“Yankee Library” for Manga Promotion

Special Event to Celebrate the Release of the Popular Manga "Zeikin De Katta Hon" Featuring a Library on a Yankee-Style Decoration Truck

“Yankee Library” (Delinquent Library) is the event we created to celebrate the release of Vol. 7 of the popular manga series “Zeikin De Katta Hon” (Taxpayer-Purchased Books) from the Weekly Young Magazine by Kodansha.

Zeikin De Katta Hon is a story about a yankee (that’s what old-school delinquent is called in Japan) getting a job as a librarian. So, we created the Yankee Library event showcasing an absurdly flashy decorated truck that serves as a mobile library at Shibuya Cast Garden. Visitors could climb up on the cargo section of the car to read all the comics and related books for free. Additionally, they got to read Vol. 7 even before its release.

We also created a special exhibition at the site to touch on the story of Zeikin De Katta Hon for the enjoyment of the manga’s loyal fans and those who had never heard of it alike. A total of 1,360 visitors turned up for the two-day event.

[Recap of the event (Closed)]
Name: “Yankee Library,” an event to celebrate the release of Vol. 7 of “Zeikin De Katta Hon”
Date and Time: May 6, 2023 (Sat) 11:00 – 20:00
　　　　　　 May 7, 2023 (Sun) 11:00 – 16:00
Place: Shibuya Cast Garden
Admission: Free

[About Zeikin De Katta Hon]
Ishidaira is a delinquent who visits the library for the first time since elementary school. He realizes that he has yet to return a book he borrowed ten years ago, eventually leading him to work part-time at the library. What to do when you tear up a book you borrowed? Where and how to look up to know how a complex kanji character reads? It is a “librarian-at-work manga” that makes you want to go to the library, presented with friends who are uncompromising about the library’s rules but love books.
The popular manga series was first published in August 2021 on the “Yanmaga Web” website, then promoted to the mainstream publication “Young Magazine” in December 2021. It won the Grand Prize in the “9th Ayumi COMIC Grand Prix” and ranked 8th in the “Nationwide Bookstore Employees’ Recommended Comics of 2023.” The manga is now in its seventh volume and has sold over 700,000 copies.