Series based on the story of designer Tiger & Bunny debuts on October 16
TV Tokyo announced a live-action television series adaptation of Masakazu Katsura's Wingman manga on Tuesday. The series will begin airing on October 22 at 24:30 (i.e. 12:30 a.m. on October 23) to celebrate the series' 40th anniversary, with new episodes airing every Tuesday. Katsura drew an illustration to celebrate the announcement.
Image via X/TV Tokyo Twitter
© 桂正和／集英社・2024 「ウイングマン」製作委員会
Image via Comic Natalie
© 桂正和／集英社・2024 「ウイングマン」製作委員会
Image via X/TV Tokyo Twitter
© 桂正和／集英社・2024 「ウイングマン」製作委員会
The series will also air on the DMM TV service a week earlier, starting on October 16. TV Tokyo and Toei Video are co-producing with DMM TV. Yoshitatsu Yamada (live-action Video Girl Ai, He's Expecting), Masaki Nishigaki (live-action Sayonara, High School), and Yuya Nakazono (episode script for Bonobono, Japan Sinks: 2020) are writing the series' script.
Wingman follows tokusatsu (special effects) nerd Kenta Hirono, a second-year high school student with dreams of becoming a hero. One day, a mysterious woman named Aoi from the kingdom of Podreams appears before him. After sketching his superhero Wingman on the woman's dream notebook, he is able to transform into a hero and join the battle between good and evil.
The series inspired an anime adaptation in 1984.
Katsura launched the series in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 1983. It ended publication in 1985.
Many of Katsura's manga have inspired anime and live-action adaptations, including Video Girl Ai, DNA², I's, Wingman, and Zetman. He has also provided character designs for anime such as Tiger & Bunny, Iria-Zeiram the Animation, The Girl in Twilight, Double Decker! Doug & Kirill, and Garo: Crimson Moon.
Source: TV Tokyo's X/Twitter account account TV Tokyo's X/Twitter account, Natalie Comics
