We are less than a week into 2026, and it’s already shaping up to be a horrible year. Here’s more evidence of that: An AI-generated manga is topping the charts over in Japan.
As reported by Automaton on January 6, a new four-volume manga, My Dear Wife, Will You Be My Lover? (autotranslated title), is currently the top seller in Comic CmoA’s young adult category. The storefront is described as the largest ebook shop in the country. The new manga was created by Mamaya and published by Studio Zoon and tells the tale of a middle-aged husband and his wife who are struggling to rekindle their sexual desires for each other.
As of January 6, My Dear Wife, Will You Be My Lover? is the best-selling young adult manga on the site and ranks number nine overall according to Comic CmoA’s charts. In the manga’s official store description, it states:
This work was created using AI-generated images.
So it’s not a secret that this is a manga that relies on AI-generated artwork, yet that hasn’t stopped the romantic comic from topping the charts. Automaton reports that many user reviews call the manga boring, with overly wordy dialogue, bad artwork, and copy-pasted characters. The only standout moments involve the characters having sex, but some complain that this happens too rarely in the series. This might explain its low rating of 3.1 stars. The manga books below it on the young adult chart rank at 3.8, 4.0, and 4.3 stars.
Some fans are reportedly not happy about an AI-generated manga even being allowed on the Comic CmoA storefront, with some suggesting they might boycott it as a result. But it seems like plenty of people are more than willing to buy and read a manga created by AI prompts, which does seem concerning for artists and writers. As translated by Automaton, Kazuaki Ishibashi, a manga author and editor who has worked on notable titles like Mob Psycho 100 and The World Only God Knows, posted on Twitter that readers don’t seem too upset about the successful AI-generated book, which has him worried.
“Perhaps it’s only the creators themselves who are concerned,” said Ishibashi. “Has this era finally arrived? I expect [AI-created work] will explode in popularity this year.”