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Duranki - TV Tropes

  • ️Mon Feb 22 2021

Duranki (Manga)

Duranki is a manga inspired by Greek, Mesopotamian, and Sumerian myths, with a setting likened to Anatolia. The main character, Usumgallu, is a child with the ability to "think up unknown things" who is neither a god nor human, and neither male nor female.

Kentaro Miura created the story concept, storyboards, and rough copies, but left almost all of the actual artwork (including the inking) to his group of assistants, Studio Gaga. Since his assistants (5 total in 2019) were full time employees (unusual in the manga world), and normally didn't have time to work on projects other than Berserk, Miura wanted to give them a chance to spread their wings and earn some recognition for themselves. He also clarified that this would not slow down the production of Berserk, since he does most of the artwork of Berserk by himself anyway. It was even hoped that the additional training for recently-hired assistants would soon allow Miura to delegate more of his work on Berserk, and thus speed up production. This information about Duranki comes from an Otaquest article that summarizes an interview of Miura by Comic Natalie.

The first two chapters of Duranki were published in the inaugural issue of Hakusensha's magazine Young Animal Zero on September 9, 2019; the last chapter to be released was number six on May 9, 2020. Miura died of an acute aortic dissection on May 6, 2021, and in September of that year the publisher announced that Duranki was cancelled. The collected volume was released in Japan on December 24, 2021.

Duranki provides examples of:

  • Adorably Precocious Child: Usum is a cute child who is skilled at crafting and isn't afraid of hunting beasts.
  • Born of Magic: Usum is created by multiple gods from the sacred waters of Abzu in the Spring at Caria.
  • Cut Short: The sixth chapter came out in May 2020 and the series was officially cancelled over a year later.
  • The Ditz: Pan acts like Usum's sidekick, but he mainly just wants to hang out together without understanding what Usum is doing and often screws up when beasts attack.
  • Divine Parentage: Usum was created by gods, but if Usum counts as such confuses spirits.
  • Doomed Hometown: It's implied that Usum's parents were attacked by some rogue gods shortly after the child was carried to safety.
  • Exposed Extraterrestrials: Gods only treat clothes as a decoration. Usum doesn't think twice about going nude in the open, but being biologically different from humans, Usum tries to pass as a boy at one point.
  • Friend to All Living Things: Usum has a natural affinity to befriend humans, animals and demi-gods.
  • Guardian Entity: Usum is often looked after by minor gods. At one point, Usum accidentally blinds a flame spirit by adding sulfur to the firepit.
  • Healthcare Motivation: Kirta's mother appears to be bedridden and can only eat broth, so he takes care after her.
  • Liminal Being: Usum is neither divine nor human, neither a man nor a woman. Everyone is often confused what Usum is supposed to be.
  • Loyal Animal Companion: Usum has a large dog named Fwawa that sometimes helps around.
  • Meaningful Name: Usum's full name is Usumgallu, meaning "the only great", or "dragon".
  • Memento MacGuffin: Usum was given a mysterious necklace by her parents as a safety charm. It rings in the presence of a manticore.
  • Otherworldly and Sexually Ambiguous: Usum is a child created by the gods who's neither male nor female.
  • Outdoor Bath Peeping: While bathing, Usum's friends try to get a look at them to see whether they're a boy or a girl.
  • Raised by Humans: Usum, a half-divine child, was given to elderly shepherds.
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: Kirta turns out to be a village prince, but despite only having other children as "royal guard", they together hunt beasts for food.
  • The Time of Myths: The setting takes place in early Classical Mythology while mixing some of Mesopotamian Mythology, where humans living near gods wasn't too unusual, and it's common to give offerings to nature spirits. The nearby ark is implied to have been built by Deucalion, and the location appears to be somewhere in the Middle East.
  • War Is Hell: Usum is uncomfortable to learn that outside of the mountain there are killings and slavery, and Kirita's Tasi Village is about to fight the capital. Usum's grandfather believes humans outside the blessing of the gods are generally violent.
  • Warrior Prince: Kirita is raised to carry the village in times of war.
  • Waterfall Shower: Usum washes at a waterfall before joining their friends' group bathing.
  • Wise Beyond Their Years: As a child of two gods of wisdom, Usum has a talent of crafting various tools with vines and sticks that are unheard of in this age, for an example a piping system just so grandma wouldn't need to go to the river, and a crossbow for hunting.