In Commemoration of the Film Release! Keigo Higashino's 'The Swan and the Bat' Unveils Limited Black-and-White Cover & New Band Design

Keigo Higashino's masterpiece 'The Swan and the Bat' (Kodansha Bunko), with over 1.6 million copies sold in its series, is being adapted into a live-action film starring Hokuto Matsumura and Mio Imada. Today, a new visual has been unveiled. Ahead of the nationwide release on Friday, September 4, a limited-time black-and-white film commemorative cover and new band will be distributed.

"I did it. I am the culprit behind all the incidents."

A man confesses to being the suspect in the murder of a kind-hearted lawyer.

With this, the case should have been solved—

But the suspect’s son, Kazuma Kuraki (Hokuto Matsumura), and the victim’s daughter, Mirei Shiraishi (Mio Imada), begin to sense something off about their fathers’ words and actions.

The film-themed cover and band, coordinated with the movie’s teaser visuals, are now available at bookstores nationwide.

Keigo Higashino

Made his literary debut in 1985 after winning the 31st Edogawa Rampo Prize for 'After School.' Awarded the 52nd Mystery Writers of Japan Award (Long Form) in 1999 for 'Secret,' the 134th Naoki Prize and the 6th Honkaku Mystery Award in 2006 for 'The Devotion of Suspect X,' the 7th Chuo Koron Literary Award in 2012 for 'Naoko’s Miracle Shop,' the 26th Shibata Renzaburo Prize in 2013 for 'Yume Genka,' and the 48th Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Award in 2014 for 'When the Prayer Bell Rings.' Received the 1st Noema Publishing Culture Award in 2019, the 71st Kikuchi Kan Prize in 2023, and the 28th Nihon Mystery Literature Award in 2024. Awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2023 for his long-standing contributions. His works have surpassed 100 million copies in cumulative domestic sales, making him one of Japan’s most beloved authors.

Series total exceeds 1.6 million copies!

Hardcover

Price: ¥2,200 + tax

Kakuhan

The world of 'The Swan and the Bat' returns—newest series installment

"It’s like chasing a ghost."

From a burned-down mansion, the bodies of a Tokyo assembly member and a former actress couple are discovered.

What happened to the two who lived such glamorous lives?

"Everyone has a youth.

The victims, the culprits,

and even the detectives."

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4344043731

Price: ¥2,000 + tax

The Swan and the Bat

The happy days must now be let go.

A kind-hearted lawyer is found dead.

A man confesses to the murder, and the case is seemingly solved.

"I did it all. I am the culprit behind all the incidents."

A man’s "confession" linking Tokyo in 2017 and Aichi in 1984. Despair—and hope.

"The issue of crime and punishment is extremely complex; it’s not something with an easy answer."

We are drawn into an unknown labyrinth.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4344037731

Bunko (Paperback)

Price: ¥800 + tax

The Swan and the Bat (Part 1)

In 2017, the body of a kind-hearted lawyer, Kensuke Shiraishi, is discovered in Takeshiba, Tokyo.

Kuraki Tarou, who surfaces in the investigation, is connected to a financial worker’s murder in Aichi in 1984.

Suddenly, Kuraki confesses to both crimes. The case appears to be solved—

"Your father is lying."

The victim’s daughter and the perpetrator’s son feel uneasy about their fathers’ words and actions.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/434443370X

Price: ¥800 + tax

The Swan and the Bat (Part 2)

Mirei, who doubts her father’s death, and Kazuma, who cannot accept his father’s confession.

The two outsiders to the case borrow the wisdom of Goro from the First Investigative Division, engaging in forbidden encounters to uncover "the truth about their fathers."

What connects the past and present, Tokyo and Aichi, Kensuke and Tarou?

Eventually, Mirei and Kazuma head together to Aichi—what truth awaits them?

Light and shadow, day and night. Can they truly join hands and fly under the same sky?