Seven Seas announced two exciting changes for their upcoming releases of Little Mushroom and Panguan: The Twelfth Gate: hardcovers and special editions ahoy! (Source: Twitter/X [1, 2], Bluesky [1, 2])
Little Mushroom Hardcovers and Release Changes
Both volumes of Little Mushroom will now be published in deluxe hardcover format, and each volume will include a bonus color art gallery. The deluxe hardcovers will be released in place of the previously announced paperback and special editions.
Although many fans were overjoyed to hear of the planned hardcovers, there was some concern from those who had already preordered the now-cancelled paperback and special edition variants. The planned hardcover release uses the ISBN that previously belonged to the paperback edition, and costs $10 USD more at $29.99 USD. Seven Seas stated that orders for the special edition (which used a different ISBN) should be automatically cancelled by most retailers over the next few days (Source: Twitter/X), but urged buyers to follow up with their respective shops to confirm the status of their orders and to inquire how the price difference would be handled:
To clarify: the Deluxe Hardcovers will be released in place of the paperback and Special Edition. If you pre-ordered before this change, please double-check with the retailer to make sure it has canceled or updated to the new release and price. Sorry for the confusion!
[Source: Seven Seas (Twitter/X)]
Depending on a given company’s policy, larger online retailers will sometimes only charge buyers upon release of a preordered product. However, smaller retailers often need to take money upfront to fund their operations in the interim wait; meaning many will need to settle the balance with buyers who’ve already placed their orders for the paperback. It remains to be seen how individual storefronts will handle this change.
Little Mushroom (Deluxe Hardcover Novel) Vol. 1 is scheduled for release on August 4, 2026. Preorders are available from several major retailers:
U.S.:
Canada:
International:
Disclosure: Some retailers are through affiliate programs and may result in payment or reward to DanmeiNews.com if the item is purchased via provided link. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Little Mushroom
小蘑菇
[Synopsis Provided by Seven Seas Entertainment:]
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?
Little Mushroom (小蘑菇) is a danmei novel by Yi Shi Si Zhou. It began serialization in 2019 and ran for 84 chapters (with 5 Extras). It is available to read in Chinese on JJWXC.
The novel was first licensed for English release by Peach Flower House in 2021, and was re-licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment in 2025 after the former publisher’s closure.
The series has received an audio drama adaptation, as well as a manhua adaptation. The manhua is physically available in English through publisher Aloha Comics.
You can learn more about Little Mushroom in the DanmeiNews catalog.
Panguan: The Twelfth Gate, Now with Special Edition
Panguan: The Twelfth Gate will now have the option of a special edition, which is set to include a bookmark, a poster, stickers, and a yet to be disclosed “bonus item.” As with all of Seven Seas’ danmei special editions, it will be limited to a single print run and will not be available for purchase again after stock is sold out.
When Seven Seas originally announced the license for this series in August 2025, only a standard edition release was planned. Seven Seas has not publicly disclosed how they determine which series receive special editions, but it may be decided in part by projected sales numbers and fan reaction. Panguan joins Remnants of Filth as another danmei series that earned a previously unplanned special edition, perhaps due to warmer than anticipated pre-release numbers.
Panguan: The Twelfth Gate Vol. 1 is scheduled for release on September 1, 2026. Preorders are available from several major retailers:
Panguan: The Twelfth Gate Vol. 1 (Standard Edition) – $19.99 USD
U.S.:
Canada:
International:
Panguan: The Twelfth Gate Vol. 1 (Special Edition) – $29.99 USD
U.S.:
Canada:
Disclosure: Some retailers are through affiliate programs and may result in payment or reward to DanmeiNews.com if the item is purchased via provided link. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Panguan: The Twelfth Gate
判官
[Synopsis Provided by Seven Seas Entertainment:]
As a panguan, a cultivator tasked with putting the dead to rest, Wen Shi has spent a thousand years sending souls on to their next life. But without a soul of his own, he’s trapped in an endless cycle of rebirth, desperately searching for the lost pieces of himself.
Now, reborn for the twelfth time, he feels a constant hunger that can only be satisfied by consuming the dark miasma that clings to the dead. So when failed panguan Xie Wen responds to Wen Shi’s ad for a roommate, Wen Shi is taken aback by the dense miasma cloaking the handsome young man. Smug and irritating, Xie Wen instantly becomes Wen Shi’s most tempting meal. Yet the longer Wen Shi spends with Xie Wen, the more mysterious he seems. Xie Wen appears to know things about Wen Shi even Wen Shi has forgotten—things that could end his millennium of lonely wandering.
Panguan: The Twelfth Gate (判官) is a danmei novel by Mu Su Li. The series is set in the same universe as Three Hundred Years of Longing and Copper Coins. It began serialization in 2020 and ran for 117 chapters (plus 6 Extras), and is available to read in Chinese on JJWXC.
The series has received an audio drama adaptation.
You can learn more about Panguan: The Twelfth Gate in the DanmeiNews catalog.
