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Gash/Zatch Bell's Makoto Raiku to Launch School Fantasy Manga
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
This year's 21st issue of Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine revealed on Wednesday that Makoto Raiku will launch a manga series titled Vector Ball in the next issue, which Kodansha will publish on April 27. The magazine describes the new series as a "school fantasy manga about bonds." The manga's first chapter will be 62 pages long with a color opening page.
Raiku is best known for his Zatch Bell (Konjiki no Gash Bell!!) manga series, which he launched in Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine in 2001, and ended in 2007. Shogakukan published 33 compiled book volumes for the series. Viz Media released the first 25 volumes of the manga in North America before discontinuing the title. The anime received a 150-episode television anime adaptation that ran from 2003 to 2006, as well as the Konjiki no Gash Bell: 101 Banme no Mamono, and the Konjiki no Gash Bell!! anime films in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Toonami aired 77 episodes of the anime from 2005 to 2007. Viz Media released the first 100 episodes of the series through DVD compilations from 2005 to 2007, and the same episodes are currently available in Crunchyroll.
Raiku stopped working with Shogakukan after settling a lawsuit with the publisher regarding five color art pieces by Raiku that the publisher had lost.
He launched his Animal Land (Dōbutsu no Kuni) manga in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in 2009, and ended it in 2013. Kodansha published 14 compiled book volumes for the series. Kodansha Comics is publishing the manga in North America, and released the manga's 10th volume last October.
