Shueisha is expanding two of its most celebrated modern manga properties with fresh prose additions. The publishing giant has officially slated new novel adaptations for Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu's The Promised Neverland (Yakusoku no Neverland) alongside Kōji Miura's sports romance hit Blue Box (Ao no Hako). Both books are authored by Nanao and are scheduled to hit Japanese bookshelves on December 4.
Commemorating the 10th anniversary of its manga serialization, The Promised Neverland ~10-nen-me no Okurimono~ shifts its narrative focus to the post-finale lives of Emma and her fellow orphans. Alongside the primary continuation, the volume features side vignettes centering on Cislo, other members of the Lambda group, and Phil alongside the younger children left behind. Nanao has maintained a close creative relationship with the franchise, having penned all four previous prose spin-offs published between 2018 and 2020.
On the romance front, Ao no Hako Epilogue continues Kōji Miura's athletic love story following the conclusion of the core manga run in July. The novel explores transitional moments both before and after the series finale, including a quiet afternoon drive shared by Taiki and Chinatsu after Taiki secures his driver's licence, as well as Hina navigating competitive rhythmic gymnastics as a university student. This release follows a string of successful preceding volumes, including the Prologue and Interlude novels authored by Nanao.
Both original manga series achieved massive global footprints through Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump and digital distribution via MANGA Plus and Viz Media. While The Promised Neverland wrapped its serialized run in 2020 and recently debuted a brand-new one-shot chapter titled "War vs. Peace," Blue Box concluded its print run earlier this year, boasting over 10 million copies in circulation alongside an ongoing television anime adaptation broadcast globally via Netflix.
