| Wangan Midnight | |
Manga vol. 1 |
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| 湾岸ミッドナイト (Wangan Middonaito) |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Action, Racing, Drama |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Michiharu Kusunoki |
| Published by | Shogakukan Kodansha |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Magazine | Big Comic Spirits Young Magazine |
| Original run | 1990 – 2008 |
| Volumes | 42 |
| Manga | |
| Wangan Midnight: C1 runner | |
| Written by | Michiharu Kusunoki |
| Published by | Kodansha |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Magazine | Young Magazine |
| Original run | 2009 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 4 |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Tsuneo Tominaga |
| Produced by | Keiichi Tsuchiya |
| Studio | A.C.G.T |
| Network | Animax |
| Original run | June 8, 2007 – September 13, 2008 |
| Episodes | 26 |
Wangan Midnight (湾岸ミッドナイト Wangan Middonaito) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Michiharu Kusunoki and serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits since 1990, later in Kodansha's Young Magazine. In 1999, it won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga.[1]
The series has been adapted into several live action feature films, video games, and an anime television series. The anime began airing in Japan on June 8, 2007 on the anime satellite television network Animax, produced by OB Planning.[2]
The Wangan Midnight comic book series ended with issue #42 but it has been followed with a new arc called Wangan Midnight C1 Runner (湾岸ミッドナイト C1ランナー). Years before Wangan Midnight, Michiharu Kusunoki worked on a similar series known as Shakotan Boogie.
Contents |
The story gets its roots from the street racing that occurs on Tokyo's Shuto Expressway Bayshore Route. 'Wangan' (literally bayshore in Japanese) is the endonym of this longest, straightest road in the entire country.[3] There is also road traffic to contend with, including a fair number of heavy trucks. Because of this, the action is inherently hazardous, and wrecks are common. Blown engines are also a frequent hazard, especially with the extremely high power engines.
One day, Akio Asakura, a high school student in his last year of study, is driving his Fairlady Z (Z31) when he challenges Tatsuya Shima, a doctor, in his black Porsche 911 Turbo (964), dubbed as the "BlackBird". With his friend in the passenger seat and two girls in the back, Akio attempts to win, but is defeated. Determined to drive a faster car, he goes to the junkyard because his mechanic friend tells him he saw the scrapped body of a midnight blue Nissan Fairlady Z just like Akio wanted. When he sees the scrapped body of a midnight blue Fairlady Z (S30) in the junkyard, he remembers seeing this car a few years ago with a nice girl in the passenger seat. Intrigued as to why such a classic Japanese performance vehicle is about to be junked, he convinces the junkyard owner to sell it to him. The junkyard owner was told by the previous owner to scrap the car because it is cursed. He soon finds that the car is unnaturally fast due to a tuned L28 engine, bored and stroked to 3.1 L and fitted with twin turbos. He also finds that one of the car's previous owners shares his first and last name, and had been killed in a horrible crash on the Wangan. Every person who takes possession of the Z ends up spinning out of control and crashing, as if the car is rebelling against its driver. This gives the blue Z the nickname "The Devil Z". The manga follows Akio's various encounters with people on the Wangan, though the central plot revolves around his constant battle with the BlackBird for Wangan superiority.
The series was adapted into a series of direct-to-video movies in 1994, 1997 and again in 2000. They accurately depict the manga, with the exception of Akio being in his thirties. Many Japanese viewers hold the films in high regard for their realistic portrayal of the racing with the cars having the speed they have in the manga.
The series has been adapted into a series of video games, developed by Sega for Maximum Tune 1 and 2 and Namco for Maximum Tune 3, first released on February 2, 2001. A PS2 version of Wangan Midnight was released later on March 21, 2002. A complete re-imagining of the game series, Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune, was released in July 2003 to arcades only, followed by another sequel, Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 2, on April 2005. The third installament Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 was released on July 18, 2007 in the arcade, with a sequel to the original game following on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable platforms. The updated version, Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 DX, was released on December 16, 2008. The PS3 and PSP games were re-released in 2008 under the "Genki The Best" label. An RPG which was a sequel to the PS3 and PSP games, titled Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner (based on the manga of the same name), was also released by Genki. The latest sequel, Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 DX PLUS, was released in March 4, 2010. The fourth installament Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 4, is soon to be released in December 15, 2011 and will be run by new System, ES1A2. The majority of Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune racing games featured music soundtracks composed by Yuzo Koshiro.
At the 2007 Tokyo Anime Fair, OB Planning (Initial D) announced the production of an animated series based on the manga.[4] Aired on a pay-per-view channel of Animax in June 2007,[4] the series was co-produced by OB Planning, A.C.G.T., and Pastel under the direction of Tsuneo Tominaga and consists of twenty-six episodes. The series was released on DVD with the thirteenth volume reaching 29th on the Oricon sales chart for Japanese animation DVDs in November 2008.[5]
On September 12, 2009, Jolly Roger and Geneon Universal Entertainment released a live-action adaptation of the manga. Wangan Midnight: The Movie is directed by the Atsushi Muroga, with the screenplay written by Yasutoshi Murakawa. The film stars Yuichi Nakamura as Akio Asakura, Ryoko Kobayashi as Eriko Asakura, Kazuki Katou as Tatsuya Shima, Rio Matsumoto as Reina Akikawa, and Yoshihiko Hakamada as Ko-chan.[6] The film was shot in San Mateo, Rizal, Philippines as a stand-in for the expressway racing scenes. Like the previous television anime and video features, Wangan Midnight: The Movie will center on Akio Asakura his "Devil Z" and the rivalry with "Black Bird".
It appears that a sequel may be planned, as after the ending credits in a bonus scene, Shima is seen to be leaving work when he hears the sound of a Z, followed by a fade out message saying 'Z will be back'. This is also rumored sequel, Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner, which will center on the new character, Shinji Ogishima.