Shueisha has announced a new 6-part crossover novel anthology as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Osamu Akimoto's police comedy manga KochiKame. Thiswill ship on September 17 for 1,600 yen, or about US$15.30.

KochiKame, which is short for Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikouen-mae Hashutsujo ("This is the police station in front of Kameari Park in Katsushika Ward"), was first serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in September 1976 and is still ongoing, making it Weekly Shonen Jump's longest running manga series. The story follows the adventures of middle-aged policeman Kankichi Ryōtsu, whose crazy schemes are constantly getting him into trouble.

In first of the 6 crossover stories, "KochiKame vs. Osomatsu-san," the 6 Osomatsu brothers meet a bad police officer, and a "miracle" happens. Sora Ishihara, the author of the Osomatsu-san novelization, is writing the story and Naoyuki Asano, the character designer from the Osomatsu-san anime, will provide the illustrations.

In the next story, "Kochikame vs. Sorcerous Stabber Orphen" the hapless protagonist of KochiKame wakes up in an alternate world, wearing a strange bandana and jacket, looking just like a certain man named Orphen. Yoshinobu Akita and Yuuya Kusaka, the author and illustrator behind the original Orphen light novels, are also handling the crossover story.

The third crossover story, "Kochikame vs. Girls und Panzer" will feature a showdown between Kankichi and the Ōrai Girls' Academy tank-combat team. Scriptwriter Kunihiko Okada is writing the story, illustrated by Isao Sugimoto, Yukiko Harada, Yuichi Furuichi, Keiichiro Yagino of Graphnicia, and Eiji Iwase of Studio Tulip, all of whom worked on the original Girls und Panzer anime.

Then, in "Kochikame vs. Cheer Boys," the mens' cheerleading club will help cheer up the KochiKame character Lemon. The original creator of Cheer Boys, Ryō Asai, is writing the story and Kenichi Kondo, creator of the Cheer Boys manga adaptation, is proving the illustrations.

In the fifth crossover, "Kochikame vs. Haruchika," Haruta and Chika of the Shizumi Minami high school wind instrument club will encounter the bushy-eyebrowed policeman Kankichi after a strange incident. The original creator and illustrator for Haruchika, Sei Hatsuno and Hiko Yamanaka, respectively, will also work on the crossover story.

The final novel is a crossover with the Nazutoki wa Dinner no Ato de ("The After Dinner Mysteries") novel series. Tokuya Higashigawa, creator of the original novels, is writing the story, and the novel's illustrator Yūsuke Nakamura (The Tatami Galaxy) is also illustrating the crossover. The novel series has also inspired a live-action drama.

The KochiKame manga has inspired an anime, several animated specials, 2 anime compilation films, 2 live-action films, and a live-action drama. As part of the 40th anniversary celebration, Kochikame will get a new television anime this year, with the main cast reprising their roles, as well as a new stage play.

Source: Jump Books, Anime! Anime!