East Asia Study" classic fantasy novel "The Twelve Kingdoms" celebrates its 30th anniversary, and issues a commemorative album and original painting exhibition, as well as other artistic text messages

Written by | Annie (Written Worker)

Industry News

■The classic fantasy novel "The Twelve Kingdoms", written by the well-known Japanese novelist Ono Fuyumi, has accumulated sales of over 12.8 million copies, and is about to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the series. On the 25th of this month, Shinchosha released "The Twelve Kingdoms: A Guidebook to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary", reviewing the story history since the prequel "Son of Demons" from different perspectives.

Works and activities related to the 30th anniversary, including "The Twelve Kingdoms", the second volume of the "Twelve Kingdoms" collection "Song of Qingyang", the second volume of the "Twelve Kingdoms" collection, which will be released on September 15, is expected to be released on September 26. The "Twelve Kingdoms Calendar 2023" will be released, as well as the Yamada Akira original painting exhibition and pop-up store to be held in bookstores in Tokyo, Okayama, Kyoto and other places. For the majority of fans of the "Twelve Kingdoms" series, this year will have a fruitful early autumn.

■The author of the manga "Legend of Bo Clan," Hagi Nozomi, was recognized by the Eisner Award in July this year and ascended to the highest hall in the American comics industry. The Eisner Award, known as the "Oscars of the American Comics Industry", aims to reward exceptional works and artists in the past year and is the most representative comic award in the United States. The "Manga Hall" in the Eisner Awards is not aimed at a single work, but is the ultimate recognition of the manga artist himself as a "palace-level figure". , are all Japanese winners who have entered the "Manga Hall" in the past, and Hagio became the seventh person on the list. In the interview, Hagio said that she was moved by Osamu Tezuka's works and began to create comics when she was in her 10s. This award made her feel the branches and inheritance of the modern generation of cultural and artistic representation.

■Kodansha, Shueisha and Shogakukan, the leading publishing houses in Japan, cooperated with Japan's Marubeni Trading Company this year to jointly create the "PubteX" company. Through AI technology, it analyzes the data of 400 million books issued by the three publishing houses each year to calculate the real demand of bookstores . The book allocation quota of individual bookstores has always been a headache for publishers, and the book return rate as high as 30% to 40% has caused an additional annual cost of more than 200 billion yen. Kodansha, Shueisha and Shogakukan hope that through this cooperation with Marubeni, the difficulties in publishing and distribution will be resolved and the overall consumption of the industry will be reduced. This plan of publishing and republishing the optimal circulation calculated by artificial intelligence is expected to be implemented in stages from April 2023. Relevant people estimate that this move is expected to reduce the cost of returning books by more than 50 billion yen.

Award news

■The 11th Japan History Times Writers Association Award was announced on August 9, Yano Takashi's "The Ryukyu Founding Story" (Shueisha Bunko) and Yoshikawa Yongqing's "Soaring Wings: Fast Business. Kinokuniya Bunzaemon" (Central Koron Shinsha) was selected for this year's work award in parallel, while Chiba Tomoko won this year's newcomer award with the historical novel "Dai Tian" (Wenyi Chunqiu).

Yano Takashi has been active in the field of history and period novels since 2008. He is the author of masterpieces such as "Snakes", "Asgarashi", "My Name is Xiuqiu", and also co-authored several "Snakes" with cartoonist Masashi Kishimoto. Naruto series of light novels. Launched in April this year, "The Founding of the Ryukyu Kingdom" depicts the turmoil in the early days of the Ryukyu Kingdom's founding in the 15th century, as well as the struggle and rise and fall of the heroes.

Yoshikawa Yongqing, who also won the work award, is the author of the series "The History of the Three Kingdoms", "Red of Honor" and "Fighting Ghosts Saitoichi". "Flying High", published in May this year, features Kinokuniya Funzaemon, a businessman specializing in citrus, wood and other products in the Edo period, as the protagonist.

Tomoko Chiba, who won the Newcomer Award, is a newcomer in the literary world who won the 27th Matsumoto Kiyoshang Award with her debut work "The Man of Thunder" in 2020. The second work "Dai Tian" published this year, like "The Man Who Shakes Thunder", is based on the stage of the Tang Dynasty in China before and after the Anshi Rebellion. During the Tianbao period, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty neglected the state affairs, condoned the ministers to disturb the imperial government, and the military governor An Lushan rebelled, causing the world to be full of blood and blood. Can the heroes with the world in mind, in such a chaotic world, let the righteousness in their hearts reach the sky? "The Twelve Kingdoms" illustrator Akira Yamada painted the covers for Chiba's two novels before and after the prosperous Tang Dynasty, clearly showing the magnificent world view and the charm of the characters.

Writer Dynamics

The winner of the 17th Bookstore Awards and the author of the 2022 film and television work "The Wandering Moon", Nagi Yoshio, released a new novel "You, Bright Like a Star" (Kodansha) in early August this year, which outlines the unspeakable sadness and deepness Love. "I want to delay my life for the man I love." Xiaohai, a high school student who grew up on the beautiful Setouchi island, met Aya, who was dragged down by her free-spirited mother and transferred to the island. They are attracted to each other with the same sense of loneliness and lack, but they miss each other. Through the struggle and growth of two people in life, Nagira describes a love story that is bound by correctness, cursed by love, but unwilling to give up.

