Shinbun Saturday: Naruto Fanfiction Gets a Drama CD

Welcome to another edition of Shinbun Saturday! We’re finally saying goodbye to our last traces of snow here in the Mid-Atlantic…just in time for another snowstorm early next week. Winter, why do you hate us so? Here’s to hoping the local meteorologists are wrong!

To start off things, let’s talk about fanfiction. People who’ve been in the anime and manga fandom for a while know that we have a thriving community, and that one of the biggest fandoms is none other than Naruto. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s the series that never ends.

I don’t read any Naruto fanfiction these days but I remember the pre-Shippuden (aka pre-time skip) times with great fondness. So many fun stories! Why am I bringing this up now? Japanese convenience store chain Circle K Sankus has announced that they’re releasing BL drama CD featuring a couple that looks suspiciously familiar. While the drama CD isn’t officially connected to Naruto in any way, it’s purportedly based on the English-language Sasuke/Naruto fanfiction, “Yours for an Hour;” the two main characters are portrayed by the same actors who voiced Sasuke and Naruto in the anime; and the illustrations are drawn by an artist famous for her Sasuke x Naruto fanart. Hmm… In a post-50 Shades of Grey world, this kind of thing isn’t new anymore but I do find the intersection of English-language fandom and Japanese industry to be very interesting.

In another example of fandom’s creativity, a horror fan recreated some scenes from Junji Ito’s works with make-up. If you’re a fan of Japanese horror, chances are you’ve stumbled across an Ito manga or two and perhaps had a nightmare because of it. The Enigma of Amigara Fault, anyone?

Inspired by Supernatural Classroom:

Inspired by the eternal feminine force of destruction and mayhem, Tomie:

Recently, Bloomsbury published Manga in America, a book about the North American manga industry. I hadn’t even been aware this book was being released, so I thought this interview with the author, Dr. Casey Brienza, was a good introduction.

And that’s it for this week. Crossing my fingers that we’ll hear something exciting from Katsucon this weekend. Stay tuned!

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Vernieda Vergara

Vernieda Vergara

Writer. Manga and webtoon aficionado. I hail from Washington D.C. where I consume too much media and cause only a little trouble. Tweet me @incitata.

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