Those seeking a cute and fun romcom with fantasy elements have A Galaxy Next Door to get excited about. Gido Amagakure’s manga — also known as Otonari ni Ginga — tells the tale of a struggling mangaka who, after a tragic family event, seeks an assistant who brings more to his life than ever anticipated.
Asahi Production will handle the series’ animation. Dating back to the 1970s, Asahi Production is best known for comedy and ecchi works such as Medaka Box and, more recently, Peach Boy Riverside — a summer 2021 fantasy anime. Aikatsu!’s Ryuuichi Kimura will be directing the series.
There’s still time to catch up on the manga for those who can’t wait for next year’s release. Gido Amagakure’s manga, Otonari ni Ginga is serialized in Kodansha’s Good! Afternoon — a monthly manga magazine known for its previous series such as Ajin and Grand Blue.
To read and purchase the manga in Japanese, head to Good! Afternoon’s website to find the books in paperback and eBooks format available at retailers such as Amazon Japan, Rakuten, Book☆Walker, and more!
As of yesterday, the first volume of the manga is also available in English from Kodansha USA’s website. So far, there’s been no announcement of when the entire four-volume collection will be translated. But more details will likely come by next year.
To celebrate the announcement, Otonari ni Ginga’s official Twitter has begun a commemorative event. Between now and May 6th, fans can follow the official account and retweet this post in order to be entered to win an illustration signed by mangaka Gido Amagakure.
Who is the voice cast of A Galaxy Next Door?
Playing the role of mangaka Kuga Ichirou will be voice actor Taku Yashiro — known for his roles as Domestic Girlfriend’s Natsuo Fujii and To Your Eternity’s Gugu. When asked about his upcoming role, Yashiro had this to say:
It’s sweet, exciting, and a little bit painful. While I was reading the original story, I was thrilled many times. I play with my own emotions so I can express Shiori-chan’s glittering facial expressions and genuine feelings even in animation. Thank you for your support.
Taku Yashiro
Portraying Goshiki Shiori — a mysterious woman and Ichirou’s new assistant — will be actress Yuu Wakui who has previously voiced Aikatsu Stars!’s Sumire and Sansha Sanyou’s Youko. She had this to say about her latest role:
It’s sweet, exciting, and a little bit painful. While I was reading the original story, I was thrilled many times. I play with my own emotions so I can express Shiori-chan’s glittering facial expressions and genuine feelings even in animation. Thank you for your support.
Yuu Wakui
What is the plot of A Galaxy Next Door’s story?
After the death of his father, Kuga Ichirou is the sole provider of his two siblings. Being a young man thrust into a parental role after a traumatic loss, Ichirou does his best to provide for his family — dedicating himself to working as a mangaka. But in order to meet his deadlines, Ichirou seeks an assistant. And his wishes are granted once he gets a call from his editor.
When he heads into town to pick up his new assistant, he’s surprised to learn that she’s a beautiful and mysterious woman, Goshiki Shiori. After inviting her to call him by his given name rather than his pen name, Momotea, Ichirou brings Shiori back to his home studio where he catches her up to speed on his work.
Despite never working as an assistant before, Shiori quickly impresses Ichirou with her quick and talented work. He’s happy that his deadlines will easily be met. But when his siblings return home from school, they’re more intrigued about the potential for a future relationship between the two artists.
Though the two are distant at first, they bond while working together. Will it remain strictly as a business relationship? Or will Ichirou and Shiori connect on a deeper level? Fans will have to wait for the anime to see!