Two New Series, Planned by Tales & Co., to Start in Monthly Shonen Magazine

Two new series are set to begin in Kodansha's "Monthly Shonen Magazine" (hereinafter "Gekkan Magazine"). "Aomugi to Hototogisu" (Original story: Yuki Hisao, Manga: Atsumu Wada), which depicts the youth of high school students set against the backdrop of the Haiku Koshien, will begin serialization in the July issue of Gekkan Magazine (on sale June 5th). "Soten no Kyojokoku" (Original story: Miri Mikawa, Manga: Kanba Kohaba), a battle fantasy about overthrowing a castle, will start in the September issue of Gekkan Magazine (on sale August 6th). Both works were adopted by the Gekkan Magazine editorial department from among the projects and works submitted by creators to Tales & Co. Inc., a subsidiary of note Inc. New Series "Aomugi to Hototogisu" Mugi Hongo, a modern high school student, is popular in class, excelling in both academics and sports. She secretly harbors a past failure of trying to write a novel. Meanwhile, Asuka Hoshigoe, also in her class, is quiet and mysterious but a great lover of haiku. When Mugi sees Asuka's haiku, the world of words she once gave up on begins to shine again. A youth girl-meets-boy story spun by haiku! ・Original Story: Yuki Hisao ("Haikei, Sakuramori no Kimi e.", "Hanasaku Kamisama no Hanayome") ・Manga: Atsumu Wada ("Shinjuku no Zashiki Warashi", "Shumatsu no Folklore") ・Magazine: Monthly Shonen Magazine ・Serialization Start: July issue (on sale June 5th) Interview with the Production Team on the Highlights of the New Series (Yuki Hisao × Atsumu Wada × Editor in Charge, Interviewer: Takeshi Hagiwara) https://talesandco.com/n/n7e8d881b9bdb *A part of the interview is also scheduled to be published in the July issue of Monthly Shonen Magazine. The first chapter of the novel version is also available. https://talesandco.com/n/ne26713233d61 New Series "Soten no Kyojokoku" Long ago, there was a giant castle that was a country in itself. Samurai lived in the keep, people on the ground, and yokai and insects underground. Kabutomaru, who lives in the world of insects, has his sister taken away by a samurai. To bring his sister back and bring light to the insect people, Kabutomaru, along with the yokai Shiranui, pushes forward up the stairs of rebellion, to the ground and to the keep! ・Original Story: Miri Mikawa ("Ryuno Kuni Gensou" series, "Sugar Apple Fairy Tale" series) ・Manga: Kanba Kohaba ("Haraeya Amagiri no Koukeisha", "Kono Futari, Kyobo ni Tsuki") ・Magazine: Monthly Shonen Magazine ・Serialization Start: September issue (on sale August 6th) *An interview with the production team on the highlights of the new series (Miri Mikawa × Kanba Kohaba × Editor in Charge, Interviewer: Takeshi Hagiwara) will also be published soon on Tales & Co. Inc.'s note (https://talesandco.com/). How the Series Came to Be "Aomugi to Hototogisu" and "Soten no Kyojokoku" began with an invitation from the Monthly Shonen Magazine editorial department to Tales & Co. Tales & Co. develops a business that connects projects and works submitted by creators with media. This project also originated from that flow, where Tales & Co. introduced manga original projects entrusted by creators, and both parties collaborated to plan and produce the original story. Manga production is handled by the Gekkan Magazine editorial department. Major hit works such as "The Kindaichi Case Files" and "Blue Lock" have been born from the division of labor system where original story writers and manga artists team up to create works. In recent years, this division of labor has further expanded, and cases where creators from different genres, such as novelists and screenwriters, handle manga originals are increasing. Tales & Co. serves as an editorial team that designs and organizes the optimal division of labor system for each work, collaborating with publishers to deliver creators' stories to readers. Creator registration and submission of works to Tales & Co. are accepted on their official website. https://talesandco.com/ Comment from Takeshi Hagiwara, Representative Director and President of Tales & Co. Inc. Tales & Co.'s mission is to maximize the stories entrusted to us by creators. We are very pleased to be able to deliver two works in manga form, together with the Monthly Shonen Magazine editorial department. "Aomugi to Hototogisu" is a work that depicts youth nurtured in the climate of Ehime, centered on haiku, an ancient Japanese culture. We especially encourage those who might feel a bit intimidated by haiku to read it. The charm of this work lies not in knowledge of haiku, but in the characters' "endeavor to feel" as they search for seventeen-syllable words. After reading it, the scenery outside your window will surely look a little different. "Soten no Kyojokoku" is a battle fantasy where boys who grew up in the lowest stratum, unaware of the sky, confront the oppressive ruling class. A country entirely contained within a giant castle.