Previously announced on 2023’s 19th issue of Kodansha‘s Morning magazine, Fukumoto Nobuyuki’s new serialized manga, titled Nikaidou Jigoku Golf (“Nikadou Hell Golf”) has now debuted in the 38th issue on August 17.
Beginning in the early ’80s, Fukumoto’s mangaka career was an uphill struggle from the outset. After an unsuccessful stint as an assistant to Kaze no Daichi author Kazama Eiji, he worked several odd jobs while still publishing various short stories. In the late ’80s, he finally hit his stride first with Akagi: The Genius Who Descended Into Darkness and then with Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji, sealing his status as a successful mangaka; his career soared even further when both series were adapted to anime (in 2005 and 2008 respectively) and received several spin-off manga. Several of his works portray human dramas about people living at the bottom of society, caught in the undertow of its frenetic pace but still crawling forward even as despair crushes them.
Nikaidou Susumu, 35 years old, is sitting alone in a park at night. Earlier that day he came very close to passing the qualification exam for professional golfing, but a botched shot out of a bunker robbed him of that chance right before the finish line. Just the latest, it turns out, of many failures he has suffered for the past 9 years: despite showing great promise at first and having the whole golf club’s expectations riding on his shoulders, ever since the first attempt he couldn’t even take the first step into that professional field. Now’s he back to square one, with nothing but resentment and barely repressed anger eating away at him. How will his life continue after this one night of despair?
