The prequel tells the story of Akagi at 13 years old
Image via Amazon Japan
© Nobuyuki Fukumoto, Fukumoto Pro
The May issue of Takeshobo's Kindai Mahjong magazine will launch on Monday a prequel to Nobuyuki Fukumoto's Akagi manga by Tomoki Miyoshi and Yoshiaki Seto titled Akagi: Nyūmon no Tōhai Zero. Fukumoto is credited as a collaborator on the manga. The prequel will follow Akagi at age 13.
Fukumoto launched the Akagi manga on Kindai Mahjong in 1992 and it ran for 27 years.
The original manga series begins on a stormy night, when Nangō is playing mahjong with the local yakuza. Before long, he realized he was on the verge of losing. If Nangō lost, he would pay with his life. Suddenly, a teenage boy, Shigeru Akagi, burst in, drenched from the rain. After watching a few matches, he offered to replace the struggling Nangō. At that time, a new legend was born.
The manga received a sequel titled Yami Ma no Mamiya (Yami-Mahjong Fighter Mamiya) by Fukumoto in 2019. The first season of the series ended in May 2023.
The main manga series inspired a 2005 television anime by Studio Madhouse, and Crunchyroll aired the anime starting in 2013.
The manga also inspired a 10-episode live-action television series in summer 2015, and Crunchyroll also aired the series. The second season, titled Akagi”Ryūzaki, Yagi-hen””Ichikawa-hen”(Akagi”Ryūzaki, Yagi Arc””Ichikawa Arc”), premiered in October 2017. A live-action mini-series three episodes premiered in May 2018.
Fukumoto's gambling manga Kaiji also inspired two television anime and two live-action films.
Source: Takeshobo
