Chiikawa manga reveals volume 9 cover featuring the used bookstore

The manga Chiikawa: Nanka Chiisakute Kawaii Yatsu has revealed the cover of its ninth collected volume. The illustration, shared by the publisher, has a detail that doesn't go unnoticed: the used bookstore appears for the first time on a cover of the series.

The volume will go on sale on November 20. According to the announcement, it will collect the most recent episodes of Nagano's work, including the parallel world arc, along with the absurd humor strips that have turned these characters into a mass phenomenon.

The special edition of volume 9 will come with a postcard book. The set includes 24 cards and a sticker sheet. The cover of that extra is a new illustration created by Nagano herself for the occasion.

A phenomenon that goes beyond manga

Chiikawa began as a strip that Nagano publishes on her X account. The series started in 2020 and soon stood out for the contrast between the adorable appearance of its protagonists and a world with fairly harsh rules. That mix has helped it hook an audience ranging from children to adults.

The work has been racking up recognition since its move to print. It won the Grand Prize at the Japan Character Awards and, in 2022, franchise-related products ranked second on the list of the year's best-selling items compiled by Nikkei Trendy.

The TV anime has been airing since April 2022. The movie, which is still in theaters, has surpassed 16 billion yen at the box office, a figure that places it among the highest-grossing releases of the year in Japan.

Volume 9 collects the parallel world arc and the humor strips that have defined the series since 2020.

With the ninth volume on the horizon, the series maintains a steady publishing pace. The cover reveal confirms that the used bookstore will have a bigger role in this installment, although the publisher has not detailed how many chapters it spans or whether the parallel world arc is wrapped up in this volume.