Publishing company Bungeishunjuu announced a television anime adaptation of Ira Ishida's urban mystery novel series Ikebukuro West Gate Park on Monday. The anime series is being produced by animation studio Doga Kobo (New Game!, Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru) for a 2020 debut.
SynopsisLiving in an area known for its juvenile crime, 21-year-old Makoto is a friend of King, the leader of a youth gang called the G-Boys, though he himself does not want to join as a member. Known for his cool head and ability to get things done, Makoto becomes a key trouble-shooter for the gang by diffusing tense situations and keeping his friends out of harm's way. However, the death of his girlfriend and an escalating turf war with a rival gang threaten to be more than Makoto can handle. (Source: AsianWiki)
Bungeishunjuu began serializing the novel in its All Yomimono magazine in late 1997 and published the first hardcover volume in 1998. The novel's first season ended with the 10th volume in 2010. The second season began three and a half years later in 2014. The 14th volume shipped in September 2018, with the 15th volume scheduled for a September 12 release (pictured right). The novel series has a cumulative 4.2 million copies of its volumes in print.
Sena Aritou serialized the first manga adaptation in Young Champion magazine between 2001 and 2004. Akita Shoten published the manga in four volumes.
Masashi Asaki ran the IWGP Denshi no Hoshi manga in Weekly Shounen Magazine in 2006 and the two-volume Ikebukuro West Gate Park R manga in Young Champion in 2008-2009. Shou Kitagawa drew the latest manga adaptation in web manga portal Manga Kingdom in July 2015. The single compiled volume was published electronically in January 2016.
Digital Manga Publishing released all four volumes of the first manga adaptation in English between September 2004–2006.
The novel series inspired a 2000 drama series on TBS, as well as a 2003 live-action special titled Ikebukuro West Gate Park: Soup no Kai.
Source: Oricon News
Ikebukuro West Gate Park on MAL
