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Masahiro Totsuka's New Material Puzzle Manga Nears Climax
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The March issue of Kodansha's Morning two magazine revealed on Friday that Masahiro Totsuka's new Material Puzzle manga is nearing its climax.
The new manga launched in Morning two in May 2018 under the title Material Puzzle: Kami naki Sekai no Mahō Tsukai (The Magician in a World Without a God). The new manga was the first serialization for the series in nine years. Kodansha published the manga's seventh volume on Thursday.
The original manga's story begins when Mikaze, a boy who lives in a village in the frontier, undertakes a quest to travel to find three great wizards and ask that they save his village from a certain threat. However, when Mikaze finds their home, the only one of the wizards left is the girl Aqua. She agrees to travel with him back to his village. However, on their travels, Aqua perishes, but is revived again with a different personality. Mikaze finds out that the souls of the three wizards Aqua, Tito, and Prisela all reside in a single body, and they switch out and revive the body whenever it dies.
The manga ran in Square Enix's Shonen Gangan magazine from 2002 to 2008, and spawned 20 volumes. Totsuka launched a short manga titled Material Puzzle: Saikō Shōnen in Shonen Gangan when the original manga ended, and also ended it in the same year. Kimitake Yoshioka launched a prequel manga titled Material Puzzle: Zero Kreuz in Shonen Gangan in 2008, and ended it on the Gangan Online website in 2012 with nine volumes. Kodansha began republishing the original manga as eBooks in January 2018, and Totsuka also drew a one-shot for the series titled "Material Puzzle - Gaiden" in Morning two in January 2018.
Totsuka and artist Aguri Igarashi's Bamboo Blade manga inspired a television anime in 2007-2008. Yen Press published the manga in North America and Funimation released the anime.
Totsuka and Saki Azumi's Wagahai no Kare wa Baka de Aru (My Boyfriend is an Idiot) manga inspired the Kare Baka: Wagahai no Kare wa Baka de R web anime in 2015. Totsuka's Mannaka no Rikkun (Rikkun in the Middle) manga received a television anime in 2019.
Source: Morning two March issue
