Touch (manga)

Touch (タッチ, Tatchi) ("tûch") is a Japanese high school baseball manga by Mitsuru Adachi. It was originally serialized in the weekly manga magazine Shōnen Sunday from 1981â€"1986. The manga was also adapted into a 101-episode anime TV seriesâ€"which was one of the highest-rated anime television series everâ€"three theatrical anime movies which summarized the TV series, two anime TV 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 was one of the winners of the 1983 Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen or shōjo manga, along with Adachi's Miyuki.

Characters

Tatsuya Uesugi (上杉 é"也, Uesugi Tatsuya)

The main character. The elder of the Uesugi twins. Seemingly selfish and lazy, Tatsuya's main quality is his altruistic nature. Naturally athletic, he lets his younger brother progress further than him in baseball so Meisei would win the Koushien fulfilling their childhood dream. Like Kazuya, he loves Minami Asakura, the girl next door and their childhood friend. However, in the field of love, he too cedes to his younger brother, telling everyone that they are meant to be despite his broken heart. After Kazuya's death, he joins the Baseball club as their ace pitcher. Voiced by: YÅ«ji Mitsuya

Kazuya Uesugi (上杉 å'Œä¹Ÿ, Uesugi Kazuya)

The younger of the Uesugi twins. Serious and hard working, he is the complete opposite of his older brother. His pitching skills and perfect grades makes him the favorite of his parents who despite his young age, conspire to get him and Minami to marry. His good looks makes him popular with the girls at school, which irks Tatsuya. Though not as naturally athletic as Tatsuya, Kazuya had work hard to hone his skills since an early age. Like his brother, Kazuya is in love with Minami. He suspects early on that Minami is in love with Tatsuya but even when figuring it out to be the truth, he still refuses to give her up. He hopes to take her to the Koushien and win, fulfilling their dream. But on the day of the finals, he dies due to an accident. Voiced by: Keiichi Nanba

Minami Asakura (浅倉 南, Asakura Minami)

The Uesugi twins' neighbour and childhood friend. An intelligent and active student who has to help her father with house chores and at the family coffee shop since her mother died at a young age. Minami is a pretty girl who is popular at school and the object of desire for both the Uesugi twins. Although her widower father and Mr. and Mrs. Uesugi often pair Minami and Kazuya to be married, her heart truly lies with Tatsuya. Despite that, she is more often seen with Kazuya and actively supports him on the road to the Koushien which makes everyone think that Minami is actually in love with Kazuya, the star pitcher. Like Tatsuya, she is also naturally talented in sports. Voiced by: Noriko Hidaka

Shingo Uesugi (上杉 信悟, Uesugi Shingo); Haruko Uesugi (上杉 晴子, Uesugi Haruko)

Tatsuya and Kazuya's parents. Always seen flirting and teasing with each other despite the boys' presence. Mr. Uesugi sometimes puts on a straight face, usually to tell off Kazuya but soon turns back to teasing with his wife. Mrs. Uesugi is always seen smiling, sometimes giggling behind her hand. They live very carefree lives, often at the cost of their sons.

Punch (ãƒ'ンチ, Panchi)

Punch is the Uesugi family Samoyed. (Shingo, Punch) Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba, (Haruko) Voiced by: Kazue Komiya

Toshio Asakura (浅倉 俊夫, Asakura Toshio)

Minami's father and owner of the Minami Kaze ("South/Southern Wind") coffee shop. A widower, his wife died when Minami was very young. Despite of that, he maintains an upbeat, positive attitude especially when seeing Minami and Kazuya together, hoping that they would soon marry. During match days, he would either watch Meisei's team at the stadium or watch them on the coffee shop's TV if the match is broadcast. Mr. Asakura is also an occasional baseball player. Voiced by: Hiroshi Masuoka (voice actor)

Kōtarō Matsudaira (松平 孝太郎, Matsudaira Kōtarō)

