Leiji Matsumoto’s Gun Frontier manga rebooted

Leiji Matsumoto, the esteemed creator of Space Battleship Yamato, Space Pirate Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999, has had his 1972 manga series Gun Frontier adapted for a reboot manga by Yuzuru Shimazaki. The new manga launched in Akita Shoten’s Monthly Champion RED magazine this month, titled Gun Frontier ~Harlock & Tochirou Seishun no Tabi~ (Gun Frontier ~Harlock & Tochirou’s Youthful Journey).

The series is set on a wasteland planet and follows our familiar space cowboy Harlock, as he journeys across the land with his samurai sword-wielding close friend Tochirou. But the story begins when they cross paths with a girl named Sinunora.

Matsumoto’s original manga was published in Akita Shoten’s Play Comic magazine from 1972-1975, and was the introduction of Tochirou, who would go on to become a recurring character in Captain Harlock’s adventures. The manga also inspired a 2002 anime series, which was released in North America in five volumes between 2003 and 2004.