Happy New Year! 2026 is shaping up to be a fascinating year for Sunday (for more details, check out our 2025 write-up), with the serializations coming fast and furious. Like, the series we're about to delve into started at the tail end of last year, and three new series are coming this month. It's enough to make these reviews feel endless and perpetually behind…. but doom and gloom aside, we've got a duo of returning faces for this one. I think this entry might feature the first time an artist I've already written about has come back with a new series! It presents an interesting conundrum: do I just link to what I've written about them before and get to the meat of the series itself? Or figure out something new to present?
The Writer
Shiishihi
Returning from Te no Geka is Shiishihi. When I wrote about them in that entry, there wasn't much to say as I couldn't find any information on them. Since then, there's been the rumor(?) that their identity is none other than Takenori Ichihara, the previous editor-in-chief of Weekly Shonen Sunday. If you've read some of our interviews with Ichihara, then you'd know his dedication to manga, and Shogakukan as an entity may be second to none. So it's not at all surprising that he'd step down from his post and get right back to the industry, using his experience as an editor to return to the front lines. However, there's a little oddity in this return in that another series set to start this week (at the writing of this article) Kimi wa Akeboshi has him as writer as well. It's not unheard of for creators in the space --both writers and artists to work on more than one serialization at once (Take, for example, the writer of Blue Lock Muneyuki Kaneshiro who, aside from the “soccer death game” manga is writing for several other series like Jagaaan and Super Ball Girls. So not only is he writing for multiple series, but he's also spanning different publishers as Blue Lock is a Shonen Magazine series with Kodansha, while the other two series I mentioned above are with our beloved Shogakukan. This is all to say that writing and illustrating multiple series is fairly normal. What makes this weird is if Shiishihi is Ichihara, why is he using an alias for this series, and not the other? Also, this might be worth looking into, but while writing for multiple series isn't unheard of, I'm not sure of the precedent of doing so in the same magazine for two series simultaneously.
So in short, Shiishihi is still just as much of an enigma as they were when I wrote about them for Te no Geka, except now for an entirely different reason. It's kind of impressive. When it's time to write about Kimi wa Akeboshi I'll detail Ichihara as a person there since it seems confirmed it's really him doing the writing. In this instance, however, it may just be easier to refer to Shiishihi as a different person until proven otherwise.
The Artist
Yuki Tsukikoshi
Whereas Te no Geka saw a team-up between Shiishihi and a veteran Shogakukan author in Takahiro Arai, Yuki Tsukikoshi has a far shorter resume. I've found a handful of one-shots on Sunday webry (one I had even read before doing research due to it being in Weekly Shonen Sunday in 2024) and Ryuhei Tamura, author of Beelzebub and more relevant to our site: COSMOS confirmed after Aga kimi chiuramu began in Sunday that Tsukikoshi was once their assistant.
From Yuki Tsukikoshi's oneshot Tekkyaku no Ryoko which ran in Shonen Sunday in 2024.
As stated above, you can read our impressions on
Tekkyaku no Ryoko (Steel Legs Ryoko) in the thread of the issue it ran in
here. It's an interesting take on delinquents (specifically a female one) and falling in love.
From another oneshot: Hi no shita ni tatsu (Standing under the Sun.)
Tsukikoshi's artwork can be summed up simply as intense. They also really like swords and violence, judging from the oneshots they drew and wrote themselves. Which is likely why they were chosen to be the artist for AgaKimi. From my admittedly untrained eye, their art is contemporary despite their choice of topics are less so. Referring back to Tekkyaku no Ryoko the story has a vibe of something that might have run in Shonen Champion a decade ago, despite the clean artwork definitely being of the current era. It posits Tsukikoshi in an intriguing position of taking something that feels like it should be old-fashioned and breathing new life into it via their art. I'd love to see more of their own writing since, unfortunately, a good chunk of their one-shots come from Shogakukan's “8-page battle” series. These are great to get a taste of an author, but not a good barometer for judging them on telling longer, more meaningful stories.
More swords and violence, this time from Tsukikoshi's oneshot Hakyou shini o shukusu (Rage residing in a Broken Mirror.)
But if it's really cool artwork combined with old-fashioned shonen battle action one's looking for? Yeah, Tsukikoshi's got you covered. I mentioned it before, but that is perhaps the reason they were chosen for this particular work. Though enough beating around the bush, let's get into the name of game.
The Serial
Aga kimi chiruramu
Starting in issue #48 2025 of
Weekly Shonen Sunday is Shiishihi and Yuki Tsukikoshi's series
Aga kimi chiruramu. In English, the title is something like “The Death of a lord/leader.” The blurb of the series describes it as a “strategy battle series.”
The Premise
A theme you often see in stories, but expressed directly in animanga is a character feeling like they've been born in the wrong era. I don't want to make it seem like this is a distinctly Japanese trope, but I feel like I've only heard that specific line uttered in manga and anime. Generally, it refers to a feral wild child hungry for battle being born in a time of tranquility, though there are times when that's flipped around. In the case of this series, Tanka Fuyumuro fits the general definition of that phrase to a tee, being a battle genius born in modern Japan. He's able to assess a thug from a glance, sussing out their fighting style, mental aptitude, and intention. Things that are important in modern times, but would definitely be more useful on a battlefield, and Tanka knows that, even remarking to his gf Koharu when she asks why he doesn't use his abilities for something more useful (read, peaceful). It just doesn't click for him.
