This is yet another post discussing the anime and manga I’m looking at. This season there were four anime I had planned to watch. So far, I’m only watching two, while I intend to watch the other two at a later date. In addition, there are a fair amount of anime I’m looking at for the next season, and a few that will air in 2019 and beyond.
To start off, I will discuss the anime adaptation of Harukana Receive. While I don’t usually watch sports anime, this is an adaptation of a Manga Time Kirara Forward manga, and my normal aversion to this genre does not override my desire to watch adaptations of Kirara manga (however, there are a few genres that do). It follows a pair of cousins, one who starts off as a complete newbie in beach volleyball, and the other who had given up the sport due to mental issues. I won’t say much about the plot, although at the end of episode 11, the final between Haruka and Kanata and the Thomas sisters, to decide the champion of Okinawa and to see which team will go through to the nationals, is at the cusp of conclusion, with the scoreline at deuce (14-14) in the deciding set, HaruKana having saved two match points.
The anime, as befitting a sports story, goes into some detail on the metagame. It is mentioned early on, by Kanata’s former partner Narumi, that there are no “aces” in beach volleyball. I won’t go into too much detail on what she meant, but since there are only two to a team (unlike in indoor volleyball), both individuals must be competent in nearly every single role needed, and a weak player will drag down his/her partner. We also get to see details on how each technique works, and when and why they are performed. Finally, we see the influence the environment has on play. The one thing I didn’t really expect to see, though, is sledging. When I heard Mai say that she’ll “break” Kanata, my first thought was “this is Okinawa, not the Gold Coast” (to elaborate on my thought, Australians are somewhat well-known for sledging, whereas the Japanese have this stereotype of politeness).
While the presentation of the matches, at times, left something to be desired, I couldn’t help but admire some of the scenery. Of course, real-life settings are used, and Okinawa is the perfect backdrop for an anime or manga such as this, although I won’t go into detail on this.
Overall, I had gone into July without that high of an expectation for this adaptation. However, so far it has impressed me, and so far, my in-progress rating is an A- (although two episodes ago it was a B+).
That will be it for the stuff I’m watching. I am watching one other anime this season, but I’ve decided not to review it. Anyway, the next season features another adaptation of a Kirara manga, and so far is the only anime I’ll definitely be watching. Among the anime I’m considering watching include a couple of yuri or yuri-themed anime and some originals. For anime that will air in 2019, so far I’m only considering three, although that will change as more announcements come. And for those with no confirmed airing dates, there is one I’m considering watching.
Anyway, on to manga. There won’t be any reviews or discussion about specific manga in this post, but I will talk about the upcoming Manga Time Kirara Exhibition to be held from the 17th to the 25th of November. Only recently has the official web site gone up, but the exhibition will feature eighty Manga Time Kirara works, past and present. They are listed below (in the order listed by the site):
- Hidamari Sketch by Ume Aoki (aokiume)
Genres: School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Ongoing (2004-)
Adaptations: Anime (4 seasons + OVA) - Suetsugi Takashi no Yūutsu by Adventurer
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Complete (2007-2014) - Yurucamp/Laid-Back Camp by Afro
Genres: Adventure, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward (Note: since moved to the COMIC FUZ app)
Status: Ongoing (2015-)
Adaptations: Anime (2 seasons + movie), Live-action (2 seasons) (Edit: see edit notes below) - Visual Tantei Akechi Kun (reading?) by Kineko Abekawa
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara? (can’t seem to find it on Wikipedia)
Status: Complete? (20??-20??) - Sansha Sanyō/Three Leaves, Three Colors by Cherry Arai
Genres: School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara, Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2003-2019) (Edit: ending in the January 2019 issue)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season)
Related manga: Mio’s Diary, Yuka’s Diary, Happy Trails, Seinaru Megumi (Holy Blessing), A Strawberry in Soda Water - Wonderful Days by Cherry Arai
Genres: Slice-of-Life?
