Welcome to another week of manga news! It’s my hope that you’re reading this with sunlight streaming through your windows, as I’m currently typing away with 5 centimetres of snow on the ground. That said, I think this week’s headlines might brighten up some days.
Fans of classic manga Cardcaptor Sakura received confirmation of a new title from CLAMP early on Thursday! While details are scant, the article hints that the new manga will not be a full series, and that Nakayoshi magazine would publish it in future issues.
This news comes on the cusp of Cardcaptor Sakura’s 20th anniversary in May, and several celebrations have already been planned, including a rerun of the original anime arc on NHK’s BS Premium channel. It might be time for me to revisit Sakura’s story in the manga, as my only experience of the series was through the anime on Cartoon Network, and catch up before the new manga comes out!
Speaking of revisiting old favourites, Nodame’s returning to play another symphony for readers. Japan Today reported that Tomoko Ninomiya has published a one-shot in Kiss Magazine’s April issue, published last week. The new issue is, of course, centered around Nodame as she’s about to turn 30 years old, five years after the last issue of the manga.
While you’re waiting for that new issue to be translated, it might be worth checking out the finalists for this year’s Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize. Among the titles nominated are: Orange by Ichigo Takano, a slice of life story; Chihayafuru by Yuki Suetsugu, a shoujo title; Chou-no-Michiyuki by Kan Takahama, a historical manga; and Hanagami Sharaki by Kei Ichinoseki, which looks at the traditional Japanese art of kabuki and ukiyo-e. The winner of the 20th Cultural Prize will be announced in April, with an awards ceremony to follow the next month.
Looks like lots of amazing reading is in your future–see you next week for more manga updates!
