Wāqwāq (manga)

Wāqwāq (Japanese: ワークワーク, Hepburn: Wākuwāku) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ryu Fujisaki. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from August 2004 to May 2005. The series individual chapters were collected into four tankōbon (collected volumes) and published from January to July 2005 by Shueisha. It was later licensed in Northern America by Viz Media for an English-language publication, which was released from August 2009 to May 2010. It has been republished by Shueisha, distributed as digital media by Viz Media, and localized in other countries.

Wāqwāq is set in a world where humans have black blood and fear belligerent creatures known as "machines", entrusting their salvation on the Guardians, humans who possess weapons that give them supernatural powers, and on the red-blooded Kami. The series focuses on Shio, a Guardian who meets Matsuda, who is believed to be a Kami, and starts a journey in which he faces other adversaries who want Kami power. Its art and story were initially said to be confusing by some critics, but others stated that these aspects get better as the manga progresses. It was described as a typical shōnen, but its characters and action have received mostly praise.