News

Manga Planet Licenses Kaiji, 2 Other Manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto

Manga Planet announced on Monday that it has licensed Nobuyuki Fukumoto's Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji, The Legend of the Strongest, Kurosawa!, and Gambling Emperor Legend Zero manga series and will release them in June. The first chapters of these manga titles will be available for free, and the remaining chapters will be available by subscription.

Manga Planet will release The Legend of the Strongest, Kurosawa! (Saikyō Densetsu Kurosawa) on June 22, and it describes the story:

Kurosawa is sick and tired of his boring, ordinary life growing old as the less popular site foreman in Anahira Construction. The turning point comes when his 44th birthday comes along, and no one remembers or celebrates with him. Realizing he lived a life without drive or purpose, Kurosawa tries to go past his comfort zone to turn his life around. Will his newfound shenanigans help him or hurt him when he gets caught up in fights with delinquents?

Fukumoto launched the seinen manga in Shogakukan's Big Comic Original magazine in December 2011. The 11th compiled volume of the manga shipped in November 2006. Shogaukan published a sequel to the original manga in May 2013 titled Shin Kurosawa: Saikyō Densetsu.

Manga Planet will release Gambling Emperor Legend Zero (Tobaku Haōden Zero) on June 23, and it describes the story:

Gambling genius Zero saves three teenagers from their group suicide attempt and convinces them to work with him, acting as "Robin Hood" and returning swindled money back to their original owners. But when the swindlers themselves catch their ragtag team, one thing leads into another, and suddenly they're all being invited to Muryo Zaizen's big tournament - a gambling free-for-all where the stakes are high, and the mortality rate is higher! With nothing but his quick wit, can Zero get out of the competition alive?

Fukumoto launched the shonen manga series in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine in February 1996. The eighth compiled volume of the manga shipped in April 2009.

Manga Planet will release Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji on June 23, and it describes the story:

After getting roped into a former coworker's debt as his cosigner, Kaiji Ito finds himself stuck with an astronomical amount of debt. The loan shark Endo gives him one last chance - get onboard the gambling boat Espoir and win his freedom back by facing aimless young people in the same situation as him. There's just one problem - a fate worse than death awaits those who lose on the Espoir.

Fukumoto launched the seinen manga series in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in September 2007. The 72nd compiled volume of the manga shipped on June 5.

Denpa released the manga series in English in six omnibus volumes with 500+ pages each beginning in the first quarter of 2019.

Manga Planet is a manga subscription service that launched in November and offers subscribers access to English-translated manga.

Source: Press release