Material Puzzle

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masahiro Totsuka. It was serialized in Square Enix's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' from 2002 to 2007, followed by '' gaiden'' chapters and a short series subtitled ''Saikō Shōnen'', published from 2007 to 2008. A prequel series by Kimitake Yoshioka, titled ''Material Puzzle: Zero Kreuz'', was serialized in ''Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' and '' Gangan Online'' from 2008 to 2009. Nine years after the original series' finale, Totsuka started another series, titled ''Material Puzzle: Kaminaki Sekai no Mahoutsukai'', in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Monthly Morning Two'', which ran from 2018 to 2022.

Plot

Set in a fictional world where magic is used, Mikaze is sent by the two elders of his village to ask the 3 great immortal magicians to help his village from being overtaken by a large fungi called the Yamakuidake (Mountain eating Mushroom). So he starts his quest and climbs up the mountain that the Three Magicians live on to ask but upon meeting the 3 Magicians he learns that the other two are gone and he is left with Aqua, a young girl who uses candy as a wand. Eventually they strike an agreement, she will go and help his village as long as he brings her back safe and sound to the mountain afterwards. The only problem is that as a sign of their agreement he has to wear a mask until the agreement is fulfilled.

Publication

Written and illustrated by , ''Material Puzzle'' started in Square Enix's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' on January 12, 2002. The main series finished on June 12, 2007. A '' gaiden'' story started on August 11, 2007, and finished on March 12, 2008. A four-chapter story, titled , was published in the same magazine from June 12 to September 12, 2008. Square Enix collected the ''Material Puzzle'' chapters in 20 '' tankōbon'' volumes, released from June 22, 2002, to September 22, 2007, and the ''Material Puzzle: Saikō Shōnen'' chapters were collected in two ''tankōbon'' volumes, released from September 22, 2008, to February 21, 2009. In 2018, Kodansha started re-releasing the manga volumes in a new edition as ebooks, which were numbered 1–22.

A prequel manga by , titled , started in ''Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' on October 11, 2008. The series was later moved to '' Gangan Online'' in 2009 and finished on March 22, 2012. Square Enix collected its chapters in nine ''tankōbon'' volumes, released from September 22, 2008, to May 22, 2012. In 2018, Kodansha republished the series in 10 ebooks.

Nine years after the original series finale, Totsuka published a ''gaiden'' chapter in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ' on January 22, 2018, and another series, titled , started in the same magazine on May 22 of that same year. The series finished on the online version of the magazine, ''Morning Two'', on December 22, 2022. Kodansha collected its chapters in ten ''tankōbon'' volumes, released from February 22, 2019, to February 21, 2023.

Notes

References

Further reading

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External links

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{{Monthly Morning Two

Fantasy anime and manga
Gangan Comics manga
Kodansha manga
Seinen manga
Shōnen manga