A New Series from the Creators of Switch: The Journey to the Afterlife to Save a Dying Husband Begins
The famous manga creator duo naked ape, the minds behind cult works such as Switch and Dolls, have announced their new project after a long wait. The new series, which will begin serialization on Kodansha's Comic Days app on April 14, 2026, is titled Otto ga Shinikaketa Node, Ano Yo ni Tsuremodoshi ni Itta Hanashi ~Shinigami Guide to Meikai e, Tamashii no Kyūshutsu Mission~ (My Husband Was on the Verge of Death, So I Went to the Afterlife to Bring Him Back).
This new story follows the dramatic struggle of a woman who embarks on a dangerous journey to the other world to save the man she loves from the clutches of death. One of the most striking aspects of the series is that the story is based on the real-life supernatural experiences of the famous fortune teller Kihoko Nishi. The naked ape duo will combine Nishi's mystical experiences with their own characteristic and aesthetic drawing style to offer readers a unique rescue operation.
Consisting of Otoh Saki (writer) and Tomomi Nakamura (illustrator), naked ape is best known in the manga world for the Switch series, which was published between 2002 and 2008. Switch, which tells the story of the dark world of narcotics police, was also adapted into a two-part OVA series in 2008. The duo also proved their mastery of storytelling with projects such as the action series Dolls, which ended in 2012, and most recently Bokura no Sennen to Kimi ga Shinu Made no 30-ka Kan, which concluded in 2024.
This new announcement is of great importance as it breaks the group's silence in recent years. Naked ape is known for writing dark yet aesthetic stories with psychological depth. Although the title of the new series is reminiscent of a long and modern style, the duo's mature tone in the past suggests that this story will offer much more than a classic fantasy. This adventure, which will begin on April 14, is a candidate to be one of the most ambitious works of the spring season for both old fans and readers who will be meeting the duo's style for the first time.
