[Shinchosha Co., Ltd.] Queen Akiko’s “Red and Blue Gown”, the first manga adaptation of an imperial essay, will be serialized in a comic! Also includes newly written essay
Shinchosha Co., Ltd. Press release: December 20, 2024 Queen Akiko’s “Red and Blue Gown,” the first manga adaptation of an imperial essay, will be serialized as a comic! Also includes newly written essays The first time I walked around the city alone in my life was in Oxford, not in Japan. Her Royal Highness Queen Akiko’s best-selling essay “The Red and Blue Gown” will be adapted into a comic in January 2025. Serialization started in the issue of Novel Shincho
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47877/1751/47877-1751-57a0791e34eff7752804519c85e204af-1473×2104.jpg “Red and Blue Gown” by Queen Akiko (PHP Bunko) This work depicts the experience of Her Royal Highness Queen Akiko, who became the first female member of the Japanese royal family to obtain a doctorate degree overseas, and her attitude towards carving out a future for herself in a foreign land. Her Royal Highness Queen Akiko’s strong stance in the face of hardship gives courage and hope to all those who are about to take a new step. This work is also a father-daughter story depicting the deep bond between Her Royal Highness Queen Akiko and her father, the late Prince Tomohito. Please also pay attention to the warm interaction between father and daughter. In the comic version, the manga artist Aoi Ikebe’s precise writing beautifully expresses Her Royal Highness Queen Akiko’s life abroad and her emotional struggles, further enhancing the charm of the original work. Please look forward to this new version of “Red and Blue Gown.” *Volume 1 of the comics is scheduled to be released in January 2026. “Novel Shincho” The magazine “Novel Shincho” was first published in 1947 (Showa 22) and is a novel magazine with a history of nearly 80 years. Since its inception, it has been at the center of Japanese entertainment literature, and in recent years, Mina Miyajima’s “Naruse wa Toru wo Iku”, which won the Bookstore Award 2024, and Megumi Hatanaka’s “Shabake” series, which has sold over 10 million copies, etc. We are constantly posting popular works. In addition, we also offer reading materials other than novels, such as essays such as Yuki Iwai’s “No Incidents Happen in My Life” and manga such as Miri Masuda’s “Natsuko Tsuyukusa’s Life” (winner of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Award for Short Story). We are also putting effort into • Author comment Queen Akiko I am very happy that “Red and Blue Gown” will be made into a manga. I have had portraits drawn many times before, but this is the first time I have seen the drawing me move on paper. I can’t wait to see how the charming characters will come to life with Aoi Ikebe’s gentle touch. Aoi Ikebe (manga artist) While reading “The Red and Blue Gown,” I had a wonderful time laughing, cheering, crying, and feeling like I was living that life. I am having fun drawing it, trying to capture the lively moments recorded by Her Royal Highness Queen Akiko’s rich gaze as much as possible, without spoiling it. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Her Royal Highness Queen Akiko for her deep understanding and
consideration of manga. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the editors in charge and everyone else for their efforts. • Author introduction Queen Akiko
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47877/1751/47877-1751-e19b40c512630eb37241e7c9f2087bac-866×866.jpg Born in 1981 (Showa 56) as the first daughter of the late Prince Tomohito. After graduating from Gakushuin University, she studied abroad at Merton College, Oxford University in England, and returned to Japan after becoming the first female member of the imperial family to earn a doctorate (majoring in Japanese art). Currently working as a special professor at the Institute of Japanese Culture at Kyoto Sangyo University, he also holds a number of other positions, including honorary president of the Japan-British Association, president of the Japan-Turkey Association, president of the Japan Professional Ski Teachers Association, and honorary president of the Japan Rugby Football Association. Additionally, in 2012, he established Shinyusha to convey traditional Japanese culture to children, and became its president. Aoi Ikebe
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47877/1751/47877-1751-014f2a4168fd88c0bc9072cf611cf73f-2259×2700.jpg Debuted in 2009. In the same year, he began serializing “Taniai Yasuhito” (Kodansha) (later made into a movie). In 2014, he won the 18th Japan Media Arts Festival Newcomer Award in the manga category for “Dobugawa” (Akita Shoten). This year, “Princess Maison” (Shogakukan) also began serialization. In 2018, he won the Manga Division Grand Prize at the 22nd Japan Media Arts Festival for “Hey, Mama” (Akita Shoten). Other representative works include “Kagome Kagome” (Akita Shoten) and “Weeds, Have Ambitions” (Shodensha). Currently, “Brunch Line” is being serialized in “FEEL YOUNG” (Shodensha), and the manga version of “Red and Blue Gown” will begin serialization in Novel Shincho in December 2024 and in Jellyfish Bunch in January 2025.
