Shangri-La Frontier | |
シャングリラ・フロンティア~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (Shangurira Furontia Kusogē hantā, Kamigē ni Idoman to su) | |
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Genre | |
Novel series | |
Written by | Katarina |
Published by | Shōsetsuka ni Narō |
Original run | May 2017 – present |
Manga | |
Written by | Katarina |
Illustrated by | Ryosuke Fuji |
Published by | Kodansha |
English publisher | |
Imprint | Shōnen Magazine Comics |
Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Magazine |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | July 15, 2020 – present |
Volumes | 16 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Toshiyuki Kubooka |
Written by | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu |
Music by |
|
Studio | C2C |
Licensed by | Crunchyroll |
Original network | JNN (MBS, TBS) |
Original run | October 1, 2023 – present |
Episodes | 14 |
Game | |
Developer | Netmarble Nexus |
Publisher | Netmarble |
Shangri-La Frontier[lower-alpha 1] is a Japanese web novel series written by Katarina. Its serialization began on the novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō in May 2017. No printed version of the novel series has been published yet. A manga adaptation, illustrated by Ryosuke Fuji, has been serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine since July 2020. An anime television series adaptation produced by C2C premiered in October 2023.
It won the 47th Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category in 2023.
Plot
The story is set in the near future, where games that use old-fashioned display screens are classified as retro games, while full-dive VR games have become commonplace. As a result of these games becoming mainstream, there exist many so-called "trash games": rushed, full of glitches, faulty games, the systems of which have not kept up with the improved visual technology. Rakuro Hizutome is a "trash game hunter", a great admirer of these usually shameful games, which he plays with the nickname Sunraku, until he is able to master them regardless of the difficulty due to their glitches. Rakuro has cleared the oversized "Faeria Chronicle Online" trash game, and is suffering a sort of burnout syndrome. At the suggestion of the owner of his favorite game store, "RockRoll", he buys the best-selling and excellent "Shangri-La Frontier", a full-dive VR game with 30 million registered players. He enters the world of Shangri-La Frontier as the player character Sunraku, where all the skills he has attained as an expert trash game hunter will come in handy as he progresses in the game.
Characters
- Sunraku (サンラク, Sanraku) / Rakurō Hizutome (陽務 楽郎, Hizutome Rakurō)
- Voiced by: Yuma Uchida[2] (Japanese); Eric Vale[3] (English)
- Psyger-0 (サイガ-0, Saiga Zero) / Rei Saiga (斎賀 玲, Saiga Rei)
- Voiced by: Azumi Waki[2] (Japanese); Corey Pettit[3] (English)
- Arthur Pencilgon (アーサー・ペンシルゴン, Āsā Penshirugon) / Towa Amane (天音 永遠, Amane Towa)
- Voiced by: Yoko Hikasa[2]
- Oikatzo (オイカッツォ, Oikattso) / Kei Uomi (魚臣 慧, Uomi Kei)
- Voiced by: Makoto Koichi[2]
- Emul (エムル, Emuru)
- Voiced by: Rina Hidaka[2] (Japanese); Molly Zhang[3] (English)
- Vysache (ヴァイスアッシュ, Vaisuasshu)
- Voiced by: Akio Otsuka[2]
- Psyger-100 (サイガ-100, Saiga Handoreddo)[4] / Momo Saiga (斎賀 百, Saiga Momo)
- Voiced by: Yumiri Hanamori[5]
- Animalia (アニマリア, Animaria)
- Voiced by: Sayaka Senbongi[5]
- Orcelott (オルスロット, Orusurotto)
- Voiced by: Seiichiro Yamashita[5]
- Vilack (ビィラック, Viraku)
- Voiced by: Miyu Tomita[6]
- Peets (ピーツ, Pieetsu)
- Voiced by: Satsumi Matsuda[7]
- Setsuna Amatsuki / Setsuna of Bygone Days (遠き日のセツナ, Tōki Hi no Setsuna)
- Voiced by: Asami Seto[8]
- Wethermon the Tombguard (墓守のウェザエモン, Hakamori no Wezaemon)
- Voiced by: Show Hayami[8]
Production
The author Katarina read The Irregular at Magic High School on Shōsetsuka ni Narō while living overseas. He found the novel interesting and therefore started to think of writing novels. At that time, reincarnation-type stories were popular in that website and there was a period that he read only fantasy stories. However, he once read a virtual reality-type story and found it very amazing. Inspired by that work, he started writing Shangri-La Frontier.[9]
The anime project was proposed in February 2020, which was before the serialization of the manga series.[10]
Media
Web novel
The series written by Katarina was serialized online from May 2017 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō.[11] No printed version of the novel series has been released.
Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Ryosuke Fuji has been serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine since July 15, 2020.[12] Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on October 16, 2020.[13] A promotional video, narrated by Azumi Waki and featuring Yuma Uchida as Sunraku, was posted on July 7, 2021, for the series' first anniversary.[14] As of December 15, 2023, sixteen volumes have been released.[15]
In North America, Kodansha USA announced the English language digital release of the manga in November 2020.[16] In November 2021, Kodansha USA announced that they would begin releasing the series in print,[17] with the first volume released on September 6, 2022.[18]
Volumes
No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
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1 | October 16, 2020[13][19] | 978-4-06-521529-6 978-4-06-521802-0 (LE) | December 8, 2020 (digital) September 6, 2022 (print)[18] | 978-1-64-651482-3 | ||
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2 | December 17, 2020[20][21] | 978-4-06-521801-3 978-4-06-521529-6 (LE) | February 23, 2021 (digital)[22] October 18, 2022 (print) | 978-1-64-651483-0 | ||
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3 | March 17, 2021[23][24] | 978-4-06-522220-1 978-4-06-522219-5 (LE) | August 3, 2021 (digital)[25] December 27, 2022 (print) | 978-1-64-651484-7 | ||
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4 | June 17, 2021[26][27] | 978-4-06-523584-3 978-4-06-523585-0 (LE) | November 9, 2021 (digital)[28] February 21, 2023 (print) | 978-1-64-651485-4 | ||
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5 | August 17, 2021[29][30] | 978-4-06-524483-8 978-4-06-524502-6 (LE) | January 11, 2022 (digital)[31] April 25, 2023 (print) | 978-1-64-651486-1 | ||
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6 | November 17, 2021[32][33] | 978-4-06-526001-2 978-4-06-526002-9 (LE) | May 3, 2022 (digital)[34] June 27, 2023 (print) | 978-1-64-651659-9 | ||
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7 | January 17, 2022[35][36] | 978-4-06-526603-8 978-4-06-526604-5 (LE) | September 13, 2022 (digital)[37] August 29, 2023 (print) | 978-1-64-651660-5 | ||
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8 | April 15, 2022[38][39] | 978-4-06-527530-6 978-4-06-527528-3 (LE) | November 1, 2022 (digital)[40] November 7, 2023 (print) | 978-1-64-651809-8 | ||
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9 | July 15, 2022[41][42] | 978-4-06-528432-2 978-4-06-528433-9 (LE) | January 3, 2023 (digital)[43] December 26, 2023 (print) | 978-1-64-651829-6 | ||
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10 | September 16, 2022[44][45] | 978-4-06-529136-8 978-4-06-529137-5 (LE) | March 7, 2023 (digital)[46] February 27, 2024 (print)[47] | 978-1-64-651900-2 | ||
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11 | December 16, 2022[48][49] | 978-4-06-529989-0 978-4-06-529990-6 (LE) | May 2, 2023 (digital)[50] April 30, 2024 (print)[51] | 978-1-64-651949-1 | ||
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12 | March 16, 2023[52][53] | 978-4-06-531037-3 978-4-06-531036-6 (LE) | September 5, 2023 (digital)[54] June 25, 2024 (print)[55] | 979-8-88-877063-4 | ||
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13 | May 17, 2023[56][57] | 978-4-06-531586-6 978-4-06-531585-9 (LE) | December 5, 2023 (digital)[58] | 979-8-88-933287-9 | ||
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14 | July 14, 2023[59][60] | 978-4-06-532219-2 978-4-06-532220-8 (LE) | — | — | ||
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15 | October 17, 2023[61][62] | 978-4-06-533152-1 978-4-06-533146-0 (LE) | — | — | ||
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16 | December 15, 2023[15][63] | 978-4-06-533887-2 978-4-06-533892-6 (LE) | — | — | ||
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Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
- 156. "Starfall: Beyond the Finisher"
- 157. "Training and Practice Come Together"
- 158. "Extra Round: Party Time!"
