Marie Kondo’s magic, in manga

Just when it seemed Marie Kondo had spread her gospel on the “lifechanging magic” of decluttering as far is it could go, the author — whose two previous books remain international best-sellers — is back with a different audience in mind.

Kondo’s message that you should keep only things that “spark joy” is now in manga form, with a love story as a backdrop. Her new book, “The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up” (Ten Speed Press), features the work of artist Yuko Uramoto and seems designed to attract a younger set.

Manga is a form of graphic novel in Kondo’s native Japan. “In Japan, manga is a form of artistic expression and entertainment that connects people across generations,” Kondo wrote in an email when asked about the book.

While my two sons, ages 12 and 14, had zero interest in her earlier books, they battled over who could rip through Kondo’s manga as soon as they spotted it on the dining room table. And while they rolled their eyes when I asked if it had made a difference in their lives, my younger son was soon putting his desk in order and going through his drawers, and my older son packed for a family trip by carefully rolling his clothes into neat little packets in his suitcase. He also commented on a recently acquired cabinet in our living room, noting Kondo’s advice that additional storage furniture should be unnecessary in a properly decluttered home.

Then my boys passed the book on to a friend, who packed up no less than seven bags of unwanted toys and clothes from his room.

Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe it’s manga magic.