‘Akagi’ Mahjong Manga to End in February 2018 After 27 Years; Artist to Publish Reprints

The "Akagi" mahjong manga will finish its 27-year run in Feb. 1, 2018. The popular gambling manga that has spawned 33 volumes, an anime show, and a Japanese drama will be ending next year. It is one of the most popular gambling manga in Japan and has sold around 12 million copies around the world.

Nobuyuki Fukumoto illustrated, wrote, and published "Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai" in 1992 in the weekly magazine Kindai Mahjong. The gambling manga was actually a spin-off story of another work titled "Ten", according to Anime News Network. The "Akagi" mahjong manga revolves around Shigeru Akagi, a master mahjong player who defeated Yakuza members in the game when he was just 13 years old.

The titular character, Akagi, is pegged as a prodigy. He was able to master the game after only seeing a few moves. The first scene of the story was set in 1958 Tokyo, where Akagi defeats the Yakuza members. He disappears, but remains a legend. After six years, Akagi is back as a wildcard and dark horse in the world of mahjong.

It was so popular that it was adapted into two live-action V-Cinema films in 1995 and 1996. It was also adapted into a TV anime by Studio MADHouse and a TV J-drama on BS SKY PerfecTV! in 2015, Crunchyroll News reports. Both can be streamed on the Crunchyroll website. Because of the popularity of the comics, posters announcing the "Akagi" mahjong manga's ending will be put up on the 15 major train stations from Feb. 13 to 19, 2017.

The "Akagi" manga has been running for 27 years now. Its latest volume was published in December 2016. It has sold more than 10 million copies in Japan alone. The author, Fukumoto, is also doing a reprint of his famous work with new cover designs. He will start with the manga's first three volumes this Wednesday.