Socrates in Love Artist Kazumi Kazui's New Manga Launches on September 8
Kazumi Kazui, the shoujo artist known for the Socrates in Love manga adaptation, returns with her new series Anata no Koto ga Ki ni Iranai. According to Anime News Network, the manga will begin serialization in Shogakukan's Betsucomi magazine on September 8, and its title means "I Don't Like You."
Kazui is particularly known for her adaptation of Kyoichi Katayama's bestselling novel Socrates in Love (originally titled Sekai no Chūshin de, Ai o Sakebu in Japanese). Published in 2001, the novel tells the bittersweet story of high school student Sakutaro and Aki, who is battling leukemia; it quickly reached millions of readers and became a phenomenon in Japan. The novel was adapted into a film in 2004 and television in 2005. Kazui's manga version also became one of the most important adaptations that brought this story to shoujo readers, and it was released in North America via VIZ Media.
While details about the new series' story are still limited, the title points to the classic "hatred turning into love" dynamics of the shoujo genre. Fans are eager to see Kazui's delicate artwork and emotional storytelling seen in Socrates in Love in this project as well. Betsucomi's September issue is already marked on the calendar for both Kazui fans and readers looking for a new love story.
Kazumi Kazui's return is significant as it shows that one of the names that raised the shoujo manga generation of the early 2000s is active again. After the manga's first chapter is published, it can be expected that licensing deals both in Japan and abroad will quickly come to the fore. September 8 is set to host one of the most notable reunions for romantic manga fans this year.
