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Lone Wolf & Cub's Koike Previews His Magical Girl Story

Acclaimed manga creator Kazuo Koike (Lone Wolf and Cub, Crying Freeman) previewed his new magical girl title Mahō Shōjo Mimitsuki Mimi no QED (Magical Girl Mimi Mimitsuki's QED) on Sunday. Koike said that he drew inspiration from author and screenwriter Gen Urobuchi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero) as they discussed story creation during the seventh installment of the live Koike Kazuo no Nico Nico Character Juku (Kazuo Koike's Nico Nico Character Cram School) net show.

Koike showed online viewers a sketch of his new story's characters during the show. He revealed that Nico Nico Seiga, the slide-show version of Dwango's popular Japanese streaming site Nico Nico Douga, will be involved with the series' distribution. The 76-year-old creator noted throughout the creators' live talk that he was learning new storytelling techniques from Urobuchi, and he hoped to introduce them into his upcoming story.

Revealed in the fifth installment of Koike's net show, Mahō Shōjo Mimitsuki Mimi no QED centers on a magical girl who travels to the human world to learn about advanced technology. Koike explained the title's concept during the previous episode and said "what once was magic is no longer magic, thanks to the progress of science and medicine." Koike acknowledged the real-world issue of fewer females enrolling in engineering schools and announced that a female engineering school student will illustrate Mahō Shōjo Mimitsuki Mimi no QED.

Dark Horse Comics publishes Koike's Lone Wolf and Cub manga in North America, while Media Blasters licensed a Japanese live-action television series based on it. Previously, AnimEigo licensed a Japanese 1972 live-action film version and its five sequels. Both Viz and Dark Horse Comics published Crying Freeman, and Dark Horse Comics also licensed Koike's Lady Snowblood and Color of Rage.