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Joshiraku Gets New Manga One-Shot in July, Blu-ray Box in August
posted on by Egan Loo
The Twitter account for manga creator Kôji Kumeta's Kodansha editing staff confirmed on Monday that Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine will publish a new Joshiraku manga one-shot on July 9. The account and Comic Natalie website also notes that the Joshiraku television anime will get a Blu-ray Box with two new manga chapters on August 12.
The original manga series' artist Yasu is illustrating the Blu-ray set's outer box. The bundled 36-page manga volume will include the new manga chapters and a selection of previous story episodes. The set will also include a 52-page booklet (designed in the style of the mekuri paper prop used by rakugo comedians), a papercraft mekuri stand for the booklet, and disc packaging inspired by the gold-leaf folding screens used in stage performances.
The eight Blu-ray Discs themselves will include all 13 television episodes plus the original anime from the fifth manga's limited edition and other materials. The box will also have two CDs with five character songs, two insert sings, two theme songs, and the 53-track soundtrack. In addition, it will have two DVD-ROMs with over 700 minutes of MP3 files for the anime's spinoff audio program Girls Rakugo Radio JoshiRadi.
Kumeta (Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei) and Yasu (Toradora! novel illustrations) launched the manga about female rakugo comedians in the inaugural issue of Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in 2009. The duo ended the six-volume manga in September 2013. The manga inspired a 12-episode television anime series in 2012 by J.C. Staff.
Kumeta's Kodansha editing staff had teased a new development in the works for Joshiraku this summer. The stage play of the manga was already revealed to run this June in Tokyo.
