Card games have frequently been the foundation of tense stand-offs in anime and manga. Now, a manga based on the drama of Magic: The Gathering, incorporating some school life and romantic tension into the mix, is getting its official debut in the West.
Viz Media has announced that it’s officially releasing Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga in English this Fall. The title’s quite a mouthful, but looking into the synopsis via MyAnimeList, you can get a pretty good picture of what’s in store.
Set in 1998, the story follows Hajime Kanou, a high-schooler who loves Magic: The Gathering. He develops a rivalry at school with top student Emi Sawatari, who he later finds out play MTG, and plays it pretty darn well. Per MAL’s description, this revelation shifts their relationship, as they get to know each other through Magic duels.
No mulligan
I was already intrigued by the idea of a manga based around Magic: The Gathering, but this rivals-to-something-new arc adds an interesting new hook. It’ll likely be some captivating nostalgia for those who lived through the late ’90s, too. Do you see that phone Emi is holding in the cover art? They just don’t make ’em like that anymore.
Destroy All Humans has a story penned by Katsura Ise, and art by Takuma Yakota. And for those Magic: The Gathering players who need extra incentive to buy physical, it will include an exclusive card. No word yet on what it will be, though I’m hoping for a suitable art variant. Seems like I’ll have something to add to the reading pile this Fall.
