#Here's to Kohske's health

[cait-sith]

Day 18: Candy

[houkagokappa]

#haha there are more works like these u guys just need to move away from works aimed at kids and teens

Hello, could you mention some of these other works? Also, do you have an anilist account?

Hi, sure thing!

As for manga there's Double by Ayako Noda, about two codependent men and their acting careers. Very homoerotic, similar to Sankaku Mado, and although it's published in a seinen magazine and not a BL one like Sankaku Mado was, they might be seeing more relationship progress than Hiyakawa and Mikado did. It's really good and I highly recommend it!

It might be cheating to mention Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu by Haruko Kumota, since the characters age as the story moves forward, but it's also a story about people who are haunted by their past. It has a generational structure which I adore, and is all around a masterpiece. There's also an excellent anime adaptation for it, worth a watch to see the rakugo stories brought to life!

I can't believe I originally forgot to mention Kowloon Generic Romance by Jun Mayuzuki and had to sneakily add it in here. It's a great romance/mystery series set in Kowloon Walled City. The characters are maybe a bit more put-together than the post was talking about, although they each have their struggles, and things get a little existential. Either way, this manga is required reading for anyone, especially if you want to read amazing stories about characters in their 30's. It's helped me come to terms with my own aging (I sound so old when I say that, but I'm just talking about seeing wrinkles as proof you've lived and not your body becoming old and ugly).

Gangsta by Kohske is also cool, although it's on a hiatus due to her poor health. It's about two guys doing all kinds of dirty jobs with a mafia/cop kind of setting. One of the main characters is deaf, and that's been pretty cool to see. It also has an anime, but it's horrible and brought the studio to bankruptcy lmao (not really, but it was the last thing they produced).

Then there’s Uramichi Oniisan, which got an anime adaptation with a stacked seiyuu cast (worth watching just for Mamo’s laugh). It’s a comedy about adults working on a children's tv-show, and how soul-crushing life is when you have to work to live, and nothing to live for. The humour comes from the juxtaposition between adult hardships and how carefree or direct children can be. It’s worryingly relatable at times, but quite repetitive.

Lastly, because I don't know if I can recommend it to whoever, there's Happy Kuso Life by Harada, about two guys who are socially on the bottom (one of them unemployed and the other one recently demoted), who both want to bottom and end up as some sort of sex friends? They're both losers and assholes, and the fact that they're over 30 gets brought up multiple times which always brings me joy as someone who's still younger than them ha. Fair warning though, it's an erotic comedy manga, and can be quite crude.

And no, I don't have an anilist account.

[abri-chan]

Some comments.

Kid Worick: Library as a place of escape, possibly from his father's beating. Using the book-shelf to support himself, knees pulled in almost in a fetal position, giving an impression of trying to attain comfort. Not to stretch the womb metaphor, but in the first image, Worick appears to be part of the library-ecosystem in how he positions himself within it.

(I think the library here overlooks the garden; I'd be curious to know what the Corsica's library looks over? We only see the moon when Bernado enters.)

Adult Worick: Library as a means to an end: books thrown around once he's done with, nothing of the order of the previous image, and as Bernado comments later "this is quite a mess" but to Worick it doesn't matter "because the books are all stored in my head anyway". There is no special meaning to the library as a place, once he gets what he wants (knowledge) out of it, it doesn't matter to Worick that he or others desecrate the library. (Tangential but as a kid he did mention how the sign language book got damaged by Nic, and he had one copy only. It was to make ease of a horrible situation, but could also mean that with time Worick cares less about the pristine state of one's book. Kinda how his appearance also was let go, from prim and proper, to some extent.)

Position-wise Worick is quite independent and separate from the library: he's cross-legged, leaning forward (no longer needs external support to get through his days), he's a self-contained entity within the library but not part of it.

There's also the aspect of smoking, a habit he started as a kid, but had to do in private because of his father beatings, and much less so smoke in the library. But I suppose in the second image, the number of books he has read is impressive, and could point to two things: 1) his photographic memory got better with age, hence at 35 he's better than his 12-year-old self, or 2) nicotine works as a stimulant of some sorts, and as an adult he can smoke freely. (Another point how he is desecrating library rules by smoking there, but Bernado you are also being loud in the library, so...). I'd like to joke there's a third option, in which the books in Corsica's Library don't have much content anyway, so he can go through them fast.

--

On second thought, I need to revoke that idea that Worick only sees the library as a means to an end, as to some extent, it is the only place he could escape the Corsicas, so the original purpose that is deeply ingrained in him still works. (Kohske even pointed in her character notes that both Nic and Worick are heavy readers mostly bc they can't afford to buy a TV, so books provide the only source of entertainment.) Still the library doesn't have any special connection to him anymore, and thanks to Bernardo, he won't be left alone for long.

(the library is a metaphor for Worick's mental health, why not)

Worick in a library || Chapter 13 vs Chapter 55

[fuckyeahgangsta]

FYG Remains Closed

I hope all of you GANGSTA. fans are taking care during this difficult time. This is just a quick note to let you all know that at this stage, we will not be continuing with FYG though we do still remain firm fans of the series and its creator.

Why will we not continue with this blog?

Kohske has asked very clearly that people do not reupload her work without her explicit permission. Kiel and myself both feel that continuing to mirror her updates and art posts here on Tumblr would breach her wishes, something that we personally do not feel comfortable doing.

If you want to keep up-to-date with what Kohske, simply visit her official Japanese channels below:

Twitter: Kohske posts regularly here about her health, her birds, and her addiction to FGO. If you want to see the art she has been working on, this is the place to visit.

Pixiv Fanbox: Support Kohske with a monthly donation (like Patreon) and get access to images and explanations of her pre-GANGSTA. work.

Booth: Kohske sells her work directly via the Pixiv Booth service (kind of like RedBubble or TeePublic). She has a variety of java finch-themed designs available on merchandise. Utilise a proxy service when buying internationally.

Homepage: Kohske’s official website. Not regularly updated, but a good resource for those interested in her work.

Please do not write to Kohske in English on social media. She is not fluent in any language other than Japanese and cannot respond in a manner in which she is comfortable.

Kohske does not know if the anime is getting a second season (mangaka have no control over this) nor does she know about your local, non-Japanese releases. Please be polite and respectful of her as she tries her best to communicate all important notices to international, as well as local fans.

You can also visit the Comic Bunch homepage to see what’s in the latest issue of the magazine (there’s a lot of great non-GANGSTA. titles running) and the site also offers Japanese chapters online here.

Thank you for understanding our stance and may you all continue to remain safe during 2020. <3 Remember to pick up licensed copies of the GANGSTA. manga and anime in your region and support Kohske if you can!

[vivalatoons]

My Talk: Gangsta

This world is full of mafia, hoodlums, prostitutes, and dirty cops. At least, you’ll find it in the town of Ergastulum. Here’s the reflection of Gangsta.

Manglobe was a great studio that brought us Samurai Champloo, Ergo Proxy, Michiko & Hatchin, and others. I was curious about their final project, Gangsta. It sounded cool, so I decided to watch it. 

Plot. The Handymen, Worick and Nicolas, take on jobs that the cops and mafia can’t handle. Along the way, they encounter friends and enemies. In the society of Gangsta's world, there are Normals and Twilights. Twilights are also called Tags; they’re superhuman whose descendants used the drug, Celebrer. It plays a role on the show.

Characters. Worick is a Normal and the one with the eyepatch. Nicolas is a deaf, Twilight and is someone you don’t want to mess with. Together, they are panthers who call themselves the Handymen. Alex is a former prostitute. She becomes an assistant to the Handymen after the Handymen kill her pimp she worked for. The trio are acquainted with many people: Dr. Theo, Nina, Chad, Cody, Doug, Granny, Constance, Marco, and others.

The ending. Heads-up: It ends on the cliffhanger. It sucks, yes, but please understand. Manglobe filed for bankruptcy two days after the finale. The manga author, Kohske, left the manga series in hiatus due to her health. I describe the airing of Gangsta came the wong place at the wrong time. By that, Manglobe was the perfect studio to animate Gangsta. However, money became an issue, and the studio had to shut down. If it was possible for Gangsta to return, it may be for a while. The anime covered the first five manga books. There are two more, but it isn’t enough to make another season. I like to say once Kohske completes with Gangsta, an anime studio can pick up and give Gangsta the proper ending it deserves.

