Takako Shimura's Awajima Hyakkei Gets Anime Adaptation

Awajima Hyakkei, a coming-of-age manga series by Takako Shimura, is getting an anime adaptation. The announcement was made ahead of the upcoming release of the final volume of the series on May 15. Details about the format of the anime, as well as its cast and staff, are yet to be announced as of this writing.

Awajima Hyakkei, written and illustrated by Shimura, began serializaton on Ohta Publishing’s PocoPoco website in June 2011, where it stayed until 2016. after which it was moved to Ohta Web Comic website in July of the same year. The final chapter was released in March 2024. The manga received a Manga Excellence Award during the 19th Japan Media Arts Festival held in 2015.

Said media festival described the coming-of-age manga as follows:
This omnibus adolescent drama is about a group of young girls who all attend a “girls-only musical school,” recounting the formidable years they shared, at times shifting between different characters’ viewpoints and time. Awajima Musical School Training Camp, dubbed the “boarding house,” is where young girls gather from all over Japan to perform on stage: TABATA Wakana aspires to be a musical star; housemaster TAKEHARA Kinue attends to carry on her best friend’s wishes; beautiful OKABE Emi is a scholarship student always at the center of attention; and IBUKI Katsurako who became a teacher at the school though originally from a family of actresses. The unique environment of the musical school is simultaneously a respite space for these aspiring girls and also a harsh battleground that pits young students against each other. It is a place where perseverance can lead to blossoming talents, but also to a cruel reality at times. The clarity of depiction and psychological portrayal allows the subtle inner workings of each character to come through.

Aside from Awajima Hyakkei, some of Takako Shimura’s other works include Aoi Hana (2004), Wandering Son (2002), Happy-Go-Lucky-Days (2002), Even Though We’re Adults (2019), and most recently Bloom Brothers (2020).

Source: Comic Natalie
© Takako Shimura/OHTA PUBLISHING CO.