Exciting news for manga fans as Yūji Takemura and Kurano are set to launch new manga series, while the popular Ushijima the Loan Shark franchise expands with a new spinoff by Youichi! This spring promises a fresh wave of content for manga enthusiasts.
Yūji Takemura’s Idol Selection Game Launches
Yūsuke Ochiai and Yūji Takemura are collaborating on a new manga titled Gūzō Senbatsu Game (Idol Selection Game), which launched on March 14. Ochiai is credited with the original story, with Takemura handling the art. Takemura, known for Gifū Dōdō!!, which inspired a 2013 anime adaptation streamed by Crunchyroll, is teaming up with Ochiai to create this exciting new series. The “idol death game” manga is set in an era of intense idol competition, where 527 idols are invited to “THE FINAL” idol audition, offering them another chance to shine on stage.
Takemura has worked as an assistant to Yamada Takatoshi. His other notable works include Bengoshi Aran Rikunori wa Mangaka ni Naritai (Rikunori Aran, Attorney at Law, Wants to Be a Manga Creator), which centers on a rookie manga assistant.
Kurano’s The Imperial Capital’s Hidden Shrine Maiden Begins Serialization
Kurano launched the Teito no Kakushimiko (The Imperial Capital’s Hidden Shrine Maiden) manga on March 18. This new series is an adaptation of Ichiha Hiiragi’s light novel series of the same name. The story follows Ruri Takizawa, the daughter of a long-established clan of diviners, whose life takes a turn after her parents’ death. She encounters Izumi Toshida, a sorcerer who cannot see spirits, who might be her opportunity to escape her difficult situation.
Kurano is also known for I Cross-Dressed for the IRL Meetup, a romantic comedy manga series that ran from January 2020 to November 2022. The series follows Cocoa, a young man who dresses as a woman to attend meetups and develops feelings for another cross-dressing man named Opera. Kodansha USA licensed the manga for English publication.
Ushijima the Loan Shark Gets Namerikawa-Gumi Yakuza Meshi Spinoff
Youichi is launching a new spinoff manga of Shohei Manabe’s Ushijima the Loan Shark manga titled Namerikawa-Gumi Yakuza Meshi (Namerikawa Group’s Yakuza Meals) on March 24. This spinoff focuses on the meals of the Namerikawa yakuza group, led by Hidenobu Namerikawa, along with his sworn younger brothers Kajio and Tobita, and their apprentice Chūbō.
The Ushijima the Loan Shark manga series by Shohei Manabe was serialized in Weekly Big Comic Spirits from 2004 to March 2019. The manga won the General category of the 56th Shogakukan Manga Awards in 2011. The series has also been adapted into live-action television series and films.
This isn’t the first spinoff for Ushijima the Loan Shark. Other spinoffs include:
- Yamikin Ushijima-kun Gaiden: Ramen Namerikawa-san by Ōdō Yamazaki.
- Shōnen-in Ushijima-kun (Ushijima-kun in Penal School) by Ōdō Yamazaki.
- Yamikin Ushijima-kun Nikumamushi Densetsu by Yū Hayato.
- Naniwa Time Slip Aizawa-kun by Satoshi Sasasani.
