Zipang is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi. Just like his previous work, The Silent Service, Zipang talks about the members of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It was first serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Morning magazine from 2000 until 2009, and published in 43 volumes. Four volumes have been translated into English by Ralph McCarthy for the Kodansha Bilingual Comics library. It was adapted into an anime in 2004.
Plot
The newest, most advanced destroyer in the JapanMaritime Self-Defense Force, the JDS Mirai, sets sail from Japan on a training exercise with the United States Navy. En route, they encounter a strange meteorological anomaly, causing the Mirai to lose contact with her sister ships. After a short time, the crew detects a fleet approaching, but can barely believe their eyes as a massive battleship passes by them. The crew soon identify it as the Yamato, a ship which was sunk in 1945. As the crew scans with their radar, numerous other ships, including a Nagato-class battleship, are sighted. Two destroyers from the unknown fleet attempt to intercept the Mirai, but she manages to escape. After examining the situation, the crew realises that the ships they passed are part of the Imperial Japanese Navy and that they have somehow been transported back in time more than 60 years to June 4/5, 1942, the first day of the Battle of Midway. Knowing that an American attack will soon devastate the four aircraft carriers of the Kido Butai, some Mirai crew members believe that they should intervene, to save the carriers and the 3,000 Japanese lives that will be lost. With the Mirai's advanced technology and weaponry, which is far superior to anything possessed by the United States in this era, the crew realize that they could potentially alter the course of the Second World War. However, they agree that their top priority is to return home, and to ensure that they have a home to which to return they decide to do nothing that will change history. Despite their initial intentions not to alter history, they soon find themselves gradually drawn into the war, though they continue to refuse to choose one side over another. The struggle of the crew from a modern, peaceful, and wealthy Japan to resist the nationalistic appeal of defending their country, knowing that in this time it is ruled by a brutal, totalitarian and militaristic government is the central theme of Zipang. Their rescue of an Imperial Japanese Navy officer from the past, Lt. Commander Kusaka, who would have perished in the normal timeline, causes unstoppable and devastating changes in the past when he seeks to create a stronger Japan no matter what the cost.
Original comics were released from Kodansha. It consisted of a total of 43 volumes. French Translation of the manga is complete as of May 2015, edited by . Korean Translation was done by Seoul Cultural Publishers.
Anime
An anime adaptation of Zipang was produced by Studio Deen and directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi. The Tokyo Broadcasting System broadcast the anime series in Japan from October 7, 2004 to March 31, 2005. Since a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force official on active service was involved in the production, some unrealistic scenes were cut from the anime version. At the 2006 Anime Expo, the company Geneon announced that it has licensed Zipang for distribution in North America. The first DVD was released in September of that year.
Principal cast
Video Game
A video game version of Zipang for PlayStation 2 was released by Bandai in Japan on May 26, 2005.
Merchandise
The Japanese company Pit Road has released a 1/700 scale plastic kit of the JDS Mirai that includes a tilt-rotor MVSA-32J Umidori, also in 1/700 scale.
The Japanese company F-Toys has produced a set of five “trade” kits that include the Mirai, the MVSA-32J Umidori, the USS Wasp, the I-21 submarine and a Type 2 float plane. The set was released on March 21, 2005 and the scales vary.
Just like his previous work, 'The Silent Service', some foreign readers and viewers were uncomfortable with the storyline. There were many arguments among the South Korean critics that the series were promoting Imperial Japan. However, the crew of Mirai tries to stop Kusaka, who is trying to make Imperial Japan win the war against the United States. As the story flows, the author pinpoints out the some of the incidents that tells us the readers how bad Imperial Japan was during the Pacific War. The manga was well received in Japan, but it was criticized for a completely different reason: its rushed ending. Zipang won the 26th Kodansha Manga Award for general manga in 2002. The anime has received generally positive critical reviews.
