The official Twitter account of Yūsuke Murata, the renowned manga artist responsible for popular series such as One-Punch Man and Eyeshield 21, recently unveiled the first part of his latest anime project, Zaiyuki, in collaboration with Village Studio. Murata shared the project’s debut in two separate tweets, which lacked audio and English subtitles. Additionally, he revealed in a subsequent tweet that he is presently engaged in developing an original animation.
In the first part of the anime project, viewers are introduced to Zaiyuki, a young kappa (a mythical creature in Japanese folklore) who defies traditional kappa traits. Zaiyuki is unable to swim, consistently loses in sumo matches, and has an aversion to cucumbers. Desperate to prove himself as a kappa, he puts all his hopes on a lottery and wins a grand prize package tour to India. However, Zaiyuki’s journey takes a turn for the worse as he encounters trouble upon arriving at the airport.
Murata posted on Twitter a teaser video of his Zaiyuki anime project on February 24.
In September 2021, Murata collaborated with Village Studio once again to direct and animate a 107-second anime short for One-Punch Man.
Yūsuke Murata and web manga creator ONE initially launched the One-Punch Man manga on Shueisha’s free “Tonari no Young Jump” website back in 2012. This iteration served as a remake of ONE’s original web manga of the same name. Nowadays, the series is conveniently accessible to readers through Viz Media’s Weekly Shonen Jump subscription in digital format, and also as a physical print release.
Viz Media made available all 37 volumes of the Eyeshield 21 manga series, which was jointly created by Murata and Riichirou Inagaki, in North America. The manga series was the basis for a television anime adaptation that spanned 145 episodes from 2005 to 2008. Following this, Sentai Filmworks released the series on home video in 2010-2011, and it is now being streamed online by Crunchyroll.
What’s next for Yūsuke Murata?
Yūsuke Murata has undoubtedly made a name for himself as a manga artist and anime director. His latest project, Zaiyuki, promises to be an exciting addition to his repertoire. With Murata’s artistic skills and Village Studio’s animation expertise, fans eagerly anticipate the project’s further developments.
Moreover, his contributions to the One-Punch Man and Eyeshield 21 manga series have garnered significant attention and praise from readers worldwide. As a result, he has become a popular and recognizable figure in the anime and manga industry.
However, the question remains: What’s next for Yūsuke Murata? He recently announced that he is working on an original animation project, which undoubtedly raises expectations and excitement among his fans. Only time will tell what exciting new creations Yūsuke Murata will offer to the world of anime and manga.
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