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

Masahito Soda is a Japanese manga artist. Soda studied at Nihon University, but left prior to graduating. He worked as an assistant for Taku Kitazaki, and debuted in 1990 with ''GET ROCK'', published in ''Magazine Special''. His most notable series are ''Firef ...

. It was serialized in

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...

's ''

Weekly Shōnen Sunday is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since March 1959. Contrary to its title, ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' issues are released on Wednesdays. ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' has sold over 1.8billion copies since 1986, ...

'' from September 1995 to June 1999. The manga has been licensed in North America by

Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...

. 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 ...

film produced by

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...

was released in July 1999. A

Japanese television drama , also called , are television programs that are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, jidaigeki, thriller ...

was broadcast on

Fuji Television JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba today is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially b ...

in 2004. A manga sequel, titled ''Megumi no Daigo: Kyūkoku no Orange'', began 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 ''

Monthly Shōnen Magazine is a monthly shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Kodansha. It was launched in 1964 under the name . In 1969 it was retitled as and its publication frequency increased from quarterly to monthly. After suspension in 1974 it started pu ...

'' in October 2020. An anime television series adaptation of ''Megumi no Daigo: Kyūkoku no Orange'', produced by

Brain's Base is a Japanese animation studio founded in 1996 by former Tokyo Movie Shinsha staff. Works Television series Original video animations Films See also * Shuka * Lapin Track * Platinum Vision is a anime, Japanese animation studio found ...

, is set to premiere in 2023. As of August 2022, the manga had over 14 million in circulation. In 1996, ''Daigo of Fire Company M'' won the 42nd

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga awards, and is sponsored by Shogakukan, Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga and features candidates from a number of publishers. It is the oldest manga award in Japan, being ...

in the '' shōnen'' category.

Plot

As a child, Daigo Asahina's life was saved by a

fireman A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

. He grew up and never forgot the brave, nameless man who rescued and inspired him to become a firefighter himself. Now as a firefighter in training at Medaka-Ga-Hama Fire Station in Sengoku City, Daigo must grow up quickly, learn the ropes, and find out if he truly has what it takes to become a heroic fireman.

Characters

; : :An 18-year-old young man who thinks he knows everything about firefighting. ; : :The captain of Fire Company M whose easy-going attitude is initially off-putting to the overzealous Daigo. ; : :Daigo's high school teacher who continues to offer encouragement even though he is no longer her student. She treats him as though he is her little brother, though Daigo has feelings for her. ; : :Daigo's serious-minded rival at Kujiradai Fire Station, one of the busiest stations in the area.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Masahito Soda, ''Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M'' was serialized in

's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''

'' from September 6, 1995, to June 16, 1999. Shogakukan collected its chapters in twenty ''

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, released from January 18, 1996, to August 7, 1999. Shogakukan republished the series into eleven '' bunkoban'' volumes from October 4, 2005, to May 13, 2006. In North America,

licensed the manga for English language release. The twenty volumes were released from December 10, 2002, to November 13, 2007. In December 2013, Viz Media published the series digitally on their platform. In September 2020, the October issue of

's ''

'' revealed that a new manga series, titled , would start in the November 2020 issue of the magazine, published on October 6, 2020. Soda returned to the series with Kuro Tomiyama serving as his assistant. Kodansha released its first ''tankōbon'' volume on April 16, 2021. As of December 15, 2022, six volumes have been released.

Volume list

''Megumi no Daigo: Kyūkoku no Orange''

Anime

film produced by

premiered on July 27, 1999. An anime television series adaptation of ''Megumi no Daigo: Kyūkoku no Orange'' was announced on December 15, 2022. It is produced by

and directed by Masahiko Murata. The series is set to premiere in 2023.

Drama

A 11-episode

was broadcast on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...

from January 6 to March 16, 2004.

Reception

As of August 2022, the manga had over 14 million in circulation. In 1996, ''Daigo of Fire Company M'' won the 42nd

in the '' shōnen'' category. The series won an Excellence Award at the 2nd

Japan Media Arts Festival The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held since 1997 by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. The festival begins with an open competition and culminates with the awarding of several prizes and an exhibition. Based on judging by ...

in 1998.

References

External links

* * {{Brain's Base 1995 manga 1999 anime films 2004 Japanese television series debuts 2004 Japanese television series endings 2023 anime television series debuts Brain's Base Drama anime and manga Films about firefighting Fuji TV dramas Kodansha manga Shogakukan franchises Shogakukan manga Shōnen manga Sunrise (company) Thriller anime and manga Upcoming anime television series Viz Media manga Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga