is a Japanese
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series written and illustrated by
Kōji Seo
is a Japanese manga creator from Shobara, Hiroshima, Japan.
He has stated in an interview that he was a member of his high school's track and field team and that he loves to watch baseball, both of which are emphasized in his hit manga '' Suzuka ...
. It was serialized in
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...
's ''
Weekly Shōnen Magazine
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published on Wednesdays in Japan by Kodansha, first published on March 17, 1959. The magazine is mainly read by an older audience, with a significant portion of its readership falling under the male high ...
'' from May 2008 to February 2014 and the chapters collected into 27 ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes. The series follows the daily life of
Haruto Kirishima as he becomes enamored with
Yuzuki Eba.
A
story arc
A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...
from ''A Town Where You Live'' was adapted into an
original video animation
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
series called ''A Town Where You Live: Twilight Intersection'' by
Tatsunoko Production
and often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and " sea dragon", the inspiration for its seahorse logo. Tatsunoko's headquarters are ...
in 2012. An
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television series adaptation animated by
Gonzo
Gonzo may refer to:
People
* Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname
* Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo
* Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose sta ...
aired from July to September 2013, later spawning a
radio program
A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode.
Radio networ ...
,
drama CD
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
, and an
image song
An image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album (often called an image album or character album) for an anime, game, ''dorama'', manga, or commercial product that is sometimes sung by the voice actor or actor of a character ...
. Reception towards the manga was mixed with reviewers praising the plot for its realism or panning it as predictable and cliché.
Plot
Years prior, Haruto Kirishima befriends Yuzuki Eba and asks her to return to his hometown,
Shōbara, Hiroshima
is a city located in northeastern Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on March 31, 1954. As of November 1, 2021, the city has an estimated population of 33,476 and a population density of 26.85 persons per km². The total area is ...
, if she is ever troubled. In the present, Yuzuki transfers to Shōbara due to her estrangement with her step-family. She helps Haruto develop a friendship with his current crush,
Nanami Kanzaki, but Haruto ultimately falls in love with Yuzuki. He helps Yuzuki reconcile with her family which encourages her to return to Tokyo. The two begin a long-distance relationship until Yuzuki suddenly cuts all ties with him. Haruto transfers to Tokyo and learns Yuzuki has begun dating
Kyousuke Kazama out of sympathy for his terminal illness. In response, Haruto declares he will take Yuzuki back prompting Kyousuke to take a risky surgery in order to compete for Yuzuki's love fairly. Following Kyousuke's death, Haruto and Yuzuki stop seeing each other out of guilt.
Two years later, Haruto has been dating
Asuka Mishima. When he reunites with Yuzuki, the two realize they still love each other. Haruto ends his relationship with Asuka in order to be with Yuzuki which causes their friends to ostracize them. When Yuzuki's father objects to their relationship and attempts to relocate her, she runs away from home to live with Haruto; the two eventually earn her father's approval. After reconciling with their friends and graduating from university, Haruto takes a job that relocates him to
Kōchi. Unable to sustain their relationship, the two break up; two years later, Haruto is transferred back to Tokyo and reunites with Yuzuki, who had been waiting for his return. The two are married shortly after.
Characters
;
Haruto is a high school student in
Shōbara, Hiroshima
is a city located in northeastern Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on March 31, 1954. As of November 1, 2021, the city has an estimated population of 33,476 and a population density of 26.85 persons per km². The total area is ...
. He has an earnest personality and chastises others when they are in the wrong. Because he often cooks for his family and friends, Haruto is skilled at cooking and considers it as a possible career. His older sister lives in Tokyo in the dorm room next to the
Akitsukis from ''
Suzuka''. He has a long-time crush on classmate
Nanami Kanzaki, but his feelings shift towards Yuzuki as the series progresses. At the end of the series, he marries Yuzuki, has a son named Daiki, and opens up his own restaurant. In both Tatsunoko Production's and Gonzo's anime, he is voiced by
Yoshimasa Hosoya.
