A new manga titled Tonari no Seki no Fukami-kun ga Idol ni Naru Kamo Shirenai (Fukami-kun, the Guy Sitting Next to Me, Might Become an Idol) is set to launch in September. The announcement was made in the August issue of Shueisha’s Bessatsu Margaret magazine on July 11.
This new series will feature Haruno Aoyama, known for Boku wa Chiisana Shotenin, credited with the original work, while Haruka Chizu, the artist behind Snow Angel, will handle the illustrations. Haruka Chizu also confirmed the new manga on her X (formerly Twitter) account.
The manga is slated to appear in the October issue of Bessatsu Margaret, which will be released in September. The story focuses on a high school girl who is an avid fan of audition programs and aims to produce her classmate, transforming him into an idol.
Haruka Chizu’s previous work, Snow Angel (also known as Kono Setsugen de Kimi ga Waratte Irareru yō ni), began serialization in Shogakukan’s Cheese! magazine in May 2023 and concluded with its fourth and final volume in December. Viz Media has licensed Snow Angel for English publication, with the first volume released on May 13.
Haruno Aoyama’s Boku wa Chiisana Shotenin (I’m an Inexperienced Bookstore Clerk.) was serialized in Shueisha’s now-defunct The Margaret magazine, running from 2019 until its conclusion in 2023 with its sixth compiled book volume.
