Centuria (manga) explained
| Type: | manga |
| Author: | Tohru Kuramori |
| Publisher: | Shueisha |
| Imprint: | Jump Comics+ |
| Magazine: | Shōnen Jump+ |
| First: | April 8, 2024 |
| Volumes: | 2 |
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tohru Kuramori. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ app and website since April 2024, with its chapters collected in two volumes as of October 2024.
Plot
Julian is a young boy who, after killing the blacksmith his mother sold him to, flees as a stowaway in a slave ship. Once discovered, he becomes a slave himself but is welcomed into a close group of slaves who support each other, especially Mira, a pregnant woman who shares her food with him and takes him under her wing. After trouble aboard the ship, the slaves are slaughtered by the indebted captain, but this accidentally calls forward an eldritch sea entity who, for the blood of the 100 killed slaves, including Mira, gifts Julian with their combined strength and their 100 lives. Now empowered and indebted to the 100 slaves killed protecting him and Mira's newborn daughter, Diana, he sets off to a new country to raise her.
Characters
Main Characters
- Julian is a former slave who has chosen to use his freedom to raise and bring about a happy life to his adoptive sister Diana, the daughter of a slave named Mira who he had previously formed a bond with.
- Diana is the infant daughter of Mira and the adoptive sister of Julian, who is bound to bring the downfall of the king, according to prophecy.
- Angvall, also known as the, is a Commander Knight of her country, as well as the caretaker of Titi, Julian and Diana.
- Titi is a young girl, who was orphaned during the Western War and was taken in and raised by Angvall.
- Lukas is a kind former mercenary who befriends Julian and Diana during their stay in a town.
The Village
- Joseph is a humble worker and family man in the village, who becomes good friends with Julian.
- Marie is Joseph's wife and mother of their child, as well as Diana's wet nurse.
Joseph's father
Joseph's father is a somewhat senile man, who is still a keen and skilled hunter and a great shot with a bow.
- Ravenna is the village doctor who claims to also be able to ward off curses.
The 100 Slaves
- Mira was a pregnant slave, and later Diana's mother, who grew very close to Julian and taught him about what it means to be human.
- Hillars was the oldest among the slaves, who treated Julian with kindness and was among the first to stand up for him on the ship.
The Kingdom
- The King
The King, also hailed as the, is the benevolent ruler of the country, whom Angvall looks up to.
- Elstri is a prophetess and the close aide to the king who serves him from the shadows, being renowned for her accurate divinations, who foretold that a great calamity will be brought upon the kingdom by Diana in the future.
- Arkos is the king's egotistical and nihilistic son, who serves as the sole defender of the Western border, as he has similar marking powers like Julian, from an unknown origin.
- Arkos' aide is the usually indifferent maid, who accompanies Arkos everywhere and tells him the king's orders.
- Guillaume, also touted as, is a mace-wielding Commander Knight, who accompanied Elstri to the village to investigate Angvall's report.
Arkos' mother
The Queen, Arkos' doting mother who enabled her son's malevolent tendencies, believing him to be a gift from God due to the powers he was born with.
- Princess Lacrima is Arkos' impetulant little sister, who also has similar powers to her brother.
Monsters
- The Octopus Monster is a monster that dwells in the Alode Zone. Her presence is summoned above the surface whenever human sacrifices are made to the ocean, and in exchange for receiving her own sacrifice, she will grant one person a single wish, and Julian receives the lives and powers of the 100 slaves by the monster granting his wish.
- The Demonic Beast is a forest-dwelling monster that usually has the appearance of a giant, multiple dog-headed monster with humanoid appendages and no eyes, who is capable of human speech and thinking, as well as shape-shifting into a smaller, battle-oriented humanoid tree-like form.
Publication
Centuria is written and illustrated by Tohru Kuramori. It began serialization in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ app and website on April 8, 2024.[2] Shueisha has compiled its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on July 4, 2024. As of October 2024, two volumes have been released.
The series is simultaneously published in English on Shueisha's Manga Plus platform.
Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
These chapters have yet to be published in a volume.
Reception
Vanessa Piña of Screen Rant highlighted the significant influence of Berserk on Centuria, particularly praising its art and monster designs.[3]
The manga was nominated for the 2024 Next Manga Awards in the Best Web Manga category and ranked seventh out of 69 nominees.[4] [5]
Notes and References
- Web site: ja:自由を手にするため奴隷船に潜り込んだ少年を描くダークファンタジー1巻. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/580624. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. September 3, 2024. ja. July 4, 2024. September 3, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240903163449/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/580624. live.
- Web site: ja:密航者となった奴隷の少年に大きな試練が、少年ジャンプ＋新連載「ケントゥリア」. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/568465. April 8, 2024. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. September 3, 2024. ja. live. April 8, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240408065259/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/568465.
- Web site: Piña. Vanessa. Dark New Shonen Jump Manga is the Perfect Berserk Replacement More Need to Read. Screen Rant. May 23, 2024. September 5, 2024. live. May 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240525164126/https://screenrant.com/centuria-dark-new-shonen-jump-manga-berserk-replacement/.
- Web site: Mateo. Alex. Voting Opens for Next Manga Awards 2024. Anime News Network. June 25, 2024. September 3, 2024. live. June 26, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240626013853/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2024-06-25/voting-opens-for-next-manga-awards-2024/.212369.
- Web site: Cayanan. Joanna. Kagurabachi Tops Print Category, Girl Meets Rock! Wins in Web Category of Next Manga Awards 2024. Anime News Network. August 28, 2024. September 3, 2024. live. August 30, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240830025132/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2024-08-28/kagurabachi-tops-print-category-girl-meets-rock-wins-in-web-category-of-next-manga-awards-2024/.214760.
