Touch (manga)
The manga has been adapted into a 101-episode anime television series – which was one of the highest-rated anime television series ever, three theatrical anime movies which summarized the TV series, two anime television specials which take place after the events in the TV series, a live-action TV drama special, and a live-action movie released in 2005. "Touch" has sold over 100 million copies, making it one of the best-selling manga series. In 1983, it was one of the winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for the "shōnen" and "shōjo" categories, along with Adachi 's other work "Miyuki". Synopsis. "Touch" follows twin brothers Tatsuya and Kazuya Uesugi, along with their childhood friend and nextdoor neighbor Minami Asakura. Tatsuya, a naturally gifted athlete whose raw skills exceeds Kazuya’s, has always allowed his hard-working younger brother to take the spotlight, but as the two of them near high school with Minami, Tatsuya realizes that perhaps he doesn’t want to lose Minami to his brother after all. When Kazuya is struck in a traffic accident on the morning before the final game of the regional tournament, Tatsuya takes over his brother’s position of  ace pitcher, and utilizes his natural talent to complete his younger brother’s goal of fulfilling Minami’s dream of going to the Koshien. Media. Manga. The series was collected in 26 tankōbon volumes. It has been reissued in 11 wideban volumes, 14 bunkoban volumes, and then again in 17 "perfect edition" volumes in the original magazine size with color inserts. Original release Wideban release Bunkoban release Kanzenban release My First Wide Anime series. The anime series of "Touch" premiered on March 24, 1985, and ran until March 22, 1987, comprising 101 episodes in total. It was one of the  highest-rated anime television shows ever in Japan, with episodes consistently rated 30+ percentage points during parts of its run. In a 2005 poll by TV Asahi of the top 100 animated television series, "Touch" was ranked 9th. Theatrical films. Three compilation films were created, presenting a condensed version the TV series. was released in Japan on April 12, 1986 by Toho as a double feature with "Take It Easy" starring Kōji Kikkawa. The film was directed by Gisaburō Sugii and written by Yūjin Harada, Satoshi Namiki, and Sugii. The film earned ¥900 million at the box office . The score for the film was composed by Hiroaki Serizawa. The opening and ending theme songs (respectively) were and , both sung by 1980s pop duo Rough & Ready and composed by Serizawa. The themes were released together as a single, reaching #9 on the weekly Oricon charts and placing #63 for the year on the annual chart. The second film, , was released on December 13, 1986 by Toho as a double feature with "Koisuru Onnatachi" starring Yuki Saito. "Touch 2" was directed by Hiroko Tokita and written by Tomoko Konbaru. The score was composed by Serizawa and featured song by the  folk song group Bread & Butter. The final film in the trilogy, , was released by Toho in theaters in Japan on April 11, 1987 as a double feature with starring Onyanko Club member Sayuri Kokushō. "Touch 3" was directed by Sugii and written by Yumiko Takahashi and Sugii. The score for the film was composed by Serizawa. The opening and ending themes (respectively) were and "For the Brand-New Dream", both sung by The Alfee. The two songs were released as a single that ranked #5 on the Oricon charts and #7 on "The Best Ten" music show. Anime specials. There  were two television animated sequel specials aired: one in 1998 and one in 2001. aired as part of the "Friday Roadshow" on Nippon TV on December 11, 1998. It was directed and storyboarded by Akinori Nagaoka and written by Tomoko Konparu. Serizawa reprised his role in writing the score. The opening and ending theme songs (respectively) were sung by Natsumi Sawai and Quick-Times, and "Hi Hi High" sung by Sachiko Kumagai. Just over two years later, also aired as part of the "Friday Roadshow" on NTV on February 9, 2001. It was directed by Nagaoka, written by Konparu and  Sugii, and the score was written by Serizawa. The theme song, , was sung by Satoru Sakamoto (best known for producing the group Dorothy Little Happy). Home video release. A laserdisc boxset containing 26 discs of the series was released in Japan on December 10, 1995. The three theatrical films were released on VHS, and the series and all of the movies have been released on DVD and Blu-ray. TV drama. The TV drama special aired on Fuji TV on June 1, 1987. Live-action movie. A live-action movie of "Touch" was released in Japan on 10 September 2005 ; Keita Saito starred as Kazuya Uesugi, Masami Nagasawa as Minami Asakura, and Syota Saito as Tatsuya Uesugi. Sequel. In 2012, Mitsuru Adachi began the "Mix" manga, and it received a 24-episode anime adaptation in 2019. It is set thirty years after "Touch". Reception. The manga has sold approximately 100 million copies. In 1983, it was one of the winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for the "shōnen" and "shōjo" categories, along with Adachi's other work "Miyuki". Kazuya Kamenashi of the J-pop group KAT-TUN was named after Kazuya Uesugi. Tatsuya Ueda, of the same band, was named  after Tatsuya Uesugi.