- 159. "Crowds Thronging at the Untapped Gold Mine"
- 160. "The Fun Afterparty Disaster (Part 1)"
Anime
On July 7, 2022, an anime television series adaptation produced by C2C was announced.[2] The series is directed by Toshiyuki Kubooka, with Hiroki Ikeshita serving as assistant director, Kazuyuki Fudeyasu supervising and writing the series' scripts, Ayumi Kurashima designing the characters, and Monaca composers Ryūichi Takada, Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Keiichi Hirokawa composing the music.[2][64] It premiered on October 1, 2023,[5] on the Nichi-5 programming block on all JNN affiliates, including MBS and TBS.[65][66][67] The first opening theme song, "Broken Games", is performed by FZMZ, while the first ending theme song, "Ace", is performed by Chico.[5] The second opening theme song is "Danger Danger" by FZMZ featuring Icy, while the second ending theme song is "Gajumaru: Heaven in the Rain" (ガジュマル ~Heaven in the Rain~) by Reona.[68]
Crunchyroll has licensed the series for streaming outside of Asia.[69] Muse Communication licensed the series in Southeast Asia.[70]
Episodes
No. | Title [71][72] | Directed by [lower-alpha 2] | Written by [lower-alpha 2] | Storyboarded by [lower-alpha 2] | Original air date [73] | |
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1 | "What Do You Play Games For?" Transliteration: "Anata wa Nan no Tame ni Gēmu o Shimasu ka?" (Japanese: 貴方はなんのためにゲームをしますか?) | Hiro Ōki | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | Toshiyuki Kubooka | October 1, 2023 | |
In the near future screen based gaming is replaced with full dive VR games. The market is soon flooded with low quality games filled with glitches known as “trash games”. A percentage of players are obsessed with completing trash games despite the glitches. One “trash game hunter” is Rakuro, who goes by his screen name Sunraku. His classmate Rei has a crush on him but is too nervous to talk to him. After spending weeks completing his latest game Rakuro suffers mental burnout and is convinced by local shop owner Mana to play a mainstream game instead, completely free of glitches with 30million players, Shangri-La Frontier. Sticking with his preferred play style Rakuro creates a Wanderer character with twin blades, extra luck bonuses and minimum armour except for swimming shorts and a bird head mask. Choosing to skip the game introduction Rakuro begins fighting monsters while heading to the starting town Firstia. With increased luck Rakuro levels up rapidly and is amazed by the glitch free gameplay, eventually deciding to skip Firstia and go to the more advanced town Secondil. The bridge there is blocked by Firstia’s area snake boss whom Rakuro attacks with reckless enthusiasm. The introduction Rakuro skipped earlier reveals players may choose any playstyle, including non-combat characters such as academics, merchants and farmers. | ||||||
2 | "A Peculiar One" Transliteration: "Tokui Naru Mono" (Japanese: 特異なる者) | Hiroyuki Morita | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | Hiroki Ikeshita | October 8, 2023 | |
Rei, already a powerful warrior in Shangri-La, visits Firstia hoping to encounter Rakuro when he starts the game. She is disappointed when he does not appear and assumes Rakuro already visited Firstia and left before she arrived. Despite his expertise of boss fights Rakuro almost dies, not having known the snake boss usually requires at least three players. His victory promotes him to level 14 but his health continues to drop from the snake venom. He is forced to run all the way to Secondil where veteran player Reiji helps him register a respawn point before he dies so he will not have to start the game over. After respawning Rakuro realises his swimming shorts make him stand out, and not in a good way, forcing him to buy normal armour, though he keeps the bird mask. Requiring new weapons the blacksmith sends him to Diremarsh swamp to mine ore, which is more difficult then Rakuro first assumed as the realistic swamp mud slows his movement. Now equipped with Marsh Daggers Rakuro ignores the Blacksmiths warnings and goes hunting monsters at night. Rei decides to search for Rakuro in Secondil, despite the unlikelihood of a new player making it that far alone. Rakuro encounters Lycagon Nightslayer, a completely unique monster which is so high level not one of the games 30million players have ever defeated it. | ||||||
3 | "Black Wolf Nightslayer" Transliteration: "Kuro Ōkami Yashū" (Japanese: 黒狼夜襲) | Hiro Ōki | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | Michio Fukuda | October 15, 2023 | |
