W20th Century Boys is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa. It was originally serialized in Big Comic Spirits from 1999 to 2006, with the 249 chapters published into 22 tankōbon volumes by Shogakukan. In January 2007, a sixteen chapter continuation titled 21st Century Boys ran until July, and was gathered into two tankōbon. It tells the story of Kenji Endō and his friends, who notice a cult-leader known only as "Friend" is out to destroy the world, and it has something to do with their childhood memories. The series makes many references to a number of manga and anime from the 1960s–1970s, as well as to classic rock music, its title being taken from T. Rex's song "20th Century Boy".
WAkira is a Japanese cyberpunk manga series written and illustrated by Katsuhiro Otomo. It was serialized biweekly in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Young Magazine from December 20, 1982, to June 25, 1990, with its 120 chapters collected into six tankōbon volumes. It was published in the United States by Marvel Comics under Epic Comics, becoming one of the first manga ever to be completely translated into English. It is currently published by Kodansha Comics in North America. Considered a watershed title for the medium, the manga is also famous for spawning the seminal 1988 cyberpunk anime film adaptation of the same name and the greater franchise.
WBasilisk is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masaki Segawa. Based on the 1958 novel The Kouga Ninja Scrolls by Futaro Yamada, it was serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine Uppers from 2003 to 2004. The story takes place in the year 1614. Two ninja clans, Iga of Tsubagakure and the Kouga of Manjidani, battle each other to determine which grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu will become the next shogun. The deadly competition between 10 elite ninja from each clan unleashes a centuries-old hatred that threatens to destroy all hope for peace between them.
WBig Windup! , often shortened to just Ōfuri (おお振り), is a Japanese baseball-themed manga series written and illustrated by Asa Higuchi, serialized in Kodansha's monthly seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon since September 2003.
WBlue Period is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsubasa Yamaguchi. The series has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon since June 2017 and has been collected in eleven tankōbon volumes as of September 2021. The series is licensed in English by Kodansha USA. An anime television series adaptation by Seven Arcs aired from October to December 2021.
WDescending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haruko Kumota. It was serialized in Kodansha's ITAN magazine from 2010 to 2016 and collected in ten volumes. The manga was released in North America by Kodansha USA. The manga was adapted into two original video animations which were bundled with special editions of the seventh and eighth manga volumes on 6 March – 7 August 2015, respectively. It was also adapted into an anime television series which aired between 9 January 2016 and 2 April 2016. A second season of the anime television series aired between 7 January 2017 and 25 March 2017. A live-action series adaptation aired on NHK between 12 October and 14 December 2018.
WDragon Head is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Minetaro Mochizuki. It was published by Kodansha in Weekly Young Magazine from 1994 and 1999 and collected in ten tankōbon volumes. It was licensed in English by Tokyopop, with Volume 10 released 2008-04-01. In 1997, the manga won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga. Kodansha USA currently holds the license to the manga.
WDragon Zakura is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Norifusa Mita. Serialized in Weekly Morning from 2003 to 2007, it was released into 21 tankōbon by Kodansha between October 22, 2003, and August 23, 2007. It was adapted into live action television series of the same name broadcast on TBS in 2005.
WThe Fable is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsuhisa Minami. It was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine from November 2014 to November 2019, with its chapters collected in 22 tankōbon volumes. A live-action film adaptation premiered in Japan in June 2019 and a sequel premiered in June 2021. As of January 2021, the manga had 8 million copies in circulation. In 2017, The Fable won the 41st Kodansha Manga Award for the General category.
WFragile: Byōrii Kishi Keiichirō no Shoken is a Japanese manga series written by Bin Kusamizu and illustrated by Saburō Megumi. It has been serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon since June 2014. A 10-episode Japanese television drama was broadcast on Fuji Television from January to March 2016. In 2018, Fragile won the 42nd Kodansha Manga Award in the General category.
