Matsurika's manga adaptation of a Shosetsuka ni Naro web novel has been axed due to confirmed plagiarism.
The Kodansha Monthly Shonen Magazine Editorial Department has released a statement on its official Japanese website that Matsurika's manga adaptation of お幸せに、婚約者様。私も私で、幸せになりますので (unofficial English title: Congratulations, My Fiancé. I, Too, Will Find My Own Happiness) has been cancelled from publication.
The reason disclosed by the Editorial Department is that the artist has confirmed that they (machine translation) “[have] come forward with the statement that they had engaged in imitation that exceeded the scope of reference materials.”
Why did Kodansha cancel a manga adaptation?
The complete statement by Kodansha, through a machine translation, reads:
To our readers
Numerous similarities have been found in the artwork of the comic adaptation of "I Wish You Happiness, My Fiancé. I Will Be Happy in My Own Way." with other works.
Upon confirming the facts with the artist, Matsurika, she admitted that she had imitated other works beyond the scope of reference materials.
The Monthly Shonen Magazine editorial department takes this matter very seriously and has decided to suspend distribution on Palcy, Gekkan Maga Kichi, and Comic DAYS, as well as to terminate the serialization of the comic adaptation of "I Wish You Happiness, My Fiancé. I Will Be Happy in My Own Way."
In addition, her one-shot work "On the Bridge of Those Who Want to Die" will also be removed from Comic DAYS due to the same circumstances.
The editorial department takes this matter very seriously and will strive to review and strengthen its checking system to ensure that such an incident never happens again.
We sincerely apologize for the great inconvenience caused to our readers who have supported this work, as well as to all those involved.
Although the works plagiarised by the artist, Matsurika, was unmentioned, many eagle-eyed fans noticed that a page from their adaptation directly plagiarised a similar page from the manga “Snow White With The Red Hair”.
Apparently, the similarities were already blatant to some readers even before the Editorial department came forward with the cancellation of the series.
The “Congratulations, My Fiancé. I, Too, Will Find My Own Happiness.” adapts the light novel series written by Gorogoromikan and HIROKAZU. The manga's first chapter launched on the Comic Days website just this February, with the latest chapter releasing last 3 March.
Due to the plagiarism, the manga adpatation has been cancelled, and will be withdrawn from distribution on Palcy, Getsumaga Kichi, and Comic Days. Additionally, Matsurika's previous one-shot, “On the Bridge of Those Who Want To Die” has been removed from Comic Days.