Some significant news from the world of manga this week… Adachi Mitsuru is doing a sequel to Touch set 26 years later, and Bakuman is apparently ending its run in two weeks.
Edit: It’s official – the 4/23 chapter is the last one for Bakuman.
There’s just a hint of desperation in Adachi doing a sequel to Touch, it seems to me, though I’ll certainly be fascinated to return to Meisei 26 years later. The new manga will be called “Mix” and will be premièring in Monthly Shounen Sunday next month. I’d just as soon Adachi pick one of his existing series (how many is that?) and update it regularly – especially Over Fence – but you can bet I’ll be following this closely.
As for Bakuman, I haven’t seen this confirmed by a 100% reliable source yet – thus far only a French site has reported it – but the information appears to be solid. Here’s hoping Obata and Ohba don’t do Tanto next.
-blacksheep
April 12, 2012 at 12:41 amit's really sad that Bakuman will finally end though I already saw it coming.Say Enzo, do you have any news as to why Bakuman will end? 'cause I belive Bakuman have some pretty good rankings.
admin
April 12, 2012 at 1:59 amI really have no idea, even assuming it turns out to be true. I'm not up to date with the raws so I don't know where the story stands (and please don't tell me) but perhaps the guys simply decided they'd taken it as far as it could go, and wanted to go out on top.
Steelman
April 12, 2012 at 3:14 amPeople have been speculating that Bakuman was about to finish for weeks now – basically since the beginning of the latest arc in chapter 165 (we are now at 174). Fact is, the climax of the story has been reached and passed, the premise essentially addressed, and we are now at the dénouement.
I mean, isn't that the standard way to conclude a story? Note that Obata and Ohba did the same in Death Note – the manga finished when the story reached its natural conclusion. I feel people are getting so used to Jump series being dragged out that what should be normal is becoming extraordinary.
Snuckerpooks
April 19, 2012 at 10:00 pmYeah, they've pretty much had the series in the direction to the end. I think everybody already knows the end, it was just the journey to get there. There is a lot of good material from this closing arc, I dont want to see it go!
totoum
April 12, 2012 at 12:53 amThe announcement of bakuman ending is just speculation.
What's certain is an event that will happen in 2 weeks (the source is jump themselves) people jusr speculate that said event would be the last chapter but that might not be the case.
Bakuman has center color in jump that week,if it truly were the end I'm sure they'd give it frontpage.
It could very possibly end soon,but it performs well in rankings and sales.And I think personaly that it could go on,and hope it will,the last few chapters have been some of my favorites,like them more than most of what we'll see in the 3rd season of the anime.
What makes speculation even more interesting is that the "is it right to end a manga when it performs well?" question is a current topic being discussed in bakuman itself.
totoum
April 12, 2012 at 1:05 amMisread the report.
ending somewhere between 2 weeks and the end of may,that sounds possible,dare I say even likely.
The source is a reliable french website but they havn't posted their source (they normally do) so I still won't take it at 100% reliable.
Jean-Christian
April 12, 2012 at 1:11 amI'm torn on the news of a sequel to Touch. On one hand, that series is so iconic that I feel it should be left alone. On the other hand, if I trust any author to come up with quality regardless of my expectations, it's Adachi.
admin
April 12, 2012 at 2:01 amIn a way, I'd almost rather Adachi had decided to follow up on Cross Game (I series I love even more than Touch) because the story feels somewhat unfinished, where Touch has a sense of completeness to it. Of course there's more money to be made from Touch, I'm sure.
But I know what you mean about not wanting to see something so sacred tampered with.
KoroshiyaKi
April 12, 2012 at 12:52 pmIdk Enzo… Who can forget that ending to Cross Game? What a line to end it on. If anything there should just be an epilogue chapter… ya know… kids… a daughter… perhaps named Wakaba… And maybe end it on a picture of the whole team (INCLUDING AOBA) holding the Koshen trophy. That would close the book on the series for good but really it doesn't need it because we know what comes after without seeing it.
Ishruns
April 12, 2012 at 2:23 amBakuman ending is pretty sad as the last few chapters have really been doing well, but I still think Bakuman might continue at least for another few chapters considering what's happening.
I'd also like an Adachi return for Cross Game, but only in a short series or movie form showing the Nationals and a look at what our characters are growing up to be.
Touch coming back maybe like School Rumble Z – a short manga just outlining the future lives of the characters. Adachi knows best.
admin
April 12, 2012 at 2:55 amIt definitely looks as if Mix is going to focus on the next generation of characters, presumably Tatsuya and Minami's sons.
Anonymous
April 12, 2012 at 7:32 amConsidering Bakuman has had a number of story arcs about ending a manga at the proper time rather than dragging it on just because it's popular…
Murkel
April 12, 2012 at 7:34 pmIt wouldn't surprise me in the least if Bakuman was ending soon. It's definitely heading that way. I feel Bakuman has had a fair amount of fillers already and it's reached the point where trying to prolong it further makes little sense.
Kamion
April 13, 2012 at 10:53 amNO SPOILERS (I hope)
Yeah, it would make sense to end Bakuman soon. Maybe not in two weeks, but around five to eight.
The "event" they're referencing could be the official news of the series' ending.
Which I would welcome, as lately Ohba made statements about "Even if a manga is popular, you should end it instead of making a part 2 that is worse than part 1" through Bakuman which OBVIOUSLY is about how they were kind of forced to continue Death Note after its climax.
I bet they don't want to do that with Bakuman – and now would be the time.
Murkel
April 18, 2012 at 9:47 pmBakuman ending next week makes perfect sense. I don't understand why some people are shocked and say it's rushed. Ohba and Obata made the right decision.
Very much looking forward to their next work.
Ryan Winchester
April 19, 2012 at 6:13 amLove Bakuman. It's the only manga I ever read.
Funny since it's a manga about making manga.
Anyway seems like a natural place for ending and they kind of foreshadowed that a manga should end in the best way instead of being forced on because of popularity and profit.
Ryan Winchester
April 19, 2012 at 4:37 pmJust read the last chapter of Bakuman.
🙂
truyen tranh
May 25, 2012 at 8:05 ami love touch. the best manga of adachi :))
admin
May 25, 2012 at 8:14 amI love CG about equally to Touch, but yeah, it's fantastic.