Disclaimer: DanmeiNews.com is publishing this article as a public service to inform our readership of an ongoing conversation with applicable context. It is not intended as legal commentary nor a condemnation of the parties involved, but rather an overview of publicly available information. The information provided in this article is not exhaustive.
When Hai Tang Books revealed in October 2025 that the original translators for their upcoming English-language release of I Can Do It had been replaced, some fans reacted with concern. It wasn’t the first time the publisher had abruptly replaced a translation team, and memories resurfaced of the contentious split with Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating’s original translators earlier in the year.
What lead to the decision to replace the original translators, why did reactions on social media become so heated, and with this newest change now public, is history already set to repeat itself?
Hai Tang and Fan Translators
Hai Tang Books is a North American danmei publisher that officially introduced itself in January 2025. They are the English branch of an established Chinese-language publishing house known as Cherry-apple Culture & One Bean Culture.
“Cherry-apple Culture & One Bean Culture (樱桃果&一豆) is a dedicated indie publisher with a deep passion for danmei literature. With over five years of experience and more than 100 published works in Chinese, we have established ourselves as a prominent voice in the danmei community. We are excited to announce the launch of our English branch, Hai Tang Books, where we aim to bring the rich and captivating world of danmei literature to a broader audience.
To visit our CN Publishing House:
樱桃果（Cherry-apple Culture)
一豆（One Bean Culture)”—Hai Tang Books (About Us)
The publisher received positive attention after announcing they’d be working with several fan translators—individuals or teams who created previously unauthorized English translations—to bring popular danmei series into the English market. These included two of Jiang Zi Bei’s eSports novels (Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating and I Can Do It) as well as other titles such as A Certain Someone and Mist. Under this arrangement, existing fan translations would be revised and formally published under Hai Tang’s branding.
This model is common in North American danmei publishing; not dissimilar to the way many official translators in similar industries, such as manga and anime, gain their initial experience through unofficial translations. Taking fan translators pro gained particular prominence after Seven Seas Entertainment partnered with fan translators for Heaven Official’s Blessing and The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System, and since then this process has become a norm for both Seven Seas and other danmei publishers. These collaborations are intended to combine a translator’s familiarity with both the source material and fandom with a publisher’s editorial and production resources. They also tend to reassure readers who have experience and trust with the fan translators’ work.
The translators for Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating were announced as Juurensha (translator) and Divetus (editor), while Yan (translator) and Wei (editor) were announced for I Can Do It. Their existing fan translations for these works were generally well-regarded within their respective fandoms, and many readers looked forward to supporting the official editions.
Readers React: Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating Vol. 1
Preorders for Guide Vol. 1 ran from March to April 2025, with shipments reaching readers in late July. As Hai Tang’s first English-language release, fans were curious to see how the official edition compared with the original fan translation.
Shortly after books arrived, readers began reporting concerns. Although the book’s overall design aesthetic received praise, many felt the prose itself read awkwardly and exhibited grammar inconsistencies that were not present in the fan translations they had already read from the same team. Discussion circulated on Reddit and other platforms. [Source: Reddit]
Translators Replaced
On August 15, 2025, members of the original Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating translation team independently posted on Twitter/X that they would not be involved with volumes 3 and 4 of the series.
“I am no longer involved in Haitang’s GHFOD volumes 3 and 4, thank you.”
— Juurensha (Twitter/X)
“I’m also no longer involved with GHFOD vol 3 & 4! 👋”
— Divetus (Twitter/X)
On August 16, Hai Tang publicly confirmed that the team had been dismissed. Some readers interpreted the wording of Hai Tang’s announcement as implying that the original translation team was responsible for the quality issues seen in volume one.
“We truly appreciate your thoughts and will be working with a translator whose style is more in line with our vision.”
[Source: Hai Tang Books (Twitter/X)]
In a reply to a supporter, the publisher also said they were now working with “experienced translators and editors,” which some users read as a critical comparison to the former team.
“Thank you so much for the encouragement—it really means a lot! 🥰 We’re now working closely with experienced translators and editors to make sure the series shines.”
[Source: Hai Tang Books (Twitter/X)]
The following day, August 17, Hai Tang issued an apology. The statement expressed appreciation for the original translation team’s work and clarified that the decision to change teams had been made months earlier.
“Both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 represent a great deal of hard work, and the process has not been without its challenges. To ensure readers receive the best possible experience, we made the decision several months ago to restart the translation with a new team.
We recognize that our initial choice of translation style was not the right fit, and we take full responsibility for that. We’ll continue doing our best to make it up to our readers.
We also sincerely appreciate the efforts of the original team, who were fully compensated for their work on all four volumes. While the collaboration did not continue as we had hoped, we remain grateful for their contributions. Moving forward, our focus is on delivering the highest-quality translation we can for this series.”
[Source: Hai Tang Books (Twitter/X)]
Guide Vol. 2 Preview and Hai Tang’s Response
When Hai Tang released a preview of Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating Vol. 2 on August 19, readers noted that many of the concerns raised about volume one appeared again in the new excerpt, despite the publisher stating they had already begun working with a new team.
