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 Chūya Koyama. It has been serialized in

Kodansha is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...

's manga magazine ''

Morning Morning is either the period from sunrise to noon, or the period from midnight to noon. In the first definition it is preceded by the twilight period of dawn, and there are no exact times for when morning begins (also true of evening and nigh ...

'' since December 2007. A 99-episode

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 ...

television series adaptation by

A-1 Pictures is a Japanese animation studio and production company founded by ex- Sunrise producer Mikihiro Iwata. It is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan's anime production firm Aniplex. History The company was established by SMEJ's animat ...

aired from April 2012 to March 2014. The manga was also adapted into a

live-action film Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a Live-action animation, live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define ...

that premiered in May 2012. An anime film, ''Space Brothers #0'', premiered in August 2014. In 2011, ''Space Brothers'' won the general category at both, the 56th

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major 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 ...

and the 35th

Kodansha Manga Award is one of Japan's major manga awards. The event is sponsored by publisher Kodansha. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga in its third iteration since 1977. Categories The award was originally called the until 1968. In 1970, it was ...

. By March 2022, the manga had 28 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series.

Story

In the summer of 2006, Mutta Nanba and his younger brother, Hibito, witness what they believe to be a UFO, which flies off towards the Moon. Hibito decides he will go onto the Moon whilst Mutta decides he will aim for Mars. Nineteen years later, in the year 2025, Hibito has become a fully fledged

JAXA The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into o ...

astronaut assigned to go on a mission towards the moon. Mutta, on the other hand, has not been so successful in achieving his dreams. As Mutta eventually recalls his past ambitions, he receives a letter stating he has been accepted to join a JAXA training program for new astronauts. The series follows Mutta as he seeks to become an astronaut and achieve his longtime dream just like his brother did.

Media

Manga

''Space Brothers'', written and illustrated by Chūya Koyama, has been serialized in

's ''Morning'' since December 6, 2007. Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on March 21, 2008. As of July 23, 2024, 44 volumes have been released. The manga is available in digital form in North America and Europe from ComiXology and Amazon in both volume and SimulPub chapter format. It was previously also available in English as part of a read-only subscription from

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...

and

Kodansha USA Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC is a publishing company based in New York, US, and a subsidiary of Japan's largest publishing company Kodansha. Established in July 1st 2008, Kodansha USA publishes books relating to Japan, Japanese culture, and man ...

Anime

A 99-episode

television series adaptation by

aired on

Yomiuri TV JOIX-DTV (channel 10), branded as , is the Kansai region flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned by the , itself a subsidiary of Yomiuri Chukyo FS Broadcasting Holdings. FYCS is partially c ...

from April 1, 2012, to March 22, 2014. It was simulcast by

. The series is licensed by

Sentai Filmworks Sentai Filmworks, LLC (or simply Sentai) is an American entertainment company. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is Sentai Studios. The ...

in North America. The 31st episode, which aired on November 4, 2012, features the first piece of voice acting to be recorded in space, performed by astronaut

Akihiko Hoshide is a Japanese engineer, JAXA The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology developm ...

aboard the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...

. A special episode titled was screened in planetariums during Summer 2012 and was released on DVD with the 20th manga volume on February 22, 2013. In January 2024, Chūya Koyama stated that the anime is planned to continue after the manga ends.

Music

;Opening themes #"Feel So Moon" by

Unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since Classical antiquity, antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn (anatomy), horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unico ...

(episodes 1–13) # by

Sukima Switch is a Japanese rock/jazz fusion duo consisting of core members , born May 9, 1978, and , born February 25, 1978, formed in 1999. Formerly with BMG Japan (bought by SMEJ in early 2009), they signed with Sony Music Japan's Ariola Japan label in ...

(episodes 14–26) # by Does (episodes 27–38) #"Small World" by Fujifabric (episodes 39–51) # by Magokoro Brothers (episodes 52–64) # by Merengue (episodes 65–75) #"HALO" by tacica (episodes 76–87) #"B.B." by THE Yatou (episodes 88–99) ;Ending themes # by

Rake Rake may refer to: Common meanings * Rake (tool), a horticultural implement, a long-handled tool with tines * Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct * Rake (poker), the commission taken by the house when hosting a poker game ...

