Micro Magazine has officially released the inaugural tankobon volume of Chikasugi Hotaru de Mi wo Kogasu (近すぎほたるで身を焦がす). The title teams original story creator Koyo Watanabe with illustrator Kizaki, whose distinct character staging and expressive visual craft anchor the serialized work.
Intimate Proximity and Romantic Tension
The series explores the delicate, claustrophobic friction of adolescent romance, focusing on the boundary lines drawn between childhood familiarity and sudden physical proximity. Watanabe structures the narrative around understated personal dilemmas, letting Kizaki's detailed panel framing carry the emotional weight through subtle shifts in posture and gaze.
Volume 1 is now available across Japanese book retailers and digital storefronts, marking another push by Micro Magazine to expand its lineup of relationship-driven character dramas beyond traditional web serializations.
