Shaman King 2021: The 500 Year Wait is Over
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It was June 11, 2020 when the unexpected bomb dropped. Nobody saw it coming.
It’s been a simmering desire for many nostalgia enthusiasts to re-experience such glorified memorabilia of their childhoods. The past few years have been rife with old anime coming back to reclaim their place in mainstream culture; from sequels like Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, to whole entire reboots such as the 2019 version of Fruits Basket. This particular remake, however, was an unexpected one.
Shaman King by Hiroyuki Takei was first released as a manga series that ran from 1998 to 2004. It tells the story of Yoh Asakura, a lazy and carefree 13-year-old boy who wants to one day live an easy life. To do that, he must win the once-every-500-years Shaman King tournament. On paper, this all seems simple enough; it follows the typical structure of a protagonist with goals they are working towards. But what makes this series such a unique experience is the representation of characters. The series explores an array of different cultures and traditions interacting with varying versions of the spiritual realm.
Its first incarnation was published in Weekly Shounen Jump and ran for 32 volumes before it was cancelled. It was later reprinted in its complete form of 27 volumes throughout 2008 to 2009 in Japan. As a result of the manga’s success, it was adapted into an anime in 2001. This exposed the franchise to an even wider audience. However, the old anime adaptation told its own story and diverted from the original manga events.
Since its completion, many have wanted to see the entirety of the series be re-adapted into a different anime; one that is much closer to the original story told by the manga. Several anime creators have voiced interest in doing so, such as MAPPA founder Masao Maruyama. Takei himself has previously had to turn down a potential anime remake “because they were unable to use the first anime’s voice actors and soundtrack”. Even the original director of the 2001 anime, Seiji Mizushima, continues to be an avid supporter of the franchise beyond his previous involvement.
The 2021 remake will follow Takei’s desire to retain the previous voice actors of the 2001 series. The characters Amidamaru, Anna Kyouyama, and Hao Asakura remain voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi, Megumi Hayashibara, and Minami Takayama. Yoh’s voice actor sees a change from Yuuko Satou to Youko Hikasa. Bridge ( Fairy Tail, Yu-Gi-Oh: Sevens) will be adapting the new series with Takeshi Furuta ( Inuyasha: The Final Act, Haikyuu!!) directing it. Toshihiko Sano ( Fairy Tail, Ace Attorney) will be doing the character designs, while Yuuki Hayashi ( My Hero Academia, Blood Lad) and King Amusement Creative will be in charge of music composition and production.
The Shaman King franchise as a whole has endured the test of time all through these years in obscurity. It has spawned several spin-off manga series and sequels, and remains an ongoing adventure to this very day. There are many stories that use similar themes of spirits and the corruption of humanity, but none of them do it quite like how Shaman King does. It is that mark of individuality that continues to surge life into what should have been a dead franchise.
In preparation for the series’ 2021 release and in celebration of its 20th anniversary, Kodansha Comics will release the English translations of the complete series via Comixology with the first volume out on October 6, 2020. The anime series is set to release on April 2021, and you can watch the latest teaser trailer for Shaman King below.
Words by Mae Trumata
Originally published at https://www.indiependent.co.uk on September 27, 2020.
