This year's 21st issue of Shogakukan 's Big Comic magazine published a new chapter of Osamu Eya and Kaiji Kawaguchi 's Kūbo Ibuki (Aircraft Carrier Ibuki) manga on Friday. The chapter is the first since the manga entered a hiatus in its 100th chapter on May 25. In addition, the magazine also revealed that the manga's final three chapters will serialize over the magazine's next three issues, ending with the 103rd chapter in the magazine's 24th issue on December 10.

In the manga's story, the state of world affairs is changing at a dizzying pace. This is particularly clear in the growing military strength of countries neighboring Japan, issue of resources on the sea floor, disaster relief, underwater transport, maintaining order on the high seas, and island defense. In response to a near-skirmish with China near the disputed Senkaku Islands, Japan builds the Ibuki aircraft carrier.

Kawaguchi launched the series in collaboration with journalist Eya in Big Comic in 2014. Shogakukan released the manga's 12th volume on April 26. The manga won the Best General Manga award at the 63rd Shogakukan Manga Awards in January 2018. The series' volumes have more than 3 million copies in print. The manga inspired a live-action film adaptation that opened in Japan on May 24.

Kawaguchi ended his Zipang: Shinsō Kairyū manga in November. The manga is unrelated to his earlier time-traveling war manga Zipang , which he also drew in Kodansha 's Morning magazine until 2009.

Viz Media published Kawaguchi's political manga Eagle in North America. Central Park Media released the naval anime special The Silent Service inspired by Kawaguchi's manga, and Geneon Entertainment (USA) released the Zipang television anime.