This feels like déjà vu. With the Nippon Sangoku anime currently airing, its author Ikka Matsuki has announced the manga is going on hiatus due to health reasons. This isn’t a preventive break or schedule adjustment: Matsuki has had a high fever for over two weeks, is bedridden, and is experiencing steroid withdrawal syndrome. This month’s update is postponed until his health improves. No return date has been confirmed.

Matsuki’s statement is direct. He explains that recovery is the top priority and no new chapters will be released until then. Steroid withdrawal syndrome is a medical condition that can cause severe, prolonged symptoms when the body stops receiving corticosteroids after prolonged use, explaining both the fever’s duration and the need to pause work entirely.

The timing is especially difficult for the franchise. The Nippon Sangoku anime began airing this year, meaning the series is at peak public visibility just as its source manga needs to stop. This isn’t the first time the industry faces such situations, but it remains tough for readers following the serialization.

The series reached its seventh compiled volume in April this year and has maintained a regular schedule since its 2021 launch, making this halt more noticeable. Matsuki asked for readers’ understanding and promised updates on the manga’s status as his health allows.

Nippon Sangoku: The Three Nations of the Crimson Sun is a manga by Ikka Matsuki published on Shogakukan’s Manga ONE app and Ura Sunday site since 2021. Set in a near-future Japan where civilization collapsed due to nuclear war, natural disasters, and poor leadership, the country is divided into three rival nations, echoing ancient conflict eras. The protagonist, Aoteru Misumi, starts as an ordinary local official but uses his knowledge and oratory skills to rise and work for reunifying the fractured territory. The series was nominated for the Manga Taisho awards in 2023, included in Da Vinci magazine’s “Book of the Year” selections, and ranked among the top 20 in Kono Manga ga Sugoi!‘s male readers’ poll that same year.

Will you follow the anime while waiting for the manga’s return, or prefer to pause both until the story continues in print?