Yuru Sasara draws new manga adaptation launching on August 10

This year’s 17th issue of Hakusensha‘s Hana to Yume magazine announced on Wednesday that Akumi Agitogi‘s The Emperor’s Shaman (Kyūtei no Majinaishi) novels are getting a new manga series adaptation, which will launch on The Hana to Yume+ manga website on August 10. Yuru Sasara is drawing the new manga adaptation titled Kyūtei no Majinaishi ~Kigan no Kisaki~ (The Emperor’s Shaman ~The Demon-Eyed Consort~).

Takami Takada drew the novels’ first manga adaptation, which was serialized on Square Enix‘s Gangan Online Website from October 2021 to August 2023. Square Enix published the manga’s fifth and final compiled book volume in December 2023. 

Square Enix‘s Manga UP! Global service publishes Takada’s manga adaptation and describes the story:

Shuka is an apprentice to her master as a shaman—a specialist in spells in everything supernatural. Since birth, she’s been despised as a “monster” because of her white hair and red eyes. So, it’s to her surprise when she receives a request from the handsome emperor Hakuen! But there’s a catch—to fulfil his request, she must join the inner court as a fake consort!

An eastern inner court fantasy with mysteries abound, by Akumi Agitogi, the author of “My Happy Marriage”.

Poplar Publishing released four volumes of Agitogi’s original novels from 2020 to 2023.

Source: Hana to Yume issue 17

The energy that producer Goshi Yoshida had for this panel was absolutely perfect. This man came running out of the back, looped around the panel room, and ran down the center aisle, high-fiving everybody in the audience. It was honestly great, and based on what was covered at the Otakon 2026 panel, that might be the right amount of energy going into this new season of Ascendance of a Bookworm: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke. What started as a show about creating books in a world where they are seen as a rarity now looks like it is turning into something much bigger and more bombastic. That was the main driving force of this panel, highlighting the updated scale and bigger things to look forward to for this beloved series.

Voice actress Yuka Iguchi then took charge by explaining what it was like recording for the protagonist, Rozemyne, whom she explains is one of the cutest characters she has ever played. She gets to work alongside the likes of Yasushi Ōhama (Ferdinand) and Kazuhiko Inoue (Sylvester), who are legendary actors in the industry. They bring such great energy, and she even explained that some actors have their own little routines that they do both before and after sessions. In fact, the actors have aclimated to the role so well that the director, Yoshiaki Iwasaki, said he doesn’t need to give any additional input; everyone is just that in love with their work on this show. It also helps that the original creator for the series, Miya Kazuki, is present during the recording sessions, which can make things very nerve-wracking.

According to Iwasaki, Kazuki is very clear about the vision that he wants presented on screen. They want to make sure that the animation staff is showcasing the world as authentically as possible. Sometimes, what they want to see specifically isn’t exactly in the written text of the original light novel, and that can make things difficult. However, there are a lot of discussions that are had to make sure that the scale of this world is fully realized—especially as battles begin to get more intense. In fact, the staff was kind enough to show a special promotional video featuring cuts from future episodes, which featured Sylvester working with Rozemyne, her developing her magic, and going into battle to take on the lord of the winter (who looks like a giant white tiger). Iguchi even pointed out that some of her favorite scenes to record were ones where Rozemyne was getting ready for combat—and that there’s a scene she remembers covering from the audio drama that she’s excited to see realized in the anime involving Ferdinand.

It looks like one thing the staff was very excited about regarding this upcoming season is the way that multiple characters will be showcased. The staff seemed to be self-aware about how popular some of them are and look forward to seeing how fans will react to certain interactions. In fact, Iguchi made it clear that most of the staff have read the light novels to be intimately involved with the material as if it were a requirement to work on the show at all. They even teased that there might finally be more explicit romantic developments in the show after so much time was spent on more platonic or familial displays of love.

Finally, the panel ended with a fun collaboration video featuring Ascendance of a Bookworm and Witch Hat Atelier. There didn’t seem to be any new animation here, but the way the promotional video was cut did really emphasize how much writing for magic plays a part in both shows—and it was able to happen because both of the authors are actually good friends in real life. It just goes to show that this series is still performing strong with its fans and other creators. There look to be plenty of reasons to be excited for what’s to come.

Watashi-tachi no Koto wa Nanto Yobeba manga launched on Sunday