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Doraemon Plus Manga Gets 1st New Volume in 9 Years

Tentōmushi Comics will publish the seventh volume of Fujiko Fujio's Doraemon Plus manga on December 1 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Tentōmushi Comics. December 1 is also the 90th anniversary of the late Doraemon co-creator Fujiko F. Fujio's birth. The sixth volume shipped in 2014, which makes the upcoming volume the first one in nine years.

Doraemon Plus launched in 2005 as a compilation of Doraemon stories by Fujiko F. Fujio (real name Hiroshi Fujimoto) that did not appear in book form in the original 45-volume publication. The sixth volume included 21 stories, and the upcoming seventh volume will include 20 stories.

Shogakukan launched the F Life, the official magazine created to celebrate Fujio's 80th birthday in 2014. Limited edition merchandise, other magazines, a video game, and an exhibit have featured characters from the creator's work.

The other Doraemon co-creator, Fujiko Fujio A (real name Motoo Abiko), passed away in April 2022 at his residence in Kawasaki, Tokyo at the age of 88.

Fujiko Fujio A and Fujiko F. Fujio penned the world-famous Doraemon manga about the titular robot cat from the future and his friendship with the boy Nobita. The manga ran from 1970 to 1996. The pair worked together before parting in 1987, with Abiko taking the Fujiko Fujio A pseudonym, and Fujimoto taking the Fujiko Fujio F (later Fujiko F. Fujio) pseudonym. Fujimoto passed away in 1996. The manga has launched one of the most successful children's media franchises in the world, inspiring numerous anime films and three separate television anime runs. The third television anime began in 2005 and is still ongoing as one of the most highly rated anime on Japanese television week after week.

Source: Shogakukan