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Exclusive: Irodori Comics Previews 'Leaper' from Isaki Uta: The Lost & Found Collection Manga Collection
posted on by Adriana Hazra
Irodori Comics revealed on Thursday a preview for its upcoming release of Isaki Uta: The Lost & Found Collection, a manga collection of four short stories from Is Love the Answer? manga creator Uta Isaki. The company launched a Kickstarter campaign for the release.
Irodori Comics provided ANN with an exclusive five-page preview of "Leaper."
The collection will feature the following four short stories:
"Leaper":
Leapers—individuals who were born on February 29th that age at a rate four timese slower than that of a normal person and can live for over 300 years. Mio Aono is one of these leapers and like many, experiences all the emotions that come with living beyond the normal, mortal lifespan. This story won an honorable mention in the Monthly Afternoon Magazine Manga Competition and jumpstarted Isaki Uta's career! Originally published in 2008, this landmark work has been updated and re-released as a doujinshi and localized in English for fans to enjoy.
"Mine-kun is Asexual":
In "Mine-kun is Asexual," Mine doesn't like sexual intimacy in a relationship. He can kiss a girl, but it's not something he wants to do if he can help it. But Murai loves him so much that she's willing to overlook the fact that she can't hold his hand; that she can't cuddle up next to him when they watch movies together; that she can't fall in love with him the way that she hopes to be loved in return. In the eyes of those around them, is this even a relationship that's meant to last, or is it a train wreck just waiting to happen?
"Mermaid in the Bottle":
Takeru has always felt like another cog in the wheel of corporate society, but things take a strange turn when he and his sister discover a mermaid inside a cosmetic lotion bottle. Memories of childhood; a brother and sister separated in the aftermath of a failed marriage; corporate money disappearing off the ledgers... Mermaid in the Bottle is Isaki Uta's tour-de-force first foray into self-publishing and features a unique story looking into the bitter-sweet relationship of a brother and sister with a shared, troubled past.
"Silkscreen":
A girl falls in love and devotes herself to them, but they don't conform to her expectations, perhaps because she looks at them through a blurry curtain. Silkscreen touches on a bittersweet romance between a lesbian and a genderqueer individual, who later comes out as a trans man. Those familiar with Isaki Uta's previous works like Mermaid In The Bottle, Leaper and Mine-kun is Asexual, will know that the author has a unique style of storytelling that leaves a lot to the reader's interpretation. Silkscreen is a bittersweet story that briefly explores the concepts of identity, rejection, and acceptance.
Irodori Comics will release the collection for the first time in print, and will also release the collection digitally.
Reward tiers for the campaign include: a digital edition of the manga collection (at US$20), and a physical box set of the manga collection (at US$85, price includes free worldwide shipping).
Isaki is "known for their comics centered about characters navigating their experiences and relationship with their gender and sexual identities." Isaki stated regarding the collection, "I put my heart and soul into drawing these stories, so I hope you enjoy them!!"
Kodansha USA Publishing released Isaki's one-volume Is Love the Answer? manga in English digitally in February 2022 and in print last January. The manga was Isaki's first solo work to appear in print in English.
Source: Email correspondence