Meisei's catcher. He is Kazuya's best friend and is always paired with him. Voiced by: Shōzō Hayashiya (9th)

Shōhei Harada (原ç"° 正平, Harada Shōhei)

A big, intimidating schoolmate at Meisei. Despite his appearance and gruff attitude, Harada frequently gives Tatsuya sound advice on various matters, and at times shows he genuinely cares about his well being. Voiced by: Banjō Ginga

Akio Nitta (æ–°ç"° 明ç"·, Nitta Akio)

A star slugger for Sumi Tech, the runner-up team at Koshien. Akio became seriously devoted to baseball when he played against Kazuya in middle school. He has a mild crush on Minami, and is a friend of Harada's during junior high when he was a delinquent.Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue

Yuka Nitta (æ–°ç"° ç"±åŠ , Nitta Yuka)

Akio's little sister, she is unusually close to her brother, and somewhat immature besides. She enters Meisei under the pretense of spying for her brother, but seems to develop a schoolgirl crush on Tatsuya. Nevertheless, she is very good at observing and analyzing baseball players. Voiced by: Miina Tominaga

Isami Nishimura (西æ' 勇, Nishimura Isami)

A somewhat conceited pitcher who overestimates his worth in the story. He has a decent curve ball, but is not considered a threat by any of the main characters. He is easily forgotten and ignored, but considers Akio Nitta to be his only rival. Voiced by: Ryūsei Nakao

Eijirō Kashiwaba (柏è'‰ 英二郎, Kashiwaba Eijirō)

A substitute coach, hired under coach Nishio's recommendation. A brutal coach with a Spartan attitude, on his first day, he fires Minami as manager and ruthlessly beats Tatsuya, Nishimura, and anyone who slacks off on the team. Because of him, the entire team works much harder, but lose their enjoyment of the game, causing many to quit. He holds a grudge against Meisei's baseball team because of some events that occurred when he attended. Voiced by: Hideyuki Tanaka

Shigenori Nishio (西尾 茂則, Nishio Shigenori)

Coach of the Meisei High team. He becomes ill in the brothers' senior year, and must stay in the hospital for its entirety. He assigns an interim coach, Eijiro Kashiwaba, to fill his position, touting him as a "kind, gentle man who loves baseball from the bottom of his heart." The players find, however, that Kashiwaba is not like this at all, much to their chagrin. Coach Nishio returns much later, after nearly a full season has passed. Voiced by: Kōichi Kitamura

Sachiko Nishio (西尾 佐知子, Nishio Sachiko)

Daughter of Coach Nishio, and manager for the Meisei High team. She befriends Minami, and encourages her to also become a team manager. She is the girlfriend of Meisei's former ace, Kuroki, and both she and he see prospective talent in Kazuya's older brother, Tatsuya, and they try to recruit him to the baseball team. Voiced by: Hiromi Tsuru

Takeshi Kuroki (é»'木 æ­¦, Kuroki Takeshi)

Upperclassman of Kazuya who initially scouts him out, and finds his pitching incredible enough to recommend that he starts as Meisei's ace in his own place the following year. Afterwards, he moves to third base. He and his girlfriend Sachiko, who also happens to be the team manager, see talent in Tatsuya as well as Kazuya, and constantly try to get him to try out for the team. Voiced by: Kaneto Shiozawa

Takeshi Yoshida (吉ç"° 剛, Yoshida Takeshi)

Transfer student to Meisei High who initially idolizes the older brother, Tatsuya, but eventually becomes bitter because he felt he is a better pitcher than Tatsuya if given the same chance. He then swears to be Tatsuya's enemy, and turns from a kind and pleasant young man into a vengeful and rude curmudgeon. He became distrustful of those who are close to Tatsuya, believing them to be playing favoritism and he wasn't completely wrong. He challenged Tatsuya for the position of the team's ace pitcher but before the match started, he had to move to South America due to his father's job. Voiced by: Yoku Shioya â†' Voiced by: Ryō Horikawa

