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Hiroshi Takahashi's Crows/Worst Manga Gets New Direct Sequel After 13 Years
posted on by Anita Tai
Akita Shoten announced on Monday that Hiroshi Takahashi's Crows and Worst manga will have a new full-fledged direct sequel manga launching in the publisher's Monthly Shōnen Champion magazine on January 13.
The sequel marks Takahashi's return to the story 13 years after the conclusion of Worst in 2013.
The Worst series did receive a spinoff manga titled Worst Gaiden Saburock Santa: Namonaki Karasu-tachi (Worst Side Story Saburock Santa: Nameless Crows) on Akita Shoten's Manga Cross website in January 2022. Takeyo Kitahara was credited with the original work, and Takaaki Hayashi drew the art. Shōichirō Masumoto was credited with script assistance. Takahashi was credited for the original concept.
Takahashi's Crows manga ran for 26 volumes, and inspired a two-episode original video anime. The manga also received three live-action films, with Takashi Miike directing the first two films, Crows Zero and Crows Zero II. Crows Explode, the third film, opened in Japan in April 2014. Tokyo Shock released the first film on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in North America, and video label MVM released both Crows Zero and Crows Zero II in the United Kingdom.
Takahashi began Worst as a continuation of his earlier Crows series in 2001, and ended it with 33 compiled volumes in 2013. The story follows a delinquent named Hana Tsukishima as he rises to the top of the gangs at the notorious Suzuran Boys' High School. A single-volume side story titled Worst Gaiden ran in Monthly Shōnen Champion in 2009. The franchise launched a new spinoff manga titled Worst Gaiden: Dokuro (Worst Side Story: Skull) in February 2019, as well as another spinoff titled Worst Gaiden: Guriko (Worst Side Story: Guriko) that launched in January 2019. Yet another new spinoff manga titled Worst Gaiden Zetton-sensei launched in July 2020.
HiGH&LOW THE WORST, a crossover film that integrates both main manga with the HiGH&LOW franchise, opened in Japan in October 2019. 6 from HiGH&LOW THE WORST, the sequel series to the film, premiered on NTV in November 2020. A sequel film opened in 2022.
Sources: Comic Natalie, Akita Shoten's YouTube channel
