A Parade of Stars in the Manga World: New Surprises from Yuu Watase and Nanpei Yamada!
April 28th was quite a busy day for the manga world! Both legendary names and rising stars of the recent period brought their new stories to readers. From Fushigi Yuugi creator Yuu Watase to Tea Prince's Nanpei Yamada, many master artists have taken their places on the shelves with new works in various genres.
One of the most notable headlines is undoubtedly Yuu Watase's new one-shot manga. Published in the June issue of Monthly Flowers magazine, the work titled "Futsuu tte Nan desu ka?" (What is Normal?) offers a profound story that questions social norms and the concept of "normal." Watase, who announced in 2019 that they are X-gender (non-binary), continues to expand their fan base with works that focus on more personal and social issues in recent years.
There is also good news for fans of the BL (Boys' Love) genre. Michelle, the creator of the "Dareka Yume da to Itte Kure" series, which reached over 100 million views on the Manga Mee app, has launched their new series "Sou iu Hoshi no Hito." This new youth story, which follows a mysterious encounter that changes the life of a chronically unlucky young man, has already attracted great attention with the author's unique emotional narrative.
Another exciting collaboration appears in Hakusensha's Melody magazine. "Hyakushi Kochu no Kimi," written by Nanpei Yamada and illustrated by Shigeru Takao (Teru Teru x Shonen), has met readers as a Chinese-themed BL story. This production, where two master names join forces, draws attention with both its historical atmosphere and aesthetic illustrations.
These new announcements show that the manga industry both honors its established names and creates space for new-generation stories through digital platforms. Especially the fact that names who shaped genres, like Yuu Watase, are still actively producing new and thought-provoking works is a great source of motivation for fans. Depending on the popularity of these works, new volume announcements or international licensing news are expected in the coming months.
