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Dark Horse Licenses Minetarō Mochizuki's Isle of Dogs Manga
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Anime News Network's coverage of Anime Expo 2019 is sponsored by Yen Press.
Dark Horse announced during its Anime Expo panel on Wednesday that it has licensed Minetarō Mochizuki's Isle of Dogs (Inugashima) manga based on Wes Anderson's film of the same name. Dark Horse's release of the manga will retain the format of the Japanese volume, including the hardback binding, 7.5 inch by 10.5 inch dimensions, slipcover, and end papers.
In addition, Dark Horse announced that it will resume its English releases of Eiji Ohtsuka and Hosui Yamazaki's The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service manga, with future releases continuing in omnibus volumes. Dark Horse has not released a new volume of the manga since the 14th volume in 2015, but it released four omnibus volumes containing three volumes of the manga in each omnibus volume. A fifth omnibus volume that will collect volumes 13, 14, and 15 (published in English for the first time) is slated for March 20. A sixth omnibus volume that will collect volumes 16, 17, and 18 will follow. Dark Horse plans to continue the releases further if the response to the manga is positive. Kodansha released the manga's 25th compiled book volume in Japan on Thursday.
The Isle of Dogs film opened in the United States in March 2018 and in Japan in May 2018. In the story of the film, a dog flu epidemic breaks out in Japan. Mayor Kobayashi bans all dogs from Megasaki City and sends them to Trash Island to prevent the spread of the disease. The first dog sent to the island is Spots, the guardian of Mayor Kobayashi's nephew and ward Atari. Determined to find his lost dog, Atari steals an airplane and flies to Trash Island. A pack of dogs find Atari after he crashes and decides to help him. The manga is "another story" for the film.
Mochizuki published the Isle of Dogs manga in Kodansha's Morning magazine from May to July 2018. Kodansha published the manga's one compiled book volume last August.
The film opened in the United States in March 2018, and it opened in Japan in May 2018 with the title Inugashima. The film was nominated for the Animated Feature Film award at the 91st Academy Awards earlier this year.
Tokyopop published Mochizuki's Dragon Head manga in North America in 2006-2008. Three prominent Japanese directors — George Iida, Katsuhito Ishii, and Jōji Matsuoka — have adapted Mochizuki's Dragon Head, Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl (Samehada Otoko to Momojiri Onna), and Bataashi Kingyō manga as live-action films. Mochizuki launched the Chiisakobee manga in 2012, and ended it in 2015.
Source: Email correspondence
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