Why is Gangsta epic. I was so invested into this show. I watched nine episodes in one day and decided to skip studying for finals to finish it up. Like, I seriously loved watching Gangsta. They don’t try so hard to be dark; it comes naturally to them. Action is key in the show, and it delivers wonderfully. Worick, Nicolas, and Alex are such a great group. Each have their tragic stories, but they don’t let what happened to them affect them. I especially love Manglobe animation; they executed in making sharp animation. The dub cast is remarkable. Ian Sinclair, Brandon Potter, and Felecia Angelle acts in the moment of what their characters are going through. It purely makes them more real. Props to Potter for voicing Nicolas, don’t know how he did it, but man it must have been challenging to do. It gets deep with the world of violence, drugs, sex, hate, and love. I’ve seen TV shows that do this kind of genre, but it doesn’t come close to what Gangsta does.

Gangsta is an anime that everyone should watch and want more. The littlest of details, words of dialogue, sound of music, and emotions captures what gets you in. I know the ending may make you not watch, but the manga is still continuing. There’s a possibility of a return once a studio revives it. It seems small, but we can hope. Seriously, this show is what you need when you want some good action and badass characters. If you ever need someone to be eliminate, make sure you call the Handymen.

[manicpotato]

WARNING: Mature content (nudity / gore / violence).

Thank you to AJI TEAM for the Chinese scans.

These are the last of the chapters that we have. We don’t know when the next chapters will come out, but please support Kohske. She has been pretty open about her health, and you can read more about it here. This is a very good source of information for finding out about how she’s doing.

Of course, please buy her books to support her work.

Thanks so much to @variationa​ for typesetting chapter 41 (a long time ago, but we wanted to do a double release, sorry!). It’s finally here! 

And, of course, many, many thanks to my good partner @soubixloveless​ for being so understanding of my inconsistency and supporting me even throughout my very rough last year. 

It was a good run. I hope you all enjoy. :)

Chapter 41 Google Drive (contains .zip and .rar) Mediafire: ZIP // RAR

Chapter 42 Google Drive (contains .zip and .rar) Mediafire: ZIP // RAR

[fuckyeahgangsta]

Kohske’s Pixiv Fanbox

Following several suggestions from fans over the past few weeks, Kohske has now opened a personal Pixiv Fanbox! Fanboxes work similarly to Patreon, allowing fans to offer pledges to creators through an automated monthly subscription system (see here for Pixiv’s introduction to the program). Kohske has set up the following six-tier pledge system, noting that any locked content she posts will be available to her patrons equally regardless of which tier is chosen:

300 yen / mo. (USD / AUD / CAD / EUR / GBP)

500 yen / mo. (USD / AUD / CAD / EUR / GBP)

1,000 yen / mo. (USD / AUD / CAD / EUR / GBP)

3,000 yen / mo. (USD / AUD / CAD / EUR / GBP)

5,000 yen / mo. (USD / AUD / CAD / EUR / GBP)

10,000 yen / mo. (USD / AUD / CAD / EUR / GBP)

Fanbox subscriptions can be made internationally via credit card or Paypal and can be cancelled at any time. All you need is an active Pixiv account to begin and Pixiv provides an FAQ in English if needed along the way. The hard URL to Kohske’s Fanbox is: https://www.pixiv.net/fanbox/creator/35519806

Pledges Kohske receives from her fans will be put towards buying work-related materials for her and her assistants, help keep Haru & Shizu happy and fed, and, though she didn’t mention this officially, hopefully relieve some of the stress from her oncoming medical bills.

Although no GANGSTA. content will be posted to the Fanbox, Kohske is likely to begin offering exclusive personal content to patrons (such as her older works, news bits, and behind-the-scenes peeks) within the upcoming months and as her health permits from there.

Pledging is entirely optional, of course, but this is a perfect opportunity for fans to help support Kohske and the continuation of GANGSTA. directly.