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NEWS: Golgo 13 Manga Franchise Has 300 Million Copies in Circulation




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Kaoru G



Joined: 11 Oct 2021
Posts: 85
PostPosted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:17 am Reply with quote
I wish I could get an idea of how popular it is in countries outside Japan.
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Casval Rem Deikun



Joined: 24 Feb 2021
Posts: 270
PostPosted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:28 am Reply with quote
Now if we could get it officially in English, that would be amazing. Golgo is so good.
If only it was an isekai we'd have it here by now..
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-Matthew-



Joined: 12 Mar 2022
Posts: 1579
PostPosted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:42 am Reply with quote
I wish for anime series too!
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kgw



Joined: 22 Jul 2004
Posts: 1197
Location: Spain, EU
PostPosted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:06 am Reply with quote
Golgo 13 is one of those mangas /facts absolutly big in Japan, but "unsaleable"/uncomprehensible outside Japan, like Kochikame or Anpan-man. There had been attempts to sale it overseas, but to no avail. The most successful ones were the anime series (Kochikame, but a shortened roll) and the Golgo 13's movies.

Besides, 205 volumes are really hard to sell. Even in Italy or France, who publish it almost everything, Golgo13 had a limited run: a "Best of" in France and some volumes from Edizioni BD from 2014-2015.

An Immutable, impassible killer who kills people because he has to kill them… not my thing.
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MangaNeko



Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Posts: 139
PostPosted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:16 am Reply with quote
Viz released I believe 13 volumes in English. Translating and releasing manga in English comes down to dollars and cents and unfortunately Golgo 13 has a very small English audience.
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Casval Rem Deikun



Joined: 24 Feb 2021
Posts: 270
PostPosted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 10:21 am Reply with quote
kgw wrote:
An Immutable, impassible killer who kills people because he has to kill them… not my thing.



Sorry you don't enjoy Golgo and you see it as plainly as that.
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Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2696
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:48 pm Reply with quote
MangaNeko wrote:
Viz released I believe 13 volumes in English. Translating and releasing manga in English comes down to dollars and cents and unfortunately Golgo 13 has a very small English audience.


Yeah, that was a localization of a "Best of" release that happened in Japan, though I'm sure they are multiple "Best of" editions of Golgo 13, by this point. At least it's still sold digitally in English by Viz.

It's really the same thing with Kochikame, with literally has a "Best of" book for every single year it was serialized, so that's 40 books! At this point, titles like these are just so long that even specialized collections are tough to justify for release in English.
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SrkSano



Joined: 05 Oct 2008
Posts: 205
PostPosted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 2:58 pm Reply with quote
Big problem with a series like this is a 'Best of' doesn't really work, it almost has to be read in order. Because it works in real time. If an entry is published today, Golgo 13 looks to be the same age as always and Joe Biden is the President. When an entry was published when Reagan was President, Reagan was President and Golgo 13 still looked the same. But it is not a sliding timescale, it works in real time.

It is unknown why Golgo 13 himself does not age. He impregnates women in the manga, (he never uses condoms, it is unknown why he does not get AIDS or STDs) 30 years later - again real time - those kids grow up to be adults, and will usually attempt to kill Golgo 13, in the manga.

All of this gets ruined with a 'best of' series, especially when the entries they pick are not even in chronological order.

Golgo 13 is practically / quietly / possibly a death god, a grim reaper of sorts. It's never directly stated, just implied. That allure is a big part of the manga. In short he is not just an assassin, he is a force of nature.
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vanishingblood



Joined: 19 Oct 2013
Posts: 52
PostPosted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:34 pm Reply with quote
I just wonder if it will ever end. It's kind of cool that its so ingrained in society that he said the character belongs to the readers and wanted it to continue. But he said he had an ending planned, and if the author dying isn't the time to use it, when is? Like how do you decide?
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