Natsume Ono is returning to the Dowa Kingdom. The acclaimed manga creator will launch KORORE, a new spinoff of her ACCA-13 Territory Inspection Department and BADON manga, in Monthly Big Gangan’s third 2027 issue on February 25, 2027.
ACCA-13 (Credits: Square Enix)
The announcement came from the official account of Square Enix’s Monthly Big Gangan magazine, which revealed the new series as part of its 15th anniversary celebrations. Like BADON before it, KORORE takes its name from one of the 13 territories of the Dowa Kingdom, the shared setting at the heart of Ono’s quietly beloved political drama.
What KORORE Means for the ACCA-13 World
For longtime readers, the news is a welcome return to a world Ono built with unusual patience. ACCA-13 followed Jean Otus, an inspector travelling between the kingdom’s thirteen districts, and turned bureaucratic routine into something strangely gripping. BADON then shifted the focus to a single district, digging into its streets, its people and its underworld. KORORE looks set to continue that approach, opening up another corner of the same kingdom rather than starting from scratch.
That shared-world structure is part of what makes Ono’s work stand out. Each series can be read on its own terms, but together they build a fuller picture of Dowa, a place where politics, food, cigarettes and small kindnesses all carry weight. Fans who followed BADON through its five-year run will recognise the rhythm immediately.
Natsume Ono’s Long Career Behind the Announcement
Ono has been publishing since her 2003 debut, and her catalogue runs from the samurai drama House of Five Leaves to the warm restaurant world of Ristorante Paradiso. ACCA-13 itself ran in Monthly Big Gangan from June 2013 to October 2016, collected in six volumes, and was released in English by Yen Press. It later inspired a 2017 television anime, followed by an OVA episode in February 2020.
BADON, meanwhile, launched in the same magazine in January 2019 and ended in March 2024, with its ninth volume arriving in April 2024. Ono has also provided character designs for the upcoming ghost – end of night theatrical anime, which opens on February 11. KORORE, then, arrives from a creator still very much in demand, and in a magazine marking a major milestone.
For now, details of KORORE’s story and cast remain under wraps, with only the launch date and its place in the Dowa Kingdom confirmed. Expect more information as February 2027 approaches, and expect the same slow-burn storytelling that made ACCA-13 a cult favourite in the first place.
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Source: Anime News Network — read the full story there.