Sakata (坂ç"°)

Voiced by: Minoru Inaba

Eiichirō Kashiwaba (柏è'‰ 英一郎, Kashiwaba Eiichirō)

The brother of Eijirō, and the one who Coach Nishio thought he was hiring. Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi

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

• Volume 1, December 1981, ISBN 4-09-120651-4
• Volume 2, March 1982, ISBN 4-09-120652-2
• Volume 3, July 1982, ISBN 4-09-120653-0
• Volume 4, October 1982, ISBN 4-09-120654-9
• Volume 5, January 1983, ISBN 4-09-120655-7
• Volume 6, April 1983, ISBN 4-09-120656-5
• Volume 7, July 1983, ISBN 4-09-120657-3
• Volume 8, October 1983, ISBN 4-09-120658-1
• Volume 9, December 1983, ISBN 4-09-120659-X
• Volume 10, May 1984, ISBN 4-09-120660-3
• Volume 11, July 1984, ISBN 4-09-121131-3
• Volume 12, September 1984, ISBN 4-09-121132-1
• Volume 13, November 1984, ISBN 4-09-121133-X
• Volume 14, December 1984, ISBN 4-09-121134-8
• Volume 15, January 1985, ISBN 4-09-121133-X
• Volume 16, April 1985, ISBN 4-09-121136-4
• Volume 17, June 1985, ISBN 4-09-121137-2
• Volume 18, September 1985, ISBN 4-09-121138-0
• Volume 19, October 1985, ISBN 4-09-121139-9
• Volume 20, December 1985, ISBN 4-09-121140-2
• Volume 21, April 1986, ISBN 4-09-121451-7
• Volume 22, May 1986, ISBN 4-09-121452-5
• Volume 23, August 1986, ISBN 4-09-121453-3
• Volume 24, October 1986, ISBN 4-09-121454-1
• Volume 25, November 1986, ISBN 4-09-121455-X
• Volume 26, January 1987, ISBN 4-09-121456-8

Wideban release

• Volume 1, May 1992, ISBN 4-09-123741-X
• Volume 2, July 1992, ISBN 4-09-123742-8
• Volume 3, February 1992, ISBN 4-09-123743-6
• Volume 4, November 1992, ISBN 4-09-123744-4
• Volume 5, January 1993, ISBN 4-09-123745-2
• Volume 6, March 1993, ISBN 4-09-123746-0
• Volume 7, May 1993, ISBN 4-09-123747-9
• Volume 8, July 1993, ISBN 4-09-123748-7
• Volume 9, September 1993, ISBN 4-09-123749-5
• Volume 10, November 1993, ISBN 4-09-123750-9
• Volume 11, January 1994, ISBN 4-09-123751-7

Bunkoban release

• Volume 1, April 1999, ISBN 4-09-193251-7
• Volume 2, April 1999, ISBN 4-09-193252-5
• Volume 3, April 1999, ISBN 4-09-193253-3
• Volume 4, May 1999, ISBN 4-09-193254-1
• Volume 5, June 1999, ISBN 4-09-193255-X
• Volume 6, July 1999, ISBN 4-09-193256-8
• Volume 7, August 1999, ISBN 4-09-193257-6
• Volume 8, October 1999, ISBN 4-09-193258-4
• Volume 9, October 1999, ISBN 4-09-193259-2
• Volume 10, November 1999, ISBN 4-09-193260-6
• Volume 11, December 1999, ISBN 4-09-193261-4
• Volume 12, January 2000, ISBN 4-09-193262-2
• Volume 13, February 2000, ISBN 4-09-193263-0
• Volume 14, March 2000, ISBN 4-09-193264-9

