Posted in: Comics, Manga | Tagged: ai, My Dear Wife Will You Be My Lover, ya

Japan's Bestselling YA Comic Book Of 2026 Was Generated By A.I.

Japan's bestselling YA comic book of 2026 was generated by A.I. - this is My Dear Wife, Will You Be My Lover?

Published Wed, 07 Jan 2026 06:28:04 -0600

Article Summary

Japan's top YA comic of 2026, "My Dear Wife, Will You Be My Lover?", was created using A.I.-generated images
The manga shot to #1 on Comic CmoA but received mixed reviews for art repetition and dialogue style
Industry insiders worry that hot-selling A.I. comics may flood the market and threaten human artists' jobs
This is the first major A.I.-driven manga hit in Japan, and debate rages over entertainment vs. authorship

Last week, a new manga titled Tsuma yo, Boku no Koibito ni Natte Kuremasen ka? or My Dear Wife, Will You Be My Lover? exploded onto Japan's digital comics scene. Released on December 28th as a four-volume comic by a creator called mamaya and published by Studio Zoom, it quickly climbed to the top of the Young Adult category on Comic CmoA, Japan's largest ebook platform, and is currently ranked ninth overall. The official description on Comic CmoA openly states, "This work was created using AI-generated images".

Japan's Bestselling YA Comic Book Is Generated By A.I. — My Dear Wife, Will You Be My Lover?

And while sales of My Dear Wife, Will You Be My Lover? soared, critical reception was less so. It has averaged around 3.1 stars on Comic CmoA, with complaints about repetitive character designs, often described as "copy-pasted" onto flat backgrounds, overly verbose dialogue resembling a novel more than typical manga pacing, and infrequent intimate scenes despite the premise. Some reviewers praise the attractive AI-rendered artwork and character appeal, but many find the overall execution lacking

The story follows Takumi Ota, a 35-year-old salaryman, and his wife Mizuki, a working couple with adorable children who appear happily married from the outside. However, their marriage is now sexless and Takumi resolves to "court" his wife all over again. The bigger story, however, is the manga's production method. In an industry built on the craftsmanship of human artists and writers, an AI-created title topping charts has alarmed other creators. Manga editor Kazuaki Ishibashi (known for Mob Psycho 100) noted on X that general readers seem indifferent to the AI origin, prioritising entertainment over authorship, a sign that AI tools are becoming normalised. Critics worry this will flood the market with low-effort AI content, or AI slop, undermining human artists' livelihoods. Some speculate about manipulated rankings via bots or promotions. Others express outright disappointment that platforms like Comic CmoA allow such works, with calls for boycotts.

My Dear Wife, Will You Be My Lover? is, however, the first major commercial comics hit explicitly relying on AI for visuals. Unless Comic CmoA changes its publication policies and others follow suit, it will not be the last. The first chapter has been made available for free. Right to left, remember…