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Kemuri Karakara Launches New Short Laughing Under the Clouds Manga

The November issue of Mag Garden's Monthly Comic Garden magazine revealed on Friday that Kemuri Karakara will launch a new manga in the Laughing Under the Clouds (Donten ni Warau) franchise titled Utakata ni Warau. The manga will launch in the magazine's December issue on November 5, and will be a short serialization. The manga will take place 600 years prior to Laughing Under the Clouds.

Karakara published the original Donten ni Warau manga in Mag Garden's Monthly Comic Avarus magazine from 2011-2013. Karakara launched the Donten ni Warau Gaiden manga on Mag Garden's "Beat's" manga site in 2014, and ended the series in February 2017.

The original manga's story takes place in the 11th year of the Meiji era, when the number of people in Japan who feel dissatisfaction toward the government are increasing due to the increasing speed of Westernization and the ban on samurai. In order to curb the increased rate of crime, the government opens a new prison. The three brothers of the Kumo family are entrusted with the duty of transporting these criminals to the new prison, but adventures await them on the way.

The original manga inspired a 12-episode anime in 2014 and a live-action film that opened on March 21. A live-action spinoff prequel work streamed online on January 1.

The Donten ni Warau Gaiden manga inspired a trilogy anime film adaptation. Donten ni Warau Gaiden: Ketsubetsu, Yamainu no Chikai (Parting, The Oath of the Yamainu), the first film, opened in Japan in December. Donten ni Warau Gaiden: Shukumei, Sōtō no Fūma (Fate, The Double-Headed Fūma), the second film, opened in Japan on June 9. Eleven Arts opened both films in the United States on August 24.

The third film, Donten ni Warau Gaiden: Ōka, Tenbō no Kakyū (Cherry Blossoms, the Bridge to Heavenly Wishes), opened in Japan on September 1 and screened for two weeks. Eleven Arts will screen the film in 2019.

Sources: Monthly Comic Garden November issue, Comic Natalie