Kanzenban release

• Volume 1, June 2005, ISBN 4-09-127841-8
• Volume 2, June 2005, ISBN 4-09-127842-6
• Volume 3, June 2005, ISBN 4-09-127843-4
• Volume 4, July 2005, ISBN 4-09-127844-2
• Volume 5, July 2005, ISBN 4-09-127845-0
• Volume 6, July 2005, ISBN 4-09-127846-9
• Volume 7, 8 August 2005, ISBN 4-09-127847-7
• Volume 8, 8 August 2005, ISBN 4-09-127848-5
• Volume 9, 8 August 2005, ISBN 4-09-127849-3
• Volume 10, 2 September 2005, ISBN 4-09-127850-7
• Volume 11, 2 September 2005, ISBN 4-09-127861-2
• Volume 12, 2 September 2005, ISBN 4-09-127862-0

My First Wide

• Tatchan and Katchan (タッちゃã‚"とカッちゃã‚", Tatchan to Katchan) (vol.1), June 2002, ISBN 4-09-162134-1
• Though We've Made It to High School (高等部へきたã'れど, Kōtōbu e Kita Keredo) (vol.2), June 2002, ISBN 4-09-162135-X
• Twin Princes (双子の王子, Futago no ÅŒji) (vol.3), June 2002, ISBN 4-09-162136-8
• A Walk or a Strikeout (四球か三振, ShikyÅ« ka Sanshin) (vol.4), July 2002, ISBN 4-09-162155-4

Other books

• Touch: The Last Scene Once Again (タッチ もうひとつのラストシーン, Tatchi: Mō Hitotsu no Rasuto ShÄ«n), 5 August 2005, ISBN 4-09-408045-7
• Touch: Mitsuru Adachi Selected Original Works Collection (タッチ―あだち充自選複製原ç"»é›†, Tatchi: Adachi Mitsuru Jisen Fukusei Genga ShÅ«), November 1986, ISBN 4-09-199591-8

Anime series

The anime series of Touch premiered on 24 March 1985, and ran until 22 March 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.

A Laserdisc boxset of the series was released in Japan on December 10, 1995.

Staff

• Planning: Tadashi Oka (Fuji TV) & Yoshirō Kataoka (ADK), in cooperation with Kiyoshi Usami (OB Planning)
• Executive Producers: Yoshinobu Nakao (Fuji TV), Chihiro Kameyama (Fuji TV), Masashi Fujihara, Shigetsugu Tsuiki
• Art Director: Shichirō Kobayashi
• Backgrounds: Kobayashi Production
• Photography: Studio Gallop
• Music Director: Fusanobu Fujiyama
• Music Work: Zack Promotion
• Music: Hiroaki Serizawa
• Assistant Animation Director: Minoru Maeda
• Series Bungei Organization: Yumiko Takaboshi, Satoshi Namiki
• Title Animation: Gisaburō Sugii, Minoru Maeda, Akinori Nagaoka
• Animation Director: Tsuneo Maeda
• Series Director: Hiroko Tokita
• Assistant Director: Gisaburō Sugii
• Production Assistance: Studio Junio, Studio Gallop, Kitty Films
• Production: Toho, Group TAC, ADK

Theme songs

Opening

Episodes 1-27: Touch, by Yoshimi Iwasaki

Episodes 28-56: Ai ga Hitoribotchi, by Yoshimi Iwasaki

Episodes 57-79: Che! Che! Che!, by Yoshimi Iwasaki

Episodes 80-93: Hitoribotchi no Duet, by Yumekojo

Episodes 94-101: Jōnetsu Monogatari, by Yoshimi Iwasaki

Ending

Episodes 1-27: Kimi ga Inakereba, by Yoshimi Iwasaki

Episodes 28-62: Seishun, by Yoshimi Iwasaki

Episodes 63-79: Yakusoku, by Yoshimi Iwasaki

Episodes 80-101: Kimi wo Tobashita Gogo, by Yumekojo

TV Drama

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.

Reception

The manga has sold approximately 100 million of copies.

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.

References

External links

• Touch anime movie (Japanese)
• Touch 2 anime movie (Japanese)
• Touch 3 anime movie (Japanese)
• Live action Touch movie (Japanese) - official site