is a manga

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...

 written by Shinji Makari and illustrated by Akana Shu, serialized in Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

's Afternoon

Afternoon (magazine)

is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha. It is a monthly anthology, and each issue typically has around thirty ongoing stories by various authors and runs about 800 pages...

magazine from 1994 to 2004. The series transferred to Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

's Evening

Evening (magazine)

is a bi-weekly Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha, aimed at adult men. It is printed in black and white on newsprint and saddle-stapled in B5 format, and retails for 330 yen...

magazine wherein the subtitle "the Negotiator" is added in. Subsequent compilations of the original manga also add this phrase.

”Yugo” A.K.A. Yugo the Negotiator, or Yugo Koushounin (勇午 交渉人), is the realization of the popular comic Yu-go that was published in Kondasha Afternoon Magazine (Japan) over a period of 10 years. The manga was adapted into an animated

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 television series in 2004 as . The anime comprises the manga's first two major arcs, which fit within 13 episodes.

The series follows Yugo Beppu, a hostage negotiator, in various cases around the world.

Plot summary

"Negotiation means you turn words into weapons." - these are the words of Yugo Beppu, a top Negotiator who has never lost a case. He has vowed to complete any mission he undertakes, regardless of the situation. His only weapons are "words". Yugo doesn’t kill people, nor does he threaten them with brute violence. He uses his extensive knowledge and calm judgment, and believes in the person’s true self. Following these beliefs, Yugo has accomplished numerous dangerous negotiations successfully, but things may change...

When a woman comes to him asking him to save her father, Yugo must head into the burning desert of Pakistan in the Middle East. Afterwards, he must trudge the freezing land of Siberia, Russia. Will Yugo be able to stick to his ideals and complete the negotiations successfully?

Reception

Yugo the Negotiator was screened at the Barbican Centre

Barbican Centre

The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...

 on February 26, 2008. Helen McCarthy

Helen McCarthy

Helen McCarthy is the British author of such anime reference books as 500 Manga Heroes and Villains, Anime!, The Anime Movie Guide and Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation. She is the co-author of The Erotic Anime Movie Guide and the exhaustive The Anime Encyclopedia with Jonathan Clements...

did the introduction..