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BookLive Suspends Ranking of Kings Manga's English Release for Retranslation
posted on by Alex Mateo
E-book publisher BookLive announced on Thursday that it is suspending the distribution of the English version of Sōsuke Tōka's Ranking of Kings (Ōsama Ranking) manga, and is in the process of retranslating the series. BookLive began distributing the manga's first seven volumes in English on February 18, but readers have pointed out typographical errors and inadequate translations. Customers who have already purchased the books in English will be able to download the retranslated version for free when it is reuploaded.
The company will announce more details at a future date. It is hoping to rerelease the manga "as soon as possible."
BookLive and translation contractor Dragon Digital Japan Co., Ltd. apologized for "spoiling the image" of the series.
Tōka has been serializing the manga on the user-submitted manga website Manga Hack and other venues since May 2017. Kadokawa published the 12th compiled book volume on December 10.
The web manga centers around Bojji, a deaf, powerless prince who cannot even wield a children's sword. As the firstborn son, he strives hard and dreams of becoming the world's greatest king. However, people mutter about him behind his back as "a good-for-nothing prince" and "no way he can be king."
Bojji is able to make his first ever friend, "Kage" (shadow) — a literal shadow on the ground who somehow understands Bojji well. (Kage is a survivor of the Kage assassin clan that was all but wiped out. No longer a killer, Kage now makes ends meet by stealing.) The story follows Bojji's coming-of-age as he meets various people in his life, starting with his fateful encounter with Kage.
The manga inspired a television anime that premiered on October 14, and ran for two continuous cours (quarters of the year). Funimation streamed the anime as it aired in Japan, and it is also streaming an English dub.
