At the recent Anime Boston event, Azuki announced their first exclusive license joining their digital manga service the idol manga Hikaru in the Light!
Hikaru in the Light! is an inspiring story about pop idols and chasing your dreams. The series by Mai Matsuda is currently published in Japan in Futabasha’s Manga Action magazine. A preview of chapter 1 is available to read now via the Azuki website and apps.
“Hikaru in the Light! is the first title Azuki has licensed directly from Japan, and we’re excited to introduce fans around the world to Mai Matsuda’s inspiring story and beautiful artwork,”
“This is just the beginning for us. We will continue to bring new stories to our members as Azuki grows.”
Azuki’s Co-Founder and Marketing/Licensing Director Evan Minto.
Azuki has licensed the series for worldwide distribution (outside of Japan) and will begin serializing the series in English one week at a time starting on June 13 2022. Chapters will be released weekly until they have caught up with the original Japanese serialization at which point, Azuki will release chapters as “simulpubs” twice a month, as soon as they come out in Japan.
About Hikaru in the Light!
“In order to get up on stage, you need to be special.”
Hikaru Ogino spends her days singing oldies in her family’s bathhouse, but when her best friend Ran — a former idol — invites her to try out for an “idol survival camp” together, it’ll put her talents to the test. Can Hikaru outshine the competition and make her stage debut, or will she fall flat? Witness the birth of a new star in this exciting story about chasing your dreams!
Also Announced:
When Pink Rain Falls 2, the follow-up to the fan-favourite Boys Love short story by Yoiyu and published by Star Fruit Books. A release date is expected to be announced within the coming weeks.
The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting Volume 4 will release on June 17 on Azuki, one week earlier than on other platforms, as part of Azuki’s Early Access partnership with Kaiten Books.
Azuki is available on the web at www.azuki.co, as well as in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. For free, fans can read select chapters from its catalog of over 200 series, including Hikaru in the Light!, hits like Four Knights of the Apocalypse, acclaimed new series like The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting, and indie manga like Children of Mu-Town. Azuki makes the latest chapters of 18 series available as simulpubs as soon as they are published in Japan.
For just $4.99 per month fans can sign up for a Premium membership and read the entire catalog with no ads. A 30-day free trial and a discounted annual plan are also available. All titles are available worldwide (except Japan) in English. Readers can stay up to date on the latest announcements by following Azuki at twitter.com/ReadAzuki, facebook.com/ReadAzuki, and instagram.com/readazuki.
Source: Press Release