About the studio
Hakusensha was founded December 1, 1973 by Shueisha, making it part of the same publishing family tree as Shueisha and Shogakukan, together forming the Hitotsubashi Group. Based in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Hakusensha launched its flagship magazine, Hana to Yume, just five months after founding, and it's since published Berserk, Fruits Basket, and Ouran High School Host Club. *One publisher spinning off another publisher that then goes on to give the world Berserk, that's quite a family legacy.* Despite being founded by Shueisha, Hakusensha operates as its own separate company, not merely a subsidiary in name only, publishing a genuinely distinct catalog of shojo and seinen manga. Over 50 years in, Hakusensha's role in shaping some of anime's most emotionally intense and visually distinctive source material makes it one of the more quietly influential publishers on this entire list.