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'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 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 and
Sapporo, respectively. Draws "abandoners" scattered all over the world.
Media
Manga
''A Spirit of the Sun'', written and illustrated by
Kaiji Kawaguchi, was serialized in
Shogakukan's ''
Big Comic'' from 2002 to 2008, with its chapters collected in seventeen ''
tankōbon'' 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
Kanon may refer to:
Buddhism
* Kanon, a Japanese name for Guanyin, a Buddhist spiritual figure
Media and literature
* ''Kanon'' (video game), a Japanese visual novel by Key, later adapted into anime series
* ''Kanon'' (manga), a manga by Chih ...
.
In North America,
Maiden Japan 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