Hiromi Morishita, the creator of Syohei’s Seishōnen Ashibe manga, has concluded the series with the final chapter being published on Futabasha’s Web Action manga website. This manga is a sequel to Morishita’s original Shōnen Ashibe series and follows the characters Ashibe and Sugao as first-year high school students, whereas in the original series they were in elementary school. The manga first launched in Futabasha’s Monthly Action magazine in 2017 and later moved to the Web Action website after the magazine ceased publication last February. The ninth compiled volume of the manga is set to release in Japan on February 27.
Morishita originally serialized the original Shōnen Ashibe manga in Shueisha’s Weekly Young Jump magazine from 1988 to 1994. The story revolves around the daily life of a baby spotted seal named Goma-chan and its owner, schoolboy Ashibe Ashiya. This series also spawned a manga sequel titled ComaGoma, which was serialized in Weekly Young Jump from 2000 to 2004.
The popularity of the manga led to a 1991 television anime series and a second series in 1992-1993. In 2016, a new anime adaptation titled Shōnen Ashibe GO! GO! Goma-chan premiered, followed by a second season in 2017. This new anime also inspired a manga adaptation by Morishita and Junko Ogino, which was streamed on Crunchyroll.
Overall, Hiromi Morishita’s conclusion of Syohei’s Seishōnen Ashibe manga marks the end of a beloved series that has entertained fans for years with its charming characters and heartwarming stories. Fans can look forward to the final volume of the manga releasing in Japan in February and cherish the memories created by this delightful series.
