reasons, the original opening, "Hikari no Machi", has been replaced with an instrumental opening and footage from an earlier trailer for the series. 2007 manga The 2007 manga is based on the anime series adaptation of the same year and drawn by the manga artist Meimu. Set in an alternate history of Japan, freelance journalist Hayato Mikogami returns to his hometown of Otomo to investigate rumors of a man wearing a skull mask committing murders there. Once in the city, he discovers connections between the victims and a local pharmaceutical company, a new religious sect, and strange half-human, half-animal creatures. Along with a young photographer, he decides to find out who the Skull Man really is. Audio CD soundtrack On July 25, 2007, Geneon Entertainment released their first original score anime soundtrack album entitled "The Skull Man Original Soundtrack from the TV Anime" and on January 25, 2008 the second original soundtrack was also released entitled "The Skull Man Original Soundtrack 2". All albums and music are composed by Shirō Sagisu. China ban On June 12, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture listed Skull Man among 38 anime and manga titles banned in China. See also Kamen Rider Skull of Kamen Rider W, whose design is meant to homage Skull Man. Flying Phantom Ship, an anime film in which the characters Gozo Kuroshio and Gisuke Haniwa made their debut. Black Ghost of Cyborg 009, whose design is reportedly based on Skull Man. References External links Official Website Tokyopop's 1970 manga 2007 anime television series debuts 2007 Japanese television series endings Anime composed by Shirō Sagisu Bones (studio) Fuji TV original programming Horror anime and manga Kazuhiko Shimamoto Kodansha manga Media Factory manga Mystery anime and manga Sentai Filmworks Shōnen manga Shotaro Ishinomori Superheroes in anime and manga Supernatural anime and manga Tokyopop titles Censored television series Works banned in China Television censorship in China Gekiga Japanese superheroes