Rei learns Rakuro has already reached Secondil. Other players notice Rei belongs to one of the seven clans formed to hunt the seven unique beasts, in Rei’s case her clan hunts Lycagon. Despite executing perfect strikes on Lycagon’s critical weak points Rakuro’s legs are bitten off but he swears to find and defeat Lycagon before he completes anymore of the game. Respawning he finds himself afflicted with Lycagon’s Curse; he cannot equip armour to his legs or body, though they are now immune to magic, he can no longer fight monsters weaker than himself and NPC’s will treat him differently. Plus the curse is permanent unless removed by a Saint or killing Lycagon. Forced to return to his swim shorts Rakuro suddenly encounters a Unique Scenario, an invitation to the rabbit city Rabituza which he accepts, unaware the recommended skill level is 80. Inside the scenario he is congratulated by white rabbit Emul for embodying the spirit of the Vorpal Rabbit; willingly attacking a superior enemy while hitting only the weak points. For Lycagon to curse him was actually Lycagon marking him as a worthy opponent, as such, Rakuro is the first player ever invited to meet Rabbit King Vysache. A brief flashback shows Rei started playing the game on Mana’s advice, on the promise Mana would also have Rakuro start playing so Rei could get close to him. | ||||||
4 | "A Trash Game Realignment of Elevated Tastes" Transliteration: "Koeta Kachikan o Kusogē de Sosogu" (Japanese: 肥えた価値観をクソゲーで濯ぐ) | Katsuyuki Komai | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | Noriaki Saitō, Toshiyuki Kubooka, Hiroki Ikeshita | October 22, 2023 | |
Rei still cannot locate Rakuro but Mana convinces her to keep trying. Rakuro reads online walkthroughs and confirms he is definitely the first to meet Vysache. Vysache offers him Vorpal training and equips him with a collar that reduces his experience gains by 50% but increases his status gains by 250%. Rakuro is unexpectedly invited to BERP, an old trash game used as a meeting spot for hardcore trash hunters, by his online friend Katzo. Katzo is confused Rakuro would play a mainstream game, until Rakuro explains his rivalry with Lycagon. Katzo considers playing Shangri-La too, as does Arthur Pencilgon, another trash hunter and fan of Rakuro. Due to many new players over summer break Rakuro temporarily leaves the Unique Vorpal Scenario to focus on reaching the next town, Thirdrema. Emul accompanies him as an NPC follower so they can teleport back to Rabituza at any time. Unfortunately, having never been seen before, players quickly take pictures wanting to know how they can get an Emul NPC. Rakuro confirms weak monsters now flee from him. He chooses to instead defeat the area boss, Mud Digger, so he can travel to Thirdrema. Unfortunately Mud Digger lives in a swamp which slows Rakuro’s movements again. That night Rakuro has a nightmare Emul is a demon eating his character when he logs out. | ||||||
5 | "Lo, Thou Art Assailed on All Sides" Transliteration: "Kakute Nanji, Sōdō no Yaribusuma ni Kakomaren" (Japanese: かくて汝、騒動の槍衾に囲まれん) | Yoshitaka Nagaoka | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | Takebumi Anzai | October 29, 2023 | |
Rakuro tries to rely on skills but almost dies, until Emul saves him, Rakuro being so used to solo playing he forgot Emul was his party member and can help fight. After dealing Mud-Digger a lot of damage Rakuro is thrown into the air to die from the extreme fall which cannot be avoided by any skill. Luckily, Emul teleports him on top of Mud-Digger, turning his fall into an overpowered headbutt that kills Mud-Digger instantly. Rakuro is pleased by the victory but disappointed in himself for using Emul since she is stronger than him. Approaching Thirdrema Emul disguises as a human girl, though Rakuro only wearing shorts still draws unwanted attention. Unfortunately the photograph of him has spread and players now know he has a unique NPC and has fought Lycagon, bringing him to the attention of Psyger, a member of Rei’s Lycagon hunter clan, as well as many members of Ashura Kai, an assassin clan that kill other players for fun. Rakuro is accosted by Animalia, an animal obsessed player who wants her own vorpal rabbit NPC. Distracted by her Rakuro is almost killed by Arthur Pencilgon, a level 99 player killer. | ||||||
6 | "The Writing Tool Knight Queen" Transliteration: "Hikkiyōgu no Kishi-ō" (Japanese: 筆記用具の騎士王) | Takaaki Nagano | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | Takayuki Inagaki | November 5, 2023 | |
Rakuro recognises Arthur as a fellow trash game hunter. They met in a post-apocalyptic trash game where gamers often ignored the impossible main quests to focus on fighting each other for resources. Arthur fought her way to becoming queen and the games unofficial final boss, the Dystopian Empress. In the end Rakuro killed her in a suicide mission, beginning their unusual friendship/rivalry. Arthur has travelled all the way from the 50th city Fifticia to kill him. Animalia reveals Arthur is the level 99 second-in-command of Ashura Kai, specialising in assassinating player’s even higher level than herself. As they fight Arthur passes a demand from Ashura Kai’s leader to publicly share how to access the unique scenario for vorpal rabbit NPC’s. Emul cannot sustain her human form and reverts back to a rabbit. To protect Emul Animalia attacks Arthur, allowing Rakuro to dash for Thirdrema’s gate to establish a respawn point but is stopped by Arthur’s fellow assassins. Animalia is defeated and begins dying of poison magic. From nowhere, Rakuro is rescued by Rei, having finally learned his location from her sister, Psyger-100, from the photograph of him with Lycagon’s mark. Arthur is delighted to see Rei, whom she knows in-game as Psyger-0, but the distraction lets Animalia attack her with magic. | ||||||
