Written by: Nicole Castro
Published on: December 14, 2021 at 17:00 PHT (GMT+8)
Disclaimer: Plot discussion contains spoilers for chapter 1.
Hiromu Arakawa, who is famous for the hit series Fullmetal Alchemist, is back with a new manga series called Yomi no Tsugai (Japanese: 黄泉のツガイ, Roughly translated English: Tsugai of the Underworld), which has begun serialization in the January 2022 issue of Monthly Shonen Gangan (Square Enix), released in Japan on Dec. 10, 2021.
Below is a promotional video for the magazine from Square Enix.
Plot
The plot centers around fraternal twins Yuru and Asa who live in a small, isolated village. While Yuru is free to live a normal life and even excels at hunting, Asa is kept imprisoned under the explanation that she is serving a "special duty."
For reasons yet to be explained, they have no parents, so Yuru survives and ensures Asa's safety by making himself a valuable food gatherer for the village. But one day, their village is attacked by mysterious military forces. A person claiming to be "Asa" appears while Yuru encounters supernatural creatures called Tsugai.
Initial Impressions
The cover of Monthly Shonen Gangan alone definitely expresses Arakawa's style, with Yuru looking like a cross between FMA's Riza Hawkeye and Alphonse Elric.
There is also the unmistakable sibling bond between Yuru and Asa that definitely calls back to Edward and Alphonse's dynamic. Oh, and losing-your-parent(s) issues. Yes. We're here for this level of sadness.
There is also a similar setup for Yomi no Tsugai's universe, a world that seems to combine both elements of fantasy in the form of the yet-to-be-explained Tsugai, and of technology with the guns and helicopters.
But what seems different here is how Yuru's and Asa's destinies will change from here on out. In FMA, Edward and Alphonse live in a world that accepts practicing alchemy as a norm, so they had time to study and practice their craft (as well as suffer its consequences). Yuru and Asa seem a lot less prepared for the world they will be thrown into, and one gets the distinct feeling the village is hiding something big from them, with these eerie lines of the twins bringing misfortune because they were born during the day and night. There is also no telling at this point whether the militaristic forces and the Tsugai are at odds with each other, and if so, which side Yuru will take.
As of writing, there is no official English translation for Yomi no Tsugai, but we hope this will change soon given Arakawa's immense popularity. For now, both print and digital copies of the January 2022 issue of Monthly Shonen Gangan are available on Amazon Japan.
Digest by AniradioPlus
Reference: Monthly Shonen Gangan official website, Square Enix official website, Comic Natalie, Screen Rant
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