Beyond the Beyond (manga)
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga
series written and illustrated by Yoshitomo Watanabe. The story is about Futaba Kudo, a young boy who is pulled into a strange world when he rescues a girl named Kiara, a powerful girl whom many people wish to capture or kill. Futaba pledges to protect Kiara from her pursuers and help her find her missing master. The series first premiered in Japan in the monthly shōnen
magazine Comic Blade
in 2004 where it ran until February 2008. The individual chapters were collected and published in six tankōbon
volumes by Mag Garden
.
Tokyopop
licensed the series for an English-language release in North America, but cancelled the series after releasing four volumes.
Futaba pledges to help Kiara find her master and protect her, while also searching for a way to return to his own world. They meet Lady Belbel, a rabbit-like magician who hates being called a rabbit. A powerful-magic user who decides to travel with them. Futaba learns that Kiara is called the "Amaranthine", and is much sought after because she has incredible powers that can only be activated by her master. She is not human, but a flower who can communicate with other flowers and plants. Following Kiara's brief mental communication with her true master, the group travels through various towns. Along the way, Futaba makes Kiara a deal: if he helps her find her master, she will send him home when their quest is complete.
They eventually meet Virid Visette Viridian, also known as the "Mad" Prince Virid. The younger of twin princes of the land of Viridian, he was locked away since birth because the land does not need two princes and his mother prefers his older twin. At the age of thirteen, he is to battle his older brother in a duel to the death to determine the winner. his older brother released him from his cell with a message from his mother: "If you find the Amaranthine and bring it to me, you can both live." He finds Futaba and Kiara and attempts to take her, but after fighting with Futaba he responds to Futaba kind nature and instead joins them, wanting to stay at Futaba's side.
volumes by Mag Garden
, with the first volume published in April 2004; the final volume was released in June 2008. Each volume was also released in limited edition versions that featured different covers and additional items, such as CDs.
The series was licensed for an English language release in North America by Tokyopop
in 2005. The first volume was released in January 2006; as of August 2007, four volumes have been released. The fifth English volume was solicited for release in September 2008, but the release was cancelled in July 2008. The series is also being released in English in Singapore
by Chuang Yi
under the title There, Beyond the Beyond; as of June 2008, it has released five volumes of the series, but due to licensing issues will not be releasing the sixth. Tokyopop also released German translations of its first four volumes of the series in Germany.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Yoshitomo Watanabe. The story is about Futaba Kudo, a young boy who is pulled into a strange world when he rescues a girl named Kiara, a powerful girl whom many people wish to capture or kill. Futaba pledges to protect Kiara from her pursuers and help her find her missing master. The series first premiered in Japan in the monthly shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
magazine Comic Blade
Comic Blade
is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Mag Garden. It was first published in February 2002 and is sold on the thirtieth of each month. The manga series are published in tankōbon under the imprint.-Serialized manga:...
in 2004 where it ran until February 2008. The individual chapters were collected and published in six tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes by Mag Garden
Mag Garden
is a Japanese publishing company that focuses on manga-related publications and is also involved in the development of anime and live-action adaptations. It was founded on June 5, 2001 by Yoshihiro Hosaka along with former manga artists of Enix...
.
Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
licensed the series for an English-language release in North America, but cancelled the series after releasing four volumes.
Plot
Sixth grader Futaba Kudo is short for his age with three extremely overprotective older siblings. As he's walking home from school one day, a strange girl named Kiara falls from the sky, calling Futaba her master. While Futaba is trying to figure out what is going on, a woman appears and attempts to kill Kiara. Realizing Futaba is not her master, Kiara flees. Unwilling to just sit and watch while the girl is in danger, Futaba runs with her. At a bridge, Kiara grabs Futaba's cell phone and drops it into the river, opening a mysterious portal. They jump into the portal, escaping the woman arriving in the fantasy-like world Kiara is originally from.Futaba pledges to help Kiara find her master and protect her, while also searching for a way to return to his own world. They meet Lady Belbel, a rabbit-like magician who hates being called a rabbit. A powerful-magic user who decides to travel with them. Futaba learns that Kiara is called the "Amaranthine", and is much sought after because she has incredible powers that can only be activated by her master. She is not human, but a flower who can communicate with other flowers and plants. Following Kiara's brief mental communication with her true master, the group travels through various towns. Along the way, Futaba makes Kiara a deal: if he helps her find her master, she will send him home when their quest is complete.
They eventually meet Virid Visette Viridian, also known as the "Mad" Prince Virid. The younger of twin princes of the land of Viridian, he was locked away since birth because the land does not need two princes and his mother prefers his older twin. At the age of thirteen, he is to battle his older brother in a duel to the death to determine the winner. his older brother released him from his cell with a message from his mother: "If you find the Amaranthine and bring it to me, you can both live." He finds Futaba and Kiara and attempts to take her, but after fighting with Futaba he responds to Futaba kind nature and instead joins them, wanting to stay at Futaba's side.
Manga
Written by Yoshitomo Watanabe, Beyond the Beyond premiered Monthly Comic Blade in the March 2004 issue. The thirty-fifth, and final, chapter was published in the February 2008 issue. The individual chapters were collected and published in six tankōbonTankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes by Mag Garden
Mag Garden
is a Japanese publishing company that focuses on manga-related publications and is also involved in the development of anime and live-action adaptations. It was founded on June 5, 2001 by Yoshihiro Hosaka along with former manga artists of Enix...
, with the first volume published in April 2004; the final volume was released in June 2008. Each volume was also released in limited edition versions that featured different covers and additional items, such as CDs.
The series was licensed for an English language release in North America by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
in 2005. The first volume was released in January 2006; as of August 2007, four volumes have been released. The fifth English volume was solicited for release in September 2008, but the release was cancelled in July 2008. The series is also being released in English in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
by Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi Publishing Pte Ltd. is a publishing company based in Singapore that specializes in producing domestic and imported comics and comics-related merchandise, in English and simplified Chinese. Chuang Yi distributes all or some of its products in Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines...
under the title There, Beyond the Beyond; as of June 2008, it has released five volumes of the series, but due to licensing issues will not be releasing the sixth. Tokyopop also released German translations of its first four volumes of the series in Germany.