KochiKame Manga Gets Novel Crossovers

Shūeisha has announced a new 6-part crossover novel anthology as part of the 40th anniversary
celebration of Osamu Akimoto's manga KochiKame. This vs. KochiKame: Novelization Anthology will ship on September 17 for 1,600 yen, or about US$15.30.

In first of the 6 crossover stories, "KochiKame vs. Osomatsu-san" (image above), the 6 Osomatsu brothers meet a bad police officer, and a "miracle" happens. Sora Ishihara, the author of the Osomatsu-san novelization, is writing the story and Naoyuki Asano, the character designer from the Osomatsu-san anime, will provide the illustrations.

In the next story, "KochiKame vs. Sorcerous Stabber Orphen" (image above), the hapless protagonist of KochiKame wakes up in an alternate world, wearing a strange bandana and jacket, looking just like a certain man named Orphen. Yoshinobu Akita and Yūya Kusaka, the author and illustrator behind the original Orphen light novels, are also handling the crossover story.

The third crossover story, "KochiKame vs. Girls und Panzer" (image above), will feature a showdown between Ryōtsu and the Ōrai Girls' Academy tank-combat team. Scriptwriter Kunihiko Okada is writing the story, illustrated by Isao Sugimoto, Yukiko Harada, Yuichi Furuichi, Kei'ichiro Yagino of Graphnicia, and Eiji Iwase of Studio Tulip, all of whom worked on the original Girls und Panzer anime. 

Then, in "KochiKame vs. Cheer Boys!!", the mens' cheerleading club will help cheer up the KochiKame character Lemon/Remon. The original creator of Cheer Boys!!, Ryō Asai, is writing the story and and Kenichi Kondo, creator of the Cheer Boys!! manga adaptation, is proving the illustrations. 

In the fifth crossover, "Kochikame vs. HaruChika" (image above), Haruta and Chika of the Shizumi Minami high school wind instrument club will encounter the bushy-eyebrowed policeman Ryōtsu after a strange incident. The original creator and illustrator for HaruChika, Sei Hatsuno and Hiko Yamanaka, respectively, will also work on the crossover story.

The final novel is a crossover with the Nazutoki wa Dinner no Ato de ("The After Dinner Mysteries") novel series (image above). Tokuya Higashigawa, creator of the original novels, is writing the story, and the novel's illustrator Yūsuke Nakamura (The Tatami Galaxy) is also illustrating the crossover. The novel series has also inspired a live-action drama.

source: Anime News Network