;
Years prior to the series, Yuzuki attends a summer festival in Shōbara where she befriends Haruto. There, Haruto tells her to return if she is ever troubled. Since then, she grew fond of Haruto and plans to visit him one day. After her father's remarriage, Yuzuki feels estranged by her family and decides to attend school in Shōbara. Due to Haruto's intervention, Yuzuki is able to mend her relationship with her step-family, prompting her to return to Tokyo. There, the terminally ill
Kyousuke Kazama asks Yuzuki to be his girlfriend for the remainder of his lifespan. Following Kyousuke's death, Yuzuki decides to stop seeing Haruto out of guilt. Reunited two years later, the two reaffirm their love, and begin dating. At the end of the series, she married Haruto and they have a son named Daiki. In both Tatsunoko Production's and Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by
Megumi Nakajima
is a Japanese voice actress and singer, who is affiliated with Stay Luck. Her involvement in the entertainment industry began in 2003 when she participated in an audition held by the talent agency Stardust Promotion, becoming affiliated with th ...
.
; Hiroshima characters
* is Haruto's childhood friend. He is unpopular with women and faces rejection regularly. In college, he begins dating
Kiyomi Asakura, whom he later marries when she becomes pregnant. In both Tatsunoko Production's and Gonzo's anime, he is voiced by
Toshiki Masuda
is a Japanese voice actor and singer previously affiliated with Space Craft Group. He became a freelancer in August 2018. He joined the record label Toy's Factory in November 2018 as a voice actor and solo singer.
Biography
Masuda was born on Ma ...
.
* is Haruto and Takashi's childhood friend. She is half Russian and half Japanese which gives her blond hair and blue eyes. After her father becomes ill, Akari drops out of university and returns to Hiroshima for work. She marries Nanami's brother Narumi, but beforehand, confesses her love to Haruto one last time to settle her feelings for him. In both Tatsunoko Production's and Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by Nana Kouno.
* is Haruto's classmate since middle school. She has an older brother named . Due to Yuzuki's efforts, Haruto is able to become close with Nanami and earns her affection. However, she postpones and rejects Haruto's confession as she sees Haruto's love towards Yuzuki. At Seijo University, she eventually dates another guy. In Tatsunoko Production's anime, she is voiced by
Saori Hayami
Saori (written: 沙織, 早織, 佐織, 砂織, 沙保里, 沙緒里, 紗央里, 紗央莉, 左多里 or さおり in hiragana) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Saori (television personality) (born 1981) ...
.
In Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by Yuki Takao.
* is a girl Haruto meets during his summer job in a restaurant. She aspires to be a chef and is highly skilled and devoted to that profession; because of this, she is strict towards her co-workers. Three years later, she runs her own restaurant in Tokyo where Haruto works during his university years.
; Tokyo characters
* is Yuzuki's step-sister. She has a mischievous personality and enjoys flirting with Haruto. After learning that Haruto and Yuzuki had sex, she realizes that she loves Haruto and feels saddened by this revelation. She later appears in ''
Hitman
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
'', another manga by Kōji Seo, where is the CEO of a mobile game company. In Tatsunoko Production's anime, she is voiced by
Aoi Yuuki. In Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by
Saki Fujita
is a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo. She sang the ending theme to the anime '' Tokimeki Memorial Only Love'', "Kiseki no Kakera", (奇跡のかけら) along with Yuki Makishima and Yukako Yoshikawa as well as the opening songs for '' Workin ...
.
* is Haruto's neighbor and classmate after his transfer to Tokyo. Following Kyousuke's death and Haruto and Yuzuki's decision to stop seeing each other, she and Haruto begin dating. At the end of the series, she is a pitcher on Japan's national baseball team. She later appears in ''Hitman'', where the protagonist is assigned to make a manga based on her life. In Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by
Ayane Sakura
is a Japanese voice actress. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. Her roles included Natsumi Koshigaya in ''Non Non Biyori'', Secre Swallowtail in '' Black Clover'', Ochaco Uraraka in ''My Hero Academia'', Tsubaki Sawabe in ''Your Lie in April ...
.
* is Yuzuki's senior at school and becomes friends with Haruto. He uses his terminal illness to make Yuzuki his girlfriend. Upon learning about Yuzuki's relationship with Haruto, Kyousuke decides to undergo a risky surgery to cure his ailment and to win Yuzuki's love fairly; the surgery results in his death. In Gonzo's anime series, he is voiced by
Daisuke Ono
is a Japanese voice actor and singer who won the 4th and 9th Seiyu Awards for best lead actor for his role as Sebastian Michaelis in ''Black Butler'', Jotaro Kujo in '' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' and Shukuro Tsukishima in ''Bleach'', as well ...
.
