Western publisher Yen Press has revealed that an English print of manga series Rose Guns Days: Sorrowful Cross Knife will beavailable digitallyon February 21 this year. First hinted earlier this week, the announcement was made in atweetshared over the weekend via the officialYen Press Twitter account.Rose Guns Days: Sorrowful Cross Knife is the prequel to manga series Rose Guns Days, which in turn is based on the 07th Expansion visual novel of the same name. The series stems from the mind ofHigurashi When They CryandUminekowriterRyukishi07, who is currentlyworking on the scenarioof Konami’s upcoming horror gameSilent Hill f.
With an original story by Ryukishi07, and art by Tsuyoshi Takaki, Rose Guns Days: Sorrowful Cross Knife stars an orphan by name of Wayne who quickly finds himself in the midst of a very serial murder mystery - the prime subject of which is someone he knows all too well and wants to believe in. Set in an alternate Japan of 1946, Rose Guns Days: Sorrowful Cross Knife is a tightly-wound story of trust versus doubt, suspects versus alliance, and political intrigue with guns akimbo, all wrapped up in the tensions of a post-war society.
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Originally serialized in Square Enix’s Monthly Big Gangan magazine, the chapters of Rose Guns Days: Sorrowful Cross Knife fully compile into two volumes. It is currently unknown whether both volumes will be available in English on February 21, or if only the first will be available at launch with the second volume to follow at a later date.
Last year, Yen Press announced it had acquired the license to publish the Higurashi When They Cry Gou manga, also by Ryukishi07. Set to release in omnibus form, Higurashi When They Cry Gou will launch in English in June this year both physically and digitally. All volumes of the original Rose Guns Days manga were also published in both a physical and digital format, however, physical volumes reportedly did not meet sales expectations, which may provide some explanation as to why Yen Press has no plans to publish Rose Guns Days: Sorrowful Cross Knife physically.
While the original Rose Guns Days manga is no longer being printed, the entire series is available in English digitally through online reading services such as Book Walker, Amazon, and Kobo. As for the source visual novel, Rose Guns Days was briefly available in English through MangaGamer, however, it has since been removed from MangaGamer’s online store and is no longer available to purchase in the West.
