Velveteen & Mandala

The world of Velveteen & Mandala is a dystopia. Tokyo, where the youth used to waste their time to search for answers, is now barren. For a pair of teens who still live along the outskirts of town, Velveteen and Mandala, Tokyo is a nightmare that can only compare to the nightmare that is slowly trying to take over the metropolis.
These two teens are the last line of defense for a nation in ruins. Armed with a fully-operational tank the pair must fight off the zombie hordes while they catfight each other for food, entertainment and maybe even the affection and attention of the opposite sex. They have nothing to lose in this world except their humanity, but then again who are the zombies in this world? Are they the undead or are these two teens who must live among them even still human?

Jiro Matsumoto was born on August 20, 1970. A graduate of the Mushashino College of the Arts with a major in sculpture art, Matsumoto quickly turned his focus on the comics world upon receiving his undergrad degree in 1992. That year he took the top honor in Kodansha's prestigous Morning/Chiba Tetsuya New Comic Artist Award. His debut work Little Field blew the judges away with its fast pacing and unhinged art-style.
While Matsumoto has penned numerous short-stories over the past two decades his first major success was the sci-fi thriller FREESIA. Published by Shogakukan's IKKI magazine since 2001, FREESIA would come to redefine indie comics in Japan when it was adapted into a live action film in 2006.
Velveteen & Mandara will be Matsumoto's first book in English.