Volume 1 of the manga BRAIN ALIVE goes on sale on Monday, December 7, 2026. The series is serialized on the manga site カドコミ, which is run by KADOKAWA.
Rafal Jaki, who served as executive producer on the anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (Season 1), writes the story, and MACHINE GAMU draws the art. The result is a dark fantasy.
The Story
The protagonist is Daniel, who lost his wife, Yui, in a traffic accident. His son, Hiro, has also been left unconscious. While continuing to care for Hiro, Daniel falls asleep and wanders into a world unlike reality. Monsters stand in his way there, and he is reunited with the soul of Yui, who was supposed to be dead. Guided by Yui, he moves forward to save Hiro.
Behind the Work
The work grew out of Rafal Jaki's own experience as a parent. When his son was born, he felt a strong desire to protect him at all costs, but also fear that he might lose him and a sense of helplessness at being unable to do anything about it. Drawing on that experience, the manga portrays a father who faces hardship and overcomes it.
Rafal Jaki's roots are also reflected in the world of the work. Born in Poland, he studied Japanese studies at the University of Warsaw. He brings Japanese yokai together with myths and folklore handed down among Slavic peoples, including those of Poland and other parts of Central and Eastern Europe. A world that blends the two cultures of Poland and Japan is one of the work's major features.
Comments from the Creators
Story: Rafal Jaki
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking an interest in BRAIN ALIVE out of so many works and for giving it your time.
This story was born from my own experience of becoming a parent. When my son was born, I felt a strong desire to protect him at all costs, but I also came to feel fear that I might lose him and a sense of helplessness that there was nothing I could do. Through Daniel, the protagonist and a father, I portray a father confronting and overcoming that helplessness.
In building the world, I was greatly influenced by the film Inception by director Christopher Nolan, whom I admire, and by Soulsborne-style games. Above all, the core of this work is the fusion of two cultures, Poland and Japan. I am from Poland and studied Japanese studies at the University of Warsaw. I have brought the Japanese yokai I love and Slavic mythology into the dream world of Hiro, who is half Polish and half Japanese, fusing the two cultures.
We devoted ourselves fully to this story. I would be happy if you would continue to follow the intricately intertwined dream journey that Daniel, Hiro, and Yui take.
Art: MACHINE GAMU
To everyone who has read BRAIN ALIVE, thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed it!
Book Information
BRAIN ALIVE 1
- Story: Rafal Jaki
- Art: MACHINE GAMU
- Release date: Monday, December 7, 2026
- Price: ¥979 (¥890 plus tax)
- Format: B6
- Pages: 192
- ISBN: 9784046858160
- Synopsis: Daniel loses his wife, Yui, in a traffic accident, and his son, Hiro, is left unconscious. While tending to Hiro, Daniel falls asleep and wanders into a world unlike reality. In that world where monsters stand in his way, Daniel is guided by the soul of Yui, who was supposed to be dead, and sets out to confront them to save Hiro, but...!?
BRAIN ALIVE Chapter 1 Trial Reading
Please read from right to left.
