Premonitions and prophetic dreams: Japanese manga, The Future I Saw, went out of print. Why was it revived?

Japan might be hit with a catastrophe in July 2025, according to a comic book first published in 1999. The Japanese manga was authored by Ryo Tatsuki. The same book is also said to have predicted the earthquake and tsunami that hit Tohoku in Japan in 2011. Nearly 20,000 people lost their lives in the disaster.

However, the original version of the book went out of print long ago. No one seemed to know about it until after the 2011 incident. The publisher was disbanded , and the manga was no longer being printed. So what made it popular?

The answer is the other prediction it made. The book seemingly carries prophecies once seen in dreams by the author, Ryo Tatsuki. The 1999 book, titled, "Watashi ga mita mirai" (The Future I Saw), predicted the deaths of some famous people, the COVID-19 virus and its return, and a catastrophe that will hit Japan in July 2025.

Also Read: Japan's Baba Vanga prophesied the virus that killed millions will return...and very soon

What made the Japanese manga popular?

Ryo Tatsuki's book hit the limelight nine years after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. It went viral in 2020 for apparently predicting a disaster in Japan in 2011, with it being mentioned on the front cover. TV shows picked it up and showed it as an awestruck audience watched. How could that be? How could a comic book predict a devastation of this scale 11 years before it happened?

It was strewn across the internet, generating interest in the eerie prophecy. Used copies began to be sold online, carrying hefty price tags because it was no longer in print. People willingly shelled out hundreds to thousands of dollars to get their hands on it.

Also Read: 'A crack will open up…': Eerie prophecy triggers panic among people visiting Japan, forcing mass cancellations

Publisher Asuka Shinsha tapped into the hype and decided to print it again. It reached out to Ryo Tatsuki to come out with an edited version. The new version was released in 2021 with new elements, with the words "The real disaster will come in July 2025" on the cover page.

It describes Tatsuki's visions and prophetic dreams she had and penned down in the manga years ago. The publisher says the book is a huge hit and has sold over 960,000 copies. It has also been published in Hong Kong and a few other regions.

Also Read: One of Baba Vanga's prophecies for 2025 has come true. She also predicted a war with Martians

The book carries passages like, "I dreamed of a great disaster. The waters of the Pacific Ocean south of the Japanese archipelago will rise."

Since the prediction about the 2011 catastrophe came true, people are panicking about July 2025. Travel agencies are seeing mass cancellations as people fear this prophecy might also come true.

Manga author Ryo Tatsuki speaks

Now, the author herself has spoken about the premonitions and the dreams, saying "everyone should be free to make their own interpretation."

She talked to Mainichi Shimbun, and said, "The high level of interest everyone is showing is proof of growing awareness of disaster prevention."

Also Read: Another one of Baba Vanga's prophecies might come true in 2025. Thanks to the tariff war

She thinks people being cautious is a "positive thing."

"I hope that this interest will lead to safety measures and preparedness."

The author added a word of caution, and said, "I think it is important to not get overly swept up in the process and to act appropriately in consideration of expert opinion."

The publisher also reiterated the same view. "The contents of this book, published by our company, are based on prophetic dreams the author had, and are not intended to stir up undue anxiety in any way," it said.