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Masami Kurumada's Otoko-Zaka Manga's Current Arc Ends, New Arc Promised
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The latest chapter for Masami Kurumada's Otoko-Zaka manga concluded its current "[Yoko]Hama no Julie" ("Julie of Yokohama") arc on Monday, but confirms that there will be a new arc. Kurumada originally began the "Hama no Julie" arc of the manga last December.
Otoko-Zaka's initial eight-chapter revival began this past June after three decades of hiatus. The manga's fourth volume, which compiled these new chapters, shipped on October.
The manga's story is set in the town of Kujūkuri in Chiba. Jingi Kikukawa is the unrivaled alpha male of the Tōun Middle School student body, and he has never lost a fight in 13 years. However, he goes down in defeat against Shō Takeshima, the ringleader in Western Japan who has his sights on the entire country. Jingi undergoes dangerous training in the art of fighting with Kenka-Oni, a demon who lives in Oniyama.
Masami Kurumada (Saint Seiya, Ring ni Kakero) first serialized the manga in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from 1984 to 1985. He said, "I became a manga creator to draw this manga." However, the series remained incomplete at three volumes for nearly 30 years. The manga never inspired an anime, but Seisei Ruten: Kurumada-ism, a 2005 CD of songs with lyrics written by Kurumada, featured an "Otoko-Zaka" song. Sayuri Setoguchi performed the final track on the album.
