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Kadokawa Prints Haruhi's Chinese Comic, 1st Fanbook
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Japan's Kadokawa Group collaborated with a Chinese publisher to release an official Chinese comic of Nagaru Tanigawa's The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya light novel on Wednesday. Meanwhile, back in Japan, Kadokawa Shoten will publish Suzumiya Haruhi no Kansoku (The Observation of Haruhi Suzumiya), the first official fanbook guide from the editors of the Haruhi Suzumiya light novels' Sneaker Bunko imprint.
The Chinese government restricts the publication of translated foreign comics within its borders to protect its domestic industry. As a result, the Kadokawa Group and a local publisher hired a Chinese artist to adapt The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya into a comic. The resulting book went on sale in bookstores in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. Saori Yoshida, the editor-in-chief of Kadokawa's first editorial division, explained that this new approach allows Japanese works to enter the Chinese market while discouraging piracy.
The first official guide for the Haruhi Suzumiya light novels will ship on June 15. The fanbook covers the series up to Suzumiya Haruhi no Kyōgaku (The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya), the latest light novel which shipped on Wednesday. In particular, the book features "secrets" about new characters in the latest novel. It also has excerpts from Tanigawa's manuscripts that have yet to be published in trade paperback book form, as well as art drawn by original illustrator Noizi Ito.
Sources: NHK News, Kadokawa via Temple Knights
