Wangan Midnight Explained

Ja Kanji:湾岸ミッドナイト
Ja Romaji:Wangan Middonaito
Genre:Sports (highway racing)
Type:manga
Author:Michiharu Kusunoki
Demographic:Seinen
First:1990
Last:2008
Volumes:42
Type:TV Series
Director:Tsuneo Tominaga
Studio:A.C.G.T
Network:Animax
First:June 8, 2007
Last:September 13, 2008
Episodes:26
Episode List:List of Wangan Midnight episodes
Type:manga
Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner
Author:Michiharu Kusunoki
Publisher:Kodansha
Demographic:Seinen
Magazine:Weekly Young Magazine
First:August 4, 2008
Last:July 9, 2012
Volumes:12
Type:manga
Ginkai no Speed Star
Author:Michiharu Kusunoki
Publisher:Shogakukan
Demographic:Seinen
Magazine:Big Comic Spirits
First:August 11, 2014
Last:April 13, 2015
Volumes:2
Type:manga
Shutoko SPL - Ginkai no Speedster
Author:Michiharu Kusunoki
Publisher:Kodansha
Demographic:Seinen
Magazine:Monthly Young Magazine
First:September 20, 2016
Volumes:11

is a Japanese racing manga series written and illustrated by Michiharu Kusunoki. It was first serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits in 1990, but was later serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine from 1992 to 2008. The manga was compiled into 42 volumes published by Kodansha. A second manga series titled Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner was published from 2008 to 2012. A third manga series, Ginkai no Speed Star, was published from 2014 to 2015. A fourth manga series, Shutoko SPL - Ginkai no Speedster, started in 2016.

The series has been adapted into several live action feature films, video games, and an anime television series. The anime was broadcast in Japan from June 2007 to September 2008 on the anime satellite television network Animax, animated by A.C.G.T and produced by OB Planning.

In 1999, Wangan Midnight won the Kodansha Manga Award for the General category.

Story

The series revolves around street racing on Tokyo's, as well as other roads on the Shuto Expressway network. The story begins with high school student Akio Asakura encountering a black Porsche 911 Turbo nicknamed "Blackbird" on the Wangan. Akio attempts to give chase, but is unable to keep up with the Blackbird, which is driven by a medical doctor named Tatsuya Shima.

Determined to drive a faster car, Akio visits a junkyard and is drawn to an old blue Nissan Fairlady Z (S30) with a highly tuned L28 engine. He learns that the car is supposedly "cursed," being extremely difficult to drive and having a history of multiple accidents, earning it the name . However, this does not dissuade him, and he restores the car back to its former glory. When racing with Blackbird, Akio tries to win, only to crash his Nissan multiple times. He also gets to meet Eriko Asakura, the sister of the original driver who shares the same name as the current Akio, who previously died in a car accident while racing with Blackbird.

As he develops his career as the infamous owner of the Devil Z, Akio meets many other racers and tuners along the way, such as fashion model and TV host Reina Akikawa, who drives a grey (later white) Nissan Skyline GT-R R32, and Jun Kitami, the original creator of the infamous Devil Z and Blackbird. The central plot revolves around the rivalry between the Devil Z and Blackbird for Wangan superiority as Akio tries to maintain his loyalty with the car and control it from crashing, with other racers trying to compete against both of them who are also seeking to oust their record.

The new story arc, Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner, features the new adventures of a new main character, Shinji Ogishima (who debuted in the last chapters of the original manga), and his friend, Nobu Setoguchi. They are part of the GT Cars project, which is in dispute and conflict, and must drive Mazda RX-7's along Shuto Expressway to settle these problems along with meeting Tatsuya Shima.

