“Nao Maita,” in her eighth, which is also the final compiled book volume of “Otona wa Wakattekurenai.” (Adults Don’t Understand.) announced the release of her next work.
“Nao Maita” has earned her fair share of fame through the manga “Age 12” (12-Sai/Jūni-sai). ‘Age 12’ is a Japanese slice life shōjo manga series wholly written and illustrated by Maita. It was first launched in Shogakukan’s “Ciao” manga magazine in August 2012. The manga was published in twenty volumes. In April 2014, ‘Age 12’ was also adapted into an original animation video. A video game and Television anime series adaptation of the manga was released in 2016.
In the manga, the story revolves around Hanabi Ayase and her best friend, Yui Aoi, who are in the 6th grade. ‘Hanabi Ayase’ has the characteristics of the typically well-loved figure with a sweet demeanor and child-like appearance and behavior. She’s portrayed with two pigtails and wide brown eyes that seem to captivate the hearts of every boy in the class.
‘Yui Aoi’ is equally, if not more, mature in terms of her physical and emotional development and has an irresistible charm herself. However, growing up without a mother leaves her insecure, and she usually turns to their best friend and the third member of the clique ‘Marin.’
The manga shows the life of an innocent 12-year-old who is experiencing a lot of her firsts, including the growth and maturity that comes with age and the beginnings of first love. Initially oblivious to the feelings of Yuuto Takao, Hanabi is thrown into a partnered project for her music class with Yuuto as a chance encounter.
As they start working on the project for the upcoming test, Hanabi starts to realize she is falling for Yuuto, and they begin dating soon. Parallelly, Yui Aoi has her own share of firsts too. Being a model student herself, Yui is aversed by Kazuma Hiyama in the beginning for his delinquent behavior. It also doesn’t help that Kazuma constantly keeps teasing her. However, when Kazuma helps Yui during a particularly difficult period, Yui starts to grow fond of him and ends up in a relationship with Kazuma.
The television anime adaptation titled “12-Sai. ~Kiss, Kirai, Suki~ (Age 12: Kiss, Hate, Love)” follows the same story as that of the manga where Hanabi and Yui encounter the challenges of growing up and falling in love. The anime shows the girls’ lives while they grow through this phase of life by facing obstacles. Each episode of the anime was of the duration of 21 minutes. The anime adaptation aired in the May issue in April of ‘Ciao Ciao TV! DVD’.
The anime also received a video game adaptation for the Nintendo 3DS. The game belongs to the romance/adventure genre and allows players to portray the character of either Hanabi or Yui. Maita also announced that the game would follow a new storyline altogether.
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Nao Maiti to Launch New Series
The eighth and final volume of Nao Maita’s “Otona wa Wakattekurenai.” (Adults Don’t Understand.) was published on April 26. It was in this volume that Maita announced the launch of a new series in the coming month of July. The new manga series will premiere in Shogakukan’s Ciao magazine in the August edition, which is set to be released on July 3. The manga is rumored to belong to the romance genre.
“Otona wa Wakattekurenai.” was launched in December 2019 in Shogakukan’s ‘Ciao’ magazine. The manga consisted of 45 pages where the opening page is colorized. It was also featured on the cover of the issue of the magazine. ‘Otona wa Wakatte kurenai’ is a slice of life, school romance, and shoujo manga. The manga series ended publication on March 3, 2023, with the eighth volume.
The story depicts the life of Tsumugi, who enrolls in a private school that is populated by children of high-class families. Once there, Tsumugi has a fated encounter that changes the trajectory of her life.
With such popular and beloved titles in her bag, Nao Maita is expected to create magic once again in her field of expertise in her upcoming manga series. Although the ending of ‘Otona wa Wakatte kurenai’ disheartened the fans, they are looking forward to Maita’s next project with bated breath.
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