Yusuke Murata, the renowned artist behind the popular manga series One-Punch Man, has given fans a first look at his new original anime project, Zaiyuki. Inspired by the classic tale Journey to the West, the anime showcases Murata’s exceptional talent and highlights why he is highly regarded in the industry.
First Teaser for One-Punch Man
On March 6, Murata shared two clips on his Twitter account, introducing the main characters of Zaiyuki. The story follows Gojyo, a Kappa boy from Japanese folklore, who meets a treasure hunter named Xuanzang. In the teaser, Gojyo appears dissatisfied with his life in the Kappa village and demonstrates his ineptitude in activities associated with Kappa creatures, such as swimming and sumo wrestling. After winning a lottery prize, Gojyo embarks on a trip overseas and receives a stone from a mysterious old man. The stone hatches into a golden fur monkey, reminiscent of the character Son Goku from Journey to the West. Gojyo and the monkey, Seiten Daisho, encounter trouble at the airport and are saved by Xuanzang and his partner, Ros.
Prior to the release of Zaiyuki, Murata had hinted at an animation project on his Twitter account, surprising fans who were already impressed by his exceptional artwork in the bi-weekly chapters of One-Punch Man. Murata even incorporated small animations into the digital format of the manga. Despite being in its early stages and lacking sound, Zaiyuki’s animation has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, particularly due to Murata’s recognizable character design. The series combines Chinese and Japanese folklore in a modern setting, a departure from Murata’s previous works such as Eyeshield 21, a high school drama centered around American football, and One-Punch Man, a comedic superhero action series.
While Murata is widely acclaimed as a manga artist, he has always expressed his interest in animation. He previously directed and animated a One-Punch Man anime short in September 2021, which fans found more satisfying than the criticized Season 2 of the TV series. The release date for Zaiyuki has yet to be announced, but fans have high expectations that Murata will surpass himself once again.
In conclusion, Yusuke Murata has given fans a sneak peek into his new anime project, Zaiyuki, which draws inspiration from Journey to the West. The animation showcases Murata’s exceptional talent and has garnered positive feedback from fans. Despite being primarily known as a manga artist, Murata has expressed his passion for animation and has previously directed and animated a successful One-Punch Man anime short. Fans eagerly await the release of Zaiyuki and anticipate another extraordinary creation from Murata.
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