Ema Toyama Launches New Magical Girl Manga Riri Raspberry

Ema Toyama is returning to Kodansha’s Nakayoshi magazine with a brand new series. Mahō Renshūsei Riri Raspberry, a magical girl story, debuts in the issue arriving on October 31, complete with a color opening and a front cover spot.

Toyama shared her delight on social media, noting it had been a long while since her last Nakayoshi serialization and joking that she never imagined drawing a magical girl story twenty years into her career.

The story follows Riri Raspberry, a girl who has been alone for as long as she can remember and has never known a truly happy day. Her life changes when she earns a place at Scientia, a magical school she has long dreamed of, where students train to become wizards in pursuit of a happy life, until an unexpected incident sets the plot in motion.

Toyama is well known to fans for Vampire Dormitory, which received a television anime in 2024, and her award winning romantic comedy Missions of Love. She currently has several other ongoing series as well.

My take: There is something sweet about a veteran creator getting to draw her first magical girl story after two decades. A lonely heroine chasing happiness at a magic school is a premise full of warmth, and I am curious to see Toyama’s spin on it.