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Complete (2004-2012)
Related manga: Happy Trails, Kimi to Boku wo Tsunagu Mono - Place to Place by Ishiki
Genres: Romance, School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Ongoing (2007-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season), Drama CD - Teiritsu Dai-13-gun Gakkōhoheikaijō Ari!? by Akira Ishida
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2004-2009) - Machikado Mazoku by Izumo Itō
Genres: Fantasy
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Ongoing (2014-)
Adaptations: Anime (2 seasons) (Edit: see edit notes below) - Kanamemo by Shōko Iwami
Genres: Slice-of-Life, Work
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Complete (2007-2013)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Yumekui Merry/Dream Eater Merry by Yoshitaka Ushiki
Genres: Action, Fantasy
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Complete (2008-2021)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Anima Yell! by Tsukasa Unohana
Genres: School, Sports
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2016-2020) (Edit: ending in the October 2020 issue)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Power of Smile by Uro
Genres: Romance, School
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2011-2016) - Ichinensei ni Nacchattara by Masakazu Ōi
Genres: Gender-Bender, Lolicon
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Complete (2006-2013) - School-Live by Norimitsu Kaihō and Sadoru Chiba
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Survival
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Complete (2012-2020) (Edit: ended in the January 2020 issue)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season), Live-action (movie) - K-On! by Kakifly
Genres: Music (rock), School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara, Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2007-2010)
Adaptations: Anime (2 seasons + movie)
Related manga: K-On! College, K-On! High School, K-On! Shuffle - At-Home Romance by Chiruwo Kazahana
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2006-2009) - Maru-Hon no Jūnin by kashmir
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Complete (2004-2015) - Castle Town Dandelion by Ayumu Kasuga
Genres: Fantasy, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Miracle, Manga Time Kirara
Status: Ongoing (2012-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season), Stage play - Kill Me Baby/Baby, Please Kill Me by Kaduho
Genres: School
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Ongoing (2008-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Tennen Joshikō Monogatari by Aya Kadoi
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara, Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Complete (2002-2010)
Adaptations: Drama CD - Trouble Click!! by Ara Kadose
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2005-2009) - Sweet Magic Syndrome by CUTEG
Genres: Fantasy, School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Miracle
Status: Complete (2011-2015) - Chotto Ippai! by Kayou
Genres: Work
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Ongoing (2016-) - Happy Cooking Graffiti/Gourmet Girl Graffiti by Makoto Kawai
Genres: Food, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Miracle
Status: Complete (2012-2016)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Akitaland Gothic by Kikai
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Complete (2011-2013) - Vivid Monsters Chronicle by Kiki
Genres: Gaming
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Miracle
Status: Complete (2014-2017) - GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class by Satoko Kiyuduki
Genres: School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2005-2016)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro by Satoko Kiyuduki
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Complete (2005-2018)
Adaptations: Drama CD - A Channel by Kuroda bb
Genres: School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2008-2021)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season + OVA) - Magic of Stella by cloba.U
Genres: School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Ongoing (2012-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Is the Order a Rabbit? by Koi
Genres: Slice-of-Life, Work
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Ongoing (2010-)
Adaptations: Anime (3 seasons + movie + OVA) (Edit: see edit notes below) - Anne Happy by Cotoji
Genres: School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Complete (2013-2019) (Edit: ending in the January 2019 issue)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Kami-sama no Iu Tōri! by Aki Konishi
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara, Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2003-2013)
Adaptations: Drama CD - Kotonaru Jigen no Kanrinin-san by Sakaki
Genres: Another World, Fantasy
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2014-2020) - Cherry Blossom! by Shinta Sakayama
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Complete (2010-2016) - With Liz by Yoshimi Sato
Genres: School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Complete (2006-2011) - Rakka Ryūsui by Ikki Sanada
Genres: School, Sports