Characters

An ambitious racer who started when he was very young, Akio was in his final year of high school as the story began. He drove a red Nissan Fairlady Z (Z31) until, after being defeated by Tatsuya Shima's Blackbird, he discovers the "Devil Z," a 620HP Nissan Fairlady Z (S30) which is supernaturally fast and extremely difficult to drive. Akio is regarded as a legend on the Wangan, though he is a humble character.
  • A talented surgeon and Akio's main rival, as Akio is the only one who regularly gives him a challenge. He drives a black Porsche 911 Turbo (930), and later a black Porsche 911 Turbo (964), nicknamed "Blackbird", in homage to the RUF CTR Yellowbird, RUF's 911 counterpart, using his large salary to fund his Porsche. Later, Shima had Jun Kitami (the man who built the Devil Z) tune his Porsche, upgrading the engine to 800HP, to try to keep up with the Devil Z.
  • Reina is a model and television host, co-hosting an automotive news show named "Drive Go Go!". She finds Akio on the Wangan and becomes obsessed with him and the Devil Z, even trying to take the Devil Z for a joyride one night. After getting her Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) tuned and modified from YM Speed's Kazuhiko Yamamoto, she discovers a love for street racing (something that does not sit very well with her manager). Though formerly a competing rival, she becomes friends with Akio after crashing her Skyline whilst racing him, even developing feelings for him. As a result, Reina just spectates the races on sidelines while driving her R32 or just coming with Akio to see him race.

    • Media

    Manga

    Wangan Midnight is written and illustrated by Michiharu Kusunoki. The series was first briefly published in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits in 1990 and transferred to Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine, where it ran from 1992 to 2008.[1] [2] Kodansha collected its chapters in forty-two tankōbon volumes, published from January 8, 1993,[3] to December 26, 2008.[4]

    A second series, titled Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner, was serialized in Weekly Young Magazine from August 4, 2008, to July 9, 2012.[5] Kodansha collected its chapters in twelve tankōbon volumes, published between November 6, 2009,[6] and October 5, 2012.[7]

    A third series, titled Ginkai no Speed Star, was serialized in Big Comic Spirits from August 11, 2014,[8] to April 13, 2015.[9] Shogakukan collected its chapters in two tankōbon volumes, published on November 28, 2014,[10] and May 29, 2015.[11]

    A fourth series, titled Shutoko SPL - Ginkai no Speedster, started in Kodansha's Monthly Young Magazine on September 20, 2016.[12] Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was published on January 5, 2018.[13] As of April 18, 2024, eleven volumes have been released.[14]

    Films

    The series was adapted into a series of direct-to-video movies in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 2001, and a theatrical movie in 2009:

    Anime

    See main article: List of Wangan Midnight episodes. At the 2007 Tokyo Anime Fair, OB Planning announced the production of an animated series based on the manga,[16] and aired on a pay-per-view channel of Animax in June 2007. The series was co-produced by OB Planning, A.C.G.T., and Pastel, under the direction of Tsuneo Tominaga. The anime consists of twenty-six episodes. The opening theme for the series is "Lights and Anymore" by TRF and the ending theme is "Talkin' Bout Good Days" by Mother Ninja.[17]

    Video games

    Reception

    In 1999, Wangan Midnight won the Kodansha Manga Award for the General category.[22]

