Gachiakuta (ガチアクタ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kei Urana. It began serialization in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in February 2022. As of September 2024, the series' individual chapters have been collected in 12 tankōbon volumes. An anime television series adaptation produced by Bones is set to premiere in 2025.
Gachiakuta | |
ガチアクタ | |
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Genre | |
Manga | |
Written by | Kei Urana |
Published by | Kodansha |
English publisher | |
Imprint | Shōnen Magazine Comics |
Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Magazine |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | February 16, 2022 – present |
Volumes | 12 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Fumihiko Suganuma |
Written by | Hiroshi Seko |
Studio | Bones |
Original run | 2025 – scheduled |
Plot
editLiving in the slums of a wealthy society are a population of "tribesfolk", who are descended from criminals exiled from society. Living amongst the tribesfolk is a young boy named Rudo, who detests the upper class' wastefulness. They often dump anything deemed trash, including criminals, into a massive dump site below the town known as "The Pit". Rudo was told by his foster father, Regto, that his biological father was dumped into The Pit for a crime before he was born. One day, after rummaging through a dump site, Rudo returns home to find Regto killed. Apprehended at the scene, Rudo is immediately charged with murder despite his innocence, due to his status as a tribesman. Unable to escape his fate, Rudo swears revenge upon the people, and is dumped into The Pit.
After being dumped into The Pit, Rudo awakens to find himself disoriented in a foul-smelling, endless landscape of trash. Rudo is then attacked by large beasts made of trash, and fends them off until he is rescued by a man named Enjin. The man explains to Rudo that he is in fact not underground, but has fallen to the surface from "The Sphere". After testing him and awakening his power as a "Giver", Enjin invites Rudo to join him as a "Cleaner". Enjin explains that the Cleaners are an organization of Givers who use the power of unique weapons known as "vital instruments" to hunt the trash beasts which attacked him. Rudo reluctantly accepts Enjin's offer to join the Cleaners, so long as it helps accomplish his goal of returning to The Sphere and enacting revenge on those who dumped him into The Pit.
Characters
edit- Rudo Surebrec (ルド スレブレック, Rudo Sureburekku)
- A former Sphereite as well as Regto's adopted son whose false convictions led to him being sentenced to The Pit. After being saved from a group of trash beasts, he joins the Cleaners as part of a plan to enact murderous vengeance on his accusers. His vital instrument consists of 3R, a pair of gloves from the Watchman series, which were given to him by Regto before his death.
- Enjin (エンジン)
- A fellow member of the Cleaners who saves Rudo from a horde of trash beasts. He carries a vital instrument called Umbreaker, which takes the form of an umbrella.
- Zanka Nijiku (ザンカ・ニジク)
- A warrior Cleaner and master combatant, of whom Enjin proclaims as the youngest member of the organization. His vital instrument is a staff-like weapon named the Lovely Assistaff.
- Riyo Reaper (リヨ・リーパー, Riyo Rīpā)
- A carefree, energetic, and outgoing member of the Cleaners whose vital instrument comes in the form of a pair of scissors called The Ripper.
- Semiu (セミュ, Semyu)
- The receptionist at the Cleaners' headquarters. Using her vital instrument, Eyes, which takes the form of a pair of glasses, she can examine the overall capacities of a giver, which gives them the efficiency needed to join the organization. However, this ability does not work in combat.
Production
editUrana credits experiences in her childhood as the main inspiration for Gachiakuta. The story's premise, where actions and feelings are imbued into personal belongings as "Anima," developed after Urana broke a belonging of her own as a child: "I had a pen that I really loved, and I broke it in two. Along with the sense of loss, I had a feeling like the pen was pleading with me."[2] Urana's experience is reflected in Gachiakuta as the story focuses on many characters who explore strong, personal connections to Anima-imbued objects called "Vital Instruments," and in Rudo's case, even trash thrown away by others. The idea for these Vital Instruments also originated in Urana's youth from observing the hangers that came with her grandmother's dry cleaning, a testament to Gachiakuta's themes about seeing value and potential in seemingly mundane and discarded things.[2]
Gachiakuta's art-style is due to illustrations by Urana, complimented by graffiti designs from Ando Hideyoshi. Graffiti and street art provide not only avenues for expression, distinction, and safety for the story's characters, but also narrative significance for readers due to its use in storytelling. As for character design, Urana states that her process involved unexpected changes for Gachiakuta's characters: "I create them to be decent people, but then I actually draw them and for some reason, they turn out to be freaky weirdos. I've given up, realizing that this is who they truly are."[2]
Media
editManga
editWritten and illustrated by Kei Urana with graffiti designs by Ando Hideyoshi, the series began serialization in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine on February 16, 2022.[3][4] As of September 2024, the series' individual chapters have been collected in 12 tankōbon volumes.[5]
In August 2022, Urana stated an "overseas version" was in production.[6] In March 2023, Kodansha USA announced that they licensed the series for English publication.[7]
Volumes
editNo. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
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1 | May 17, 2022[8] | 978-4-06-527922-9 | January 16, 2024[9] | 979-8-88-877020-7 | ||
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2 | July 15, 2022[10] | 978-4-06-528430-8 | April 30, 2024[11] | 979-8-88-877094-8 | ||
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3 | September 16, 2022[12] | 978-4-06-529138-2 | July 23, 2024[13] | 979-8-88-877095-5 | ||
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4 | November 17, 2022[14] | 978-4-06-529777-3 | October 29, 2024[15] | 979-8-88-877096-2 | ||
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5 | February 17, 2023[16] | 978-4-06-530527-0 | January 21, 2025[17] | 979-8-88-877097-9 | ||
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6 | April 17, 2023[18] | 978-4-06-531344-2 | April 22, 2025[19] | 979-8-88-877152-5 | ||
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7 | July 14, 2023[20] | 978-4-06-532179-9 | — | — | ||
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8 | October 17, 2023[21] | 978-4-06-532888-0 | — | — | ||
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9 | December 15, 2023[22] | 978-4-06-533899-5 | — | — | ||
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10 | March 15, 2024[23] | 978-4-06-534863-5 | — | — | ||
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11 | June 17, 2024[24] | 978-4-06-535779-8 | — | — | ||
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12 | September 17, 2024[5] | 978-4-06-536774-2 | — | — | ||
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13 | December 17, 2024[25] | 978-4-06-537775-8 | — | — |
Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
edit- 104. "The Box" (箱, Hako)
- 105. "Behold What It Holds" (中身初見, Nakami Hatsumi)
- 106. "Lurkers" (潜む者, Hisomu Mono)
- 107. "Elder" (長老, Chōrō)
- 108. "Stay Out of Our Way, Seriously" (邪魔すんなまじで, Jama Sun na Majide)
- 109. "Amo's Whereabouts. And..." (アモの所在。そしてーー, Amo no Shozai. Soshite...)
