Screenwriter Mari Okada, 'Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia' Creator Makoto Ojiro Begin New Manga

by Vindstot
Sep 3, 10:29 PM | 25 Comments

Screenwriter and director Mari Okada and manga creator Makoto Ojiro are working on a new title, according to the 40th issue of Big Comic Spirits on Monday. Titled Sister Regista, the manga will begin in the magazine's 43rd issue on September 20.

Sister Regista will explore the themes of "idols" and "family," focusing on the behind-the-scenes drama of an idol and her family, who create her costumes. Ojiro also posted a preview image for the manga on Monday (pictured right).

Okada is best known for penning the script for acclaimed titles such as Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai. (Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day), Toradora!, Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo (The Pet Girl of Sakurasou), and Nagi no Asu kara (A Lull in the Sea).

She made her directorial debut with Sayonara no Asa ni Yakusoku no Hana wo Kazarou (Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms) in 2018 and most recently helmed Alice to Therese no Maboroshi Koujou (Maboroshi) last September. Okada is currently penning the script for Fureru., which opens in theaters in Japan on October 4.

Ojiro serialized Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia (Insomniacs After School) in Big Comic Spirits from May 2019 to August 2023. Shogakukan published the 14th and final volume in October 2023. VIZ Media licensed the manga in English in June 2022 and released the sixth volume on June 18, with the seventh volume planned for a September 17 release.

LIDENFILMS adapted the manga into a 13-episode televsion anime in Spring 2023. Sentai Filmworks licensed the anime in North America and streamed it on HIDIVE with subtitles.

Source: Makoto Ojiro on X

New Manga

20 of 25 Comments Recent Comments

@Lamp1009 To be honest, it’s hard for me to remember works where the committee significantly limited her to one degree or another.

Sep 21, 8:37 AM by RobertBobert

@tragedydesu The art will be (and is) great, the seems to have started out alright, but this already doesn't feel like an Ojiro story. The way I see it, it has about a 50/50 chance of being an overly melodramatic series that doesn't encapsulate realistic human feelings, or its going to be an excellent take on family dynamics in a high-stress lifestyle.

Either way, I don't think it will become a very popular series, though I'm hoping it at least will be a good series.

Sep 21, 3:40 AM by Lamp1009

@RobertBobert God I hope not. I thought the drama in Kimisomu was very well balanced, so if Okada decides to throw in a bunch of melodrama for no reason, that would be extremely annoying.

I know Ojiro wanted a change of pace and ultimately just likes to draw, but she was a damn good writer too.

Sep 21, 3:34 AM by Lamp1009

@Vene This is only her second manga, not counting the adaptations of her original scripts actually. Judging by what was in the first adaptation, her manga is essentially the embodiment of her anime tropes, whether you like her anime or not.

@Yubisoft 90% of her work is essentially what I described. She belongs to that type of screenwriter like Gen Urobuchi or Ichiro Okouchi who are very dedicated to their favorite tropes. But at least unlike them, Okada is more varied in her choice of topics.

Sep 4, 5:59 PM by RobertBobert

@Vene I see . Thanks for the info. This is major red flag for me then so I will be extra careful .

Sep 4, 12:09 PM by Yubisoft

@RobertBobert Ugh I'm already imagining it so clearly and it's starting to piss me off.

PA or A-1 that's for sure, thankfully its only a manga.

@Yubisoft I'm not familiar with her works so far, but Mari Okada has been terrorizing Anime for 20 years now.

Sep 4, 12:06 PM by Vene

@Vene You sure you are not confusing her with Sasuga Kei , the queen of beta cuck stories ?

Sep 4, 12:03 PM by Yubisoft

@Vene Seriously? Keeping her past stories in mind, I would guarantee to expect an unknowingly insensitive male love interest, conflict between edgy gray mouse and idealized bishoujo, gay side characters, and social melodrama on the level of your typical teen girl dorama. As a bonus, very strong vibes from PAWORKS anime, although most likely they won’t be adapting it.

Sep 4, 11:58 AM by RobertBobert

mari okada in big 2024, wrap it up gran!

Sep 4, 11:38 AM by ryoko6

Incoming forced melodrama + polygon cuck romance + self-insert and more, the usual turd we can expect from Mari Okada.

Sep 4, 11:32 AM by Vene

RobertBobert said:
Oshi no Ko has never been an idol manga in the narrow sense

You are right. Even the mangaka has yet to decide what his manga wants to be about . The ''idol'' theme /concept in oshi no ko is all over the place which is the reason I want the mangaka of this new manga series to not be influenced by half baked idol stories

Sep 4, 10:22 AM by Yubisoft

Makoto Ojiro should go back to writing her own story. All of her works are great.

Sep 4, 9:57 AM by MegamiRem

Idol stuff sells there, so I doubt they'd have much problems keeping up with the expectations of regular otaku.

Sep 4, 9:36 AM by Softhenic03

If there's extra emphasis placed on the hard work that goes into creating costumes - contrasted by, I'm guessing, a haughty diva that doesn't understand or appreciate the effort - then I'm definitely interested in this story. 👀

Sep 4, 9:15 AM by Lumenesca

We all know about Okada and her obsession with ntr/love triangles
i don't think this will turn to something good but let's wait and see

Sep 4, 8:49 AM by tragedydesu

@Yubisoft Oshi no Ko has never been an idol manga in the narrow sense. It's more of a manga about idol culture and philosophy. Most of the time we follow Aqua, who is essentially an aspiring actor.

Sep 4, 8:22 AM by RobertBobert

IN MARI OKADA WE TRUST in this faithful, staunch household!

Sep 4, 4:49 AM by EmiliaHoarfrost

Vindstot said:
Sister Regista will explore the themes of "idols" and "family," focusing on the behind-the-scenes drama of an idol and her family, who create her costumes.

Hopefully this time won't be half baked , fake and superficial and extremely low quality gimmick themes like what happened with the overhyped Oshi no Ko

Sep 4, 12:35 AM by Yubisoft

@nishant0 She has quite a lot of original work, so you can find anything to suit your taste. Maboroshi is a good film overall, but it's one of those anime where plot twists can greatly change your experience of it.

Sep 4, 12:04 AM by RobertBobert

@RobertBobert well, i’m new to her original works, haven’t watched anything from that. Maboroshi got me interested but i’ve heard mixed opinion of it, so never really tried watching.

Sep 3, 11:51 PM by nishant0

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