Fans were devastated when Peach Flower House closed down, but with Little Mushroom in the capable hands of Seven Seas, they need not worry.
Seven Seas unveiled the first volume of the deluxe hardcover edition of Little Mushroom. This sci-fi danmei will not have a regular paperback and special edition version, with the hardcover edition replacing both options. The publisher did not offer an explanation behind its decision. The cover definitely has the sci-fi atmosphere with the colors and the gorgeous figure of the little mushroom reaching toward the tower where it holds his spore. Yu and amixy are listed as the translators.
The hardcover will feature printed edges, with Volume 1 featuring Anzhe as a glowing mushroom. The cover of the hardcover features a quote: “Maybe An Ze had been right—he really was just a little mushroom.”
In a future Earth ravaged by radiation, the Northern Base is one of humanity’s last bastions of survival—and that survival depends on keeping nonhuman life forms out at all costs.
Anzhe, a mushroom disguised as a human, knows that stepping foot in the Northern Base is risking instant extermination. But he has no choice: The humans have taken his spore, and he is instinctually driven by the need to reclaim it.
His mission depends on passing flawlessly as a human. While Anzhe is able to fool the Base’s advanced technology, he’s unlucky enough to have caught the keen eye of the handsome but merciless Judge—a man licensed to kill to keep the Northern Base safe from parasites and invaders. Can Anzhe survive under the watch of those beautiful eyes?
Previously, the website for the first volume used “An Zhe” for the synopsis, but the back cover used “Anzhe.” Little Mushroom had previously been published by Peach Flower House and used “An Zhe.” Twitter/X users pointed out the discrepancy in the spelling, which Seven Seas responded on April 3: “As for the character’s name, our Production team is looking into it. Thank you!”
A day later, in a now deleted tweet, the publisher again addressed the name issue. “Hello! We are aware of the error regarding An Zhe’s name and have confirmed with our team that the correction has been made and will be accurate on the physical release. Thank you!”
Two days later, on April 6, Seven Seas responded to another user: “Hello again! After further internal review, there is no mistake: the spellings ‘Anzhe’ and ‘An Ze’ in our edition are intentional. Sorry for earlier confusion on this.” The synopsis was thus changed to “Anzhe.”
The name change caused a wave of criticism from those who had already read the novel, which mainly centered on how “Anzhe” was meant to be a parallel or a mirror of “An Ze” in the story and should have a space. This led to massive vitriol, racism, harassment, and threats against the translation team. On April 7, Seven Seas sent out a warning, which quote retweeted their official statement made on October 24, 2024 that denounced harassment against its employees and contractors:
Re: LITTLE MUSHROOM naming, we understand the debate over our decision, but we trust the recommendations of our professional translators. We’ve also received reports that fans are harassing people who work for us over this, and that must stop. Contact us directly with feedback.
Vol. 1 of Little Mushroom releases on August 4.
Source: Seven Seas Entertainment
