Publisher Dark Horse adds another Vocaloid-related manga to its catalog. This time it is the 2013 two-part series “Hatsune Miku: Future Delivery – Little Asimov and the Green Thing Left Behind” from creative duo Satoshi Oshio and Hugin Miyama.

Many people look down at Asimov but that’s is because they’re a small delivery robot. Though a much older model, they continue their work in order to preserve the memory of their former master. Things change Asimov finds an abandoned young girl who needs transportation in order to find a particular person. Moved by her situation, he promises to reunite her with whoever she is looking for. Sadly their search is difficult since the girl, named Asumi by Asimov, has no prior memories and only has a scribble of the girl she’s looking for. Though the person the duo are looking for has long green pigtails as her iconic hairstyle, they find out that there is infinite variations in their eclectic universe.

Compared to other Vocaloid manga like “Rin-chan Now!” or “Bad∞End∞Night”, it seems that “Future Delivery” doesn’t specifically reference to a certain song. However, each of the places Asimov and Asumi visit look like they’re inspired by various ones from the ever-growing catalog. Miyama’s illustrations have a unique way of keeping the complex sweet and simple. The details are clean and there is a light feel while reading the story that has bits of dark moments. It is interesting to compare her work in “Future Delivery” to the manga adaptation of Kugane Maruyama’s novel “Overlord” which Oshio also worked on. It seems that there is little that is held back in the amount of fine detail she puts in “Overlord” but the restrain in “Future Delivery” is necessary in order to maintain its softness.

The second half of “Hatsune Miku: Future Delivery” will arrive on shelves in April 2018. Luckily there are many other Vocaloid books to read from publishers including Dark Horse and they range from dark mysteries to light-hearted gags. For more information on “Future Delivery” and read an online preview, visit Dark Horse’s site.