is a

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 by

Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...

that began serialization in 1987 in the

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 ...

manga magazine ''

Big Comic is a semimonthly ''seinen'' manga magazine published since 18 February 1968 by Shogakukan in Japan. It was originally launched as a monthly magazine, but switched to twice monthly on the 10th and 25th beginning in April 1968. It is paired wit ...

''.

Plot

In 1982, the Edo Shoji Corporation is a large

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese trading company that has created a new branch in the fictional country of Cannibalia (or Kanivaria depending on how you transcribe it). Executive Director Yabushita assigns Hitoshi Himoto to be the head of the new

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

n office, which is an exceptional promotion for Hitoshi. Having joined the workforce after his days of being a

sumo wrestler A , or, more colloquially, , is a professional sumo wrestler. follow and live by the centuries-old rules of the sumo profession, with most coming from Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally. Participation in official ...

, Hitoshi finds himself rapidly climbing the corporate ladder. However, not long after he is assigned to South America, Director Yabushita suddenly resigns from the company. Apparently he was involved in a scandalous affair with a woman and forced to leave after news of the affair had leaked. This severely affects Hitoshi as he is then demoted and transferred to a different location in South America. Hitoshi finds himself assigned to the city of Esecarta in the Republic of Santalna, a South American country that is in a state of political turmoil. Each day, the government soldiers fight with a rebel group of guerrillas in the streets. However, while reading some information at the Japanese

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

, Hitoshi learns of a certain

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

that is indispensable to the manufacturing of

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

. This rare metal is mined at Mt. Montetombo in the Fego Province of South America. However, the mountain serves as the stronghold for the rebel guerrillas, led by the fearsome José García. Hitoshi attempts to make a name for himself in a dangerous land, working together with the people that know him as the "

Gringo ''Gringo'' (, , ) (masculine) (or ''gringa'' (feminine)) is a term in Spanish and Portuguese for a foreigner, usually an English-speaking Anglo-American. There are differences in meaning depending on region and country. In Latin America, it is ge ...

". Political and corporate intrigue and drama are all around in Tezuka's last manga.

Characters

*Hitoshi Himoto: An ex-sumo wrestler who now works for a major Japanese trading company: Edo Shoji. He is assigned to a new post as the head of the company's new branch office in the city of Cannibalia, Republic of Rido, South America, then transferred to Esecarta. *Elen *Rune *Kazu Onigasoto *Miho Togakushi *José García: Leader of the group of guerillas that is fighting a war with the government in Esecarta, Republic of Santalna. His group controls the territory around the Fego Province which contains Mt. Montetombo. *Kondo *Kumagai *Pepe *Ambassador Kageyama: A Japanese ambassador stationed in the Japanese Embassy within the Republic of Santalna. *Tomonaga *Toto

Unfinished work

died on February 9, 1989, leaving ''Gringo'' as one of his few unfinished works. It was still in serialization only a couple of weeks before his death. The page for ''Gringo'' at TezukaOsamu@World claims that the protagonist was based on

Nobuyuki Wakaoji Nobuyuki (written: , , , , , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese general, politician and Prime Minister of Japan *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese gymnast *, Japanese manga artis ...

, a Japanese businessman who was kidnapped in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

in 1986 and released after four months of captivity.http://www.mahk.com/sc1617.htm This event was a major piece of shocking news that shook Japan. Coincidentally, the day Tezuka died was also the day Nobuyuki Wakaoji died.

Other manga

In the Osamu Tezuka Manga Complete Works release of ''Gringo'', one of Tezuka's short stories, "New Ryosaishii Koukenidan", was added at the end of Volume 3.

References

External links