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Bleach Manga Gets 2 Novels Penned by Makoto Matsubara, Ryohgo Narita
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
The wraparound jacket band on the 74th and final compiled book volume of Tite Kubo's Bleach manga revealed on Friday that the franchise will get two novels. Makoto Matsubara, who has written previous novelizations of the manga, will write the first novel. The novel will center on Renji and Rukia, and is slated for December. Ryohgo Narita (Baccano!, Durarara!!) will write the second novel. The novel will focus on Shūhei Hisagi's secret battle, and is slated for 2017.
Kubo launched the manga in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2001, and ended it on August 22. Viz Media published the manga in North America digitally in English as Shueisha published new chapters in Japan. Viz Media is also publishing the manga in print and published the 69th volume on March 7.
The manga inspired a television anime adaptation that ran for 366 episodes from 2004 to 2012. Viz Media obtained the television and home video rights to the anime in 2006. The series premiered with an English dub on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block that same year, and eventually aired all the episodes by 2014. Viz Media announced in June that it will release the television anime series on Blu-ray Disc, and the first volume shipped on July 19.
The manga has also inspired four anime films, a series of novels, and several video games. A series of stage musical adaptations launched in 2005, with the latest entry finishing its run on August 4.
The manga is inspiring live-action film adaptation slated for 2018. Sōta Fukushi (live-action Toshokan Sensō/Library Wars' Hikaru Tezuka, live-action Strobe Edge's Ren Ichinose, live-action Kami-sama no Iu Toori's Shun Takahata) will star in the film as Ichigo Kurosaki, and Shinsuke Satō (live-action Gantz, Gantz II: Perfect Answer films, Oblivion Island anime film) is directing the film.
