Studio BONES President Masahiko Minami has signaled interest in producing an anime for Kohei Horikoshi's upcoming horror manga. The new work, a "terrifying boy meets girl horror story," is slated for release in Weekly Shonen Jump on August 10th.
Moving past the decade-long My Hero Academia era
For more than ten years , Studio BONES has served as the primary visual architect for Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia universe. The relationship between the animation house and the manga creator has been a cornerstone of the modern shonen landscape, built on the core pillars of power and teamwork. As the anime recently concluded a significant chapter involving Eri’s return to UA Academy, the industry is witnessing the end of a massive era. According to a report from ComicBook.com, the studio is now looking toward a much darker horizon as Horikoshi prepares to step away from the superhero genre to explore the macabre.
A 60-page 'boy meets girl' horror tale
Horikoshi’s next creative venture is scheduled to debut in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump on August 10th. This new work is being framed as a "campfire tale," a stark departure from the high-stakes superhero battles that defined his previous decade of work. The story is described as a "terrifying boy meets girl horror story" and is expected to run for approximately sixty pages. While the brevity of a one-shot presents logistical hurdles for traditional animation cycles, the sheer intrigue of Horikoshi's shift into horror has already captured the attention of major industry leaders.
Masahiko Minami's surprise at Otakon
During a recent discussion at Otakon, one of North America's premier anime conventions, Studio BONES President Masahiko Minami revealed that he was only recently made aware of Horikoshi's pivot into the horror genre. Minami expressed a profound interest in seeing how the creator's signature style translates to a more unsettling setting. The president noted that the studio's decade-long history with Horikoshi makes this transition particularly significant , as they have grown alongside the creator's evolving vision. Minami stated during the discussion that if the opportunity arises, he and his studio would be "very interested in bringing the anime to life ."
The feasibility of a feature-length film adaptation
The primary question facing Studio BONES involves the logistical format of a potential adaptation. Because the upcoming manga is a single, sixty-page issue, a standard multi-episode television series may not be a viable option for a production house of their scale. Instead, Minami suggested that the studio might look toward a feature-length film to capture the essence of the story. However, several details remain unverified, including the specific narrative direction of the plot and whether the one-shot is intended to be a standalone piece or a pilot for a larger franchise. The industry remains in a holding pattern until the August 10th release provides more clarity.
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