7 | "Remnant of the Divinity: The Aberrant Loser" Transliteration: "Jindai no Zanshi, Mōshū no Haisha" (Japanese: 神代の残滓、妄執の敗者) | Hiroyuki Morita | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | Yoshimasa Hiraike | November 12, 2023 | |
Animalia’s spell kills both herself and Arthur, surprising the assassins so much Rakuro is able to escape into Thirdrema. Rei is ecstatic Rakuro briefly spoke to her, but blames the assassins for the conversation not lasting longer, and kills them all. Arthur takes her loss good naturedly and invites Rakuro to talk later in the post-apocalyptic game, along with his other online friend Katzo. Rakuro teleports to Rabituza to begin playing the unique scenario. For his first training session he is forced to fight a group of Packhounds, all level 65 or higher. Rei decides next time she sees Rakuro in-game she will send him a friend request. After dying seven times in a row Rakuro figures out the Packhounds attack patterns and kills them. His opponents grow progressively stronger; a Tentacle Parasite, a Goblin Berserker, a Dino-boar, a Toxic Eagle, an Armoured Larva, an Execu-panther, a Twinhead Tiger and a Golem. This only promotes him to level 31 due to the reduced experience points of the vorpal collar. Vysache turns up to watch the tenth fight against a monster he caught just for Rakuro, Aberrant Woodmage level 120, a tree-type sorcerer so strong Vysache only demands Rakuro survive 5 minutes in order to win the round. | ||||||
8 | "The 300-Limit Pandemonium" Transliteration: "Sanbyaku Rimitto Kyōsō Kyoku" (Japanese: 300リミット狂騒曲) | Akihiko Ōta | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | Shinji Ishihira | November 19, 2023 | |
Rakuro discovers the Woodmage is impervious to physical attacks, so all he can do is dodge the attacks. After 2 minutes Rakuro starts to suffer mental strain and considers just dying as there are no penalties for dying in training matches. He then feels disgust at himself, having grown used to always taking the easiest path to victory in trash games. He successfully steals Woodmage’s staff, removing his ability to use spells. Dodging until the time expires becomes easier and Rakuro wins. Woodmage angrily breaks the rules and tries to kill him, but Vysache kills Woodmage and gives Rakuro his reward, a title as an honorary Rabituzan citizen and removal of the troublesome vorpal collar. Rakuro is disappointed, until his citizenship unlocks another unique scenario, the Vorpal Epic. As it has complicated instructions that require researching Shangri-La’s highly detailed world history, Rakuro decides to play the main game and go exploring for a while. While unable to equip clothes to his torso Emul’s brother Peatz gives Rakuro a Keffiyeh headdress with full body robe, so assassins will not recognize him. While deciding which city to visit next; Fourfolkshire, Fivelle or Sixenveldt, Rakuro spots Rei watching him ominously. | ||||||
9 | "A Dazzling Sea of Trees" Transliteration: "Hanayaka Naru Ki no Umi" (Japanese: 華やかなる樹の海) | Mitsutoshi Satō | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | Takayuki Inagaki | November 26, 2023 | |
Arthur is disgusted by the weakness of Ashura Kai and their leader Orcelott; they used to be proud assassins until the game began applying penalties to murderers. Now they are just another clan collecting experience and hoarding equipment. Ashura Kai is also the only clan who know the location of unique monster Wethermon Tombguard, but dare not attack him in case they lose their valuable equipment. Arthur decides to kill Wethermon herself. Rei surprises Rakuro with a friend request. Still unaware Psyger-0 is Rei Rakuro assumes she is trying to manipulate him for access to the unique scenario and accepts the request, planning to manipulate her instead. Having become online friends Rei accepts he prefers to play solo and lets him travel to Fourfolkshire alone, planning to talk to him later now she has his contact information. Passing through the Prismatic Forest with Emul Rakuro is amazed by the variety of insect type monsters, even witnessing a battle between Empire Bees and a Quad Beetle. After killing the weakened Beetle for its drop items Rakuro sets out to find the area boss, Clown Spider. | ||||||
10 | "Let's Go Tomb Raiding!!" Transliteration: "Yarō ze, Haka Arashi!!" (Japanese: やろうぜ、墓荒らし!!) | Yoshitaka Nagaoka | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | Noriaki Saitō, Toshiyuki Kubooka, Hiroki Ikeshita | December 3, 2023 | |