WNobuyuki Fukumoto is a Japanese manga artist well known for his work including unique and original gambling ideas, deep psychological analyses of characters, and distinct artstyle. Yakuza and gambling are recurring themes in his manga. In English-speaking countries, he is known best as the author of Akagi, a mahjong-related manga. In 1998, he won the Kodansha Manga Award for Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji. An onomatopoeia "zawa", meaning an uneasy atmosphere, appears frequently in his comics and is considered Fukumoto's trademark.
WGiant Killing is Japanese manga series written by Masaya Tsunamoto and illustrated by Tsujitomo. It has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Morning since January 2007. A 26-episode anime television series adaptation was broadcast on NHK General TV from April to September 2010. In 2010, Gian Killing won the 34th Kodansha Manga Award for best general manga.
WGurazeni (グラゼニ) or Money Diamond, is a Japanese baseball manga series written by Yūji Moritaka and illustrated by Keiji Adachi. The manga was serialized between 2010 and 2014 and has been followed by two sequel series. An anime adaptation by Studio Deen covering 26 chapters of the manga ran from April to June and a second season from October to December 2018, each season lasting for 12 episodes.
WHanada Shōnen Shi is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Isshiki about a mischievous young boy, called Hanada Ichiro, who attains the ability to see and talk to the supernatural after an accident to the back of his head. It was serialized in Mr. Magazine from 1993 to 1995. Hanada Shōnen Shi received the 1995 Kodansha Manga Award for the general category.
WHitoshi Iwaaki is a Japanese manga artist, whose works include the science-fiction/horror series Parasyte. The Mixx editions of Parasyte romanize his name as "Hitosi Iwaaki", while the Del Rey Manga editions use "Hitoshi Iwaaki".
WKosaku Shima is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kenshi Hirokane. It depicts the growth and career of a fictional salaryman named Kōsaku Shima. It has been serialized in Kodansha's Morning, starting with the first series Kachō Shima Kōsaku in 1983 and has currently been divided into eight parts. The current part, Sōdanyaku Shima Kōsaku, began in 2019.
WGambling Apocalypse: Kaiji is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Fukumoto. It has been published in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine since February 1996. The story centers on Kaiji Itō, a consummate gambler and his misadventures around gambling. The Kaiji manga currently consists of six series; the current series, Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji: 24 Oku Dasshutsu-hen, started in 2017.
WMarch Comes In like a Lion is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Chica Umino. It has been serialized in Hakusensha's seinen manga magazine Young Animal since July 2007, with its chapters collected in sixteen tankōbon volumes as of September 2021. It features the life of Rei Kiriyama, an introvert and professional shogi player, who gradually develops both his play and his relationship with others.
WMessage to Adolf , known in earlier English versions as Adolf, is a manga series made by Osamu Tezuka. The story is set before, during, and after World War II and is centered on three men with the name Adolf. Adolf Kamil is an Ashkenazi Jew living in Japan. His best friend Adolf Kaufmann is of both Japanese and German descent. The third Adolf is Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany. Adolf also features Sohei Toge, a Japanese reporter, and his quest for documents that could turn the tide of the war. The work explores the themes of nationality, ethnicity, racism, and war, and includes elements of coming of age, spy fiction, and historical drama.
WShigeru Mizuki was a Japanese manga artist and historian, best known for his manga series GeGeGe no Kitarō. Born in a hospital in Osaka and raised in the city of Sakaiminato, Tottori, he later moved to Chōfu, Tokyo where he remained until his death. His pen-name, Mizuki, comes from the time when he managed an inn called 'Mizuki Manor' while he drew pictures for kamishibai. A specialist in stories of Yōkai, he is considered a master of the genre. Mizuki was also a noted historian, publishing works relating to world history, Japanese history, and his own World War II experience.
