Publisher Peow2’s English release of Hisashi Eguchi‘s Stop!! Hibari-kun! Vol 1. is now available for orders, with a short but eye-catching animated teaser accompanying the announcement on X (formerly Twitter).
The teaser was animated by Jack-Amin Ibrahim, who previously released a tribute animation for Naoki Urasawa‘s 20th CENTURY BOYS.
Peow2 announced its licensing of Stop!! Hibari-kun! last year. Its synopsis reads:
When Kohsaku Sakamoto’s mother dies, he is sent to Tokyo to live with the Yakuza boss Ibari Ozora and his four—er… we mean his THREE cute daughters, and one very cute son, Hibari-kun! Yep! The family keeps it a secret, but Hibari, the stylish all-star student and most popular girl at school is actually a boy!
Finally, get the chance to check out the beloved romantic comedy from renowned illustrator Hisashi Eguchi! With gags that don’t hold back, and one of the most unique trailblazing lead characters of its time, Hibari! The Complete Edition, Volume One, collects the first 17 chapters, with both full-color and duotone sections, author’s notes, and additional illustrations from the original monthly releases of the manga. Hibari is HIBARI!
The manga was originally serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump between 1981 to 1983. It inspired a 1983 anime with 35 episodes.
Eguchi has published other manga, such as Susume!! Pirates, and is also known for his illustrations. He won the 38th Bungei Shunju Manga Award in 1992.
In October 2025, Eguchi faced controversy over the use of unauthorized tracing. It started with the allegation that an illustration, created for the Lumine Ogikubo mall’s then-upcoming Chuo Line Cultural Festival 2025 event, involved the tracing of a woman’s photograph sans permission.
Peow 2 is a Stockholm and New Jersey-based publisher that aims to “release exciting works we would like to see exist in the world, support human artists, and to have fun.” It is the successor to Peow Studio, which announced its closure in 2021.
Source: @peowstudio (via Catsuka)