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Complete (2005-2015)
Adaptations: Drama CD - Fuon Connect! by Zara
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Complete (2006-2010)
Adaptations: Drama CD - Tonari no Kashiwagi-san by Kinusa Shimotsuki
Genres: Romance, School
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Complete (2009-2016)
Adaptations: Motion comic
Related manga: Tonari no Kashiwagi-san after days (Edit: sequel to begin in the January 2019 issue) - Hirona ex. by Suka
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Complete (2005-2014) - Kanban-Musume wa Sashio Sae by Seri Suzushiro
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Complete (2004-2009) - Harumination by Daioki
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2008-2019) (Edit: endingsoonin the August 2019 issue) - Variety Morning by Izumi Takemoto
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2003-2010) - Sakura Trick by Tachi
Genres: School, Yuri
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Miracle
Status: Complete (2011-2017)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Hakoiri Drops by Yū Tsurusaki
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Complete (2011-2017) - New Game! by Shōtarō Tokunō
Genres: Slice-of-Life, Work
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Ongoing (2013-)
Adaptations: Anime (2 seasons) - Slow Start by Yuiko Tokumi
Genres: School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Ongoing (2013-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Limbo on the boder line by Tottorisakyū
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Complete (2009-2011) - Nekokissa by Nemigi Toto
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Complete (2002-2011) - Swap⇔Swap by Tomekichi
Genres: School, Yuri
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2014-2019) (Edit: ending in the April 2019 issue) - HR: Home Room by Misoka Nagatsuki
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2005-2008) - Kasei Robo Daikessen by Asaki Nakama
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2005-2008) - Blend S by Miyuki Nakayama
Genres: Work
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Ongoing (2013-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Radio de GO! by Nagumo
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2007-2010) - Harukana Receive by Nyoijizai
Genres: Sports
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Complete (2015-2020) (Edit: Ending in the November 2020 issue)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Koharu Biyori by Nekoume
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Complete (2014-2019) - Shimai no Hōteishiki by Chiki Nonohara
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Complete (2003-2007) - Saigo no Seifuku by Mera Hakamada
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat, Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Complete (2004-2006) - Heisei Umare by Hatopopoko
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2010-2012, 2: 2013-2015, 3: 2015-2016) - Kodoku no Naka no Watashi by Tsubomi Hanabana
Genres: School
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Complete (2012-2015) - Dropout Idol Fruit Tart by Sō Hamayumiba
Genres: Idol, School
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Ongoing (2015-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) (Edit: see edit notes below) - Hanayamata by Sō Hamayumiba
Genres: Dance (yosakoi), School
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Complete (2011-2018)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Kiniro Mosaic by Yui Hara
Genres: School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Complete (2010-2020) (Edit: ended in the May 2020 issue; spinoff beginning in the July issue)
Adaptations: Anime (2 seasons + 2 movies) - Urara Meirochō by Harikamo
Genres: Fantasy, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Miracle, Manga Time Kirara
Status: Complete (2014-2019) (Edit: Ending in the July 2019 issue)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Gu-Pan! by Mao Haruna
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Complete (2006-2011) - Comic Girls by Kaori Hanzawa
Genres: Slice-of-Life, Work
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Ongoing (2014-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Good night! Angel by Yutaka Hiiragi
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Miracle
Status: Complete (2011-2014) - Aquarium by Hiro
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2009-2011) - Dōjin Work by Hiroyuki
Genres: Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara, Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Complete (2006-2008)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Sora no Shita Yane no Naka by Sui Futami
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2008-2010) - R18! by Purapa
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Complete (2007-2014) - Tamayomi by Mountain Pukuichi
Genres: Sports
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Ongoing (2016-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Ichiroh! by Mikage
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Complete (2006-2010) - Tena on S-String by Sesuna Mikabe
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Complete (2006-2010)
Adaptations: Drama CD - Yuyushiki by Komata Mikami
