Otherside Picnic (Manga)

## Otherside Picnic

**Otherside Picnic** (裏世界ピクニック, *Ura Sekai Pikunikku*?) is a Japanese manga series that began serialization since Feburary 2018 on Square Enix's shōnen magazine *Monthly Shōnen Gangan* with seven volumes in Japanese up to date. The manga is based on the novel series written by Iori Miyazawa and drawn by Eita Mizuno.

## Synopsis

In this sci-fi/fantasy survival thriller, the dangerous and deadly realm of the Otherside—where urban legends, cryptids, and folkloric legends roam—calls to two women, both in search of something. As they set out to sate their curiosity and explore this other world, will the most earth-shattering thing they discover on the Otherside be their feelings for each other?

## Plot

The series focuses on Sorawo Kamikoshi and Toriko Nishina, two young women who discover doors leading to the Otherside, a new world full of mystery that exists alongside our own. Where dangerous beings like the Kunekune and Hasshaku-sama that are spoken of in real ghost stories appear.

These doors can appear all over the place, such as in a run-down apartment building or by pressing a certain combination on an elevator. For research, for profit, and to find an important person, Toriko and Sorawo set foot into a new world in this story of bizarre exploration and survival.

## Volumes and Chapters

The manga adaptation was announced in November 2017 and will be illustrated by Spiral Manga artist, Eita Mizuno. The manga launched on February 10, 2018, and is featured in the cover of Shōnen Gangan's February 2018 issue. The manga series currently has seven volumes published which adapt the first volume and second volume of the novel.

* English
* Japanese

 Release Date
 ISBN

* Chapter 1: Wriggler Hunting I
* Chapter 2: Wriggler Hunting II
* Chapter 3: Surviving the Eight-Foot-Tall Lady I
* Chapter 4: Surviving the Eight-Foot-Tall Lady II
* Chapter 5: Surviving the Eight-Foot-Tall Lady III
* Special Story: Ms. Yozakura's Late-Night Livestream
 While on the trail of alleged paranormal activity, amateur urban explorer, depressed college student, and all-around loner Sorawo discovers a door to a curious destination—the Otherside. There, she has a near-miss with a creature both repulsive and mesmerizing...but before she can fall prey to the strange beast, the beautiful Toriko comes to her rescue! What horrors await the pair as they continue to explore this parallel world and its bizarre and dangerous denizens?!

 Release Date
 ISBN

* 第1話 : くねくねハンティング I
* 第2話 : くねくねハンティング II
* 第3話 : 八尺様サバイバル I
* 第4話 : 八尺様サバイバル II
* 第5話 : 八尺様サバイバル III
* サイドストーリー 1 : 夜桜おねえさんの深夜配信
 While on the trail of alleged paranormal activity, amateur urban explorer, depressed college student, and all-around loner Sorawo discovers a door to a curious destination—the Otherside. There, she has a near-miss with a creature both repulsive and mesmerizing...but before she can fall prey to the strange beast, the beautiful Toriko comes to her rescue! What horrors await the pair as they continue to explore this parallel world and its bizarre and dangerous denizens?!

* English
* Japanese

 Release Date
 ISBN

* Chapter 6: Surviving the Eight-Foot-Tall Lady IV
* Chapter 7: Station February I
* Chapter 8: Station February II
* Chapter 9: Station February III
* Chapter 10: Station February IV
* Special Story: Late-Night Chicken and a Gorilla
 When Sorawo and Toriko undertake another foray into the Otherside via a Shinjuku pub and lose their way, Kisaragi Station awaits them. The unarmed pair gets into trouble, only to be saved by a mysterious band of soldiers. As the girls soon discover, the soldiers are US Forces, Japan marines who found their way into the Otherside from their Okinawan base and have been making camp at Kisaragi themselves, unable to find a way home. Will Sorawo and Toriko be able to escape the eerie station?!

 Release Date
 ISBN

* 第6話 : 八尺様サバイバル IV
* 第7話 : ステーション・フェブラリー I
* 第8話 : ステーション・フェブラリー II
* 第9話 : ステーション・フェブラリー III
* 第10話 : ステーション・フェブラリー IV
* サイドストーリー 2 : 真夜中のチキンとゴリラ
 When Sorawo and Toriko undertake another foray into the Otherside via a Shinjuku pub and lose their way, Kisaragi Station awaits them. The unarmed pair gets into trouble, only to be saved by a mysterious band of soldiers. As the girls soon discover, the soldiers are US Forces, Japan marines who found their way into the Otherside from their Okinawan base and have been making camp at Kisaragi themselves, unable to find a way home. Will Sorawo and Toriko be able to escape the eerie station?!

* English
* Japanese

 Release Date
 ISBN

* Chapter 11: Station February V
* Chapter 12: Station February VI
* Chapter 13: Station February VII
* Chapter 14: Time, Space, Man I
* Chapter 15: Time, Space, Man II
* Chapter 16: Time, Space, Man III
* Chapter 17: Time, Space, Man IV
* Special Story: Night of the Cornered Bird's Visit
 The hunt for Satsuki continues, but Sorawo begins to have second thoughts in the face of Toriko's heedless urgency, leading to a heated argument... And when Sorawo loses her way in the space between reality and the Otherside, only to run into another mysterious entity—the Space-Time Man—she discovers that Toriko's crossed to the Otherside without her! Unable to locate Toriko, Sorawo must put her feelings about Satsuki aside and enlist Kozakura in the search for her missing friend...

 Release Date
 ISBN

* 第11話 : ステーション・フェブラリー V
* 第12話 : ステーション・フェブラリー VI
* 第13話 : ステーション・フェブラリー VII
* 第14話 : 時間、空間、おっさん I
* 第15話 : 時間、空間、おっさん II
* 第16話 : 時間、空間、おっさん III
* 第17話 : 時間、空間、おっさん IV
* サイドストーリー 3 : 窮鳥来たる夜
 The hunt for Satsuki continues, but Sorawo begins to have second thoughts in the face of Toriko's heedless urgency, leading to a heated argument... And when Sorawo loses her way in the space between reality and the Otherside, only to run into another mysterious entity—the Space-Time Man—she discovers that Toriko's crossed to the Otherside without her! Unable to locate Toriko, Sorawo must put her feelings about Satsuki aside and enlist Kozakura in the search for her missing friend...

* English
* Japanese

 Release Date
 ISBN

* Chapter 18: Time, Space, Man V
* Chapter 19: Time, Space, Man VI
* Chapter 20: Time, Space, Man VII
* Chapter 21: Time, Space, Man VIII
* Chapter 22: Time, Space, Man IX
* Chapter 23: Time, Space, Man X
* Chapter 24: The Kisaragi Station Marines Rescue Operation I
* Side Story 4: Before Night Falls
 In search of Toriko, Sorawo and Kozakura make their way to the Otherside...at night! In the dark, the place overflows with danger and ill will. Every little rustle seems sinister, every shadow worth jumping at... But things get even more complicated when, upon approaching a ruined building, the women come face-to-face with a doppelganger...and none other than Satsuki herself! Her dear friend may have been located at last, but Toriko herself is still nowhere to be found...

 Release Date
 ISBN

* 第18話 : 時間、空間、おっさん V
* 第19話 : 時間、空間、おっさん VI
* 第20話 : 時間、空間、おっさん VII
* 第21話 : 時間、空間、おっさん VIII
* 第21話 : 時間、空間、おっさん IX
* 第23話 : 時間、空間、おっさん X
* 第24話 : きさらぎ駅米軍救出作戦 I
* サイドストーリー 4 : 夜が降りて来る前に
 In search of Toriko, Sorawo and Kozakura make their way to the Otherside...at night! In the dark, the place overflows with danger and ill will. Every little rustle seems sinister, every shadow worth jumping at... But things get even more complicated when, upon approaching a ruined building, the women come face-to-face with a doppelganger...and none other than Satsuki herself! Her dear friend may have been located at last, but Toriko herself is still nowhere to be found...

* English
* Japanese

 Release Date
 ISBN

* Chapter 25: The Kisaragi Station Marines Rescue Operation II
* Chapter 26: The Kisaragi Station Marines Rescue Operation III
* Chapter 27: The Kisaragi Station Marines Rescue Operation IV
* Chapter 28: The Kisaragi Station Marines Rescue Operation V
* Chapter 29: The Kisaragi Station Marines Rescue Operation VI
* Chapter 30: The Kisaragi Station Marines Rescue Operation VII
* Special Chapter: And Then Night Falls
 Sorawo and Toriko head deep into the Otherside to save some old friends—none other than the American marines who wandered into Kisaragi Station and got stuck in what they call the Beyond! The pair, dubbed "the girls" by the Okinawa base troops, hatch a plan to rescue the trapped soldiers. Will everyone make it out alive and unscathed? Or will the Otherside claim new victims along the way?

 Release Date
 ISBN

* 第25話 : きさらぎ駅米軍救出作戦 II
* 第26話 : きさらぎ駅米軍救出作戦 III
* 第27話 : きさらぎ駅米軍救出作戦 IV
* 第28話 : きさらぎ駅米軍救出作戦 V
* 第29話 : きさらぎ駅米軍救出作戦 VI
* 第30話 : きさらぎ駅米軍救出作戦 VII
* サイドストーリー 5 : やがて夜になる
 Sorawo and Toriko head deep into the Otherside to save some old friends—none other than the American marines who wandered into Kisaragi Station and got stuck in what they call the Beyond! The pair, dubbed "the girls" by the Okinawa base troops, hatch a plan to rescue the trapped soldiers. Will everyone make it out alive and unscathed? Or will the Otherside claim new victims along the way?

* English
* Japanese

 Release Date
 ISBN

* Chapter 31: The Kisaragi Station Marines Rescue Operation VIII
* Chapter 32: Resort Night at the Beach of the End I
* Chapter 33: Resort Night at the Beach of the End II
* Chapter 34: Resort Night at the Beach of the End III
* Chapter 35: Resort Night at the Beach of the End IV
* Special Chapter: Ms. Yozakura's Food Spam Livestream
 With the American marines who were stranded in the Otherside at Kisaragi Station safely rescued, Sorawo and Toriko turn their focus to enjoying the summer together at an island resort on Okinawa. The sight of Toriko in a bikini has Sorawo sweating for reasons besides the hot temperatures! But fun in the sun turns deadly and dangerous when they stumble into the resort's portal to the Otherside...

 Release Date
 ISBN

* 第31話 : きさらぎ駅米軍救出作戦 VIII
* 第32話 : 果ての浜辺のリゾートナイト I
* 第33話 : 果ての浜辺のリゾートナイト II
* 第34話 : 果ての浜辺のリゾートナイト III
* 第35話 : 果ての浜辺のリゾートナイト IV
* サイドストーリー 6 : 夜桜お姉さんの飯テロ配信
 With the American marines who were stranded in the Otherside at Kisaragi Station safely rescued, Sorawo and Toriko turn their focus to enjoying the summer together at an island resort on Okinawa. The sight of Toriko in a bikini has Sorawo sweating for reasons besides the hot temperatures! But fun in the sun turns deadly and dangerous when they stumble into the resort's portal to the Otherside...

* English
* Japanese

 Release Date
 ISBN

* Chapter 36: Resort Night at the Beach of the End V
* Chapter 37: The Attack of the Ninja Cats I
* Chapter 38: The Attack of the Ninja Cats II
* Chapter 39: The Attack of the Ninja Cats III
* Chapter 40: The Attack of the Ninja Cats IV
* Chapter 41: The Attack of the Ninja Cats V
* Special Chapter: The Tanuki Guards the Night
 When Sorawo and Toriko escaped from the Farthest Beach in the Okinawan Otherside, watching them go was none other than Satsuki Uruma—Toriko's precious, vanished friend. Back in real life, the adventurous pair come across Akari Seto, a younger student at Sorawo's university and a karate user who's being targeted by-cat ninjas?! Can the three girls escape the attacks?

 Release Date
 ISBN

* 第36話 : 果ての浜辺のリゾートナイト V
* 第37話 : 猫の忍者に襲われる I
* 第38話 : 猫の忍者に襲われる II
* 第39話 : 猫の忍者に襲われる III
* 第40話 : 猫の忍者に襲われる IV
* 第41話 : 猫の忍者に襲われる V
* サイドストーリー 7 : 狸は夜の番人
 When Sorawo and Toriko escaped from the Farthest Beach in the Okinawan Otherside, watching them go was none other than Satsuki Uruma—Toriko's precious, vanished friend. Back in real life, the adventurous pair come across Akari Seto, a younger student at Sorawo's university and a karate user who's being targeted by-cat ninjas?! Can the three girls escape the attacks?

* English
* Japanese

 Release Date
 ISBN

* Chapter 42: Little Bird in a Box I
* Chapter 43: Little Bird in a Box II
* Chapter 44: Little Bird in a Box III
* Chapter 45: Little Bird in a Box IV
* Chapter 46: Little Bird in a Box V
* Special Chapter: Night Work Friends
 In the tangled web surrounding the Otherside, complicated human relationships intersect with the bizarre unknown... In search of answers as to the whereabouts of Satsuki Uruma, Toriko's beloved friend lost in the Otherside, Toriko and Kozakura visit the DS Lab. There, the pair are confronted with the end states of Fourth Kind contactees—which Sorawo and Toriko both are as well—along with more mysteries about Satsuki herself. Then the deadly Kotoribako box appears, bringing its powerful curse with it...

 Release Date
 ISBN

* 第42話 : 箱の中の小鳥 I
* 第43話 : 箱の中の小鳥 II
* 第44話 : 箱の中の小鳥 III
* 第45話 : 箱の中の小鳥 IV
* 第46話 : 箱の中の小鳥 V
* サイドストーリー 8: 夜仕事の友人
 In the tangled web surrounding the Otherside, complicated human relationships intersect with the bizarre unknown... In search of answers as to the whereabouts of Satsuki Uruma, Toriko's beloved friend lost in the Otherside, Toriko and Kozakura visit the DS Lab. There, the pair are confronted with the end states of Fourth Kind contactees—which Sorawo and Toriko both are as well—along with more mysteries about Satsuki herself. Then the deadly Kotoribako box appears, bringing its powerful curse with it...

* English
* Japanese

 Release Date
 ISBN

* Chapter 47: Little Bird in a Box VI
* Chapter 48: Yamanoke Presence I
* Chapter 49: Yamanoke Presence II
* Chapter 50: Yamanoke Presence III
* Chapter 51: Sannuki-san and Karateka-san I
* Special Chapter: Daytime Guest
 After successfully fighting off the Kotoribako box at DS Research, Sorawo and Toriko resume their exploration of the Otherside. Against an autumnal backdrop, the pair bring lunches and farm equipment along to their next foray into the unknown... But just as the two are slowly picking their way across an Otherside plain, the grotesque Yamanoke appears! Then, after a younger student at Sorawo's university comes to Toriko and Sorawo for advice, they begin to look into the strange affair of Kano Sannuki. However, Satsuki Uruma's shadow lurks there as well...

 Release Date
 ISBN

* 第47話 : 箱の中の小鳥 VI
* 第48話 : ヤマノケハイ I
* 第49話 : ヤマノケハイ II
* 第50話 : ヤマノケハイ III
* 第51話 : サンヌキさんとカラテカさん I
* サイドストーリー 9 : 白昼の客
 After successfully fighting off the Kotoribako box at DS Research, Sorawo and Toriko resume their exploration of the Otherside. Against an autumnal backdrop, the pair bring lunches and farm equipment along to their next foray into the unknown... But just as the two are slowly picking their way across an Otherside plain, the grotesque Yamanoke appears! Then, after a younger student at Sorawo's university comes to Toriko and Sorawo for advice, they begin to look into the strange affair of Kano Sannuki. However, Satsuki Uruma's shadow lurks there as well...