Rakuro is unable to enter the boss arena as other adventurers are currently attempting to beat it, so Rakuro must wait his turn. After watching those adventurers die Rakuro confronts Clown Spider and requests Emul not assist him. After knocking Clown Spider from its web he weakens it by dropping boulders on it, then stabs its critical weak point and beats it without taking any damage himself. Sunraku receives an email from Arthur, as does Katzo who recently started playing the game and has already defeated Mud-Digger. Arthur invites them to help her defeat Wethermon in two weeks, the day after a massive update that adds new missions, characters and areas to explore. Rakuro is suspicious of her motives. In the real world Rei is able to speak to Rakuro, who barely remembers her name or that they attend the same school. Before she can reveal she is Psyger-0 Rakuro rushes off to meet Arthur, but Rei considers talking to him at all a big success. Emul is terrified Rakuro plans to fight Wethermon and rushes to tell Vysache. Rakuro later learns why from Arthur; in Shangri-La if an NPC dies they are dead and gone permanently, Emul will never respawn and her role in the unique Vorpal scenario will be over. | ||||||
11 | "The Glimmer of Truth" Transliteration: "Makoto no Kagayaki" (Japanese: まことのかがやき) | Teppei Takeya | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | Takebumi Anzai | December 10, 2023 | |
Vysache is unhappy with Rakuro's plans but Rakuro explains Ashura Kai are exploiting a game mechanic; harvesting experience by starting a fight with Wethermon, then running away without actually fighting. Arthur plans to give Wethermon the fight he deserves. Vysache feels sympathy for Wethermon, cursed with undeath and unable to join his wife in the afterlife, so instead he guards her tomb. Granting him death is therefore honourable and true to the Vorpal Soul. Vysache takes Rakuro’s Vorpal Chopper knives and personally “ascends” them, combining Rakuro’s experience of fighting Lycagon with the armour of the Quad Beetle, resulting in the Vorpal knives Moonblade (Waxing) and Moonblade (Waning), one which sacrifices health for powerful strikes, and one that restores health at the same speed as it is lost. Unfortunately, he must be level 50 to use them, meaning he needs to go up 19 levels in only two weeks. Arthur sends him and Katzo to train in the futuristic Iron Ruins of the Divinity near Sixenveldt, though Rakuro is confused when Arthur gives him a fishing rod, claiming he will definitely need it to survive the ruins. | ||||||
12 | "Regrets Always Lie in the Past" Transliteration: "Kōkai wa Itsumo Kako ni iru" (Japanese: 後悔はいつも過去にいる) | Unknown | Unknown | TBA | December 17, 2023 | |
After defeating sentry robots Rakuro and Katzo follow Arthurs' complicated map to a hidden room within the ruins rumoured to be tailored for fast levelling. Emul is amazed by Rakuro’s explanation that Katzo is a man in a female character body. They find the room, Tearlight Lake, which according to Arthur contains the monster Lifestide Lake Serpent. If caught with a fishing rod it bestows a lot of experience points. After dragging Lifestide to the surface Rakuro reveals his temporary weapons, Empire Bee Twinblades, made for him by Emul’s sister Bilac until he can use the Moonblades. After defeating Lifestide Katzo reveals Skill-Linking, a core game mechanic along with the ability to get a job or join a guild, all which Rakuro missed by skipping the tutorial in Firstia, making the game almost unnecessarily difficult for him. After several days Rakuro and Katzo reach level 42 and 40, respectively, though Rakuro hides his foolishly skipping Firstia from Arthur from embarrassment. Arthur gives them until full moon, the one time a month they can talk to unique ghost NPC Setsuna of Bygone Days, who provides access to Wethermon. | ||||||
13 | "Only Resentments About the End of Life Remain" Transliteration: "Miren Dake ga Soko ni Iru" (Japanese: 未練だけがそこにいる) | TBA | TBA | TBA | December 24, 2023 | |
Arthur leads them to Setsuna’s secret hiding place in the Prismatic Forest. She explains Wethermon blames himself for her death which occurred during a silly marital argument, so he sealed her grave behind a barrier powered by moon magic, hence why it is only accessible once a month when the moon is dark. She hopes they defeat Wethermon so they can be together again. From her modern clothing and language Rakuro suspects her backstory involved dying in the games Age of Divinity, and wonders if she knows anything about the Vorpal Scenaria. Rakuro is aware Arthur’s real identity is Towa, a supermodel constantly hounded by her fans, and suspects it causes her to feel sympathy for Setsuna. Based on Wethermon’s fighting style Rakuro skips levelling up and instead trains his own play style not in Shangri-La, but in the BERP trash game. There he meets Dragonfly, a first time novice gamer. Agreeing to a duel Rakuro shows Dragonfly how to take advantage of glitches. Elsewhere Rei attempts to write a letter to Rakuro asking to join his party and play together, but everything she writes embarrasses her so she does not send him any of the letters. | ||||||
14 | "Squish" Transliteration: "Sumasshu" (Japanese: スマッシュ) | TBA | TBA | TBA | January 7, 2024 | |
