
Consider the record book well and truly rewritten today as volume 100 of Wataru Watanabe's Yowamushi Pedal hits store shelves in Japan. Beginning serialization in 2008, it has become the very first series in Weekly Shonen Champion to surpass the historic watermark. The question is now: when will it end?
Fans familiar with the Weekly Shonen Champion roster might initially recoil at the claim above. After all, Dokaben by Shinji Mizushima has 205 volumes, Grappler Baki by Keisuke Itagaki has 155, and Super Radical Gag Family by Kenji Hamaoka has 108. Nevertheless, all of those series are split up into across different titles and various sequels: the original Dokaben ended in 1981 only to continue in Dai Koshien, Grappler Baki is made up of five different series, and Super Radical Gag Family has four iterations.
What makes Yowamushi Pedal special is that it has hit the volume 100 mark in a single, unbroken run without sequels as a series in the pages of Weekly Shonen Champion. For the uninitiated, the story follows self-proclaimed otaku Sakamichi Onoda as he enters into the super competitive world of high school road cycling. Even if you're not a cyclist yourself, it's definitely worth checking out for the high octane thrills and ridiculous set pieces alone.
The series is available in English via Yen Press.