The acclaimed action drama manga, Gangsta., written and illustrated by Kohsuke, is finally returning after an indefinite hiatus. The manga began serialization in Shinchosha’s Comic@Bunch magazine in 2011. Due to the creator’s poor health, the manga hasn’t released a new volume since 2018, with the eighth one being its latest one. The latest volume was later licensed in 2019 in English. Before this indefinite hiatus, the manga also went on a hiatus in 2015 because of the same reason and resumed serialization in 2017. Fans have been awaiting the manga’s return for over seven years, and the publisher finally announced the manga’s return in its official X handle.
The post immediately went viral, with fans expressing their excitement over the show’s return. Along with the confirmation that the manga will resume serialization, the publisher also shared that they are planning exciting projects to promote the relaunch of the series. As the manga prepares its grand return, Kohsuke also shared a message to fans.
In her official X handle, Kohsuke shared, “I reckon the serialization will keep pausing sporadically from here on out too, and I think the pace of releasing tankobon volumes will be slow as well, plus we’re still fumbling around trying to figure out a drawing style that’s less of a burden, so the art’s vibe might shift a bit here and there, but I hope you’ll bear with us nice and slow at your leisure.”
During the manga’s hiatus, the author has been moderately active on social media, often sharing new updates on the status of the series. In January this year, she confirmed that she works at a really slow pace due to several health issues, including loss of vision in one eye and finger paralysis. This time as well, the author clarified that the pace of the manga releases will be slow, and she’s also changing the art style a bit so it will be less burdensome on her.
Set in the city of Ergastulum, where crime is rampant, a group of people with superhuman strength and speed known as twilights. These twilights form the most powerful factions, such as Families and Guils, while using them as a means to maintain the balance of power. The story centers around Worick Arcangelo and Nicolas Brown, who have been long-time friends and business partners of a group called The Handymen, which has a neutral stance among the factions. The duo works as muscle-for-hire and takes up any jobs necessary to make ends meet.
However, a seemingly ordinary job of killing a rival pimp and his prostitute turns out to be something far more dangerous than they anticipated. During the mission, the duo gets entangled in a series of events that could potentially shift the balance of power in the city. The manga also received an anime adaptation in 2015 and aired 12 episodes without ever getting a sequel due to the lack of content. Additionally, the links to buying the physical and digital copies of the manga are available on the official website of Viz Media.
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