- 110. "An Act of ****" (〇〇の所業, Rei Rei no Tokoro-gyō)
- 111. "False Face" (嘘の顔, Uso no Kao)
- 112. "Unboxing" (開封, Kaifū)
- 113. "A Vague Identity" (曖昧な正体, Aimaina Shōtai)
- 114. "Flailin'" (わちゃわちゃ, Wacha Wacha)
- 115. "The Cleaners" (掃除屋, Sōjiya)
- 116. "Rudo Surebrec The Cleaner" (掃除屋ルド・シュアブレック, Sōjiya Rudo Shuaburekku)
- 117. "The Hero of the Story" (主人公, Shujinkō)
- 118. "Oozing" (滲み, Nijimi)
Anime
editAn anime television series produced by Bones and directed by Fumihiko Suganuma is set to premiere in 2025. The series will also feature scripts and writing by Hiroshi Seko and Satoshi Ishino as chief animator and head of character design.[26]
Reception
editThe columnist for Real Sound liked the world building, action, and dark fantasy elements of the story, as well as the main protagonist.[1] Masaki Endo from Tsutaya News liked the artwork and the main protagonist of the series.[27] Atsushi Ohkubo recommended the series.[28]
In the 2022 Next Manga Award, the series ranked 13th in the print manga category. It was also the most popular choice among English voters, even though the series had not been released in English at the time.[29] The series ranked 14th in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2023.[30] It was nominated for the 47th Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category in 2023;[31] it was also nominated for the 48th edition in the same category in 2024.[32]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c 漫画×グラフィティの鮮烈な作風で話題! 『ガチアクタ』が切り拓く、新たな表現と戦い方. Real Sound (in Japanese). March 16, 2022. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ マガジン新連載『ガチアクタ』開始 新人が描くバトルアクション (in Japanese). Oricon. February 16, 2022. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ 孤児の少年を描く下克上バトルアクション「ガチアクタ」マガジンで連載開始. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. February 16, 2022. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ a b ガチアクタ(12) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on July 29, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (August 31, 2022). "Gachiakuta Manga Creator Kei Urana Reveals Overseas Version in Production". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (March 30, 2023). "Kodansha USA Licenses Gachiakuta, Pass the Monster Meat, Milady!, Love, That's an Understatement Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ ガチアクタ(1) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ "Gachiakuta 1". Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ ガチアクタ(2) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ "Gachiakuta 2". Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ ガチアクタ(3) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ "Gachiakuta 3". Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ ガチアクタ(4) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ "Gachiakuta 4". Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ ガチアクタ(5) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ "Gachiakuta 5". Penguin Random House. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ ガチアクタ(6) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- ^ "Gachiakuta 6". Penguin Random House. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ^ ガチアクタ(7) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ ガチアクタ(8) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 21, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ ガチアクタ(9) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ ガチアクタ(10) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ ガチアクタ(11) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ ガチアクタ(13) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael (June 12, 2024). "Kei Urana's Gachiakuta Manga Gets 2025 TV Anime by Bones". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 13, 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ Endo, Masaki (June 30, 2022). マンガ表現の新たな可能性に挑むダークファンタジーは鮮烈にして強烈――『ガチアクタ』. Tsutaya News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ ガチアクタ:「炎炎ノ消防隊」大久保篤が主人公描く 「一目瞭然! これはガチ!」. Mantan Web (in Japanese). May 17, 2022. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (August 31, 2022). "Medalist, WITCH WATCH, Akane-banashi Win Next Manga Awards 2022 Results". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 31, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ Harding, Daryl (February 2, 2023). "RuriDragon is Japanese Bookstores No. 1 Manga Recommendation of 2023". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ 第47回講談社漫画賞、最終候補作15作品を発表. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 10, 2023. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna (April 8, 2024). "48th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards' Nominees Announced". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
External links
edit- Official manga website (in Japanese)
- Official anime website (in Japanese)
- Gachiakuta at Kodansha Comics
- Gachiakuta (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia