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Rintaro Koike, Masayuki Taguchi's Black Joke Manga Nears Climax
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
This year's fifth issue of Akita Shoten's Young Champion Retsu magazine revealed on Tuesday that Rintaro Koike and Masayuki Taguchi's Black Joke manga is approaching its climax in the magazine's next issue on May 17.
The manga is set on the fictional Neon Island in Tokyo Bay, a place where gambling and prostitution has been legalized. There, gangs vie for control of the underground economy. The story centers on TD Hot Spring Hotel, the island's sole Japanese-style entertainment facility.
Koike and Taguchi launched the manga in Akita Shoten's Young Champion magazine in 2008, and the series moved to Young Champion Retsu in 2011. Akita Shoten published the manga's 10th compiled book volume in July 2020.
Koike was the original writer for the Hurrah! Sailor PlayStation 2 game, which inspired Katsuwo Nakane's manga adaptation of the same name. Infinity Studios and ComicsOne previously published the manga in English.
Taguchi is perhaps best known for the manga adaptation of Koushun Takami's Battle Royale novel. The manga ran in Young Champion from 2000 to 2006, and Tokyopop published the whole manga in English. Tokyopop also published Taguchi's Lives manga. Media Blasters published Taguchi's Baron Gong Battle manga.
Source: Young Champion Retsu issue 5
