The English localization of the manga is titled Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe.
Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan[1] (岸辺露伴は動かない, Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai, lit. Rohan Kishibe Does Not Move) is an ongoing series of one-shots featuring the titular character, Rohan Kishibe, as the narrator and/or protagonist. These one-shots are intermittently published in various magazines such as Weekly Shonen Jump or Jump Square.
The Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan series is a set of short stories, each spanning a single chapter of around 40 to 60 pages and usually organized into disordered "episodes". They all feature Rohan Kishibe, who frequently witnesses and subsequently makes an account of the supernatural phenomena around him.
The first chapter of the series, At a Confessional, was published in Weekly Shonen Jump on July 7, 1997, under the restriction set by the magazine's editorial team that it couldn't be related to the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series. As a workaround, Araki took inspiration from the 1950's TV show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and made Rohan the narrator of the one-shot.[2] The title, Rohan Kishibe Does Not Move, was initially derived from the fact that Rohan is not the main protagonist of At a Confessional, but rather a "navigator" or onlooker of the story who ultimately does nothing.[3]
The series features many esoteric creatures other than Stands, such as Yōkai, eldritch species, or divinities. The plot of each chapter is generally separated from the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure storyline, although characters from Diamond is Unbreakable and the town of Morioh regularly make an appearance.
After an incident forces Rohan to put his series on hiatus, he takes a vacation to Italy. While in Venice, Rohan accidentally enters a confessional where a man begins to confess his sins. The man tells of his youth when a starving vagrant came to him for food. Disdainful, he forced the vagrant to carry large bags of corn, ultimately leading to his death. However, the vagrant's ghost appeared, swearing to return and take revenge on the happiest day of his life.
After becoming rich and successful, the man walked cheerfully with his daughter and servant in what he thought was the happiest moment of his life. Suddenly, the vagrant's spirit possesses his daughter and reveals that he was behind man's prosperity from the start. The ghost explains that he wanted fate to judge him, demanding that he throws three pieces of popcorn into the air higher than the lamppost and catch it in his mouth. If he fails, the ghost would would cut off his head. The man successfully catches the first two pieces of popcorn, but misses the third piece after being blinded by the sun. As it lands on his shirt, the ghost cuts off his head. Yet the man still was alive, revealing he used his servant as a body double to trick the ghost. Rohan then witnesses the man leaving the confessional followed by the spirit of the vagrant and servant, who vowed to endlessly stalk him.
Bankrupt from buying a large piece of land for research purposes, Rohan tells his editor the story of a genuine Yokai he witnessed during his exploits. The story starts with Naoko Osato, the heir of a wealthy family, cutting ties with her secret lover, Gunpei Kamafusa, after being forced into an arranged marriage. The break-up turns into a fight with Naoko pushing Gunpei into a bag of golf clubs, piercing his skull and killing him. At the same time, Naoko's father and soon-to-be husband arrive at the house. Panicked, Naoko delays them while trying to stop Gunpei's wound from bleeding, however, the blood mysteriously keeps gushing out. In desperation, Naoko puts Gunpei on top the armoire while drinking his blood.
Naoko married and had children, but never strayed from the house as she continued to hide Gunpei's corpse, meticulously collecting the blood as it endlessly poured--eventually developing a strange attachment to it. Hearing legends of a Yokai in the area, Rohan investigates Naoko and goes to see Gunpei with his own eyes. On the way back, Rohan stumbles into Naoko's daughter, who falls and hits her head against a rock, seemingly dying. Rohan notices the girl's unnatural eyes and realizes that she was actually the child Naoko had with Gunpei's corpse--a Yokai that lives off people's affection. Using Heaven's Door, Rohan erases the girl's memories and prevents it from possessing him. In that moment, Rohan sees the Yokai's true form shrieking at him before turning back into the girl and running away. In the end, Rohan leaves safely and with a story for his manga.
Taiwan was the first country to publish the series after Japan. The two volumes were published in Chinese on September 14, 2014, and February 2, 2019 by Tong Li Publishing.[8][9]
Star Comics published the series in Italy as "Così parlò Rohan Kishibe" on January 8, 2015 and November 13, 2019.[10][11]
Delcourt published the series in France as "Jojo's - Rohan Kishibe" on April 6, 2016 and March 13, 2019.[12][13]
Munhak published the series in South Korea on March 3, 2021 and May 14, 2021.[14][15]
In Spain and Argentina, the series is translated into Spanish with the title "Así habló Kishibe Rohan". Mil Comics published the volumes in Spain on July 22, 2021 and August 12, 2021. Ivrea Argentina published the volumes in Argentina on June 10, 2022 and September 23, 2022.[16][17][18][19]
In North America and the United Kingdom, the series is translated into English with the title "Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe", using the Western name order. The two volumes were published on September 27, 2022 and December 27, 2022 by VIZ Media.[20][21]
Unlike the other international releases, the English and Spanish releases do not include Kishibe Rohan Meets Gucci due to Shueisha's request.[22]
An OVA adaptation by David Production was announced on April 15, 2016. The first two episodes were released as a promotional DVD to those who had purchased the entirety of the Diamond is Unbreakable anime adaptation. Another two episodes released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 25, 2020.
Three booklets of an anthology of short stories based on the series were released with issues of Ultra Jump from July 19, 2017 to December 19 of the same year, with a fourth following suit on October 19, 2021. The stories were written by multiple Japanese authors, including Ballad Kitaguni, Ryo Yoshigami, Yusuke Iba, and Mirei Miyamoto. The stories were later compiled into three volumes that released on June 19, 2018, July 19, 2018, and December 19, 2022.
NHK aired a three-episode live action TV drama adaptation of Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan in December 2020. The live action series follows a different format from the manga, choosing to adapt various chapters, short stories, and arcs from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure featuring Rohan into one cohesive storyline. The adaptation received good reception and continued with two more seasons that aired in December 2021 and 2022.
November 19, 2013
