Go Nagai's Manga Adaptation of Dante's Divine Comedy Published by J-Pop

Go Nagai's manga adaptation of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, originally published by Kodansha in 1994, has been released in a single 700-page volume by Italian publisher J-Pop in 2019. The work represents the culmination of Nagai's long engagement with Dante, which began in the 1970s when he read a version illustrated by Gustave Doré. Nagai's earlier manga Mao Dante (1968) and Devilman (1971) were precursors, exploring the story from the demons' perspective. The manga dedicates 506 pages to Inferno, 189 to Purgatorio, and 68 to Paradiso, incorporating Doré's lithographs and typical manga elements like tears, sweat, and shadows. It blends seinen and shojo styles. Nagai also produced a separate educational version in 2000. The adaptation is part of a Japanese trend of manga adaptations of Western classics, with publishers like East Press specializing in condensed versions of works such as Les Misérables and The Red and the Black.