* is Haruto's high school classmate in Tokyo. Learning that Mina has tickets for an event at Yuzuki's school, Haruto accompanies her which causes her to believe they are on a date. She reappears as a member of the college circle that Haruto joins. There, she comes to believe she and Haruto are a couple again; she later ends this supposed relationship to be with another man. She appears in Gonzo's anime and is voiced by
Sayuri Yahagi
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with I'm Enterprise. She is the narrator of Animax.
Biography
Yahagi lived in Hachinohe, Aomori. She thought "Anime is a picture talking" and said that she had no idea about voice acting until her friend ta ...
.
* is Kyousuke Kazama's childhood friend. She originally despises Yuzuki for her relationship with Kyousuke, and works with Haruto to try to split them apart. She confesses her love to Kyousuke before he undergoes his surgery. She begins dating Takashi and the two marry when she becomes pregnant. She appears in Gonzo's anime and is voiced by
Aya Endo.
* is a business student at Seijo University. She stages an incriminating situation in order to blackmail Haruto into taking class notes for her. Despite her family's opposition, she decides to pursue her dream as a
manga artist
A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan.
Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...
. She later appears as a supporting character in ''Hitman''.
* is Haruto's neighbor during his university years. She does not have friends at the university and, because she has gone to an all-girls high school, has androphobia. After interacting with Haruto and Yuzuki, she becomes more social and studies abroad.
* is Yuzuki's student from her
cram school
A cram school, informally called crammer and colloquially also referred to as test-prep or exam factory, is a specialized school that trains its students to achieve particular goals, most commonly to pass the entrance examinations of high schoo ...
job. She develops a crush on Haruto and decides to pursue him. When she becomes a high school student, she moves into Miyu's old apartment.
Publication and conception
''A Town Where You Live'' is authored by
Kōji Seo
is a Japanese manga creator from Shobara, Hiroshima, Japan.
He has stated in an interview that he was a member of his high school's track and field team and that he loves to watch baseball, both of which are emphasized in his hit manga '' Suzuka ...
. It was first announced for serialization in
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...
's ''
Weekly Shōnen Magazine
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published on Wednesdays in Japan by Kodansha, first published on March 17, 1959. The magazine is mainly read by an older audience, with a significant portion of its readership falling under the male high ...
'', issue 24, 2008.
It premiered in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' in issue 26 of 2008 which was released on May 28.
The final chapter was released in issue 11 of 2014 which was released on February 12.
Seo stated he wanted to create a love story set in his hometown as the inspiration to the series and that some of his characters were inspired by his friends.
Kouji Seo created a
guide book
A guide book or travel guide is "a book of information about a place designed for the use of visitors or tourists". It will usually include information about sights, accommodation, restaurants, transportation, and activities. Maps of varying det ...
titled which was released on August 16, 2013.
A special volume, titled collecting nine previously released alternative chapters 200 (also serving as alternative endings with other heroines) was released on October 17, 2018.
Six of those chapters were previously released with the limited edition of the Gonzo anime volumes, two with limited editions of manga volumes 26 and 27, and one as a bonus released by
Amuse Soft Entertainment. A free epilogue chapter was released online on April 1, 2020.
On October 30, 2013,
Crunchyroll Manga
''Crunchyroll Manga'' is a digital manga anthology published by Crunchyroll in North America. It began distribution on October 30, 2013. The service launched with a lineup of twelve titles, with chapters released simultaneously with their Japan ...
was launched and included ''A Town Where You Live'' in its library with English translation by Abby Lehrke;
the series has also been published in languages such as French and Chinese.
Anime adaptations
Tatsunoko Production
is a two episode
original video animation
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
series animated by
Tatsunoko Production
and often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and " sea dragon", the inspiration for its seahorse logo. Tatsunoko's headquarters are ...
in collaboration with the city, Shōbara.
Yasuhiro Yoshiura and Hiroshi Kobayashi were the directors with script by Momoko Murakami and music by Keiichi Oku. The series'
theme song
Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
was by
Erina Mano
is a Japanese idol singer and actress formerly associated with Hello! Project. She joined in 2006 as a member of Hello Pro Egg, as a trainee. In 2007, she became a member of the Hello! Project futsal team Gatas Brilhantes H.P. and its musical ...
;
the theme song was later released as a
CD single
A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...
by
Hello! Project
is a Japanese musical collective consisting of all female recording artists and groups under Up-Front Promotion, a subsidiary of Up-Front Group. The name was initially used as Michiyo Heike and Morning Musume's fan club name in 1999, but has s ...
.
The episodes were bundled with the limited edition manga volume 17 and 18; they were released on March 16 and June 15, 2012, respectively.
