Long Riders!

**Long Riders!** (ろんぐらいだぁす!, *Rongu Raidāsu!*) is a Japanese manga series by Taishi Miyake. It is about a group of college girls and the long-distance bicycle rides that they go on together.

An anime adaptation was produced in 2016. It is principally an *iyashikei*, or relaxation slice-of-life show. There's no conflict, light music, and in each episode they go for a bike ride and enjoy food together.

## Plot

Upon seeing someone riding on a bike, college student Ami Kurata buys a folding bike and takes up bicycling with her friend Aoi Niigaki. After meeting experienced cyclists Hinako Saijo, Yayoi Ichinose, and Saki Takamiya, Ami gets a road bike and enters the world of road cycling with them. They progress to longer distances and visit interesting places along the way.

## Characters

### Team Fortuna

* **Ami Kurata**: A newcomer to cycling, Ami soon gains a group of friends who show her a new world of adventure through riding long distances.
* **Aoi Niigaki**: Ami’s best friend who is always looking out for her
* **Hinako Saijo**: A veteran cyclist who looks for the most difficult challenges. Sometimes her ambition surpasses the ability of what her friends can accomplish.
* **Yayoi Ichinose**: Hinako’s best friend who is always there to put things back together when Hinako’s plan is too much for one of the others
* **Saki Takamiya**: A veteran cyclist who is happy to ride by herself, but enjoys being part of the team as well

### Supporting Characters

* **Miya Saeki**: Ami's college classmate, who takes an interest in cycling after listening to Ami's cycling tales
* **Emi Kurata**: Ami's sister, who is always surprised by Ami's behavior
* **Alpaca Cycle Manager**: The operator of the local bike shop. She wears a stuffed alpaca as a hat, and ends her sentences with "paca"

## Episode Guide

1. A Small Miracle (小さな奇跡)
2. Seaside Cycling (海沿いサイクリング)
3. A New World (新しい世界)
4. The Secret Part-Time Job (秘密のアルバイト)
5. A Different World (変わる世界)
6. Fortuna (フォルトゥーナ)
7. The Bonds of the Team (チームの絆)
8. The Expanding World (広がる世界)
9. Azumi Autumn Ride! Part One (あずみオータムライド! 前編)
10. Azumi Autumn Ride! Part Two (あずみオータムライド! 後編)
11. The Moment the Town Starts to Move (街が動き出す瞬間)
12. Long Riders! (ろんぐらいだぁす！)

## Music

* **Opening:** ♡Km/h (Heart kilometer per hour), by Ray
* **Ending:** Happy Ice Cream! by the principal voice actors from the anime
* **Original Soundtrack**  by Hiroaki Tsutsumi

## Publication

*Long Riders!* began as a series of comic strips which Taishi Miyake contributed to anthology fanzine *Long Riders* (ロングライダース), beginning with issue 2.0 in February 2012. Throughout 2012 he also wrote several additional strips using the same characters, which he posted to his blog as a web comic.

*Long Riders!* began serialization in Ichijinsha's Comic Rex magazine from the November 2012 issue (published Sept 27). It went on hiatus in 2018, then moved to Monthly Bushiroad Magazine under the new title **Long Rider Stories!** (ろんぐらいだぁすとーりーず, *Rongu Raidāsutorizu!*) in March 2019.

Publication of the collected chapters from Comic Rex began with the first volume on March 27, 2013. The Comic Rex publication and the anime included a credit for draft/planning cooperation (原案∙企画協力) to the *Long Riders* fanzine. A supplemental volume was published on May 27, 2014 as Volume 0, presenting the earlier comics from the *Long Riders* magazine and all of the web comics. A series of touring guides was also published, with route maps and location information, and strips by other artists.

An anime adaptation by Actas aired in Japan between October and December 2016, with the remaining episodes aired on February 5, 2017. It was first streamed on the now discontinued Daisuki service. It became available on Crunchyroll in 2018.. They dropped it in 2020, and it is currently available on HiDive.

A novelization by Kei Aramoto (阿羅本景) began with Volume 1 in August 2020.

## References

1. ↑ *Longriders Blog*: Introducing Taishi Miyake
2. ↑ *Amazon*: Longriders Issue 2.0
3. ↑ *Ameblo*: Taishi Miyake Blog
4. ↑ *Amazon*: Comic Rex Nov 2012
5. ↑ *Anime News Network*: Long Riders! resumes in Bushiroad
6. ↑ *Amazon*: Long Riders! Vol 1
7. ↑ *Japanese Wikipedia*" Long Riders!
8. ↑ *Amazon*: Long Riders Vol 0
9. ↑ *Anime News Network*: Crunchyroll adds Long Riders
10. ↑ *Amazon*: Long Riders! Novel

## External Links

* *Monthly Bushiroad*: Official Manga site
* Official Anime site
* Japanese Wikipedia: ろんぐらいだぁす!
* Wikipedia
* Anime News Network
* TV Tropes
* *YouTube* - Official Trailer

All the web comics
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