An RPG hero is having a midlife crisis… the manga releases in June 2023

news culture An RPG hero is having a midlife crisis… the manga releases in June 2023

The major manga releases of June 2023

The Drifter of Tokyo Volume 6: The everyday life of a loser in Tokyo in the 80s

Here’s the good news for the month of June: the superb manga Le Vagabond de Tokyo is coming back to France! This always happens on the side of Lézard Noir, who in 2010 began to repatriate this work in the form of an anthology. It must therefore be understood that the format proposed by the publisher corresponds to a collection of the best stories in the series. “Le Vagabond de Tokyo” follows the misadventures of Yoshio, a lazy and somewhat lecherous young misfit who refuses to work and leads an itinerant life in the heart of the Japanese capital. Through the eyes of his colorful protagonist, the late Takashi Fukutani paints a cheerfully whimsical but no less realistic portrait of 1980s Japanese society and Tokyo’s underworld. A cult work in the land of the rising sun, now to be discovered with us.

• Available June 7th
• Pick up Le Vagabond de Tokyo Volume 6 at your local bookstore Bookseller Square or on the website of Fnac.

My Beloved Ghost Volume 3: The Funeral Wedding

What if instead of wanting to haunt you for the rest of your life, Sadako was actually a heart you set out to find your loved one? It’s a bit like the starting point of My Beloved Revenant, a crazy romantic comedy in which Riku, a young employee, and Remi, a ghost haunting his apartment, fall madly in love. The two lovebirds quickly married and lived a peaceful life as a couple…or almost. Due to his undead state, Remi possesses uncontrollable supernatural powers that serve as a pretext for incredible situations and macabre misunderstandings. An unexpected mix of genres, but extremely effective and entertaining.

• Available June 14th
• Pick up my beloved Revenante Volume 3 at your local bookstore Bookseller Square or on the website of Fnac.

Sōten no Ken Volume 8: The Sorrows of a Legendary Warrior in China

A few years after the worldwide success of Ken the Survivor, the Buronson/Tetsuo Hara duo decided to collaborate again on a series. Instead of starting with an original universe, the two friends decide to take Hokuto Shinken’s story and offer a prequel to their first success. This is Sōten no Ken, the story of Kenshiro Kazumi, the 62nd heir to the famous Hokuto Shinken. Exit the post-apocalyptic universe in Mad Max style. This time the battle takes place on the Manchurian side, in the city of Shanghai in the mid-1930s. Kenshiro Kazumi, after taking part in the conflict against the various local mafia clans, returned to enjoy peaceful days in his native Japan as a university professor. But when he receives a visit from an old acquaintance who tells him that his friends and childhood sweetheart have been killed, this martial arts master decides to seek revenge and bring back the dark legend of Yánwáng, the god of the dead. Sōten no Ken brings Hokuto Shinken back to life in the best possible way with a work as masterful as ever, this time between historical fiction, melodramatic stories and male confrontations. Buronson crafts a story that is both epic, touching and hilarious, a story perfectly complemented by the character trait of Tetsuo Hara, who here reaches the pinnacle of his art.

• Available June 21st
• Pick up Sōten no Ken Volume 8 at your local bookstore Bookseller Square or on the website of Fnac.

What’s new to see in June 2023

Daron Quest Volume 1 (One-Shot): A J-RPG Hero’s Midlife Crisis

Despite their status as quasi-divine beings, the heroes aren’t immune to the ravages of time, and that’s the essence of Daron Quest, a manga that enjoys twisting the codes of the classic RPG to tell the story of a warrior in the telling the world in the midst of a midlife crisis. While levels represent power in our favorite games, leveling in Daron Quest is like aging. We follow the story of Evan Williams, a hero who is surviving his transition to level 41 very badly. Completely outdated, no longer with the enthusiasm and aggressiveness of yesteryear, Evan Williams sees himself as a has-been and no longer has the weapons to compete with the other “younger” warriors. A parodic homage to the great J-RPGs of the time, such as dragon quest of course too final fantasy. A story that will please all fans of the genre, but especially the older ones!

• Available June 1st
• Get Daron Quest at your local bookstore Bookseller Square or on the website of Fnac.

Gachiakuta Volumes 1 and 2: The waste of some is the treasure of others

Attention, nugget in sight. In Gachiakuta, Rudo is a young boy who lives in the slums crowded with the descendants of criminals. Rejected and despised by those around him for his father’s crimes, he spends his days alone scouring the landfills of the wealthy to collect rubbish. In this sad and bleak everyday life, the boy can at least rely on Regto, his adoptive father, who is always there to heal his wounds. But when he is murdered by a mysterious assassin, Rudo is convicted and sentenced to fall into Naraka, a bottomless abyss piling up garbage.

In order to get revenge, our hero must first discover the mysteries of this lawless world populated by gigantic creatures. To survive, he must rely on his gloves, which contain a mysterious power… From the first few pages, Gachiakuta captivates with its rapid pace that leaves the reader unable to rest. The mangaka Kei Urana’s line (who contributed notably to “Fire Force”) is lively and distinctive, the style of work is harsh, almost aggressive… and it’s terribly effective. Gachiakuta remains largely a shōnen-nekketsu that still benefits from a really catchy punk touch. A manga to watch closely and to discover this month with the release of the first two volumes.

• Available June 21, 2023
• Pick up Gachiakuta Volumes 1 and 2 at your local bookstore Bookseller Square or on the website of Fnac.