is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi. It is about a resourceful boy, Genichiro Ryu, as he survives a series of natural disasters and collapse of the economy in Japan set in the beginning of the 21st century. It was serialized in

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...

's '' Big Comic'' from 2002 to 2008. It was followed by a second part, serialized in the same magazine from 2008 to 2010. The series was adapted into a 2-episode

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television special produced by Madhouse in 2006. In 2006, ''A Spirit of The Sun'' received the 51st Shogakukan Manga Award for the General category. As well as the Grand Prize of the 10th Japan Media Arts Festival.

Plot

In Japan, the series of earthquakes beginning on August 10, 2002 caused the explosion of

Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...

, and its consequences: a Japan, where half of the population has perished and whose main island,

Honshū , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separa ...

, is cut in two, and which must to survive appeal to the United States and China. Years later; two Japans coexist and many Japanese live as refugees in makeshift camps around the world. The south area is controlled by the United States, and the north area by China, with capitals in

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

and

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

, respectively. Draws "abandoners" scattered all over the world.

Media

Manga

''A Spirit of the Sun'', written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi, was serialized in

's '' Big Comic'' from 2002 to 2008, with its chapters collected in seventeen ''

tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

'' volumes, released from May 30, 2003 to February 29, 2008. A second part, , was serialized in the same magazine from 2008 to 2010. Its chapters were collected in nine ''tankōbon'' volumes, released from June 30, 2008 to January 28, 2011.

Volume list

=1st part

=2nd part

Anime

Directed by Masayuki Kojima and written by Tatsuhiko Urahata, Madhouse produced a 2-episode TV special adaptation of the manga, which was shown on WOWOW on September 17 and September 18, 2006. The ending theme is "The Power" performed by Kanon. In North America,

Maiden Japan ''Maiden Japan'', released as ''Heavy Metal Army'' in Japan, is a live EP by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The title is a pun of Deep Purple's live album '' Made in Japan''. Release There are at least two different versions of ...

licensed the anime in 2018.

Reception

In 2006, ''A Spirit of The Sun'', along with '' Rainbow: Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin'' by Masasumi Kakizaki and George Abe, received the 51st Shogakukan Manga Award for the General category. It also received the Grand Prize for the Manga Category at the 10th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2006.

References

External links

Official Madhouse Studios ''A Spirit of The Sun'' website
*
Official WOWOW ''A Spirit of The Sun'' website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spirit of the Sun 2002 manga Kaiji Kawaguchi Madhouse (company) Maiden Japan Seinen manga Shogakukan manga Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga Wowow original programming