News: Manga Adaptations of Baku Yumemakura and Yoshitaka Amano’s Novels Centered on Yang Guifei Released

The August issue of Akita Shoten‘s Monthly Princess magazine announced on Thursday that Senta Nakazawa will launch a manga titled Yōkihi, Kirara (Yang Guifei, Kirara), based on the novels of writer Baku Yumemakura, illustrator Yoshitaka Amano, and ceramics artist Shōkoku Kanō about Yang Guifei, who is known as one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. The manga will launch in the magazine’s next issue on August 4.

Nakazawa posted a preview image of the manga on Twitter on Thursday.

The historical fantasy romance centers on Yōgyoku Kan (or Yang Yuhuan in Chinese), who lost her parents and now lives with her adoptive parents in cramped conditions. She was naturally born with a rare beauty, and although her beauty troubles her, she wants to know the meaning of love someday.

Enterbrain published Yumemakura’s Yang Guifei novel with illustration by Amano in 2006. Kadokawa published Yumemakura, Amano, and Kanō’s Yōkihi no Bansan (Yang Guifei’s Dinner) novel (image right), based on Yumemakura’s Yang Guifei novel, in 2010.

Yumemakura’s Onmyōji novels are getting their first anime series adaptation, which will premiere on Netflix in 2023. Yumemakura first wrote the franchise as a series of short stories starting in 1986. He then wrote three full-length novels for the franchise, in 2000-2008. The book series also includes several picture books.

The novels inspired the Onmyōji and Onmyoji II live-action films in 2001 and 2003. Reiko Okano drew a 13-volume manga adaptation of the series starting in 1994. The books have also inspired several live-action series in Japan.

Amano is most well known for his contributions to Vampire Hunter D and the Final Fantasy series, as well as his collaboration with English graphic novelist Neil Gaiman on Sandman: The Dream Hunters. He has been in the anime industry since he was 15, when he joined the veteran studio Tatsunoko Production, and has contributed to many anime and video game projects.

Gibiate Project, a global IP development group that includes Amano (Final Fantasy games), developed the Gibiate series. The group announced the anime at Anime Expo 2019. The anime premiered in July 2020. Amano also recently drew the character designs for the Exception Netflix anime, which debuted in October 2022.

Amano is currently working on the ZAN anime, which will debut in 2026 or later.

Source: Monthly Princess August issue

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