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Blade of the Immortal's Hiroaki Samura Draws New 1-Shot

The January 2022 issue of Kodansha's Afternoon magazine revealed on Monday that Hiroaki Samura is drawing a new one-shot manga tentatively titled "Yuri & Samura" in the magazine's next issue on December 25. The one-shot will have a color opening page. The one-shot will focus on former Afternoon editor Kōichi Yuri and his relationship with a rookie Samura. The announcement noted that Yuri was an editor in the magazine from 1995 to 2002, and is described as making Afternoon "what it is today."

Samura launched the Wave, Listen to Me! (Nami yo Kiite Kure) manga (seen right) in Afternoon July 2014. Kodansha published the manga's eighth compiled book volume in October 2020. Kodansha Comics licensed the manga and began simultaneous publication of the manga on Crunchyroll in 2018, releasing new chapters worldwide (except Japan) as they launch in Japan. Kodansha Comics is also releasing the manga in print, and it released the seventh volume on October 17.

Samura's Blade of the Immortal manga inspired a television anime in 2008, and Media Blasters released the anime in English. Takashi Miike's live-action film adaptation of the manga premiered in Japan in April 2017. The manga inspired a new anime that premiered in October 2019 worldwide (except in some areas) exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

Source: Afternoon January 2022 issue