Ode to Kirihito (Vertical Inc.)

Ongoing Serial: a series of episodes, published over a span of weeks/months/years where the story plot is connected from chapter to chapter and must be read in chronological order for it to be understood properly.
Chapter Serial: a series of episodes, published over a span of weeks/months/years where the story plot is self-contained to a single chapter. There may be an overarching plot, but the stories can generally be read in any order and be understood
Book: an all-in-one self contained story published as a one-off.
Supplement: an an all-in-one self contained story published as a stand-alone supplement to a regular weekly/monthly periodical.
Short Story: an all-in-one, self contained story that was published in a regular weekly/monthly periodical
Anthology: a collection of all-in-one, self contained stories that were published in a regular weekly/monthly periodical but are generally grouped together.

Ode to Kirihito (Vertical Inc.)

English Title: Ode to Kirihito
Japanese Title: きりひと讃歌
Publication Date: 2006 (2010)
Publisher: Vertical, Inc.
No. of Volumes: 1 (2)
In Print: ✔
Digital: ✔

From the Publisher

It may or may not be contagious. There seems to be no cure for it. Yet, Monmow Disease, a life-threatening condition that transforms a person into a dog-like beast, is not the only villain in this shocking triumph of a medical thriller by manga-god Osamu Tezuka. Said to have been the personal favorite of the artist, who held a degree in medicine, and surprisingly attentive to Christian themes and imagery, Ode to Kirihito demolishes naive notions about human nature and health and likely preconceptions about the comics master himself.

Are you a beast?

What you should know

Ode to Kirihito is the third of Tezuka’s doctor stories and an example of his more mature and adult work. Ode to Kirihito was originally released in 2006 as a single trade paperback volume, with a cover that could be slid back and forth to reveal different images. Like many of Vertical, Inc.‘s Tezuka releases, Ode to Kirihito is was released with “flipped” artwork in order to make the reading order (left to right) more palatable for the average English-speaking fan. Originally published in a single 6″ x 8″ softcover trade paperback volume, a whopping 832 pages in length, in 2010, it was also re-released as a two-volume trade paperback set.

Although both editions are now out of print, in 2014, Vertical Inc. began releasing digital editions of their Tezuka editions, primarily available in Amazon’s popular Kindle format.