Media Do Acquires Seven Seas Entertainment

#news March 01, 2026

by Tamara Lazic

The Seven Seas Entertainment manga publisher has been acquired by the Japanese company Media Do. Media Do is a digital publisher and a distributor of e-books, perhaps best known to manga fans overseas as the parent company of MyAnimeList from 2019 to 2025.

The report published by Nikkei states that the cost is expected to be around 12.4 billion yen (~$80 million USD). This is the first English publisher they have acquired. Seven Seas hasn't commented yet.

The publisher participated in Citrus Con 2026 earlier today, where it announced three new licenses:

A Western BL by Hayate Kuku
Marchen by Hayate Kuku
Wolfhound by IROHA MEGU

Seven Seas Entertainment was founded in 2004 by Jason DeAngelis. The company is known for titles such as Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Classroom of the Elite, and more. Seven Seas has a couple of imprints dedicated to different things, such as Airship (light novels), Ghost Ship (mature readers), Steamship (shojo), and Siren (audiobooks). In addition to Japanese manga and light novels, the publisher also licenses manhua, webtoons, and danmei novels.

UPDATE: Seven Seas and Media Do addressed the questions related to the use of AI through the MDTS (Media Do Translation Support tool) following the acquisition. The initially published documents stated that MDTS would signifantly speed up the translation process and increase the output. Media Do clarified the statement:

Following recent reports, we have received inquiries expressing concern that AI might be used to translate Seven Seas manga and other works. The Company clarifies that there are absolutely no plans to do so. Furthermore, the “MDTS” system developed by the Company is an AI assisted tool designed to help Japanese translators manage their translated text when working on Japanese literature. It is not intended for implementation in Seven Seas translation operations. All specific operational details will remain compliant with the existing translation standards of Seven Seas.

Seven Seas put out a similar statement. The company's employees were not aware of the acquisition until after the media reported on it.