koko draws manga launching on June 26
Image via Kadokawa
© Yū Shimizu, Asagi Tōsaka, Kadokawa
The July issue of Kadokawa’s Comic Alive magazine revealed on Wednesday that Yū Shimizu’s Howling Blaze: Sōen no Kenshi to Fushi no Majo (Howling Blaze: The Funeral Flame Blade & The Immortal Witch) light novel series is inspiring a manga adaptation by koko that will launch in the magazine’s next issue on June 26.
The fantasy manga’s story is set in a world being encroached upon by another, when a nightmare world named the Black Paradise began overlapping with the human world, spawning fiends that prey on humanity. Those who fight back against the Black Paradise and its spawn are known as Witch Hunters. One such Witch Hunter, Kaori Tsukimiya, arrives at the island of Karyūjima in search of revenge. Instead, she meets Fiona, the White Flower Witch, who runs a cafe and odd job shop, and negotiates with Kaori to provide her lodging while Kaori becomes her bodyguard.
Shimizu released the first volume under Kadokawa’s MF Bunko J label in September 2025, with art by Asagi Tōsaka (the pair collaborated before on The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy light novel series). The second volume shipped on February 25.
Shimizu and Tōsaka’s The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy (Seiken Gakuin no Maken Tsukai) light novel series launched in May 2019, and ended with its 16th volume in October 2024. Yen Press is publishing the light novels in English. Asuka Keigen launched a manga adaptation of the novels in Kadokawa’s Shōnen Ace magazine in November 2019, and ended it in February 2025. Yen Press publishes the manga. The novels’ anime adaptation premiered in October 2023 on TV in Japan, after streaming early on the ABEMA service in September 2023. HIDIVE streamed the anime as it aired and streamed an English dub.
Shimizu launched the Blade Dance of Elementalers (Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance) light novel series in December 2010, and ended it with the 20th novel volume in March 2019. The first 13 volumes featured art by Hanpen Sakura, but Yūji Nimura took over the illustrations in 2015 due to Sakura’s health. Kohada Shimesaba took over the art for the novels beginning with the 17th volume due to Nimura’s “personal circumstances.” Artist Issei Hyōju (MM!) drew the manga adaptation in Comic Alive from 2012 to January 2017. The light novel series inspired a television anime in 2014.
Shimizu and Makoto Aogiri launched the Otherworldly Munchkin manga on Nico Nico Seiga and Kodansha’s Monthly Shonen Sirius magazine’s “Suiyōbi no Sirius” website in February 2019. Kodansha released the manga’s 14th compiled book volume on May 8. Kodansha USA Publishing releases the manga digitally. The manga is inspiring an upcoming television anime. The anime was previously slated to premiere in October 2025, but was delayed indefinitely, with no new premiere date announced. Crunchyroll will stream the anime.
Source: Comic Alive July issue
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