Later that same day, Hai Tang posted a longer explanation citing communication difficulties and an alleged unwillingness from the original team to make revisions as a key factor in replacing them. The post also emphasized the publisher’s intention to improve quality going forward.
“First of all, we would like to sincerely apologize for the poor attitude shown by our staff and the confusion surrounding GHFOD during this time, which has caused disappointment and concern among our readers.
After receiving the first two volumes of the GHFOD translation, we have tried to negotiate with the translator and editor to make changes, but increasing the quality of the translation was deemed an unreasonable request by the translator. We understand the importance of the hard work that goes into each translation. After our experience with the first volume, our first choice was to hire a new team to make corrections to the original manuscript. At the time, we truly believed that was the best way to handle the situation, and we hoped we could have finished the whole project in this manner.
After the shipment of the first volume, we have received some well-intentioned suggestions and after carefully considering them, decided to change the translation team from the third volume onwards to ensure that the books are of high quality. We needed a partner that we could communicate well with, who was willing to make changes, and who could work seamlessly with our team.
We would like to emphasize that since the first volume, we have put our heart and soul into our work all in hopes to present the best version of these books to you readers, and though we may have encountered some challenges in the process, our intentions remain unchanged. We thank you for your patience and support. We have since hired a professional team of translators and proofreaders to ensure the quality remains high and consistent in each of our future releases, so that the books are the best that they can be.”
[Source: Hai Tang Books (Twitter/X)]
These posts sparked significant discussion and backlash. Some users questioned the decision to publicly attribute internal production issues to former contractors. Others argued that Hai Tang’s statements conflicted with the known quality of the original fan translation and also did not line up with the timeline the publisher presented for their decision to replace the translation team in response to reader feedback.
Despite the apology “for the poor attitude shown by our staff”, within the hour the Hai Tang Twitter/X account resumed back-and-forths with other users on the platform, and seemed to continue attributing blame to the original translation team.
“If it had been possible to reach an agreement with the translator and editor to produce a more polished work, there would have been no need for us to spend additional time and resources finding a new team. Just like all of you, we wanted to deliver the best possible edition as soon as we could. We cannot avoid mentioning the translator, as we were all directly involved in this matter, but what we can assure you is that everything we have stated is the truth.”
[Source: Hai Tang Books (Twitter/X)]
Simultaneously, they admitted that internal staff at Hai Tang made revisions to the translations but did not allow the translation team to verify that the changes did not introduce errors or misconstrue meaning, while also dismissing the team members’ opinions on issues that were shared.
“If the translator had been willing, like you, to patiently respond to our concerns and had not suggested that because GHFOD is generally informal/modern/gaming related, perhaps these changes could be overlooked—we would never have brought in someone else to revise her draft.”
[Source: Hai Tang Books (Twitter/X)]
“First of all, we would like to acknowledge that the mistakes in the current version you see are entirely our responsibility, as the final revisions were ultimately decided by us.
To clarify: We did not send the modified manuscript back to the original translator, as the team made what we felt were unreasonable requests during the process.”
[Source: Hai Tang Books (Twitter/X)]
Hai Tang proceeded to block several critical commenters, which further escalated online frustration. [Source: Twitter/X, Reddit (1), Reddit (2)]
None of the team members involved in Hai Tang’s projects publicly responded, leading some observers—including professionals uninvolved with Hai Tang [Source: Twitter/X]—to speculate that they might have been under contractual restrictions. Alternatively, the team members may also have simply chosen to abstain from public commentary to retain professional distance, especially as they were already doing professional work for other companies.
The situation gradually quieted, but the incident created lingering concern about Hai Tang’s communication practices and its treatment of those they work with. While replacing staff or contractors on any project is not an issue in itself, the stated reasoning and subsequent public blame put on the original team was seen as disconcertingly unprofessional. Errors then seen in the material boasted as now polished did little to alleviate readers’ worry.
History Repeats: I Can Do It! Translators Dismissed
On October 17, 2025, Hai Tang shared a short preview for I Can Do It! Vol. 1. Sharp-eyed readers noticed via a revised promotional image, and the bottom of the preview itself, that the original fan translation team had been replaced. No further information about this decision is currently public from either Hai Tang or the associated translators.
Unfortunately, the accompanying preview had several grammatical and translation errors, providing little comfort to those already fearing a repeat of Guide‘s issues from only months before. [Source: Reddit]
More concern became apparent over Hai Tang’s other licenses, as many had also been announced with known translation teams attached. At time of writing, all other translators and editors previously credited to Hai Tang’s series appear to remain in place. It is notable in this context, however, that Hai Tang’s most recently announced series—His Fifth Highness Still Doesn’t Know—was revealed with no team members mentioned.
They Can Do It?: Moving Forward
Hai Tang is still a relatively new publisher in the North American region, and with that position has come extended grace from many readers. With a growing library of titles, and some fun design work on the few books already seen, the future could remain bright for Hai Tang and danmei fans alike. But eyes are focused more than ever on their behavior as a company and the quality of the work they stand behind. Optimism remains that lessons were learned, and there’ll be many more books to come, this time without the baggage.
Information on all of Hai Tang’s currently announced books can be seen in the DanmeiNews catalog, as well as the company’s official website.
