Rohan au Louvre (Movie Novelization)

Rohan au Louvre (Movie Novelization) (映画ノベライズ 岸辺露伴 ルーヴルへ行く) is a movie novelization of the 2023 Rohan au Louvre film.

It was written by Ballad Kitaguni based on the script by Yasuko Kobayashi and published by Shueisha. It was released alongside the film on May 26, 2023.

Rohan Kishibe, a manga artist with a special ability, once heard a rumor in his youth about a Black Painting from a woman he had a crush on. It was not only the blackest, but the most evil painting in the world. Time passes, and in the process of writing a new work, Rohan learns that the painting is held at the Louvre Museum. He thus visits France for a viewing, and for a faint yearning he once had. However, strangely enough, even the museum staff was unaware of the existence of the Black Painting, and its storage location in the database was Warehouse Z-13, an underground warehouse that should have been empty. There, Rohan comes face-to-face with the horrifying events caused by the Black Painting...

Prologue
Rohan Kishibe sees a woman with jet-black hair and a black parasol, feeling extremely nostalgic. She was someone he had forgotten, but he felt as if the darkness of her hair was engraved in his memory. She asks him whether he knows what the blackest painting in the world is, but Rohan couldn't hear what she said after, feeling the wind suddenly growing stronger and the sunlight scorching his eyelids. He wakes up at his desk once he realizes it was only a dream. It was unusual for him to fall asleep at his desk; his manga, Pink Dark Boy, was currently in its eighth part, and Rohan is always prepared when working. He wasn't sleep-deprived, and also did his daily stretches before sitting down. He wonders whether the comfortable summer weather caused him to take a nap, since his window was open. However, what truly bothers him is his dream, since he couldn't remember the woman and hadn't dreamed about her for many years.

That day, Rohan leaves his office to gain new experiences for his research. He visits a backstreet antique shop that resembles a warehouse filled with goods and junk. A middle-aged clerk with a mustache asks if he needs any help, but Rohan ignores him, instead focused on the chaotic display of products on the shelves. The clerk and his young shop assistant wearing glasses find Rohan suspicious, so Rohan finally answers him, informing him that he's doing research on art for his manga. The clerk asks if he's famous, so Rohan points out an autograph of his that is in the corner of the shop. It was a fake autograph that Rohan hadn't actually drawn himself. The mustached clerk stops pretending to be nice, admitting to Rohan that they sell fake goods and that there's no need for Rohan to buy the real products if he just needs them to draw manga. The young shop assistant tries getting the older clerk to stop talking, but the mustached man underestimated Rohan, who he knew nothing about. Rohan's glare and aura scare the two clerks, overwhelming them once he rants about how an appraiser could tell his drawings were based on fake products if he didn't draw the real thing. Exasperated, the clerks tell Rohan that they have real goods in the back that they'll sell to him, but Rohan reveals his true purpose for coming to the shop. He didn't actually come there to study art, but rather because he knew the store sold fake goods and autographs. He declares that he wants to interview the criminals who would run a shop like that, but the clerk demands that he leaves since they don't allow interviews. In an instant, the two clerks fall unconscious as Rohan uses Heaven's Door in order to "interview" them. The men unfurl into books, allowing Rohan to read their memories.

Rohan has no intention of reporting the criminals since he wasn't a policeman nor someone who cared for justice. However, as a manga artist, he could not overlook them disrespecting art. With Heaven's Door, he writes an order that they treat all works with the utmost respect. Some things he read in their books made him angry, but he feels it was valuable information for drawing a realistic criminal character, as he learned their methods and how they strayed from a proper life. Before going home, Rohan sees a catalog of an auction, realizing that was another way to dispose of stolen goods. Among the auction items is a painting drawn entirely in black. From the photo, it didn't seem like the blackest painting in the world, but Rohan felt as if he was being guided by the woman from his dream.