Genres: School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Ongoing (2008-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season + OVA), Drama CD - Nadeshiko Doremisora by Akino Miyabi
Genres: Music (Japanese), School
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Complete (2016-2018) (Edit: the final chapter was published in the December 2018 issue; see below for details) - Megane no Otoshigoro by Mukku
Magazine: ??? (can’t seem to find it on Wikipedia)
Status: Complete? (20??-20??) - Gokicha by Rui Tamachi
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Complete (2011-2016)
Adaptations: Web anime - Oku-sama wa Niizuma-chan by Rucchiifu
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Ongoing (2017-)
Added in 2019 (6 works):
- Magia Record by Fujino Fuji
Genres: Magical Girl
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Ongoing (2018-) - Bocchi the Rock! by Aki Hamazi
Genres: Music (rock), School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Ongoing (2018-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - RPG Fudōsan by Chiyo Kenmotsu
Genres: Fantasy
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Ongoing (2018-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season) - Maid-san no Shitagi wa Tokubetsu desu by Mirakururu
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Ongoing (2018-) - Magia Report by PAPA
Magazine: Online only (see the Magia Record website)
Status: Ongoing (2017-) (Note: There are actually two series of strips; the first only ran in 2017, while the second began in 2017 and is currently ongoing.) - Slow Loop by Maiko Uchino
Genres: Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Forward
Status: Ongoing (2018-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season)
Added in 2020 (4 works):
- Ichijōma Mankitsu Gurashi by Kumako Hisama
Genres: Slice-of-Life, Work
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara
Status: Ongoing (2018-) - Kirara Fantasia by Satoru Kounosu
Genres: Fantasy
Magazine: Online only (on the COMIC FUZ app)
Status: Ongoing (2019-) - Shoko Sensei! by Najimi
Genres: School
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara MAX
Status: Ongoing (2018-) - Asteroid in Love by Quro
Genres: School, Slice-of-Life
Magazine: Manga Time Kirara Carat
Status: Ongoing (2017-)
Adaptations: Anime (1 season)
To explain the above list, “Genres” represents the genres I feel the manga falls in. This may or may not be accurate. “Magazine” and “Status” are self-explanatory. “Adaptations” lists every form of adaptation with the exception of video game adaptations, which are often based on the anime rather than the manga (the only exceptions I know are the Magic of Stella Flash games). To elaborate, “Anime” refers to any animated adaptation (although note that one has “Web anime”), “Live-action” refers to any non-animated adaptation that is recorded, and “Stage play” refers to adaptations for theatre. Within the brackets, “X season(s)” indicates a TV broadcast, “movie” indicates adaptations released to cinemas, while “OVA” refers to any adaptation initially released as DVDs/Blu-Rays or something similar. Finally, “Related manga” refers to other manga in the same canon, or otherwise related, by the same author.
The above list seems impressive; however, if they want to showcase popular manga, I believe that they may have made some weird choices. For example, Sui Futami’s Sekai Maō is more notable than Sora no Shita Yane no Naka (implied by Futami’s Wikipedia article), yet it is the latter that will be showcased. The selection of the last manga in the above list has had me scratching my head; why that? It has yet to see a single volume released, and there are manga in Carat and MAX that are more popular. Speaking about omissions, no manga from Manga Time Kirara MAX newer than Comic Girls will be featured, and likewise, no Carat manga newer than Anima Yell!, which surprises me as there are several manga in MAX and one in Carat that are fairly popular that are not listed.
I could go on about how they seemed to have passed over more popular manga for lesser-known ones, but now isn’t the time.
Anyway, so far there haven’t been any new anime announcements from Manga Time Kirara. I suspect the upcoming exhibition may have something to do with it, but looking at the manga that are currently being serialised, there isn’t much that is ready for adaptation. From experience, I know that announcements are timed to coincide with volume releases and front-cover appearances, but every time a new issue is released, it’s always the same manga that feature on the front cover.
Anyway, that’ll be all for now. Lately, my health has taken a dip, so don’t expect much from me in the next week or two.
Edit (2018-09-16): A third season of Is the Order a Rabbit? has been announced for 2020. Additionally, there will be an OVA to be released in 2019.
Edit (2018-10-07): A second season and movie of Laid-Back Camp has been announced. Additionally, a short anime based on the Heyacamp spinoff is in the works.
Edit (2018-10-11): I’ll keep the above list updated as time goes on.
Also, some justification on the genre labels:
- “Adventure” simply means that the main characters go to faraway places. This does not necessarily mean that they go on some grand quest to Save the World™.
