On September 4th, a new manga series by the creator of the massively popular romance Fruits Basket was launched on publishing company Hakusensha’s Manga Park website and app. Natsuki Takaya’s new romance manga is called Kakumo Chiisaki Sekai Ni Te in Japanese, or In Such A Small World in English.
In Such A Small World follows Sui Onodera, who has a sudden encounter with her neighbor one day. Her neighbor, Kaoru Seto, barges into her apartment, quickly explaining that his dog has ended up on her balcony. After their chance encounter, the two begin to develop a romantic bond.
One of Takaya’s most lauded works, Fruits Basket, was first serialized in the shoujo manga magazine Hana to Yuma in 1998. Fruits Basket follows Tohru Honda, a high school girl whose mother recently passed away, who lives in a tent. One day, she has a chance encounter with three members of the Sohma family – Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure – and accidentally learns of their family curse, which turns members of the Sohma family into animals from the zodiac if they’re tired, stressed, or hugged by an outsider of the opposite gender. Tohru is invited to live with them, and sasnhe grows to learn more about the family and herself, she develops strong bonds with each member of the Sohma family.
The manga was originally adapted into an anime 2001, with a second adaptation releasing in April 2019. The success of the series overall has resulted in the production of a compilation film, drama CDs, spin-off manga, and more. The series has also received several awards, including the 2001 Kodansha Manga Award and the Best Manga Award at the 2007 American Anime Awards.
With such success behind Takaya’s career, fans have a lot to look forward to with the release of In Such A Small World. As of right now, there is no announcement of a possible English translation. However, fans should keep an eye out, as Takaya’s newest series appears to have all the makings of the next big romance story.
The first few chapters of In Such A Small World are available in Japanese on the Manga Park website.
