Kyō Yoneshiro is taking on a proper Japanese literary classic for their next manga project, and this one has the kind of messy relationship drama that can still hit hard 100 years later.
Shogakukan’s Weekly Big Comic Spirits has announced that Yoneshiro will launch a new manga titled Netsuzō: Chijin no Ai — translated roughly as Fabrication: A Fool’s Love — in the magazine’s next issue on August 3. The series is based on Junichirō Tanizaki’s 1924 novel Chijin no Ai, which is known in English as Naomi.
For readers who usually stick to shonen battles or seasonal anime tie-ins, this is a different lane. Naomi is one of those famous Japanese novels that digs into obsession, control, modern identity, and a very uncomfortable power dynamic. The original story follows Joji Kawai, an ordinary salaryman who meets Naomi, a beautiful 15-year-old waitress at a cafe. Joji arranges for Naomi to live with him “like friends,” while giving her education and lessons in manners with the idea of shaping her into a suitable wife.
Of course, the story does not go the way Joji imagines. Naomi grows into someone far beyond his neat little fantasy, and the relationship shifts into something more complicated, unsettling, and destructive.
That premise is exactly why a manga adaptation in 2026 could be interesting — and potentially spicy, depending on how Yoneshiro handles it. Modern readers, especially in Malaysia and SEA where manga audiences are now way more exposed to seinen, josei, and literary adaptations, are not just looking for clean hero narratives anymore. Stories about flawed adults, manipulation, obsession, and social expectations can find a strong audience here, especially among readers who enjoy darker relationship manga or psychological drama.
There is also a bigger manga trend here: publishers continue to revisit classic Japanese literature through fresh visual formats. For SEA fans, these adaptations can be a more accessible entry point into older works that might otherwise feel too academic or distant. Let’s be real — more people are likely to try a stylish Big Comic Spirits manga than pick up a century-old novel cold.
Tanizaki’s original Chijin no Ai was first serialized in the Osaka Asahi Shimbun from March to June 1924. It has also been adapted into films several times, with versions released in 1949, 1960, 1967, and 2024.
Yoneshiro is not new to character-driven drama either. They previously launched Ageku no Hate Kanon in Shogakukan’s Monthly Spirits, and began Ōjōgiwa no Imi o Shire! in Weekly Big Comic Spirits in 2020. More recently, Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ published Yoneshiro’s one-shot The 11th hour in October 2025, with the English version appearing on MANGA Plus.
No cap, this sounds like one for readers who enjoy manga that makes you uncomfortable on purpose. If Netsuzō: Chijin no Ai leans into the psychological tension instead of sanding off the sharp edges, it could become a strong seinen talking point once chapters start circulating among manga fans.
Reporting source: Anime News Network