not some obscure title with zero overseas presence. Yen Press released the fourth English volume on February 24.
That matters because if this new manga gains traction in Japan, there is a realistic chance international publishers and digital platforms will pay attention. For readers here who follow manga mostly through English releases, that could make Osananajimi o Shiawase ni Suru Made Shinenai!! one to watch.
Sakura launched April Showers Bring May Flowers in Young Ace back in April 2016, and the main series ended in September 2022. Kadokawa published its 12th and final compiled volume in November 2022.
The manga later received a special edition continuation called Busu ni Hanataba o. -Bloom- (April Showers Bring May Flowers: Bloom), which ran in Young Ace from March 2025 to September 2025. The special edition concluded its fifth chapter in July, followed by additional chapters from August, and Kadokawa released a new 13th compiled volume with those chapters in August 2025.
The franchise also made the jump to anime, with a TV adaptation premiering in July 2025. Amazon Prime Video began streaming the anime in January earlier this year, giving overseas fans another way into Sakura’s work.
With the new manga launching in June, Sakura seems ready to lean into a very modern rom-com setup: shipping culture, childhood friends, and one protagonist who is confidently misreading everything. If the execution lands, this could be a fun one for fans who like their romance with a strong dose of second-hand embarrassment.
Source: Anime News Network