Dragonfly eventually wins one duel using a double-punch glitch Rakuro and other players have not seen before, impressing them as no one has discovered a new BERP glitch in years. In exchange Rakuro shows her a glitch he discovered; Doppleganger, which creates a glitch clone of himself as an ally in duels. Dragonfly decides to invent a name for her new glitch. Returning to Shangri-La Rakuro decides to try Skill-Linking by visiting one of Emul’s triplet siblings, Elke the Skill Gardener in Rabituza. He acquires six linked skills and a Vorpal Moonblade skill, not initially realizing Elke is completely money obsessed, and convinces him to spend almost all his coin. Arthur reveals the next problem; since Ashura Kai use Wethermon to harvest experience there will definitely be Ashura Kai members there on the day of the duel unwilling to let Wethermon actually die. Luckily, a new update has placed a restriction on assassins; if an assassin dies all their accumulated money and equipment gets transferred to whoever killed them, leaving them totally harmless when they respawn. Therefore, before they can fight Wethermon Arthur decides they must completely destroy Ashura Kai by assassinating all its members. | ||||||
14.5 | "Special Bonus Episode" Transliteration: "Tokubetsu Bōnasu Episōdo" (Japanese: 特別ボーナスエピソード) | TBA | TBA | TBA | January 14, 2024 | |
Recap episode, narrated by Rakuro, Katzo, Arthur and Emul. |
Video game
On July 7, 2022, a video game of the same name developed by Netmarble Nexus and published by Netmarble was announced.[2][74]
Reception
The manga series ranked eleventh on the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2021" by the Honya Club website.[75][76] The series placed fifth in the 2021 Next Manga Award in the print category.[77] The manga was nominated for the 46th Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category in 2022;[78] it won the 47th edition in the same category in 2023.[79][80]
See also
- Attack on Titan: Lost Girls: the manga adaptation of a light novel which was also illustrated by Ryōsuke Fuji
Notes
References
- 1 2 "Video game Action/Fantasy Shangri-La Frontier Debuts!". Kodansha USA. December 8, 2020. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Loo, Egan (July 7, 2022). "Shangri-La Frontier Web Novel Gets TV Anime in 2023, Game". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- 1 2 3 Dempsey, Liam (October 14, 2023). "Shangri-La Frontier English Dub Reveals Cast and Crew, Release Date". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ↑ Katarina [@BOSH_JP060] (August 22, 2023). サイガ-100の読み (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2023 – via Twitter.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Mateo, Alex (August 22, 2023). "Shangri-La Frontier Anime Reveals Theme Song Artists, Additional Cast, October 1 Premiere". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ↑ Tomita, Miyu [@miyju_tomita] (December 10, 2023). 放送中のTVアニメ『シャングリラ・フロンティア』にて ビィラック を演じさせていただきます! 低音オラオラ広島弁でお送りします🐰🔨 #シャンフロ (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア:テレビアニメ新章 ビジュアル、PV公開 墓守のウェザエモン役に速水奨 遠き日のセツナは瀬戸麻沙美. Mantan Web (in Japanese). November 26, 2023. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- 1 2 Cayanan, Joanna (November 27, 2023). "Shangri-La Frontier Anime's Video Unveils More Cast for New Arc". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ↑ 特別対談! 『シャングリラ・フロンティア』原作、硬梨菜先生特別対談!! WEB小説から広がる世界!! (in Japanese). Kodansha. October 14, 2020. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ↑ 『シャングリラ・フロンティア シャンフロチャンネル』 #49 (2022.7.19配信)/パーソナリティー:和氣あず未. Magazine Channel (YouTube) (in Japanese). July 19, 2022. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ↑ Mateo, Alex (July 8, 2020). "Ryōsuke Fuji Launches Shangri-La Frontier Manga on July 15". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ↑ 最強クソゲーマーが神ゲームに挑む冒険譚「シャングリラ・フロンティア」週マガで. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. July 15, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- 1 2 シャングリラ・フロンティア(1)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ↑ Mateo, Alex (July 7, 2021). "Shangri-La Frontier Manga Streams Anime Promotional Video". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- 1 2 シャングリラ・フロンティア(16) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ↑ Hazra, Adriana (November 13, 2020). "Kodansha Comics Licenses New Manga by Ema Toyama, Kaori Yuki, More". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ↑ Hazra, Adriana (November 21, 2021). "Kodansha Comics Announces 14 Manga Titles for Next Fall". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- 1 2 "Shangri-La Frontier, Volume 1". Kodansha USA. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(1)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(2) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(2)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier, Volume 2". Kodansha USA. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(3) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(3)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier, Volume 3". Kodansha USA. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(4) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(4)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier, Volume 4". Kodansha USA. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(5) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(5)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier, Volume 5". Kodansha USA. