It’s been announced that CLAMP will draw a manga adaptation for EXILE TRIBE’s franchise HiGH&LOW.

HiGH&LOW is a comprehensive entertainment project that encompasses various forms of content media. Produced by EXILE HIRO, the project started in 2014 and since then the franchise originated a 2-seasons TV Drama, three movies, live concerts and a manga adaptation. Two more movies are planned for 2017.

The long cast is majorly composed by members of Japanese band EXILE TRIBE as well as other well-known actors and actresses.

According to Oricon, HiGH&LOW was the 15th top-selling franchise in Japan on 2016.

The first manga adaptation was drawn by Masami Hosokawa and it ran in Bessatsu Shonen Champion (Akita Shoten) from November 2015 until October 2016, with a total of 3 volumes released.

Story

The legend begins at a certain town that used to be under the rule of a legendary organization called “Mugen”. And within the ranks of that domineering organization were two legendary brothers – the Amamiya Brothers, who were proved to be both brutal and unbeaten during that time.

Yet somehow the Mugen was suddenly dispersed during a fierce battle… And in the aftermath of the chaos are five organizations that aim to take control of that area. As a result, this area came to be known as SWORD, an acronym attribute to the names of the five organizations. And in that area dwells a gang that goes by the name “G-SWORD”. These 5 organizations include: “Sanno Association” and its second-generation Sanno Shouten brawlers, the alluring white demons known as the “White Rascals”, the dark and brutal “Onija High School”, the ghosts on the ruthless street aka the “RUDE BOYS” and the family of vengeful destroyers of “Daruma Hooligans”.

These 5 gangs will put their pride on the line as they engage in a fierce battle for dominance! However, the plot thickens… a mysterious group called “MIGHTY WARRIORS” appears. And the question that everyone is asking now is, are they enemies or allies? What fate awaits this town… (Arama! Japan)

CLAMP have been enthusiastically tweeting their appreciation for the franchise since the beginning of it, often making doodles and sharing them on their twitter account, and in September/2016, Nanase Ohkawa wrote a review for the first movie that was published in Asahi newspaper.

I think it’s safe to assume that Mokona will be in charge of the drawings, judging by the doodles they posted on twitter. These doodles might give us an idea of what to expect from the aesthetics of this project.

I’m looking forward to this!

More info as they come. Stay tuned!

Special thanks to Marco06 for kindly letting me know about this piece of info. Merci beaucoup !