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 produced by

Kentaro Miura was a Japanese manga artist. He was best known for his acclaimed dark fantasy series '' Berserk'', which began serialization in 1989 and continued until his death. As of 2021, ''Berserk'' had more than 50 million copies in circulation, making i ...

and illustrated by his personal manga studio, Studio Gaga. Inspired by the aesthetic of ancient Greek and

Mesopotamian myths Mesopotamian mythology refers to the myths, religious texts, and other literature that comes from the region of ancient Mesopotamia which is a historical region of Western Asia, situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system that occupies ...

, the story follows an

androgynous Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics i ...

protagonist named Usumgal (which means 'Dragon') who lives in a mythological world. It was serialized in Hakusensha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Young Animal Zero'' from September 2019 to May 2020. The publisher decided to finish the series following Miura's death in May 2021. Its chapters were collected in a single volume, released in December 2021.

Production

Hakusensha announced ''Duranki'' in 2019, stating the manga would launch in the inaugural issue of ', with two chapters, totaling 64 pages. The announcement received negative attention from fans of Miura's ''

Berserk Berserk (meaning "very angry" or "out of control") may refer to: * ''Berserk'' (manga), a 1989 Japanese manga by Kentaro Miura ** ''Berserk'' (1997 TV series), the first anime adaption of the manga ** ''Berserk'' (2016 TV series), a second adap ...

'' series, worrying that this new manga will only distract and further delay ''Berserk''. In response, Miura gave an interview where he clarified that his involvement in ''Duranki'' would be relatively minimal and not impede the progress of ''Berserk''. Based on suggestions from Hakusensha, Miura served as the "

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

" of the project, drawing the storyboards and rough copies for each installment while his assistants at Studio Gaga do the majority of the work, including the inking. Based on the success of strong female characters in works like ''

Frozen Frozen may refer to: * the result of freezing * a paralysis response in extreme cases of fear Films * ''Frozen'' (1997 film), a film by Wang Xiaoshuai * ''Frozen'' (2005 film), a film by Juliet McKoen * ''Frozen'' (2007 film), a film by Sh ...

'' and '' Mad Max: Fury Road'', Miura saw an

lead character as the next step and decided to "throw a stone at it" with this story. Miura died of aortic dissection on May 6, 2021. In September of the same year, Hakusensha announced that the manga had ended, after consideration and discussions between the editors and Studio Gaga.

Publication

''Duranki'' debuted in the inaugural issue of Hakusensha's ''Young Animal Zero'', with its first two chapters published on September 9, 2019. Its third chapter was published on November 9, 2019; the fourth chapter was published on January 9, 2020; the fifth chapter was published on March 9, 2020; the sixth and last chapter was published on May 9, 2020. Miura died on May 6, 2021, and the publisher announced in September of the same year that they decided to finish the series. The posthumous collected volume, which included unpublished design materials, was released on December 24, 2021.

Chapter list

Notes

References

External links

''Duranki'' official website at ''Young Animal''
* {{Young Animal 2020 comics endings Fantasy anime and manga Hakusensha manga Seinen manga Unfinished comics