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(6) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(6)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier, Volume 6". Kodansha USA. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(7) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on July 13, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(7)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier, Volume 7". Kodansha USA. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(8) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(8)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier, Volume 8". Kodansha USA. Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(9) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(9)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier, Volume 9". Kodansha USA. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(10) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(10)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier, Volume 10". Kodansha USA. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier 10". Penguin Random House. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(11) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(11)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier, Volume 11". Kodansha USA. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier 11". Penguin Random House. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(12) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(12)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier, Volume 12". Kodansha USA. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier 12". Penguin Random House. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(13) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(13)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ↑ "Shangri-La Frontier, Volume 13". Kodansha USA. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(14) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(14)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(15) ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(15)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア(16)エキスパンションパス ~クソゲーハンター、神ゲーに挑まんとす~ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ↑ "TV Anime: Shangri-La Frontier". Monaca Inc. October 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ↑ Mateo, Alex (March 8, 2023). "Shangri-La Frontier Anime's 1st Promo Video Reveals October Premiere". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ↑ シャングリラ・フロンティア:テレビアニメが"日5"で連続2クール放送 10月スタート. Mantan Web (in Japanese). July 7, 2023. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ↑ Mateo, Alex (July 7, 2023). "Shangri-La Frontier Anime Reveals Anime's 2nd Promo Video, Game's Trailer, Character Visuals". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ↑ Cayanan, Joanna (December 24, 2023). "Shangri-La Frontier Anime's New Promo Video Previews 2nd Part's Opening Theme 'Danger Danger'". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ↑ Loo, Egan (July 17, 2022). "Crunchyroll to Stream Shangri-La Frontier, Skip and Loafer Anime (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ↑ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (September 4, 2023). "Muse Asia Licenses Shangri-la Frontier, A Returner's Magic Should Be Special Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
- ↑ "Arasuji|"Shangurira Furontia"" あらすじ|『シャングリラ・フロンティア』 [Synopsis|"Shangri-La Frontier"]. anime.shangrilafrontier.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ↑ "Watch Shangri-La Frontier - Crunchyroll". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ↑ "Hōsō Haishin Jōhō|"Shangurira Furontia"" 放送・配信情報|『シャングリラ・フロンティア』 [Broadcast/Distribution Information|"Shangri-La Frontier"]. anime.shangrilafrontier.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ↑ Romno, Sal (July 7, 2023). "Netmarble announces Shangri-La Frontier game". Gematsu. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ↑ 全国書店員が選んだおすすめコミック2021. Honya Club. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- ↑ 全国書店員が選んだおすすめマンガ、今年の1位は「わたしの幸せな結婚」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 29, 2021. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ↑ Loveridge, Lynzee (August 24, 2021). "Kaiju No. 8, Oshi no Ko Win Next Manga Awards Web, Print Categories". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- ↑ 第46回講談社漫画賞の最終候補作14作品が決定. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 7, 2022. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ↑ 第47回講談社漫画賞は「シャンフロ」「あの子の子ども」「スキップとローファー」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. May 10, 2023. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ↑ Mateo, Alex (May 10, 2023). "47th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards' Winners Announced". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
External links
- Shangri-La Frontier web novel at Shōsetsuka ni Narō (in Japanese)
- Shangri-La Frontier manga at Pocket Shōnen Magazine (in Japanese)
- Shangri-La Frontier anime official website (in Japanese)
- Shangri-La Frontier at Anime News Network's encyclopedia