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Hello Kitty, Tonari no 801-chan Yaoi Comedy Join Forces

To celebrate the sixth volume of Ajico Kojima's Tonari no 801-chan romantic comedy manga, Kojima is collaborating with Sanrio to create a Hello Kitty/Tonari no 801-chan clear file. Kojima originally created the manga as a web comic on her blog, and it follows a fujoshi (female boys-love/yaoi otaku) named "801-chan" as she juggles her yaoi obsession and her otaku boyfriend Tibe-kun.

When 801-chan's boys-love obsession takes over, it manifests itself as a green furry monster. Kojima based the monster on the mascot for a shopping arcade that happens to be named "801." (The number "801" can be read as the pun "Ya-o-i" in Japanese.)

The clear file, whose design has not been revealed yet, will be bundled with a limited edition of the sixth manga volume from Ohzora Publishing on December 12. The fourth volume bundled the anime short Tonari no 801-chan R. A separate anime adaptation (pictured above) was announced in 2008 but later canceled. The Tonari no 801-chan web comic also provided the source material for two spinoff manga aimed at a younger audience as well as two live-action DVDs.

Hello Kitty's collaboration with another manga/anime franchise, One Piece, just launched on Thursday.

Source: Anime Anime Japan

Images © Sanrio
© Ajico Kojima/Misonobashi 801 Shopping Arcade Promotion Association/Ohzora Publishing