Act-Age Artist Releases New One-Shot in Weekly Shonen Jump

The artist of Act-Age, Shiro Usazaki, will release a new one-shot.

According to Shonen Jump News (@/WSJ_manga), Usazaki, most well-known for crafting the artwork for Act-Age, will publish a one-shot called Kimi to Aoi Yoru no with the original story written by Kidasaori with the draft done by Muneaki Taoka. Shinoda Kizuki has credits for game development. Described as a “murder game mystery,” Kimi to Aoi Yoru no will launch in Weekly Shōnen Jump’s Issue #16. Further information has revealed the one-shot will be an interactive one that readers can explore via their smartphones. Spanning 15 pages, the readers will embark on a journey to solve a murder mystery.

Usazaki came into prominence when they came on as the artist for the manga series Act-Age which began serialization in January 2018. The series, written by Tatsuya Matsuki, earned considerable attention for its unconventional heroine. However, Act-Age‘s growing popularity came to an abrupt halt in August 2020 due to Matsuki’s arrest after he was arrested for indecent acts with a female middle school student in June. After Weekly Shōnen Jump announced they’ll be taking this matter seriously, the magazine later revealed Act-Age would cease publication as of Aug. 11, 2020. The cancellation of Act-Age‘s physical and digital volumes followed soon after. The courts sentenced Matsuki to one year and six months in prison, but the writer will not have to serve time in prison if he shows good behaviour for three years.

Upon news of Matsuki’s arrest, Usazaki issued a statement, expressing their sympathies for the victims. According to Anime News Network‘s translation, the artist said the cancellation of Act-Age was appropriate as the series might trigger traumatic memories of the incident for the victims. They further urged Act-Age fans to not harass nor blame the victims for speaking out. Usazaki ended their note with a wish that the victims will be able “to live peaceful lives without ever having to think about the incident again.”

Since then, Usazaki’s artwork can be found in other avenues such as the cover illustration of Japan’s Weekly Playboy magazine and the cover of the short story novel collection Kaiju, written by Shasendo Yuki. The artist also designed the independent V-Tuber Mayuri. Kimi to Aoi Yoru no isn’t Usazaki’s first one-shot. They collaborated wth Osamu Ishikawa on a 47-page one-shot titled Flame-Eyed Cyclops in 2020. Usazaki has also worked with Kidasaori before on the escape game “Saihate no Mystery Circus Kara no Dasshutsu.”

Kimi to Aoi Yoru no releases in Issue #16.

Source: Twitter, Anime News Network