WMushishi (蟲師) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuki Urushibara. It was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Afternoon Season Zōkan from 1999 to 2002, and in Monthly Afternoon from December 2002 to August 2008. The individual chapters were collected and released into ten tankōbon volumes by Kodansha. Those volumes were localized to North America by Del Rey between January 2007 and August 2010. The series follows Ginko, a man who dedicates himself to keeping people protected from supernatural creatures called Mushi.
WNaniwa Kin'yudo is a Japanese manga series by Yūji Aoki which has been serialized in Weekly Morning since 1990. The series was awarded the 1992 Kodansha Manga Award for general manga and the 1998 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Award for Excellence.
WKatsuhiro Otomo is a Japanese manga artist, screenwriter, animator and film director. He is best known as the creator of Akira, in terms of both the original 1982 manga series and the 1988 animated film adaptation. He was decorated a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2005, promoted to Officier of the order in 2014, became the fourth manga artist ever inducted into the American Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2012, and was awarded the Purple Medal of Honor from the Japanese government in 2013. Otomo later received the Winsor McCay Award at the 41st Annie Awards in 2014 and the 2015 Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême, the first manga artist to receive the award. Otomo is married to Yoko Otomo. Together they have one child, a son named Shohei Otomo, who is also an artist.
WParasyte is a Japanese science fiction horror manga series written and illustrated by Hitoshi Iwaaki and published in Kodansha's Morning Open Zōkan and Monthly Afternoon magazine from 1988 to 1995. The manga was published in North America first by Tokyopop, then Del Rey, and finally Kodansha USA.
WThe Ping Pong Club is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Minoru Furuya. It was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine from 1993 to 1996, with its chapters collected in six tankōbon volumes. It is about the members of a middle school ping-pong club. It was adapted by Grouper Productions into a twenty-six episode anime television series. It was licensed in North America by Central Park Media. In 1996, the manga won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga.
WPrison School is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Hiramoto. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine from February 2011 to December 2017. Yen Press licensed the manga for English release in North America. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation, directed by Tsutomu Mizushima, aired between July and September 2015. A live-action drama television series aired from October to December 2015.
WMachiko Satonaka is a Japanese manga artist. She made her professional debut in 1964 during her second year of high school with the one-shot Pia no Shōzō. She has since created nearly 500 manga in a variety of genres. Two of her most notable works are Ashita Kagayaku, which won the 1974 Kodansha Publishing Culture Award, and Karyūdo no Seiza, which won the 1982 Kodansha Manga Award. In addition to creating manga, Satonaka teaches at the Osaka University of Arts as the head of the Character Creative Arts Department and serves on the board of various manga-related organizations in Japan.
WShowa: A History of Japan, known in Japan as Comic Showa-shi , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shigeru Mizuki. A semi autobiographical work, this manga describes the author's experiences growing up during the Shōwa period. The author is a veteran of the Japanese army, but his series is filled with critical views of Japanese and American militarism.
WThe Silent Service is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi. It was published in Kodansha's Weekly Morning manga magazine from 1988 to 1996 and collected in 32 tankōbon volumes.
WSōten Kōro , also known as Beyond the Heavens, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by King Gonta, adapted from an original story by Hagin Yi. It was serialized by Kodansha in the manga anthology magazine Weekly Morning from 1994 to 2005. After Hagin Yi died of cancer in September 1998, King Gonta picked up the story himself. A total of 409 chapters were published and compiled into 36 separate books.
WSpace Brothers is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Chūya Koyama. It has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Morning since December 2007. A 99-episode anime television series adaptation by A-1 Pictures aired in Japan from April 2012 to March 2014. The manga was also adapted into a live-action film that premiered in May 2012. An anime film, Space Brothers #0, premiered in August 2014. In 2011, Space Brothers won the general category at both, the 56th Shogakukan Manga Award and the 35th Kodansha Manga Award.
