is a Japanese

manga 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 history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written and illustrated by Ryo Nakama. A number of one-shot chapters were published in

Shueisha is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...

's ''

Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump (magazine line), Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many Action (fiction), action scenes and a fair ...

'' from May to August 2013 before being serialized in the same magazine from October 2013 to October 2017. Its chapters were collected in 16 volumes. It was adapted into a

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Barry Allen ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flash ...

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

in October 2013, and a series of "manime" (short anime of 30 seconds) were streamed online in 2015, and appeared at Japanese cinemas as intermissions, in Japanese stores and television in 2016. A second season premiered in 2017. A stage play adaptation premiered in 2016. A ten-episode live-action television drama adaptation aired from July to September 2024.

Story

The story follows Isobē Isobe, a young man training to become a samurai during Japan's

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. Despite his aspirations for martial excellence, Isobē's indolent nature consistently undermines his progress. The narrative humorously depicts his daily life in Edo as he indulges in leisurely pursuits rather than disciplined study, resulting in little advancement toward his samurai ambitions.

Characters

; : : ; : : ; : : ; : :

Media

Manga

''Isobe Isobē Monogatari'' is written and illustrated by . Nakama first published various one-shot chapters of the series in

's ''

'' from May 27 to August 5, 2013. It was then serialized in the same magazine from October 21, 2013, to October 16, 2017. Various other chapters were published in other Shueisha's magazines: in ''

V Jump is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine, focusing on manga as well as video games based on popular manga. The magazine's debut was in 1990 by Shueisha under the '' Jump'' line of magazines. History In the early 1990s, Shueisha directed ''Weekly ...

'' on October 21, 2013; in ''

Saikyō Jump is a Japanese monthly Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga magazine published by Shueisha. The magazine was started on December 3, 2010 with three completely original titles and seven spin-off (media), spin-off manga from series in ''Weekly Shōnen J ...

'' on December 26, 2013, and June 4, 2014; in ''Jump Next!'' from December 27, 2013, to October 13, 2015; and ''Spur '' on May 20, 2014. Two extra chapters after the main series finished were published in ''Jump Giga'' on November 24, 2017, and another on ''

Shōnen Jump+ is a manga platform created by Shueisha. Launched on September 22, 2014, it operates as a free mobile app and website. Jump+ serializes original titles and titles from other Shueisha manga magazines, and also carries digital editions of ''Weekl ...

'' digital platform on January 4, 2018. Shueisha collected its chapters in 16 volumes, released from February 4, 2014, to January 4, 2018.

Volumes

Anime

adaptation was announced with the serialized manga debut in October 2013. The four episodes premiered in 2013. A series of "mame anime" (bean anime) or "manime" for short (described as a short anime of approximately 30 seconds in length) debuted online on December 12, 2015, and was available on the Japanese video streaming services ''GYAO!'' and ''dTV''. It was also presented by

Shochiku is a Japanese entertainment company. Founded in 1895, it initially managed '' kabuki'' theaters in Kyoto; in 1914, it also acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. In 1920, Shochiku entered the film production industry and establis ...

at the Shinjuku Piccadilly, MOVIX, and SMT cinemas as intermissions, in the Shosen Book Tower and Shosen Grande bookstores, in

Animate Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

stores nationwide. The episodes also appeared on television. More episodes were streamed in April and a DVD was released on April 27, 2016. The entirety of the manime and a "special video" for the series were screening at the Jump Special Anime Festa, held from November 27 and December 4, 2016. A second season of the manime premiered on March 6, 2017.

Stage play

A stage play adaptation ran at the

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

's ABC Hall for 10 performances from April 20–26, 2016. It starred Takuya Inoue as Isobe Isobē and Yoshihiro Nakayama as Mother. It was directed and scripted by Kenichi Suemitsu with music composed by Shunsuke Wada.

Drama

A 10-episode live-action television drama adaptation was announced on March 13, 2024. The drama is written and directed by Toru Hosokawa, with Atsushi Hirasawa composing the music, and Haruna Ueda, Shiori Kodaka, Kōsuke Katō, and Atsushi Morii credited as producers. It aired from July 12 to September 13, 2024, on Wowow.

Reception

The series placed 47th out of 50 titles on '' Da Vinci''s magazine 15th "Book of the Year" list in 2014. It ranked tenth on a 2017 poll of the "strongest" gag manga to ever appear in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'', conducted by Goo Ranking website. In a poll conducted by Goo Ranking asking fans about what manga they think would be the next "poster manga" of ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'', the series placed ninth out of 20 titles. The series ranked third in the first

Next Manga Award The is an annual award for manga series presented by Kadokawa Corporation's '' Da Vinci'' magazine and Niconico streaming website. It is divided into two categories: one for print manga, and one for web manga. Overview The award was originally ...

in the print manga category.

References

External links

* * * * {{Gathering Comedy anime and manga Gathering Historical anime and manga Manga adapted into television series Shōnen manga Shueisha manga Wowow original programming