The official site for a 60-year-old manga artist Masami Kurumada, who is internationally famous for his Saint Seiya series, revealed on April 30 that he will start a serialization of his cancelled manga Otokozaka (Man's Hill) in June. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's Shonen Jump from the 32th issue of 1984 to the 12th issue of 1985 after his first two successful manga Ring ni Kakero (1977-1981) and Fuuma no Kojiro (1982-1984). It was cancelled only in 6 months due to unpopularity and compiled in three takobon volumes. In the last page of the manga, Kurumada wrote the word "Mikan (Unfinished)" largely.
The story focuses on a 13-year-old boy Jingi Kikukawa, who is trying to call the fight-loving students all over Japan to prevent the invasion from overseas. It was heavily influenced by Otoko Ippiki Gaki Daishou (1968-1973), one of the most famous works by Kurumada's manga mentor, Hiroshi Motomiya.
However, it was too "classic" for the manga readers in the mid-1980s. After the failure, he came back with
more commercial and kid-friendly title, Saint Seiya, in 1986. As you know, the manga and its anime
adaptations have achieved a great success in Japan and overseas, mainly in Europe and South America.
The details of the new Otokozaka story (sequel? reboot?) and its publication style have not been revealed yet.
The images of the new Otokozaka
Volume 1 cover
Volume 2
Volume 3
Source: Masami Kurumada official site via Otakuma Keizai Shimbun
© 2013 KURUMADA PRODUCTION
© Masami Kurumada/Shueisha
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