- “Dance” and “Music” have sublabels that give a more specific type or genre. Note that “Music” does not include “Idol”, which has its own separate label.
- “Fantasy” means that there are fantasy or supernatural elements in the manga (including the existence of other lands/worlds, as in Sweet Magic Syndrome, but not video game settings) and it otherwise does not fall into “Horror”. Technically, this is not mutually exclusive with “Science Fiction”, although no manga listed actually fits the latter label to my satisfaction (sometimes through lack of knowledge on my part). Simply being in a “fantasy world” is not necessary for this label to be applied; Machikado Mazoku is an example of an “urban fantasy” manga. The “Another World” label is limited to those manga that involve the main character actually travelling to the other world.
- “Romance” means that romantic interactions between a male lead and a female lead form a significant part of the story of the manga. For the girl-on-girl equivalent, there is the “Yuri” tag.
- “School” means that a school setting is the primary focus of the manga in question. While I show discretion when assigning this genre label, in general, any school club story definitely falls into this genre, while having all main characters go to one school gives a fair chance of having this label applied.
- “Slice-of-Life” usually means that the manga places a lot of focus on the everyday lives of its main characters. Again, I use discretion with this label.
- “Sports” simply means that a sport is the main focus of the manga. Sports featured in the list include cheerleading (Anima Yell!), archery (Rakka Ryūsui), beach volleyball (Harukana Receive) and baseball (Tamayomi). “Dance” does not fall into this label.
- “Work” means that the main focus of the manga, apart from anything that would be covered in “Slice-of-Life”, is professional work (i.e. working for money or accommodation, even just part-time). More often than not, when assigning labels, I found this label to be mutually exclusive with “School”; the only manga I’ve found that is close to fitting both labels is Comic Girls.
- Most of the rest are self-explanatory.
Edit (2018-10-24): Today, Manga Time Kirara Forward published the 32nd and final chapter of Nadeshiko Doremisora, and the fourth and fifth volumes will be released on November 12. The announcement that the manga will end was quite abrupt, and took a number of readers by surprise, although, admittedly I did have a bit of a suspicion that the manga was about to end. Here is what the author had to say after the release of the magazine (in Japanese).
Already Akino Miyabi is thinking about what her next work would be. While there’s a chance she’ll switch to doing yonkoma for one of the other Manga Time Kirara magazines (as her friend Tsukasa Unohana did after finishing Haji-Otsu), I believe her next work will again be published in Kirara Forward.
Also in Kirara Forward is the announcement that Anne Happy will end with the 69th chapter in the next issue. Speaking of Anne Happy, Hibari will feature in Kirara Fantasia‘s next in-game event.
Cotoji is currently working on Seirei-sama no Nangi na Nichijō, which is serialised in Kirara Carat. Thus, I suspect that she won’t be introducing any new works any time soon. That said, I wonder how many artists have moved to Kirara Carat from Kirara Forward (I know Unohana and Sō Hamayumiba have, and Hamayumiba, like Cotoji, had a period of publishing in both magazines simultaneously).
The magazine itself features Chotto Ippai! on the front cover (and I have to admit, Momiji is quite cute), while the next issue will feature Tamayomi on the front cover.
Edit (2018-11-13): I cannot believe I missed that typo (I read ンボ as ボン). Anyway, I changed one of the titles to the English version.
Edit (2018-11-26): The Manga Time Kirara Exhibition has ended. During the exhibition, one could find a wall where various artists drew their characters. The now-completed (if you could call it that) wall is shown in this tweet. It features depictions not only from works featured in the exhibition, but others that did not make the 80 (and one completely new work). One of the things I noticed was that Akino Miyabi and Tsukasa Unohana placed their drawings right next to each other, and even had chibi Hiyo and chibi Kohane (both characters are associated with birds) beside each other. Another thing I noticed was that Kaori Hanzawa had two drawings on the wall; the first is a depiction of Kaoruko Moeta and Nyaos, while the other is a pair of drawings done in-character by Kaoruko and Miki.
