Yang Guifei Novels by Baku Yumemakura and Yoshitaka Amano Transformed into Manga

(Last Updated On: July 9, 2023)

In the upcoming August issue of Monthly Princess magazine by Akita Shoten, it was revealed that Senta Nakazawa will debut a manga titled “Yōkihi, Kirara” (Yang Guifei, Kirara).

This captivating manga draws inspiration from the renowned novels crafted by esteemed writer Baku Yumemakura, accompanied by the stunning illustrations of Yoshitaka Amano, and the remarkable ceramic artistry of Shōkoku Kanō. Delving into the life of Yang Guifei, one of the legendary Four Beauties of ancient China, the manga will make its debut in the forthcoming magazine issue on August 4th.

On Thursday, Nakazawa shared a sneak peek of the manga through a preview image on Twitter.

˚✧⁎⁺˳コミカライズ新連載お知らせ˚✧⁎⁺˳

予告が出ました。

歴史ファンタジーロマンス
『楊貴妃、綺羅羅』

8月初旬発売の月刊プリンセス9月号に載ります。
どうぞよろしくお願いします。 pic.twitter.com/x1eS5D0RGY
— 中澤泉汰@漫画描き (@senta_naka) July 6, 2023

The historical fantasy romance revolves around Yōgyoku Kan (or Yang Yuhuan in Chinese), who tragically lost her parents and currently resides with her adoptive guardians in cramped quarters. Blessed with an exceedingly rare beauty since birth, she finds her own allure burdensome, yet yearns to unravel the essence of love someday.

Enterbrain published Yumemakura’s novel “Yang Guifei” in 2006, featuring illustrations by Amano. In 2010, Kadokawa released “Yang Guifei’s Dinner” (image right), a novel by Yumemakura, Amano, and Kanō, based on the aforementioned work. Yumemakura’s “Onmyōji” novels, which began as a series of short stories in 1986, will soon be adapted into an anime series premiering on Netflix in 2023. The franchise comprises three full-length novels (2000-2008) and several picture books.

The success of the novels led to the creation of live-action films “Onmyōji” (2001) and “Onmyoji II” (2003). Reiko Okano embarked on a 13-volume manga adaptation of the series in 1994. Moreover, the books have served as inspiration for various live-action series in Japan.

Amano, renowned for his contributions to “Vampire Hunter D” and the “Final Fantasy” series, as well as his collaboration with English graphic novelist Neil Gaiman on “Sandman: The Dream Hunters,” began his journey in the anime industry at the age of 15 with Tatsunoko Production. Over the years, he has played a significant role in numerous anime and video game projects.

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The Gibiate Project, an international IP development group featuring Amano (known for his work on the “Final Fantasy” games), announced the anime adaptation at Anime Expo 2019. The highly anticipated series premiered in July 2020. Recently, Amano also lent his artistic talent to the character designs of the Netflix anime “Exception,” which made its debut in October 2022.

Currently, Amano is diligently working on the anime “ZAN,” scheduled to premiere in 2026 or beyond.