The acclaimed manga series Doraemon is returning to print with a new volume of Doraemon+ (Plus), which releases in early December. The last volume came out in 2014, marking a 9-year gap between releases. Conveniently, the new collection of stories arrives in time to celebrate a number of anniversaries in connection to the beloved time-traveling, cat robot.
Doraemon+ consists of additional stories that did not appear in the original 45 volumes of Doraemon. The new volume, coming December 1, will include 20 stories not seen before in an official collection. Its release date celebrates the anniversary of both the manga’s publishing imprint, Tentomushi Comics, and the birthday of its author, Hiroshi Fujimoto.
New Doraemon Tales Include Early Works and New Characters
Doraemon+ Volume 7
On Shogakukan’s official website, the publisher further describes the contents of the new volume. It will include new stories like “Doraemon’s Song” and “Nobita Broadcasting Corporation”. Shogakukan places emphasis on how the collection coincides with the 50-year anniversary of Tentomushi Comics; as such, several Tentomushi-era stories from early in Doraemon’s publication have finally been reprinted to show the evolution of the series over the years. The old stories also mark the appearances of several more obscure side characters, like Manabu, Nobita’s uncle Munashi, Honyama, and Suneo’s younger brother, Sunetsugu. All in all, it seems to be an especially unique volume.
December 1 is also the 90-year anniversary of the birth of one of Doraemon‘s authors, Hiroshi Fujimoto, AKA Fujiko F. Fujio. Fujimoto formed a two-man team with Motoo Abiko, who together took the pen name “Fujiko Fujio”. The two of them wrote the original Doraemon, among many other manga, before parting ways in 1987, with Fujimoto taking up a new pen name and Abiko going by “Fujiko Fujio A”. Fujimoto passed away in 1996, while Abiko lived until April 2022. Today, the franchise is still extraordinarily popular, with an anime that’s been running continuously since 2005 and movies that come out nearly annually.
With the cat robot itself being Japan’s first “anime ambassador”, being able to see the origins and more obscure parts of this influential and immensely popular manga is a massive treat for even the most casual of anime fans, as it sheds light on a manga’s growing pains. Volume 7 is also well-timed for a resurgence of interest in Fujiko Fujio’s works – one of Fujimoto’s later works, Time Patrol Bon, has also been picked up by Netflix for an all-new adaptation which is airing in 2024. Fans of Doraemon should look forward to next month when Plus’s new volume arrives.