Edit (2018-12-08): After nearly 16 years, Three Leaves, Three Colors has come to an end, with the 14th and final volume to be released on January 25. The January 2019 issue of Manga Time Kirara included comment letters from four manga artists (Ishiki, Chiki Nonohara, Aki Konishi, Nekoume) in celebration of the manga and its 16-year run, and Cherry Arai thanked her fans with an illustration. So far, I have no idea if she’ll continue publishing in Manga Time Kirara; currently, she is working on Engaged to the Unidentified, which is published by a completely separate company.
On a side note, Itsuki Akata (illustrator for the Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average!? light novels) posted this illustration after the final chapter of Three Leaves, Three Colors was released.
Anyway, there is still no information on which Manga Time Kirara manga will be the next to be adapted into anime.
Edit (2019-01-28): Machikado Mazoku is receiving an anime adaptation (message from author Izumo Itō), and Swap⇔Swap will be ending in the April 2019 issue of Manga Time Kirara Carat, to be published on February 28.
The anime adaptation announcement is the first of three “important announcements” the magazine will make over the course of three issues.
Edit (2019-03-08): Urara Meirochō is, according to the official Manga Time Kirara Twitter account, approaching its climax.
Edit (2019-03-22): The official Twitter account of the anime adaptation of Machikado Mazoku is now up.
Edit (2019-03-28): The May 2019 issue of Manga Time Kirara Carat has announced that Dropout Idol Fruit Tart will be receiving an anime adaptation. This is the final of three “important announcements” the magazine made over the course of three issues.
While this isn’t the first time a Kirara artist has had at least two manga adapted into anime (Yui Hara and Cherry Arai are examples), and not the first time an artist has had two Kirara manga adapted (again, Yui Hara), this is actually the first time an artist has had two manga that was serialised in the Kirara family adapted into anime.
Edit (2019-04-27): The June 2019 issue of Manga Time Kirara Carat has confirmed a Summer 2019 airdate for the anime adaptation of Machikado Mazoku.
Edit (2019-05-09): Urara Meirochō will end in the July 2019 issue of Manga Time Kirara, to be released on June 8. In addition, Cherry Arai’s new manga, Musunde, Tsunaide, will begin serialisation in the same issue.
Another piece of news today is that this year’s edition of the Manga Time Kirara Exhibition will be held in Osaka on October 12 to 22.
Edit (2019-05-27): The main cast of Machikado Mazoku has been announced:
- Konomi Kohara as Yūko Yoshida
- Akari Kitō as Momo Chiyoda
- Minami Takahashi as Lilith
- Tomoyo Takayanagi as Mikan Hinatsuki
This is Kitō’s third major role in a Manga Time Kirara-related anime (the first two being Kaho Hinata of Blend-S and Ai Tanahara of Harukana Receive). For the other three, this is their first major role in a Manga Time Kirara anime, although Takahashi has voiced a minor character in Harukana Receive.
The anime will premiere on TBS on July 11 at 25:28 (effectively July 12 at 1:28 a.m. JST).
In other news, Harumination will be ending soon, and the eighth and final volume will be released on July 25.
Edit (2019-06-24): Some information from the August 2019 issue of Manga Time Kirara Forward:
- Tamayomi will be receiving an anime adaptation.
- Yū Tsurusaki will begin a new manga, SA07, in the September issue.
Edit (2019-11-20): A live-action drama adaptation has been announced for Laid-Back Camp. It will air on TV Tokyo every Thursday at 25:00 (effectively Friday 1:00 a.m.) beginning on January 9, 2020.
Edit (2020-08-27): Making some long-overdue changes here.
Edit (2020-12-24): Slow Loop will be receiving an anime adaptation. A Twitter account and a website have been put up, and author Maiko Uchino has put up an illustration after the announcement.
The manga follows two newly-formed stepsisters, Hiyori and Koharu Minagi, as they bond with each other through the hobby of fly-fishing, which Hiyori picked up from her late father.
Edit (2021-02-25): A bit late posting here, but Bocchi the Rock! will be receiving an anime adaptation.
Edit (2021-02-27): So is RPG Fudōsan.