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Shogakukan Asia Licenses Mami Kashiwabara's BanG Dream! Manga
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Shogakukan Asia announced on Friday that it has licensed the English-language publishing rights to Mami Kashiwabara's BanG Dream! manga. The manga's first volume is slated for the end of March in Southeast Asia. Shogakukan Asia added that its English-language publishing rights are not restricted to the Southeast Asia region, and it is exploring opportunities to distribute the manga to partners in other regions.
Shogakukan Asia describes the manga:
The newest title from Bushiroad Inc. -- the entertainment company behind Cardfight!! Vanguard, Future Card Buddyfight, Detective Milky Holmes, Weiss Schwarz and other titles – BanG Dream! is a media mix project featuring animated music videos, comics, song releases and much more. What's more, the voice cast for the characters of BanG Dream! also perform in concerts in real-life as the girls' band “Poppin' Party”.Kasumi Toyama has always been captivated by the "beat of the stars". Since then, she's been searching for something... a spark that'll excite and thrill her! Following a trail of star-shaped stickers, she soon stumbles upon a Random Star guitar at her school mate's house! Could this mark the start of something amazing? A sparkling, heart-racing high school life begins for Kasumi as she decides to form a band!
Kashiwabara (Sora no Manimani) launched the manga in Bushiroad's Monthly Bushiroad magazine on April 8 last year. Ko Nakamura is credited with the original story, and ISSEN is credited with the original work. Kadokawa published the manga's first compiled book volume on December 17.
Nakamura launched a manga titled BanG_Dream! Star Beat in Monthly Bushiroad in January 2015. Hakuto Shiroi also launched a separate BanG Dream! manga, Yon-koma Bandori! (4-panel BanG Dream!) in Kadokawa's Dengeki G's Comic last year.
Bushiroad launched the BanG Dream! multimedia project in January 2015. Bushiroad formed the Poppin' Party band for the project in February 2015. The band's members consist of voice actresses who portray the characters in the story, and play the same instruments as their characters. The cast includes: Aimi (Kasumi Toyama) on guitar and vocals, Ayasa Itō (Arisa Ichigaya) on keyboard, Rimi Nishimoto (Rimi Ushigome) on bass, Sae Ootsuka (Tae Hanazono) on lead guitar, and Ayaka Ōhashi (Saaya Yamabuki) on drums.
A 13-episode television anime series premiered in Japan on January 21, and is currently airing. Animax Asia is airing a simulcast of the anime.
