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Comic Boost Manga Site Launches With New Manga by Ryo Ikuemi, Jingu Takao, More

Gentosha launched its Comic Boost manga website on Tuesday with a new manga serialization by Ryo Ikuemi. In the next few months, the website is slated to launch seven other manga, including new manga by Jingu Takao, Natsuki Sumeragi, Kei Toume, and Yuji Shiozaki. The new site is a relaunch of Gentosha's previous Denshi Birz website.

Ryo Ikuemi is drawing the new manga titled Eine Kleine Nachtmusic (seen right), based on the novel by Kōtarō Isaka. The manga centers on an office worker whose wife leaves him, a beautician who falls in love with someone only by their voice, and a female office worker who meets her former bully.

Ikuemi's Pops manga inspired an original video anime in 1993, her Kiyoku Yawaku manga inspired a live-action film adaptation in 2013, and her Anata no Koto wa Sorehodo inspired a live-action television series in 2017. Most recently, Ikuemi's Principal manga inspired a live-action film that opened in Japan last March. JManga digitally distributed Ikuemi's Cousin manga in English before also closing its doors.

Ikuemi most recently ended her Taiyō ga Miteiru (Kamoshirenai Kara) manga last May. She launched the series in Cookie in March 2014. Shueisha published the manga's eighth and final volume last July.

Jingu Takao will launch the Furari Guesthouse (Aimless Guesthouse) on February 1. The manga centers on Kokoro, a girl who is tired out from being busy every day. She goes to a guesthouse to refresh herself.

Takao previously collaborated with Masahiro Totsuka on the Bamboo Blade C manga. The manga debuted in the June 2013 issue of Monthly Big Gangan, and ended in August 2016. Square Enix published seven compiled book volumes for the manga. Totsuka wrote the story while Takao drew the manga.

Natsuki Sumeragi is drawing the new manga Mitsubachi to Enrai (Honey Bee and Distant Thunder), based on the Naoki Prize-winning novel by writer Riku Onda. The manga launches on February 8. The story is a teenage ensemble drama that focuses on an international piano competition.

Sumeragi drew the character designs for the Guin Saga anime. Sumeragi also previously adapted Kazuo Koike's Yume Genji Tsurugi no Saimon novel into manga.

Kei Toume will launch the manga Hōkago Cinema (After School Cinema) sometime in or after March. The short color manga will center on Maki and Noe, who both love movies. The manga will show the pair watching movies, from sci-fi, to horror, romance, and road movies, and discussing their thoughts on the movies.

Tokyopop published Toume's Lament of the Lamb manga in English. Lament of the Lamb inspired a four-episode original video animation (OVA) in 2003. Toume launched Kūden Noise no Himegimi (Static Noise Princess) in Gentosha's Comic Birz magazine in July 2016, and Gentosha will publish the third compiled volume on January 24. Comic Birz ended serialization last June. The manga relaunched in Kodansha's Evening magazine on January 9 as a continuation with the new title Kūden no Himegimi (Static Princess).

Yuji Shiozaki is launching the new manga Akinohashi no Oni, Hito o Kurafu Katari (The Story of the Man-Eating Demon at Akinohashi), based on the story by Baku Yumemakura.

Shiozaki launched the manga Ikki Tousen (Battle Vixens) in Wani Books' Monthly Comic Gum magazine in 2000, and serialized it in the magazine until it suspended publication in May 2015. Shiozaki then continued to serialize the manga on the Monthly Comic Gum website, which was renamed WEB Comic Gum, until August 2015. Shiozaki launched Shin Ikki Tousen in Shonengahosha's Young King Ours magazine in 2015, and the third compiled book volume shipped last April. Tokyopop held the license to Yuji Shiozaki's original manga in North America under the name Battle Vixens until the company closed its North American publishing branch in 2011. A spinoff, Ikki Tousen Gaiden, launched in Shonengahosha's new Young King BULL magazine last year.

The main manga has inspired four television anime and three OVA adaptations, with a new three-episode OVA titled Ikki Tousen: Western Wolves that will ship on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on February 27, with television airings on AT-X on January 3, February 3, and March 3.

Source: Comic Boost, Comic Natalie