News
Vertical Licenses Katanagatari, Dark Maidens, Serial Killer Detective Novels
posted on by Karen Ressler
Vertical announced at its Anime Boston panel on Friday that it has licensed NisiOisin's Katanagatari and Kabukimonogatari, Rikako Akiyoshi's The Dark Maidens (Ankoku Joshi), Eiji Mikage's Serial Killer Detective (Satsujinki Tantei no Netsuzō Bigaku) novels.
The company also confirmed that it will release the Jun Mayuzuki's After the Rain manga in five volumes beginning on September 25. The manga has 10 compiled volumes in Japan.
Kabukimonogatari, Vertical's latest release in NisOisin's Monogatari series, is slated for release later this year. The novel inspired an anime adaptation as part of the Monogatari Series Second Season anime.
Vertical will begin releasing Katanagatari in November. It will release four 3-in-1 volumes.
Kodansha published 12 volumes in Katanagatari — one for every month of 2007. The historical epic centers on Shichika Yasuri, the seventh generational head of the Kyotō-ryū school of martial arts in medieval Japan. He and his older sister Nanami live on an isolated island, until a military advisor named Togame tells him of the final 12 swords forged by a legendary swordsmith. At Togame's bidding, Shichika embarks on a journey to find all 12 of the swords.
The novels inspired an anime in 2010. NIS America released the anime in North America.
Vertical will release The Dark Maidens on May 29.
The novel is set at a school named the Virgin Mary Girls Academy, where Itsumi Shiraishi, the beautiful daughter of the school's director, recently died. Whether the death was an accident, a suicide, or a murder remains a mystery, known only to the lily that Itsumi clutched in her hand as she died. Rumors begin to circulate that the members of the literature club that Itsumi supervised were responsible for her death. With leadership of the club transferring to Sayuri Sumikawa, the club members continue their practice of reading short stories they wrote to each other. One week, they meet to read stories with theme of "Itsumi Shiraishi's death," with each of the five members intent on using their own story to discover who among them murdered Itsumi.
Akiyoshi initially serialized the story in Futabasha's Shōsetsu Suiri magazine and Futabasha published the story in a novel in June 2013. Futabasha also digitally published a two-volume manga adaptation by Yuna Anisaki in March 2015.
The novel inspired a live-action film in 2017. Anime screenwriter Mari Okada wrote the script as her first live-action project.
Vertical has not set a release date for Serial Killer Detective, but is aiming for a fall release.
The story follows a man who is a detective by day and a serial killer by night. The presenters compared the premise to the television show Dexter.
Kodansha published the novel in November 2017. Yen Press licensed Mikage's The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria novel series.
Update: After the Rain details corrected. Thanks, brynhild.
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history