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Bamboo Blade, Asu no Yoichi Creators Launch New Manga

Bamboo Blade story creator Masahiro Totsuka and Samurai Harem: Asu no Yoichi manga creator Yuu Minamoto confirmed in a shared April 7 blog entry that they are launching a new series called Haru Polish in the June issue of Akita Shoten's Monthly Shōnen Champion magazine on May 6. Similar to Bamboo Blade, the new series will be a "hyper comedy of bishōjo x Japanese swords!!" The story will center around a high school girl named Haru Okamoto. However, whereas Bamboo Blade depicted the tournament sport of kendō with bamboo swords, Haru Polish will deal with the practice of iai (the drawing and wielding of actual swords).

Totsuka explained that the two manga creators knew each other before and have been discussing plans for working together; both Bamboo Blade and Asu no Yoichi! had been adapted into anime by the same production company (AIC/AIC ASTA) a few years ago. Minamoto added she herself went to a high school where kendō and iai were mandatory subjects for boys and girls, respectively. Minamoto holds a belt in iai.

Yen Press publishes the Bamboo Blade manga in North America, while Tokyopop publishes Samurai Harem: Asu no Yoichi. Funimation released the Bamboo Blade anime, and Sentai Filmworks and Section23 Films released the Asu no Yoichi! anime.

[Via Yaraon!]

Update: Totsuka's art collaborator on the Bamboo Blade manga, Aguri Igarashi, is herself launching a new manga with Saki creator Ritz Kobayashi in Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine.