Asako Yuzuki's 'Nile Perch Girls' Gathering' to Launch Nationwide in Mid-July 2026 with Reversible Cover Edition! Following 'BUTTER,' Global Sales Exceed 400,000 Copies

Shueisha Bunshun announces the nationwide launch of Asako Yuzuki's acclaimed novel 'Nile Perch Girls' Gathering' (Bunshun Bunko), which has surpassed 400,000 copies in global cumulative sales, in a special 'reversible cover' edition starting mid-July 2026.

This work stands alongside 'BUTTER,' which has surpassed 2 million copies in global sales, as one of Yuzuki's masterpieces that has achieved success both domestically and internationally. In June, Yuzuki conducted an author tour (Authors Tour) in the UK, thrilling local literary fans.

Left: Original cover of 'Nile Perch Girls' Gathering' (Bunshun Bunko) — Right: Reversible cover design

June Event Report: UK Authors Tour (Author Expedition)

Invited to the Manchester Literature Festival in the UK, Yuzuki conducted a promotional tour in June 2024, engaging with local readers and media.

June 12: Manchester Literature Festival June 15: Event at Union Chapel, a historic London landmark June 15: Welcome party hosted by a London publisher

Story Summary

Her friendship consumes me—

Shimura Eriko (30), a career woman working at a major trading company in Marunouchi, secretly enjoys reading the popular housewife's blog 'Ohyou's Useless Wife Diary.' Ohyou, real name Maruo Shoko, her age-mate, lives freely with her husband, a supermarket store manager. However, she harbors deep resentment toward her mother, who abandoned the family, and her arrogant father, who does nothing at their family home.

By chance, Eriko and Shoko, who live nearby, meet at a café. Sharing the common insecurity of having no same-sex friends, they quickly grow close. As blogger and devoted reader, they believe an ideal friendship has begun—until Shoko stops updating her blog for several days, sending their relationship in an unexpected direction.

'Nile Perch Girls' Gathering,' a sharp portrayal of female friendship and the societal expectations women face at home and work, won both the 28th (2015) Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize and the 3rd (2016) High School Naoki Prize.

Although written before 'BUTTER,' this novel has now been published as Yuzuki's second work in English-speaking markets. Translations have been confirmed in 17 countries.

(Promotional materials and POP displays are not planned for sale or distribution in Japan.)

Comment from Asako Yuzuki

The Authors Tour was so much fun! It was my third time, and I was able to connect with the legacies of writers like Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf. It's nerve-wracking to think 'Nile Perch Girls' Gathering' will be read around the world, but I'm sending it out with hope!

Author Profile

Asako Yuzuki (born 1981 in Tokyo). Debuted in 2010 with 'The Girl at the End of the Line,' including her 2008 All Yomimono Newcomer Award-winning story 'Forget Me, Not Blue.' Won the Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize and High School Naoki Prize in 2015 for 'Nile Perch Girls' Gathering.' Other works include 'The Hotel That Suits Me,' 'Lunch no Akkochan,' 'Ito-kun A to E,' 'Diana of the Bookstore,' 'BUTTER,' 'Rantan,' 'Tsuide ni Gentleman,' 'All Not,' and 'Ainiku Anta no Tame Janai.'

Bibliographic Information

Title: 'Nile Perch Girls' Gathering'

Author: Asako Yuzuki

Price: Print edition ¥935 (tax included), E-book edition ¥815 (tax included)

Publisher: Shueisha Bunshun

Format: Bunko (Bunshun Bunko)

Release Date: February 9, 2018

ISBN: 978-4-16-791012-9

Bibliographic URL: https://books.bunshun.jp/ud/book/num/9784167910129