Hellsing to wrap up

[uc pseudonym]

Does anyone know if it's a common occurrence for manga to end because their creators died? Then again, the industry may be too young for that to have been an issue. We'll get an end to Hellsing, but it may take a good while.

Well if it helps, I'm sure it will be finished before the next chapter of Berserk comes out.

The long break actually ended not too long ago with chapter 280. I think there was another issue scheduled, too, so there will probably be some more in the near future.

One manga I do think may never be finished is Hunter x Hunter. It may have been over a year since I've seen a new chapter and the plot doesn't seem anywhere near complete unless he decides to end it at random.

[MasterDias]

Does anyone know if it's a common occurrence for manga to end because their creators died? Then again, the industry may be too young for that to have been an issue. We'll get an end to Hellsing, but it may take a good while.

I don't think so. Most mangaka are youngish to middle age I think, so creators suddenly dieing is probably pretty infrequent, at least among the major titles.

The original author of the Trinity Blood novels died in the middle of them, and his work was continued by someone else, but that's the only major case that I've really heard of.

One manga I do think may never be finished is Hunter x Hunter. It may have been over a year since I've seen a new chapter and the plot doesn't seem anywhere near complete unless he decides to end it at random.

At this point, I'm really wondering what is happening with Togashi...

[Fish and Chips]

Well, old age may be a non-issue, but what about a random lethal inconvenience? Say, an out-of-control truck or food poisoning?

[Joshua Christopher]

The long break actually ended not too long ago with chapter 280. I think there was another issue scheduled, too, so there will probably be some more in the near future.

Yeah, I was just commenting on the fact that Miura is slow and takes lots of breaks.

[Tommy]

Yeah, he won't finish it in MY lifetime and I'm 15!
How does he expect to finish it before HE dies?

[jon_jinn]

yeah. i know that miura puts a lot of detail and effort into his manga and it must take a long time to release each chapter. as for HxH, i really hope the series ends soon. i don't want it to turn into DBZ and get all dumb about winning and training to get stronger and stuff but as UC Pseudonym said, there hasn't been very much progress lately...

[uc pseudonym]

I don't think so. Most mangaka are youngish to middle age I think, so creators suddenly dieing is probably pretty infrequent, at least among the major titles.

That's what I was thinking. Much like the internet and forums, manga is too young of a structure for us to understand how it operates in the long term. Fortunately, I think we're seeing an increasing number of manga that seem to have a single plot arc that will go until completed, at which point the manga will end (Bleach, for example). This is an improvement over something like Dragonball Z, where its popularity forced it to continue beyond the creator's intent.

Well, old age may be a non-issue, but what about a random lethal inconvenience? Say, an out-of-control truck or food poisoning?

That's possible, but the number of people that die of such causes is probably low enough that the chances of one of them being a major manga-ka is relatively low. It's probably inevitable, but it isn't an industry-changing issue like age.

Yeah, I was just commenting on the fact that Miura is slow and takes lots of breaks.

And that is certainly true. It's unfortunate that each issue tends not to advance the plot all that much, either. Because if there is a manga that deserves to be incredibly long, it is Berserk.

as for HxH, i really hope the series ends soon. i don't want it to turn into DBZ and get all dumb about winning and training to get stronger and stuff

I'd say it's already there. I like some things about HxH, but it has never really had an overall plot.

[rocklobster]

Does anyone know if it's a common occurrence for manga to end because their creators died?

It's not a common occurence, uc, but I do think I read somewhere that Cyborg 009 ended prematurely because Ishinimori was dead.

[MasterDias]

Uh, Cyborg 009 was done decades ago, and Shotaro Ishinomori died in 1998 so I don't think that would be an issue...

He was still working in the industry right up until near his death I believe, but I don't think he was necessarily in the middle of anything.

Well, old age may be a non-issue, but what about a random lethal inconvenience? Say, an out-of-control truck or food poisoning?

Do I sense a morbid sense of humor?
But seriously though, that would be really crappy for the fans, if a mangaka was suddenly killed by a freak accident.

[jon_jinn]

Well, old age may be a non-issue, but what about a random lethal inconvenience? Say, an out-of-control truck or food poisoning?

that's a very scary thought...

