Akane Torikai’s Bad Babies Don’t Cry Manga Ends: The Conclusion of a Story of Salvation
One of the most courageous and thought-provoking pens in the modern manga world, Akane Torikai, has once again taken her readers on a deep journey with her latest work, Bad Babies Don't Cry (known in Japanese as Bad Baby wa Nakanai). The series, which began its publication in Kodansha’s weekly Morning magazine in July 2024, officially concluded with its final chapter published on June 25, 2026. This journey, which lasted approximately two years, ended with a finale blended with Torikai’s characteristic psychological depth.
Bad Babies Don't Cry featured a plot that skillfully combined elements of drama and mystery. The story revolved around four strangers who saved the life of a 10-year-old girl who attempted suicide at a train station seven years prior. Years later, one of these strangers, 28-year-old office worker Kasumi Kado, encounters the girl again, who is now 17. Facing the shadows of the past, the four strangers are forced to reunite to save the girl once more. Throughout this process, the series also examined the characters' internal traumas and social bonds.
Author Akane Torikai is one of Japan's most influential female mangaka, known particularly for works such as Sensei no Shiroi Uso (Teacher's White Lie) and Saturn Return. Dealing with heavy themes such as gender roles, sexual violence, grief, and alienation in modern society, Torikai continued this tradition with Bad Babies Don't Cry. Nominated for the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2024, the artist continued to push her readers out of their comfort zones and challenge social norms in this series as well.
With the series coming to an end, all eyes are now on the final collected volumes to be published by Kodansha. The manga, which saw its fifth volume hit shelves as of April 2026, is expected to have its final volumes containing the concluding chapters completed shortly. While fans eagerly await Torikai’s next project, whether the jarring story of Bad Babies Don't Cry will be the subject of a live-action adaptation in the future has already begun to be discussed in manga communities.
