Manga
The Twelve Kingdoms: Rare Short Story Now Available as an E-Book
Shinchosha releases two digital art books by Akihiro Yamada at the same time.
The fantasy series The Twelve Kingdoms (Juuni Kokuki) receives three more digital releases in Japan on November 12, 2026. The publisher Shinchosha is offering the short story “Hyohaku – Juuni Kokuki Gaiden” by Fuyumi Ono, which has long been hard to obtain, for the first time as a standalone e-book. At the same time, two illustration volumes by Akihiro Yamada appear in digital form.
The Background of the Short Story
“Hyohaku” was originally written in 1997 for a booklet accompanying the CD book Higashi no Wadatsumi, Nishi no Soukai. Because the publication had long not been regularly available, the story had acquired a reputation among readers as a hard-to-access special text. Shinchosha later included it as supplementary material in the official guide for the series' 30th anniversary.
The new digital edition contains no newly written story: the publisher explicitly notes that it is the text already printed in the anniversary volume. Readers who own that guide should take this overlap into account before buying. The Japanese publisher's page for the short story gives November 12 as the release date.
Two Picture Books with Drawings by Akihiro Yamada
In addition, Shinchosha is making the art books Kuon no Niwa and Seiyou no Kyoku available electronically. The first volume brings together 95 illustrations, mainly from the years 1991 to 2006, including supplementary drawings. The second volume comprises covers and interior illustrations for the Japanese new editions published since 2012, as well as motifs for events and other works.
Both digital picture books are laid out in a fixed page format. The publisher therefore recommends viewing them on larger screens or tablets. They are aimed in particular at readers who want to look at Yamada's illustrations independently of the printed books.
In September 2026, the short story collection Yuumei no Kishi was also published as a new book for the series. The digital version is scheduled for December 11, 2026. The Japanese e-book selection is thus steadily growing.
aninew.de has already covered other releases featuring supplementary texts and artwork, including the new short story for the KonoSuba exhibition and the picture book for The Rose of Versailles.