In 2023, the serialization of the manga series was temporarily halted due to the author’s ongoing health challenges, specifically his battle with cancer recovery.
©Hiroyuki Tamakoshi, Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Kadokawa
On Monday, the July edition of Kadokawa’s monthly publication Gundam Ace announced that Hiroyuki Tamakoshi’s Cell Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket manga will be returning to the magazine’s pages in its next issue scheduled for June 26.
The manga had been on an indefinite break since December 2023, as Tamakoshi prioritized his health following the revelation that his cancer had metastasized to multiple areas within his liver.
In September 2022, Tamakoshi disclosed that he was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy treatments. At that time, he explained that the manga’s hiatus was a direct result of his treatment regimen. The series resumed publication in May 2023.
However, in December of the same year, Tamakoshi shared that his liver cancer had recurred, necessitating a third surgical intervention in January. Despite these setbacks, he reassured fans that he remains dedicated to his work, continuing to develop the scripts for Cell Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket and his other ongoing project, Yomei 1-nen no AV Joyū (The AV Actress with One Year Left to Live).
Since debuting in June 2021 in Gundam Ace, Tamakoshi’s Cell Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket manga has garnered a dedicated readership. Kadokawa published the fourth compiled volume of the series in December 2023. The manga is an adaptation of the original OVA series, told from the perspective of the character Chris, offering a fresh narrative angle.
Hailing from a long-standing collaboration, Tamakoshi and Masahiro Itabashi first teamed up in the 1990s to create the popular Boys Be… series, which appeared in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Their partnership extended to several sequels and spin-offs, including Boys Be…2nd Season and Boys Be…L Co-op. In 2009, they launched Boys Be… 2009 1-Gakki on Kodansha’s mobile manga platform, concluding it later that year. Their subsequent work, Boys Be… Subsequent Season, was serialized in Magazine Particular from November 2009 until February 2012. Later, they introduced Boys Be… ~Adult Season~ in Evening magazine in August 2012, with chapters published sporadically. The Boys Be… ~Young Adult~ manga was also serialized in Kadokawa’s Monthly Dragon Age from September 2017 to July 2018.
In North America, Tokyopop published several volumes of the Boys Be… 2nd Season series, initially without the “2nd Season” subtitle. The franchise has also inspired live-action adaptations, including television dramas and stage musicals in Japan, highlighting its cultural impact.
Source: July issue of Gundam Ace
Note: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a fully owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, holds the majority stake in Anime Files Community, LLC. Several entities mentioned are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.