The series covers Haruto Kirishima's class trip to Tokyo as he separates from his classmates to search for Yuzuki Eba.
Gonzo
''A Town Where You Live'' was adapted into an
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television series animated by
Gonzo
Gonzo may refer to:
People
* Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname
* Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo
* Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose sta ...
. Shigeyasu Yamauchi was the director with script by
Reiko Yoshida
is a Japanese screenwriter. She has written and supervised numerous screenplays for anime series, live-action dramas and films. Her major works include ''Kaleido Star'', ''Aria'', ''Maria-sama ga Miteru'', '' D.Gray-man'', ''K-On!'', ''Bakuman' ...
and music by Keiichi Oku.
It was first announced in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'', issue 15, 2013.
To promote the show, a
radio program
A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode.
Radio networ ...
consisting of the anime's voice cast was broadcast on
Nippon Cultural Broadcasting
is a Japanese radio station in Tokyo which broadcasts to the Kanto area. It is one of the two flagship radio stations of National Radio Network (NRN) (the other station is ) and is a member of the Fujisankei Communications Group.
History
The ...
between July 6 and July 27, 2013.
The anime aired on
TXN between July 13 and September 28, 2013.
It was also broadcast on
HOME
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...
and
AT-X and was made available for streaming on networks such as
Niconico and
Bandai Channel
is a distributor and broadcaster of anime by broadband access. It was established on March 1, 2002, by Bandai in coordination with Sunrise, Bandai Visual
was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Ba ...
.
The series uses four theme songs: The opening theme is by Mimimememimi.
The first ending theme is which was used for the first six episodes while its alternate version, ''Answer Songs'' was used for the final episode; the song was done by
Yoshimasa Hosoya.
The remaining episodes' ending theme was ''Dear Friend'' by
Daisuke Ono
is a Japanese voice actor and singer who won the 4th and 9th Seiyu Awards for best lead actor for his role as Sebastian Michaelis in ''Black Butler'', Jotaro Kujo in '' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' and Shukuro Tsukishima in ''Bleach'', as well ...
.
[Ending between & ] ''Sentimental Love'' was released as a CD single by A-Sketch while ''Kimi no Iru Machi'' and ''Dear Friend'' were released by
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
.
Right Stuf Inc.
Right Stuf Inc. (formerly known as The Right Stuf International Inc.) is an American video publisher and distributor of video programming that specializes in Asian entertainment (anime and live action films). The company since 2022 is owned by ...
's Nozomi Entertainment announced an English subtitled release for North America in July 2015.
Each of the six limited edition DVD/Blu-ray volumes of the series included a bonus manga chapter that serves as an alternative chapter 200 and an alternative ending with other heroines.
Gonzo also animated two original video animation episodes which are bundled with the limited editions of manga volume 26 and 27.
Gonzo's anime adaptation resulted in a
drama CD
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
and an
image song
An image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album (often called an image album or character album) for an anime, game, ''dorama'', manga, or commercial product that is sometimes sung by the voice actor or actor of a character ...
release.
Episode list
Reception
In Japan, ''A Town Where You Live'' manga volumes frequently appeared on weekly sales charts during their week of release.
Jason Thompson praised ''A Town Where You Live''s serious, mature tone and wrote that the audiences will either like the series for its realism or criticize it as slow and mundane.
Manga-News praised the series' introduction for being more realistic than the author's previous work, ''
Suzuka'', and the plot which was described as eventful.
In later volumes, Manga-News criticized the plot for being predictable, encompassing cliché aspects of the genre, and for dragging its story.
They also panned the characters' behavior, calling it implausible and inconsistent.
Manga-News returned to positive reviews during the volumes involving Kyousuke Kazama; they praised the story arc for introducing a new setting, for breaking away from the usual classicism, and for surprising the readers for the first time in the series.
Following this, Manga-News returned to negative reviews, echoing their previous points.
AnimeLand had similar reactions. Initially, they were positive, praising the realistic protagonist, but further reviews repeated Manga-News' criticisms.
Works cited
* "Ch." is shortened form for chapter and refers to a chapter number of the ''A Town Where You Live'' manga.
Japanese notes and terminology
References
External links
;Manga
* at Crunchyroll Manga
* at Kodansha
*
;Anime
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Town Where You Live
Gonzo (company)
Kodansha manga
Romance anime and manga
Shōnen manga
Tatsunoko Production
Works by Kōji Seo