Image source: Manga-News — via manga-news.com
Recently the winner of Japan's prestigious Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize, the manga Le Bouquiniste had its first volume released in France yesterday in Vega's Alpha collection, accompanied by a free gilded metal bookmark featuring the manga's motifs, while supplies last at participating bookstores. Debut mangaka Ao Kojima's story began as a 2022 short in Enterbrain/Kadokawa's prestigious Harta magazine before expanding into a full series (three volumes so far, ongoing). Set in a timeless secondhand bookstore, each customer arrives carrying their own story — a searching high schooler, a widow ready to say goodbye, a man letting go of his memories — in a slice-of-life the publisher promises will be a true haven for book lovers.