Togari (manga)
Togari is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshinori Natsume. The story follows orphan Tobei, who was beheaded for committing countless crimes in the Edo period and sent to Hell where he suffered for 300 years. The regent of Hell makes Tobei an offer to slay 108 "Togas" in 108 days in 21st-century Japan with Togari, a magical sword. Tobei readily agrees for the chance to be free from Hell.
The manga was serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday from August 2000 to February 2002, ending the series prematurely at 68 chapters. The individual chapters were collected in eight volumes. The abrupt ending was intentional, as the last four pages of the eighth volume has a spoof advertisement for "Togari: The Perfect Edition". Then the publishers apologized for the spoof in the last page of the volume. The manga was licensed for English release in North America by Viz Media.
A sequel, titled Togari Shiro, was serialized in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Flapper from October 2009 to May 2011, with its chapters collected in three volumes.
Plot
An orphan known as Tobei, who lived in Japan 300 years ago and committed countless violent crimes until the age of 16, was beheaded by villagers and subsequently sent to Hell as punishment. During his supposedly eternal punishment, Tobei made repeated escape attempts and became known for a particularly fiery spirit, everlasting determination, and a continuing refusal to repent for his sins. Given Tobei's dismal moral progress over the course of 300 years, he was made an offer to escape: take the Togari, and slay 108 "Toga", spiritual manifestations of great sin that drive a human's actions, in 108 days. Ose, the demon responsible for torturing Tobei in Hell, was told to watch over Tobei while Tobei accomplished his mission.However, Tobei was subject to two particular rules so as to facilitate his moral reshaping: Firstly, he cannot commit any sins or crimes; even if he begins thinking about committing a sin, the wounds from his decapitation 300 years ago will begin opening. If he actually completes a sin, he will be decapitated and sent back to Hell. Secondly, he cannot physically harm people. If he does, then the same damage is done to himself. Impeding Tobei's mission, however, is a property of the sword Togari: if Tobei loses control of it, then Togari will absorb him. Furthermore, unlike in Hell, when all his physical wounds healed almost instantly, Tobei's body is mortal on Earth.
Under the supervision of Ose, who often takes the form of a dog while watching over Tobei, Tobei attempts to slay 108 Toga in the real world, and lives a different life than he did 300 years ago in part because of the people he meets and the restrictions against sinning placed on his body.
Characters
;Tobei;Itsuki Asagi
;Ose
;Ema
;Sawazaki
Development
Inspired by Japanese samurai films and with a concept that the protagonist is a "pure bad guy", author Natsume drew Tobei based on "someone who looked like he be beheaded as a criminal". Lady Ema was first drawn by Natsume with an image of Enma Daio in mind but "she ended up turning into a sexy bombshell". The serialization of Togari was canceled by Weekly Shōnen Sunday.Publication
Written and illustrated by Yoshinori Natsume, Togari was serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday from August 2, 2000, to February 13, 2002; the series ended prematurely at 68 chapters. Shogakukan collected the chapters in eight volumes, released from January 18, 2001, and March 18, 2002. The abrupt ending was intentional by the publishers, as the last four pages of the eighth volume includes a spoof advertisement for Togari: The Perfect Edition. Then the publishers apologized for the spoof in the last page of the volume. Media Factory republished the series in a four-volume edition, released from October 23 to November 22, 2010.Viz Media released the manga in North America, with English translation by AltJapan Co., Ltd. The eight volumes were released between July 10, 2007, and September 9, 2008.
Natsume wrote a sequel, titled, serialized in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Flapper from October 5, 2009, to May 2, 2011. Media Factory collected its chapters in three volumes, released from May 22, 2010, to June 23, 2011.