How to Eat Life

How to Eat Life
First light novel volume cover
いのちの食べ方
(Inochi no Tabekata)
GenreAdventure, fantasy[1]
Created byEve
Light novel
Written byAo Jūmonji
Illustrated bylack
Published byMedia Factory
English publisher
ImprintMF Bunko J
Original runSeptember 22, 2022 – present
Volumes7
Manga
Written byAo Jūmonji
Illustrated byYutoto
Published byMedia Factory
ImprintMF Comics Gene Series
MagazineMonthly Comic Gene
Original runOctober 14, 2023 – present
Volumes3

How to Eat Life (いのちの食べ方, Inochi no Tabekata) is a Japanese light novel series written by Ao Jūmonji and illustrated by lack. It is based on the song of the same name by the singer Eve included in his fifth studio album, Smile. It began publication under Media Factory's MF Bunko J imprint in September 2022. A manga adaptation illustrated by Yutoto began serialization in Media Factory's shōjo manga magazine Monthly Comic Gene in October 2023.

Plot

Tobi Otogiri, a withdrawn second-year middle school student, spends his days searching for his missing older brother. Isolated from his classmates, Tobi's only constant companion is Baku, a mysterious talking backpack he received on the day his brother disappeared. Despite not being human, Baku provides Tobi with companionship and guidance as he navigates his bleak routine.

Tobi's solitary life changes when his classmate Ryuko Shiratama approaches him and reveals that she can also hear Baku. She also reveals she can see strange inhuman entities clinging to people around them, just as Tobi can. As unsettling incidents begin occurring at their school, the two realize these invisible beings may be responsible. Together with Baku, Tobi and Ryūko are drawn into a hidden world where human and inhuman forces intersect.

Media

Light novel

Written by Ao Jūmonji and illustrated by lack, How to Eat Life began publication under Media Factory's MF Bunko J light novel imprint on September 22, 2022. Seven volumes have been released as of December 25, 2025.[2]

On February 7, 2025, Yen Press announced that they had licensed the novels for English publication beginning in July of that year.[3]

No. Original release date Original ISBN North American release date North American ISBN
1September 22, 2022[4]978-4-04-681751-8July 8, 2025[1]979-8-8554-1313-7
2December 23, 2022[5]978-4-04-682037-2March 10, 2026[6]979-8-8554-1315-1
3May 25, 2023[7]978-4-04-682443-1——
4October 25, 2023[8]978-4-04-682988-7——
5June 25, 2024[9]978-4-04-683541-3——
6May 23, 2025[10]978-4-04-684808-6——
7December 25, 2025[2]978-4-04-685442-1——

Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Yutoto began serialization in Media Factory's shōjo manga magazine Monthly Comic Gene on October 14, 2023.[11] The manga's chapters have been compiled into three tankōbon volumes as of December 2025.[12]

No. Release date ISBN
1March 26, 2024[13]978-4-04-683422-5
2December 25, 2024[14]978-4-04-684084-4
3December 25, 2025[12]978-4-04-685432-2

Reception

The series won the 2022 Next Light Novel Award in the bunkōbon category.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b "How to Eat Life, Vol. 1". Yen Press. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  2. ^ a b いのちの食べ方７ (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  3. ^ Mateo, Alex (February 7, 2025). "Yen Press Licenses Oshi No Ko Spica of the First Star, The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya, Super String, More Manga/Novels". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  4. ^ いのちの食べ方１ (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  5. ^ いのちの食べ方２ (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  6. ^ "How to Eat Life, Vol. 2". Yen Press. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  7. ^ いのちの食べ方３ (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  8. ^ いのちの食べ方４ (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  9. ^ いのちの食べ方5 (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  10. ^ いのちの食べ方６ (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  11. ^ Eveの人気楽曲のノベライズ「いのちの食べ方」をマンガ化、ジーンで連載開始. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. October 14, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  12. ^ a b いのちの食べ方　3 (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  13. ^ いのちの食べ方　1 (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  14. ^ いのちの食べ方　2 (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  15. ^ 次にくるライトノベル大賞2022：文庫部門では『いのちの食べ方』、単行本部門では『悪役令嬢は溺愛ルートに入りました!?』が1位に選出. LN-news.com (in Japanese). February 27, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.