* English
* Japanese

 Release Date
 ISBN

* Chapter 52: Sannuki-san and Karateka-san II
* Chapter 53: Sannuki-san and Karateka-san III
* Chapter 54: The Whispered Voice Requires Self-Responsibility I
* Chapter 55: The Whispered Voice Requires Self-Responsibility II
* Chapter 56: The Whispered Voice Requires Self-Responsibility III
* Special Chapter: Drowning in Self-Hatred
 As Toriko and Sorawo face off against a bizarre entity in the form of what appears to be an old woman, this Kano Sannuki may be one of their trickiest challenges yet! Can Sorawo come up with a plan to disarm this strange foe? Meanwhile, the specter of Satsuki Uruma continues to stalk the two girls! And when the name "Lunaurumi" begins to pop up online, it signals the start of the biggest threat they've ever had to face!

 Release Date
 ISBN

* 第52話 : サンヌキさんとカラテカさん II
* 第53話 : サンヌキさんとカラテカさん III
* 第54話 : ささやきボイスは自己責任 I
* 第55話 : ささやきボイスは自己責任 II
* 第56話 : ささやきボイスは自己責任 III
* サイドストーリー 10 : 自己嫌悪で暮れていく
 As Toriko and Sorawo face off against a bizarre entity in the form of what appears to be an old woman, this Kano Sannuki may be one of their trickiest challenges yet! Can Sorawo come up with a plan to disarm this strange foe? Meanwhile, the specter of Satsuki Uruma continues to stalk the two girls! And when the name "Lunaurumi" begins to pop up online, it signals the start of the biggest threat they've ever had to face!

* English
* Japanese

 Release Date
 ISBN
 Publisher

* Chapter 57: The Whispered Voice Requires Self-Responsibility IV
* Chapter 58: The Whispered Voice Requires Self-Responsibility V
* Chapter 59: The Whispered Voice Requires Self-Responsibility VI
* Chapter 60: The Whispered Voice Requires Self-Responsibility VII
* Chapter 61: The Whispered Voice Requires Self-Responsibility VIII
* Special Chapter: Whispering of Midnight
 Sorawo, Toriko, and Kozakura are abducted by a group of people who believe in Satsuki Uruma. They go through the true ghost stories of <The Round Hole in the Basement> and <The Farm in the Mountains> to their destination, the DS Institute! What is the purpose of Runa Urumi, who has a mesmerizing "voice" and worships Satsuki? The survival of the girls as their unexpressed feelings clash with each other! Includes a special SS newly drawn by the original author, Iori Miyazawa!

 Release Date
 ISBN

* 第57話 : サンヌキさんとカラテカさん IV
* 第58話 : サンヌキさんとカラテカさん V
* 第59話 : サンヌキさんとカラテカさん VI
* 第60話 : サンヌキさんとカラテカさん VII
* 第61話 : サンヌキさんとカラテカさん VIII
* サイドストーリー 11 : 夜半の囁き
 Sorawo, Toriko, and Kozakura are abducted by a group of people who believe in Satsuki Uruma. They go through the true ghost stories of <The Round Hole in the Basement> and <The Farm in the Mountains> to their destination, the DS Institute! What is the purpose of Runa Urumi, who has a mesmerizing "voice" and worships Satsuki? The survival of the girls as their unexpressed feelings clash with each other! Includes a special SS newly drawn by the original author, Iori Miyazawa!

## Uncompiled Chapters

* Chapter 62: The Whispered Voice Requires Self-Responsibility IX

On July 2020, Square Enix Manga & Books, which is the North American publishing division of Square Enix, licensed the manga for an English release both physically and digitally on May 25, 2021. The manga series was also licensed by Zenshu Comics/Zenshu IComics for Thailand Release.

## Gallery

Shōnen Gangan February 2018 IssueShōnen Gangan September 2018 IssueShōnen Gangan February 2019 IssueShōnen Gangan April 2020 IssueShōnen Gangan April 2021 IssueShōnen Gangan April 2023 Issue
## References

1. ↑ Square Enix Synopsis
2. ↑ Square Enix Otherside Picnic Manga Page
3. ↑ Square Enix Manga & Books Licenses Otherside Picnic, I Think Our Son Is Gay Manga Anime News Network
4. ↑ Zenshu Publishing New Licenses Announcement Zenshu Publishing Twitter