Watase Yuu | Arata Kangatari

Japanese: アラタカンガタリ～革神語～
English: Arata: The Legend
Type: Manga
Volumes: 24 +/ 5 + (remastered edition)
Chapters: 214 +
Status: Publishing
Published: Oct 1, 2008 to ?
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Shounen, Supernatural
Mangaka: Watase Yuu (Story & Art)
Serialization: Shounen Sunday

Synopsis: Every 30 years, a new princess is chosen from the Hime family to serve the Hayagami. The time has come again, but over these past years, records state not a single female has been born, save for one, the 15-year-old Arata. The only problem is, Arata is actually a male! Forced to disguise himself and take the place of the princess candidate until a formal one can be found, he attends the festival only to witness the current princess, Kokuri-hime, murdered, and his own life is forfeit as well, by the hands of the princess' personal guard, the 12 Shinshou. As he runs for his life, Kannagi of the 12 convinces everyone that Arata is the one who has murdered the princess instead, and now everyone in the Imperial Court is after his head! Now, another Arata from our world has crossed over in Arata's place! How did this happen, and how will these two survive?

Yuu Watase, Bakaupdates

Background

Arata Kangatari has been published in English as Arata: The Legend by VIZ Media under the Shonen Sunday imprint since March 9, 2010.

In 2014, mangaka Yuu Watase blogged that she was subject to editorial harassment while working on Arata Kangatari. She explained that her former editor would bulldoze her ideas to make room for his own and would constantly ask her to redraw scenes, which lead to immense stress and exhaustion.

After a change in editorial department she started new version of the original story that is now been published as remastered version.

Related Manga

Adaptation: Arata Kangatari

Anime Start/End Chapter

Starts at Vol 1

Ends at Vol. 4, Ch. 62

Groups Scanlating

Adinuyasha

Project Kurai Ryu

SnoopyCool

Licensed in English

Viz Media (23 vols +)

Source: MAL Manga info, Baka updates

Side notes: This one interesting manga that I've been looking from the sidelines after seeing the anime first... and why not to read it before? 'Cause I've been waiting for the sequel to appear in anime format but it's not happening.T.T Soo here I'm now with the manga and for my surprise there is two versions of the story. I knew that there had been some problems with manga but how deep they were that's a real surprise... and intriguing. I've started to read the old version so I'm pretty much not knowing how the new version adapts and has changed from before. And I'm also hesitant to say who is wrong or right in this case. 

Yuu Watase has strong basis as an artist and story teller so I'm sure her spirits and gift is shown in both versions.^-^b ... But I'm not always aligning with her choices... mainly if thinking of her previous work with Fushigi Yuugi and Imadoki! (which I liked) although they come from a total different era and genre basis so the comparison isn't all that well made between these works.

Characters

Arata Hinohara (日ノ原 革)
Arata Hinohara is a shy, quite person who doesn’t like to stand out and tends to not have much self confidence, is athletic, and he also sticks to his morals as to what is right and wrong and he will stand up to someone who is getting hurt because of him. He is also from present day Japan, and ran track in middle school. His name Arata uses the kanji used in revolution.

Arata Hinohara is first introduced in chapter 2 of volume 1 getting ready for school and he is looking forward to the fact that he gets to start fresh in high school due to being bullied in middle school. On his way to school he catches a pervert in the act, and as he flees, Arata chases him down and tackles him until the police arrive. Because of that incident he meets his first friend in high school by the name Suguru Nishijima. He also becomes popular in school until Masato Kadowaki comes to his first day of class due to a broken leg and being hospitalized. He is then made fun of by Masato (who doesn’t like him due to the fact that he slowed down during track training to let Masato win as he might not have been able to compete in the next meet) and the rest of the school. Later his desk gets covered in glue and he finds out that he is betrayed by his best friend Suguru.

After being made fun of and after school is over he wishes to disappear so that everyone can be happy. He loses all trust in people by saying it is pointless to trust people as they only betray you. As he is walking around he hears a voice call for him in an alley, and as he enters the alley everything becomes black. Although he finds that he is no longer in Japan, but rather a new world that is known as Amawakuni (he finds that out a little later).

In Amawakuni he meets Kotoha who was worried about Arata. He is confused at what is going on and when Kannagi searches his “house” he comes across a rusted sword and activates its power and becomes a Sho. The sword is known as a Hayagami, or god, and its name is Goshintai. His Hayagami has the power of the wind.

Arata (アラタ)

Arata, from Amawakuni, is outgoing, full of energy, and becomes bored quickly. At birth, his grandmother, Makari, claimed that he was a girl but still raised him as boy. He is part of the Hime clan, which provides the princesses to maintain balance in the world. With no other girls to succeed the current princess, Arata poses as a girl to become the princess' successor. At the succession ceremony, he witnesses the princess' assassination and is quickly framed for murder. He runs into Kando forest, where he switches places with Arata Hinohara from present-day Japan.

Kotoha (コトハ)

Kotoha is Arata’s childhood friend, even though her family the Uneme clan has served the Hime clan for years. She doesn’t understand that Hinohara isn’t the same Arata that she knew all those years. Instead she just thinks that he lost his memories after being “eaten” by the Kando Forest. She has the power to heal which is a power that all woman of Uneme clan have. She tags along with Arata and brings him his Hayagami, and she will go where ever Arata Hinohara goes.

Kannagi (カンナギ)

One of the Twelve Shinsho, he wields the Hayagami Homura, the god of fire. He incites the coup d'etat against the princess so that the Shinsho can use their Hayagami without limitations and also frames Arata for the murder. At first, he leads the manhunt for Arata but later decides to accompany Arata on his quest.

Masato Kadowaki (門脇 将人)

A former friend of Arata in middle school, where they both were on the track team. In high school, he and Hinohara have the same class. He hates Arata Hinohara because he believes that Hinohara looks down upon him, and constantly bullies Hinohara. He causes everyone to turn against Hinohara, including his best friend.

Supporting

Kugura (クグラ)
One of the Twelve Shinshou. 

Akachi (アカチ)

One of the Twelve Shinshou.

Source: MAL