[Joshua Christopher]

I think the problem with Berserk is that the chapters aren't very long, and the story is slow-paced, so reading one chapter every month or so doesn't feel like it's advancing the plot.

However, if you take, say, the last ten or fifteen chapters, you'll probably see that it does advance the current plot somewhat.

I think another problem is the current format. The art takes so long to do that we're only getting a short chapter, instead of back during the beginning where chapters were about twice as long.

Fullmetal Alchemist does a good job advancing the plot, since it's 40-pages each chapter.

[uc pseudonym]

I'm not common in this, but I'd actually prefer reduced art quality if it meant more pages each month. Ultimately I don't care about pretty pictures: I want them to communicate a story. That applies to Hellsing as well, in order to make this post slightly on topic.

I think the problem with Berserk is that the chapters aren't very long, and the story is slow-paced, so reading one chapter every month or so doesn't feel like it's advancing the plot.

I was planning to make a very similar statement, having just read 281. The entire chapter can be summarized in "Garreth's army attacks." Either this chapter was worse than normal or I noticed it more for some reason, but the number of massive panels really stuck out to me in this one. There were two full page panels and four two-page ones, which is absurd. We all know that Zodd is a beast and can hack people up; it really doesn't need to be emphasized every time (just like Guts hewing a bunch of soldiers just isn't that impressive anymore).

[jon_jinn]

would it be possible to start another discussion in the 'Berserk' thread?

[uc pseudonym]

That is probably for the best, as we're drifting seriously off topic. Let this be the end of the Berserk tangent.

[Ichigo_89]

Good news for all of ya Hellsing freaks! Vol.8 is NOW available for pre-order on darkhorse.com! The official release date is now July.4th (GASP) So go get your pre-order on ya'll!

[Stephen]

A friend had told me this on Myspace tonight. But I thought he said the 24th of July. I like your date better though!

[Fish and Chips]

Hellsing OVA III is actually finished, labeled, and resting on a shelf somewhere. The reason it hasn't shipped yet is because of low production for the Father Anderson commemorative figurines promised to be packaged with the DVD to those who faithfully pre-ordered. Right.

On a brighter note, it seems the third installment features everything from the Wild Geese's conscription and the British War Museum to the entire Brazil arc. And then some.

Now I'm just impatient.

[Joshua Christopher]

Hellsing OVA III is actually finished, labeled, and resting on a shelf somewhere. The reason it hasn't shipped yet is because of low production for the Father Anderson commemorative figurines promised to be packaged with the DVD to those who faithfully pre-ordered. Right.

On a brighter note, it seems the third installment features everything from the Wild Geese's conscription and the British War Museum to the entire Brazil arc. And then some.

Now I'm just impatient.

Goodness, can't this just leak to the inter-- I mean, can't the DVD which we will all import come out already? Jeez.

On a brighter note, it seems the third installment will be furiously awesome.

[Gypsy]

I have a small advantage because I'm a couple volumes behind in reading the series - so I'm not on edge waiting for something to release. I'm only waiting for Shattereheart to buy the manga so I can read them. I'm hardly a rabid fan, but I do enjoy the read, Integra and all her names fascinate me, and I'm curious to see how things pan out. So let's all cheer Shatter on so he'll lend me the books.

[Stephen]

*laughs* I forgot to tell ya Gyp. I got 6 and 7 coming off Ebay. So within a week or so you to will be waiting for volume 8 in July.

[Gypsy]

So within a week or so you to will be waiting for volume 8 in July.

My friend, that deserves ... a dancing banana.

[Stephen]

The dude is not answering emails on Ebay. >.< Hopefully he has already recieved payment. I've waited long enough for 6 and 7. Between the local Borders being useless...and no other shops selling manga...Blah. Borders sells 1-5, and 7. And the 7 they have is torn to heck.


Not that it will matter to Gypsy since I will probably read both volumes on the way back from the mail box. *laughs* They need to make the manga longer or somthing. Or I need to learn how to ration them.

[Fish and Chips]

Rations? Why do you think it takes a year between volumes?

[Stephen]

So who wants to see the cover art of 8? Yeah. Right here baby.


http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/images/478592666X/ref=dp_image_0/503-6112892-4068767?ie=UTF8&n=465392&s=books

[Fish and Chips]

Saw it months ago, when someone scanned the Japanese cover. Yeah.