The Lycoris Recoil franchise continues to bear fruit for its audience, even after the conclusion of its initial season on Japanese TV. The shorts titled Lycoris Recoil: Friends are thieves of time. will get an official manga adaptation, scheduled for release in early 2027.
Serialization Details and Manga Staff
The announcement confirms that artist Yasunori Bizen will be responsible for illustrating the new work. Serialization will take place in the pages of Kadokawa's Monthly Comic Flapper magazine, a publication known for hosting various adaptations and spin-off titles from popular anime.
Publication is set to begin specifically in February 2027. The initial plan indicates a serialization run of approximately six months, fully covering the content presented in the original shorts. The choice of Yasunori Bizen for the project creates anticipation for fans following the franchise's printed material, as the shorts typically focus on everyday interactions and casual moments between the main characters.
What to Expect from Friends are thieves of time
While the main Lycoris Recoil series involves espionage missions and intense combat, the shorts serving as the basis for this manga take a lighter approach. They explore the agents' daily routine at the LycoReco cafe, detailing the friendship between Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue away from the government's official battlefield.
This expansion into manga allows the dialogue and comedic situations to be explored at a more relaxed pace than in the short video format. For publisher Kadokawa, the project serves to maintain interest in the brand while further animation announcements are not yet detailed by the original production committee.
More About Lycoris Recoil
Originally produced by studio A-1 Pictures and directed by Shingo Adachi, known for his character designs on Sword Art Online, Lycoris Recoil premiered in 2022. The anime quickly became a sales and popularity phenomenon. The story introduces the "Lycoris," young orphan girls trained by a secret organization called Direct Attack (DA) to maintain peace in Japan by eliminating threats without the public ever realizing it.
The plot focuses on Chisato, a prodigy agent who works independently at a cafe and refuses to take lives, and Takina, her new partner who initially holds a much more rigid and pragmatic stance. The success of the original series has already spawned hit light novels and stage plays in Japan, establishing itself as one of the strongest original IPs today.
Source: Anmo Sugoi
