Watch out, readers! There’s a new manga author to keep an eye on. And it’s none other than anime director Tomohiko Ito!
The Sword Art Online and Erased director launched his first-ever manga titled Wonder X on Friday, Sept 16. The story is written by Ito himself, with illustrations by artist Mekki Kuroyama. Wonder X made its debut on Kadokawa‘s Comic Newtype and signaled Ito’s entrance into the manga industry.
Set in the early 1990s, Wonder X features the adventures of a group of kids following their rare encounter with a mysterious creature. The first episode of the manga is available for reading on Comic Newtype.
Before his debut as a manga author, Tomohiko Ito already made a name for himself as a remarkable anime director. He is the man behind popular TV anime series Sword Art Online, Erased, and Silverspoon. He also worked as the assistant director for Death Note and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, before he made his directorial debut with the series, Occult Academy.
Among his latest works include the sci-fi romantic anime film Hello World, which was relesed in 2019, and the The Millionaire Detective Balance: Unlimited in 2020.
Many other popular directors have engagements in writing manga. Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki, for example, is both an acclaimed director and manga author. Katsuhiro Otomo also wrote and directed the sci-fi masterpiece Akira.
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