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Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka Manga Creators Launch New Undersea Combat Manga

The May issue of Square Enix's Big Gangan magazine revealed last Thursday that writer Makoto Fukami and artist Seigo Tokiya will launch a new manga titled Gakuen Sensuikan-tai: Mermaid Girls (School Submarine Fleet: Mermaid Girls) in the magazine's next issue on May 24. The manga will have a color opening page and will feature in the issue's cover.

In the manga's story, extra-terrestrial life known as Trench Walkers reveal themselves, emerging from the Antarctic, and walking on the sea floor. Their goal is to terraform the Earth to their liking, which involves raising the sea level by 70 meters, thus rendering Tokyo and many other population centers uninhabitable. They have also begun to change Earth's surface water into what they call Nectar, the "divine water." Those who are incompatible with Nectar have a high chance of death when imbibing it. However, there are girls who are found to be compatible with Nectar, and they are recruited to be marines in a fight against the Trench Walkers, boarding ships to do battle in a new deep sea front line. The story centers on Hiro Todoroki, who receives a message from an older sister, a marine supposedly missing in action. The message tells Hiro to find a formidable marine named Kiriri Tsunoba. Though lost and confused, Hiro heads to the Masakado Girls Academy Submarine Unit with the intent to join them.

Fukami and Tokiya previously collaborated on the Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka (Mahō Shōjo Tokushūsen Asuka) manga, which launched in Big Gangan in June 2015, and ended in February 2021. Square Enix released 14 compiled book volumes for the manga. Seven Seas Entertainment is publishing the manga series in English. The manga inspired a television anime adaptation that premiered in January 2019. Crunchyroll and Funimation streamed the anime as it aired in Japan.

Fukami and Tokiya are also currently collaborating on the Succubus & Hitman manga, which launched in Akita Shoten's Champion RED magazine in February 2020, and is ongoing. Seven Seas is releasing the manga in English.

Fukami is best known for the script for the Psycho-Pass anime Fukami also wrote the script of the 2016 Berserk anime series, the revisions TV anime, the 2019 Blade of the Immortal anime, and the 2022 Black Rock Shooter: Dawn Fall anime. Most recently, he is the head writer on the Heavenly Delusion anime, and he penned the screenplay on the Psycho-Pass Providence anime film. Fukami, with writer Norimitsu Kaihō, and artist Etorouji Shiono ended the Deep Insanity: Nirvana manga in March 2023. Fukami and Takuya Fujima launched the Takuaka! manga in Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara Carat magazine in April 2023. Fukami and Shinjirō recently ended their Kensen Hyōkyoku manga in May 2023. Fukami, Ryō Yoshigami, and Natsuo Sai recently launched the Police Tribe K-9 manga in Akita Shoten's Young Champion magazine on March 26.

Tokiya launched the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei: Hoshi Watashi-hen manga for the Higurashi franchise in November 2021, and ended it in September 2022.

Source: Big Gangan May issue and Twitter account