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Mogura no Uta

Mogura no Uta
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Reiji Kikukawa
土竜の唄
Genre
Manga
Written byNoboru Takahashi [ja]
Published byShogakukan
Magazine
DemographicSeinen
Original runAugust 18, 2005 – present
Volumes85
Live-action films

Mogura no Uta (土竜の唄, "Mole's Song") is a Japanese manga series written by Noboru Takahashi [ja]. It was serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Young Sunday from 2005 to 2008, and transferred to Big Comic Spirits in 2008. It has been adapted into a live-action film, titled The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji in 2013, which was followed by a sequel, The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio, released in 2016.

By May 2023, the manga had over 10 million copies in circulation. In 2014, Mogura no Uta won the 59th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category.

Plot

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Reiji Kikukawa, a silly young man still a virgin, managed to join the police. Remaining in a position of simple agent at the bottom of the ladder, Reiji is one day fired. In reality, this dismissal hides a completely different mission, because Reiji is offered to become an undercover agent, in other words, a "mole".

Media

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Manga

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Written and illustrated by Noboru Takahashi [ja], Mogura no Uta debuted in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Sunday on August 18, 2005.[a] The magazine ceased its publication on July 31, 2008,[4] and the series moved to Big Comic Spirits on September 9 of that same year.[5] Shogakukan has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on January 5, 2006.[6] As of August 30, 2024, 85 volumes have been released.[7]

Live-action films

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The manga was adapted into a live-action film titled The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji, which was directed by Takashi Miike and released in Japan on February 15, 2014.[1][8][9] Miike also directed the sequels The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio (2016)[10] and The Mole Song: Final (2021).

Reception

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Mogura no Uta won the 59th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category in 2014.[11] The manga had over 6.5 million copies in circulation by January 2016;[12] and over 10 million copies in circulation by May 2023.[13]

Notes

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  1. ^ It debuted in the magazine's 38th issue of 2005,[2] released on August 18 of that same year.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Loo, Egan (January 15, 2013). "Crime Action Manga Mogura no Uta Gets Live-Action Film". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  2. ^ "Contents". Weekly Young Sunday (in Japanese). No. 38. Shogakukan. 2005. Table of contents. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023. 衝撃の巨弾新連載! 巻頭カラー、圧巻48P!! 「鬼才・高橋のぼるの本気爆熱気巻く 男どもが織りなす新・任侠楽劇開幕! 高橋のぼる [土竜の唄]
  3. ^ "Contents". Weekly Young Sunday (in Japanese). No. 36·37. Shogakukan. 2005. Table of contents. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023. 次号38号 8月18日 木発売!!
  4. ^ Loo, Egan (May 30, 2008). "Shogakukan Confirms End of Young Sunday, Judy Mags". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  5. ^ ビッグコミックスピリッツ 2008年41号. muhyojo.com (in Japanese). September 8, 2008. Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  6. ^ 土竜の唄 １ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  7. ^ 【8月30日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 30, 2024. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  8. ^ Loo, Egan (January 20, 2013). "Toma Ikuta to Star in Film of Crime Manga Mogura no Uta". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  9. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (November 23, 2013). "Takeshi Miike Directs Sōta Fukushi in Live-Action Kami-sama no Iu Toori Film". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  10. ^ Ressler, Karen (December 26, 2016). "Live-Action Resident Evil, Mogura no Uta Films Debut in Box Office Top 10". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  11. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 21, 2014). "Magi, Kano-Uso, Zekkyō Gakkyū Win Shogakukan Manga Awards". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  12. ^ Ressler, Karen (January 8, 2016). "Takashi Miike to Direct Sequel to Live-Action Mogura no Uta Film". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 6, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  13. ^ 小学館の青年漫画誌が集結したサイト「ビッコミ」本日オープン！　無料で『土竜の唄』723話、『アオアシ』115話、『重版出来！』116話が読めるキャンペーン開催中！. PR Times (in Japanese). May 30, 2023. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
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