Physician and novelist Chinen Shiki, author of "How to Raise a Gentle Death", "Infinite i", and "Puppets in the Late Night", released the sequel "Prayer Medical Records" series on the 10th of this month. Table: The Course of Reunion" (Kadokawa Publishing). Suwa No Ryota, who ended her internship and became a cardiologist, met her classmate Kotori Yu when she was a medical student, and an intern who accompanied her. When talking about internship cases, Suwano's mind comes to the patients he personally cared for in the past. The emergency department that is like a battlefield, the plastic surgery department that confronts the wounds in the heart, and the palliative care department where the irreplaceable "someone" meets and separates. After the door of memory is opened, a series of painful but warm memories emerge one after another. "Prayer Medical Records" starring Yuta Yumori is a remake of the Japanese drama "Praying Medical Records: Interns Solving Mystery Diagnosis Records", which is expected to be broadcast on Nippon TV (Japan テレビ) in October this year.

■ Any time in life, there may be unexpected major reversals. Rikako Akiyoshi, author of "Snow Flower", "Dark Woman" and "Dating Poisoning", published a new novel "Life Poisoning" (Japanese Society of Industry) at the end of last month, which outlines various gestures at the end of life. The term "end-of-life" is short for end-of-life activities, which means early preparation for death.

A wealthy wife who devotes the rest of her life to the United Nations sustainable development activities, a man who renovated his house for his wife's 3rd anniversary of his death, a former entertainer who challenged the comedy award before his death, all kinds of life, whether it is terrible or ideal , or bet on life. Akiyoshi tells suspenseful stories that are both heartwarming and surprising in four short stories about dying preparations.

The literary award writer Lu Zeyang, author of "The Blank of Sin", "Smoke in a Place Without Fire", and "My God", released the writer's 10th anniversary commemorative work "The Sign of the Night" in August this year (Central Koonon Xinshe), bringing readers a masterpiece of fiction that subverts common sense and moves people's hearts. In 1996, the operator of a cram school in Yokohama City was killed. The police identified his former student as a suspect, but for two years, the suspect could not be found. The woman who hides the murderer, the criminal police who keep searching, and the teenager who is abused by his father and lives on the food provided by the murderer, everyone has something they want to protect, and the actions they take are intertwined into a fine net, Let things go in unexpected directions. Ashawa wrote that for 10 years in the literary world, she continued to write in order to stare at the horror in her heart. "The Road Sign of the Night" is a story she had to write in the growing horror.

■Kyo Nagaura, a literary award writer who has published masterpieces such as "Red Blade", " Revolver Lily " and " Underdogs ", launched a new crime novel " Principal " at the end of last month. A violent revenge drama written by the Command. In Tokyo in 1945, Aya, who was born in the fourth generation of the largest violent organization in Kanto, Mesui-dake, was temporarily acting as the leader during the period when her father died and her elder brother, who was the heir of orthodoxy, had not returned from the battlefield, and confronted various forces. The high-level congressmen who are trying to be gentle and courteous, the headquarters that is sure to win the hegemony, and the underworld factions that plan to expand their power. After many strategies and undercurrents, Ayana was captured by the charm of power and violence. Deeper darkness went after the war. Is she a saint, a wicked woman, or an inhuman beast?

■The thriller Nova Luka Park, whose novels "Into the Bone Marrow" and "Festival of Heresy" have been talked about on social media, released the latest work "Children of Trust" (Tokyo Sogensha) at the end of last month, writing about the thrill of convicting others and the It is terrible to be condemned by others. The "Trust Council" is made up of a group of people seeking rest. As long as they express their hatred for someone to the amazingly beautiful "Male-sama" in the center of the crowd, the person whose name is said will die tragically. People who are afraid of this and no longer participate in the meeting are considered traitors. The book "Son of Trust", from the perspectives of junior high school student Nozomi, police officer Shiraishi, and occult magazine author Miu, uncovers the truth behind the serial killings in Tokyo, about the trust meeting and the witch-like Mare-sama. It was rated as "charming and scary" and "can't help but read it in one breath" by readers.

■ Graduated from Australia's National University, Ichizu Tsuya, who was responsible for anti-terrorism, crime prevention and security services in overseas high-risk areas and large international companies, and who has investigated and collected materials at conflict scenes around the world, released a novel in mid-August this year. "Enchantment" (Direct Publishing Company) was strongly recommended by Kenichiro Waiba, a retired general and chief of aviation staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, and Yatiro Obama, a visiting professor at Kokushikan University. The mysterious death of popular politician Tetsunosuke Okamoto involves an armed group that secretly snatch the country's top secrets. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry launched a search together. On the other hand, Daisuke Sasaki, a journalist with a keen sense of political conspiracy, also came across the truth of the incident in his own investigation. Through his precise grasp of international affairs and his vast practical knowledge, Tsuya weaves a very realistic political suspense reasoning, pointing directly to the core of the problems in post-war Japan. ●( The original text was first published on the official website of Openbook on 2022-08-24)