WOsamu Tezuka was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such titles as "the Father of Manga" , "the Godfather of Manga" and "the God of Manga" . Additionally, he is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, who served as a major inspiration during Tezuka's formative years. Though this phrase praises the quality of his early manga works for children and animations, it also blurs the significant influence of his later, more literary, gekiga works.
WNaoki Urasawa is a Japanese manga artist and musician. He has been drawing manga since he was four years old, and for most of his professional career has created two series simultaneously. The stories to many of these were co-written in collaboration with his former editor, Takashi Nagasaki. Urasawa has been called one of the artists that changed the history of manga and has won numerous awards, including the Shogakukan Manga Award three times, the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize twice, and the Kodansha Manga Award once. By 2016, his various works had over 126 million copies in circulation.
WVagabond is a Japanese epic martial arts manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue. It portrays a fictionalized account of the life of Japanese swordsman Musashi Miyamoto, based on Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Musashi. It has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Morning since September 1998, with its chapters collected into thirty-seven tankōbon volumes as of July 2014. Viz Media licensed the series for English release in North America and has published the current thirty-seven volumes as of April 2015. The series is currently on an extended hiatus, with the latest chapter released in May 2015. Vagabond won the 24th Kodansha Manga Award for the best general manga category in 2000 and the 6th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2002. It has sold more than 82 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.
WVinland Saga is a Japanese historical manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura. The series is published by Kodansha, and was first serialized in the youth-targeted Weekly Shōnen Magazine before moving to the monthly manga magazine Monthly Afternoon, aimed at young adult men. As of July 2021, the series has been compiled into twenty-five bound volumes. Vinland Saga has also been licensed for English-language publication by Kodansha USA.
WWangan Midnight is a Japanese racing manga series written and illustrated by Michiharu Kusunoki. It was first serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits in 1990, but was later serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine from 1992 to 2008. The manga was compiled into 42 volumes published by Kodansha. A second manga series titled Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner was published from 2008 to 2012. A third manga series, Ginkai no Speed Star, was published from 2014 to 2015. A fourth manga series, Shutoko SPL - Ginkai no Speedster, started in 2016.
WWaru is a Japanese josei manga written and illustrated by Jun Fukami.
WWhat's Michael? is a Japanese manga series created by Makoto Kobayashi. In 1984, it began its serialization in the Weekly Morning magazine. The manga shows Michael, an orange American Shorthair tabby cat, his feline friends, and other domesticated pets in a series of humorous episodes. Michael is not a specific cat, but rather a feline version of the everyman as he appeared in drastically different settings across chapters: he's a normal cat in some chapters, an anthropomorphic cat in others, and he even dies in some chapters.
WFutaro Yamada was the pen name of Seiya Yamada , a Japanese author. He was born in Yabu, Hyogo. In 1947, he wrote a mystery short story Daruma-tōge no Jiken and was awarded a prize by the magazine Houseki (宝石). He was discovered by Edogawa Rampo and became a novelist. He wrote many ninja and mystery stories. Many of his works have been adapted for film, TV, manga, and anime.
WEiji Yoshikawa was a Japanese historical novelist. Among his best-known novels are revisions of older classics. He was mainly influenced by classics such as The Tale of the Heike, Tale of Genji, Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, many of which he retold in his own style. As an example, Yoshikawa took up Taiko's original manuscript in 15 volumes to retell it in a more accessible tone and reduce it to only two volumes. His other books also serve similar purposes and, although most of his novels are not original works, he created a huge amount of work and a renewed interest in the past. He was awarded the Cultural Order of Merit in 1960, the Order of the Sacred Treasure and the Mainichi Art Award just before his death from cancer in 1962. He is cited as one of the best historical novelists in Japan.
WZipang is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi. Just like his previous work, The Silent Service, Zipang talks about the members of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It was first serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Morning magazine from 2000 until 2009, and published in 43 volumes. Four volumes have been translated into English by Ralph McCarthy for the Kodansha Bilingual Comics library. It was adapted into an anime in 2004.