News

Seven Seas Licenses Thunderbolt Fantasy, Monotone Blue Manga

Seven Seas Entertainment announced on Wednesday that it has licensed the Thunderbolt Fantasy manga, the Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid in Full Color: Chromatic Edition manga, Free Life Fantasy: Immortal Princess light novels and manga, Monotone Blue manga, and A Chinese Fantasy manga.

Seven Seas will release Yui Sakuma's Thunderbolt Fantasy manga in two "deluxe, oversized" omnibus volumes, each containing two volumes from the original Japanese release. The first omnibus volume will ship in October 2022. Seven Seas describes the manga:

In an ancient kingdom, a vicious warlord is on the hunt for a magic sword. Dan Fei has spent her whole life guarding the coveted Sword of Divine Retribution--legends say its power is great enough to smite demons and shake the heavens. The master of the evil Xuan Gui Zong sect will stop at nothing to possess it, and dispatches his warriors to steal the holy blade. Fleeing their pursuit, Dan Fei must rely on the unexpected help of two unusual strangers, who are powerful swordsmen themselves. Like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, a thrilling wuxia fantasy saga begins!

The manga adapts Nitroplus, Good Smile Company, and Taiwanese company PILI's Thunderbolt Fantasy (Thunderbolt Fantasy: Tōriken Kōki) puppet television series. The manga launched in Kodansha's Morning magazine in July 2016, and ended in April 2017 with four volumes.

The series also inspired the Thunderbolt Fantasy: Otome Genyūki side-story manga by Kairi Shimotsuki (Brave 10).

Seven Seas will release the first volume of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid in Full Color: Chromatic Edition, the full color edition of Coolkyoushinja's Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon) manga, in August 2022. Seven Seas describes the manga:

Miss Kobayashi is an overworked office lady whose life is turned upside-down when Tohru, a magical dragon from another world, lands in her life. Now, select stories from the incredibly popular manga series Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid have been recreated in full color and gathered into one best-of volume!

Futabasha released the first full color volume in Japan on July 12. Seven Seas Entertainment is also releasing the original manga.

Coolkyoushinja began the ongoing Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid manga in the inaugural issue of Monthly Action magazine in May 2013.

The series inspired an anime adaptation by Kyoto Animation that premiered in Japan in January 2017. Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired in Japan, and Funimation streamed an English dub. Funimation released the anime on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in April 2020.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S, the anime's second season, premiered on July 7, and recently aired its final episode on Thursday. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired in Japan, and Funiamtion is streaming an English dub. The anime will get a special "Volume S" on Blu-ray Disc and DVD that will include an unaired episode titled "Nippon no Omotenashi (Attend wa Dragon Desu)" (Japanese Hospitality (My Attendant Is a Dragon)). Volume S will ship on January 19, 2022.

Seven Seas will release the first volume of Akisuzu Nenohi and Sherry's Free Life Fantasy: Immortal Princess light novels under its Airship imprint in August 2022, while the first volume of Ao Sonohara's manga adaptation of the novels will ship in September 2022. Seven Seas describes the story:

Tsukishiro Kotone doesn't consider herself much of a gamer. That is, until she's introduced to the virtual reality game “Free Life Fantasy Online,” also known as FLFO, by her game-savvy sister. In FLFO, Kotone decides to become a Zombie, one of the game's inhuman races--a race that's said to be quite difficult to master, even for experienced players. Why not, right? When Kotone embarks on her first quest in the darkness of the catacombs, controlling a fascinating undead body, little does she know that this game is about to become a huge part of her real life. Join the virtual adventure in this gaming tale about an online world like no other!

Nenohi began serializing the story in the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in November 2018, and it is still ongoing. Kodansha also released the first print volume with illustrations by Sherry in November 2018, and it released the sixth volume on September 2.

Ao Sonohara launched the manga adaptation in Kodansha's Suiyōbi no Sirius manga section on the Nico Nico Seiga website in December 2019. Kodansha released the fifth volume on October 5.

Seven Seas will release Nagabe's Monotone Blue manga in one volume in August 2022. The company describes the manga:

Hachi the cat finds most things monotonous, but at the top of his list is high school and all that comes with it. But when Aoi the lizard--a quiet, high-achieving transfer student--arrives, Hachi catches a glimpse of a brighter, more colorful life. If Hachi can help Aoi open up, unlocking new feelings in the process, maybe his life won't be so bland, after all.

The manga is the serialized version of Nagabe's "Escalate" one-shot manga that appeared in the "Kemono Jingai BL Special" anthology manga book in July 2017. Nagabe launched the manga in Be Boy Gold in June 2019, and ended it on February 27. Libre Publishing released the manga's compiled book volume on June 18.

Nagabe recently ended the The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún manga on March 5. The manga's 11th and final volume shipped on April 10. Seven Seas is releasing the manga in English.

Wit Studio produced a 10-minute anime adaptation of the manga that premiered at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal in August 2019. The anime has a DVD that bundled with the limited edition of the manga's eighth compiled book volume in September 2019.

Seven Seas will publish A Chinese Fantasy: The Dragon King's Daughter, the first volume of Yen Samejima's A Chinese Fantasy (Chūgoku Gensōsen) manga, in September 2022. The company describes the manga:

Even dragons fall in love! This beautiful retelling of Chinese folktales highlights the relationships between humans and non-humans. Whether fantastical, like the love story of the Dragon King's daughter, or intense, like the connection between beast and hunter, this collection of five stories builds on traditional lore and storytelling. Future volumes in the series will explore more Chinese-inspired tales about foxes, tigers, and beyond!

Semajima launched the manga in Futabasha's Web Action website in April 2020. Futabasha published the second volume, titled Kitsune no Okite (The Fox's Code), on November 18.

Source: Press releases