AZYCHIKA

PROFILE

The concept is simple… The immortal Gods versus Humanity. The prize? The future of mankind!

Even the most reserved of British gents must have harboured boyhood fantasies of seeing the murderous Jack the Ripper face-off against the mightiest hero of Greek Mythology… Heracles! Thanks to the wonderful magic of manga, this particular fantasy is now a reality in the hugely successful manga series Shumatsu-no Valkyrie – Record of Ragnarok (2017-) by the manga making team of AZYCHIKA (art), Fukui Takumi (“name”), Umemura Shinya (story).

Every 1000 years, the world’s gods and goddesses meet to decide the future of mankind. The manga begins during this auspicious moment, when the assembled deities vote overwhelmingly in favour of mankind’s destruction due to our history of pollution, wars and general mistrust of each other. Humanity’s only ally among these celestial beings is the Valkyrie Brunhilde of Norse mythology. Desperate to give humans the chance to redeem themselves, the Valkyrie reminds Zeus, the leader of the Valhalla Council of “Ragnarok”, the final battle between gods and the human race!

What we get is an incredibly simple manga concept of showdown matches between the gods, including Zeus, Heracles and Thor pitted against humanity’s heroes (or villains), including Adam (the first human) and Jack the Ripper (YES!). Simple it may be, but this hugely popular manga series has proven irresistible to readers, ticking all the boxes for a ratings hit!

The uniqueness of this manga is found in the chemistry of three incredibly talented manga pros. All three are fond of history and myth, inspiring this prestigious battle manga. By applying their masterful skills of dramatic expression, cinematographic panelling, and character-driven storytelling respectively, they have exported us to the surrealistic setting of Valhalla and gifted us a manga of epic proportions.

Manga artist Ajichika-sensei will be available to answer your questions, so pass the ambrosia, settle in and get your questions ready about the showdown of the universe in Shumatsu-no Valkyrie – Record of Ragnarok!!