He doesn't have much interest in his future either, since none of that stuff really gets his jimmies rustling. Y'know, stuff like planning a future career or advancing his education. Aside from protecting his younger sister Akiho he's just going through the motions. One thing that does capture his attention, however, is a strange dragon that apparently only he can see. Can't blame the guy for just being tired of life, his parents died, leaving just him and his sister, and someone's gotta pay the thugs that "generously" give them a place to live. He stops just short of killing the guys when they start looking at his sister with salacious glances, but such a life can't continue. During a later conversation with Koharu, who reveals she's living apart from her mother due to an implied falling out, Tanka says that even if she were to leave him after a shotgun wedding and a kid born out of wedlock, he'd wait for her forever. Aside from being super specific (I'd worry a little bit about that if I were you Tanka), it portrays him as a person who's loyal to himself and those he cares about.
Though getting back to the plot --remember that Dragon I mentioned? Turns out they can all see it! And...
It's coming right for them! Though this isn't just any dragon, it's a Dragon KING. And this king's purpose is to gather awakened vessels of the Seven War Gods. In that way, Tanka, Akiho, and Koharu are given a choice. They could go back to their unremarkable lives, or blaze a path of glory on the battlefield. Tanka is understandably confused by this sudden change of fortune, but he'd be damned if he chose to go back home after being given this opportunity. He briefly worries about his sister and girlfriend, but when they too choose to stay by his side, then the trio are set and whisked away...
The Warring States period of Japan (so around the 14-15th century.) Interestingly, the Dragon King implies that only certain people can actually see them and takes them to one of those people whom Tanka strikes up a conversation, just for him to be killed right before his eyes. This sets the stage for what to expect from here on in. Undeterred, Tanka apologizes to the present that he won't be back, but he assures himself that this is the path forward he's always wanted.
A lot happens in that 73-page introduction, and I had to slim it down a little to keep from just translating the whole thing word for word. Essentially from here, Tanka, Akiho, and Koharu are taken to a military “college” where they are to develop their abilities to lead. I don't mean just from a standpoint of stratagem, but actual supernatural abilities. However, don't misunderstand, the series seems to opt for a much more grounded approach to its historical material, even with the supernatural involved. It's got elements of the ever-popular Chinese war epic manga Kingdom, but perhaps due to it running in a shonen magazine, the creators thought that having a little more "oomph" would keep the target audience engaged. Personally, I think it is a good move in distinguishing the series from others of the same genre, and even moreso other works in Shonen Sunday. Right now, while there are battle manga in the magazine, none of them are the traditional sort readers would be used to, so it makes sense that AgaKimi would opt to add a little gimmick of its own. It also helps that this series does not shy away from death. The second chapter sees a group of soldiers get mowed down by a volley of arrows as if to punctuate to Tanka and the readers that this is not a game.
I am a little put off by how quickly Tanka and the girls get used to life in the Warring States period, like by the time the third chapter rolls around, they, too, have just rolled with it. I get their lives in modern Japan weren't great, and Tanka himself was jonsing for this kind of life, but you'd think there would be a little more conflict on the part of his little sister and girlfriend, even if they do trust him. Though again, that gets me thinking of Koharu's overly specific speech in chapter one, which all but says that she can't trust herself not to leave him behind if the going gets tough, so he shouldn't trust her either. Is that just heavy-handed foreshadowing or something else? The series has yet to address that point, so I'm not sure. All that aside, I've said it a few times, but it bears repeating that Tsukikoshi is in their element with this series as the art is perhaps some of the best I've seen in current Weekly Shonen Sunday. Battles amongst soldiers look fierce, characters' designs are distinct, and the series never fails to look intense or impactful when it needs to.
The Japanese Connection.
On one hand, I feel validated that Japanese readers have some of the same misgivings with the writing that I do, but on the other, yikes, the reception for this is harsh. Many readers offer their condolences to Tsukikoshi, as their artwork is incredible, but they're stuck with this as a story. Oof. There are even some people accusing the Shonen Sunday editorial for preferential treatment because Shiishihi is (might be?) the former editor-in-chief, so that's why they're fast-tracking a story that's so half-baked. (Their words, not mine.) I hadn't read the comments for Te no Geka at the time, but there seems to be a ton of ill will emanating from readers due to how that was written as well. In fact...the comments for this all seem to be bashing Ichihara, which is both amusing and sad in the sense that his reputation is that which people know him well (which I don't think can be said about many other editors) but it's overshadowing the work itself, a thing that some commentators who like AgaKimi are complaining about. I'm almost afraid to check out the comments when Kimi wa Akeboshi launches on Webry. In short, this series has a mixed reception at best, and at worst is going to cause the Sunday editorial to distance itself from their former colleague if they want readers to take the magazine seriously (and for the sake of Tsukikoshi's career, apparently.)
The Verdict
I want to believe that AgaKimi can find its stride and survive in the magazine, even with the odds stacked against it as far as reception. It does have an interesting premise, and great artwork, plus historical manga in shonen magazines are few in number. However, reception is at least 70% of success, and this one has been clipped out of the gate in that regard. Furthermore, in recent chapters, while the girls are getting more focus, it does feel like they were more of an afterthought at first. I often speak about a series potential in the verdict section, and like many before it, AgaKimi has potential to right itself and maybe outrun its writer's reputation. That being said, I'm concerned that it won't live long enough to see that, which is a shame as the artwork is incredible and I'd hate for something beyond Tsukikoshi's control to be a blight on their career. Positively speaking, AgaKimi has a unique premise, and stands in the magazine as a historical battle manga with supernatural elements. There are plenty of these series in the manga world, but few that are running in shonen magazines right now, and I think if the series can take advantage of the fact that shonen manga are the gateway to wider readership overall, it can set itself apart and survive. One of the lines in the manga is "you must learn to survive," as in, educating oneself guarantees a future-- and it sums up AgaKimi's situation well. Can it learn from its early reception and survive? Or is it doomed to failure?
Comments
Post a Comment