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: ja:作品詳細『銀灰のスピードスター』. http://www.spi-net.jp/weekly/comic040.html. https://web.archive.org/web/20141105174350/http://www.spi-net.jp/weekly/comic040.html. dead. November 5, 2014. spi-net.jp. Shogakukan. September 14, 2019. ja.
    2. Web site: ja:湾岸ミッドナイトMAXIMUM TUNE 5 Original Sound Track. SonyMusicShop. Sony Music Shop. September 14, 2019. ja. June 20, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230620150935/https://www.sonymusicshop.jp/m/item/itemShw.php?site=S&ima=2000&cd=UMA0000001104. live.
    3. Web site: ja:湾岸ＭＩＤＮＩＧＨＴ（１）. http://www.bookclub.kodansha.co.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3233723. Kodansha. March 27, 2022. https://archive.today/20120717035127/http://www.bookclub.kodansha.co.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3233723. July 17, 2012. ja. live.
    4. Web site: ja:湾岸ＭＩＤＮＩＧＨＴ（４２）. http://www.bookclub.kodansha.co.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3617440. Kodansha. March 27, 2022. https://archive.today/20120721111037/http://www.bookclub.kodansha.co.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3617440. July 21, 2012. ja. live.
    5. Web site: ja:ヤンマガで「センゴク」第3部始動、「湾岸」続編は最終回. http://natalie.mu/comic/news/72177. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. September 14, 2019. ja. July 2, 2012. May 30, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170530233851/http://natalie.mu/comic/news/72177. live.
    6. Web site: ja:湾岸ＭＩＤＮＩＧＨＴ Ｃ１ランナー（１）. http://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000011121. Kodansha. September 14, 2019. ja. January 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210123204812/https://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000011121. live.
    7. Web site: ja:湾岸ミッドナイト Ｃ１ランナー（１２）＜完＞. http://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000016510. Kodansha. September 14, 2019. ja. July 1, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180701025418/http://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000016510. live.
    8. Web site: ja:相田裕、楠みちはる、玉井雪雄ら新作がスピで. http://natalie.mu/comic/news/122724. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. September 14, 2019. ja. August 4, 2014. August 5, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140805013332/http://natalie.mu/comic/news/122724. live.
    9. Web site: ja:原克玄の破天荒JKギャグ「るみちゃんの事象」タイトルも新たにリニューアル. http://natalie.mu/comic/news/143922. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. September 14, 2019. ja. April 13, 2015. April 14, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150414015418/http://natalie.mu/comic/news/143922. live.
    10. Web site: ja:銀灰のスピードスター ＳＥＲＩＥＳ １ ターボ３．６. https://comics.shogakukan.co.jp/book?isbn=9784091866035. Shogakukan. June 10, 2021. ja. https://archive.today/20210610221717/https://comics.shogakukan.co.jp/book?isbn=9784091866035. June 10, 2021. live.
    11. Web site: ja:銀灰のスピードスター ＳＥＲＩＥＳ２ ＧＴ－Ｒ（ＲＢ２６）. https://comics.shogakukan.co.jp/book?isbn=9784091870254. Shogakukan. June 10, 2021. ja. https://archive.today/20210610221926/https://comics.shogakukan.co.jp/book?isbn=9784091870254. June 10, 2021. live.
    12. Web site: ja:楠みちはるが中年GT-R乗り描く新連載「首都高SPL」、月刊ヤンマガで開幕. http://natalie.mu/comic/news/202558. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. September 14, 2019. ja. September 20, 2016. September 21, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160921194213/http://natalie.mu/comic/news/202558. live.
    13. Web site: ja:首都高ＳＰＬ（１）. http://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000052447. Kodansha. September 14, 2019. ja. June 4, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190604015419/http://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000052447. live.
    14. Web site: ja:首都高ＳＰＬ（１１）. https://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000387624. Kodansha. May 23, 2024. ja. April 18, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240418124904/https://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000387624. live.
    15. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-26/wangan-midnight-the-movie-to-open-in-japan-this-summer Wangan Midnight the Movie to Open in Japan This Summer
    16. Web site: Miller. Evan. TAF 2007: Wangan Midnight Anime Announced. March 22, 2007. Anime News Network. March 10, 2009. March 28, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070328040535/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-03-22/taf-2007-wangan-midnight. live.
    17. Web site: ja:アニマックスPPVプレミア 湾岸MIDNIGHT(ミッドナイト) 】. http://www.ppvj.co.jp/anime/0706wanganmidnight/. Pay Per View Japan Inc.. June 4, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20071029194425/http://www.ppvj.co.jp/anime/0706wanganmidnight/. October 29, 2007. ja.
    18. Web site: ja:ナムコのアーケード最新作、『湾岸ミッドナイト』が12月18日より稼動開始！. https://dengekionline.com/data/news/2001/12/11/227e13d6541bad187b7cbdc852d62c83.html. December 11, 2001. dengekionline.com. June 10, 2024. ja. August 3, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230803213638/https://dengekionline.com/data/news/2001/12/11/227e13d6541bad187b7cbdc852d62c83.html. live.
    19. Web site: 各種レースのバランスを再調整！AC向け対戦バトルRCG『湾岸ミッドナイトR』稼動開始. April 30, 2002. dengekionline.com. June 10, 2024. ja. June 9, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240609172207/https://dengekionline.com/data/news/2002/4/30/58c8a0773aa9dd2112ca0cc39709bedb.html. live.
    20. Web site: WANGAN MIDNIGHT MAXIMUM TUNE 6R. WANGAN MIDNIGHT MAXIMUM TUNE 6R. 2020-01-09. 2019-12-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20191221105930/http://wanganmaxi-official.com/wanganmaxi6r/. live.
    21. Web site: Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 6RR Plus. wanganmaxi-official.com. January 16, 2024. ja. February 28, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240228032702/https://wanganmaxi-official.com/wanganmaxi6rrplus/. live.
    22. http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/kodansha.shtml Kodansha Manga Award.

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