(episodes 1–13) # by Angela Aki (episodes 14–26) # by Akihisa Kondō (episodes 27–38) # by Motohiro Hata (episodes 39–51) #"Beyond" by

Miho Fukuhara (born June 19, 1987) is a Japanese singer, songwriter and actress who made an independent label debut in 2006, releasing a single titled "The Roots" and mini-album titled ''Step Out''. In early 2008, she made her major-label debut under Sony Mus ...

(episodes 52–64) # by Flower Companyz (episodes 65–75) #"New World" by Kasarinchu (episodes 76–87) #"Anata ga Ireba OK!" by Serena (episodes 88–99)

Films

Live action film

A live-action film adaptation of ''Space Brothers'' was produced by

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

and released in Japanese theatres on May 5, 2012, later being screened at the Japanese Film Festival in Australia later that year. The adaptation was written by Chuya Koyama and directed by Yoshitaka Mori, with

Shun Oguri is a Japanese people, Japanese actor and Voice acting in Japan, voice actor, son of stage director Tetsuya Oguri, and the youngest of 3 siblings, including older brother Ryo, who is also an actor. He started in small roles as extra in the works ...

and

Masaki Okada is a Japanese actor. Personal life On November 19, 2024, Okada and actress Mitsuki Takahata jointly announced through the media that they are getting married. Filmography Films * ''The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locke ...

playing the roles of Mutta and Hibito respectively. Real life astronaut

Buzz Aldrin Buzz Aldrin ( ; born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.; January 20, 1930) is an American former astronaut, engineer and fighter pilot. He made three extravehicular activity, spacewalks as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 12 mission, and was the Lunar Module Eag ...

plays a cameo in the film as himself. The theme song for the film is British alternative rock band

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

's " Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" from their album ''

Mylo Xyloto ''Mylo Xyloto'' (pronounced ) is the fifth studio album by British Rock music, rock band Coldplay. It was released on 19 October 2011 in Japan and on 24 October 2011 in the rest of the world. The band worked closely with producer Brian Eno fo ...

''. The film won the "Best of Puchon" and "NH Nonghyup Citizen's Choice" awards at the 16th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.

Anime film

A prequel anime film titled ''Space Brothers #0'' (''Uchū Kyōdai #0'' in Japanese) was released in Japanese theaters on August 9, 2014. Manga creator Chūya Koyama wrote the script for the film.

Reception

It has been nominated twice for the

Manga Taishō The is a Japanese List of comics awards, comics award recognizing achievement in manga. It is awarded annually to a manga series published in the previous calendar year of eight or fewer Tankōbon, collected volumes in length. The Manga Taish� ...

, in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, it won the award for best general manga at the 56th

s and at the

(shared with Chica Umino's ''

March Comes In Like a Lion is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Chica Umino. It has been serialized in Hakusensha's manga magazine '' Young Animal'' since July 2007, with its chapters collected in 17 volumes as of August 2023. It follows the li ...

''). In 2014, it won the Reader Prize of the 18th

Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Named after Osamu Tezuka, the is a yearly manga prize awarded to manga artists or their works that follow the Osamu Tezuka manga approach founded and sponsored by Asahi Shimbun. The prize has been awarded since 1997, in Tokyo, Japan. Current ...

. By March 2022, the manga had over 28 million copies in circulation. In 2024, alongside ''

Case Closed ''Case Closed'', also known as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' since January 1994; its chapters are collected in 10 ...

'', ''Space Brothers'' won the grand prize of Rakuten Kobo's second E-book Award in the "Long Seller Comic" category.

References

External links

* * * * * {{A-1 Pictures A-1 Pictures Comics set on the Moon Drama anime and manga Films scored by Takayuki Hattori Films scored by Toshiyuki Watanabe Films with screenplays by Makoto Uezu Hard science fiction Japanese science fiction films Kodansha manga Live-action films based on manga NASA in fiction Science fiction anime and manga Seinen manga Sentai Filmworks Slice of life anime and manga Television series about astronauts Television series set in the 2020s Winner of Kodansha Manga Award (General) Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga Works about brothers Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation original programming