A Town Where You Live

A Town Where You Live
A Town Where You Live volume 24 by Kodansha. On the cover is Haruto Kirishima on the left and Yuzuki Eba on the right.
君のいる町 (Kimi no Iru Machi)
Genre	Romance, Drama, Slice of life
Manga
Written by	Kouji Seo
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	Crunchyroll
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Magazine
English magazine	Crunchyroll Manga
Original run	May 28, 2008 – February 12, 2014
Volumes	27
Original video animation
A Town Where You Live: Twilight Intersection
Directed by	Yasuhiro Yoshiura (Chief) Hiroshi Kobayashi
Written by	Momoko Murakami
Music by	Keiichi Oku
Studio	Tatsunoko Production
Released	March 16, 2012 – June 15, 2012
Episodes	2
Anime television series
Directed by	Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Written by	Reiko Yoshida
Music by	Keiichi Oku
Studio	Gonzo
Licensed by	^NA Nozomi Entertainment
Network	TX Network, Hiroshima Home Television, AT-X
Original run	July 13, 2013 – September 28, 2013
Episodes	12
Original video animation
Directed by	Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Written by	Reiko Yoshida
Music by	Keiichi Oku
Studio	Gonzo
Released	January 17, 2014 – March 17, 2014
Episodes	2

A Town Where You Live (Japanese: 君のいる町 Hepburn: Kimi no Iru Machi) is a manga series by Kouji Seo. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine between May 2008 and February 2014. The series was licensed for Crunchyroll Manga in October 2013. The plot follows the daily life of Haruto Kirishima as he becomes enamored with Yuzuki Eba.

A story arc from A Town Where You Live was adapted into an original video animation called A Town Where You Live: Twilight Intersection by Tatsunoko Production. Gonzo later adapted the series into an anime under its manga name; Gonzo's anime resulted in a radio program, drama CD and an image song. Reception towards the manga was mixed with reviewers praising the plot for its realism or panning it as predictable and cliché.

Plot

Years prior, Haruto Kirishima befriends Yuzuki Eba and asks her to return to his hometown, Shōbara, Hiroshima, if she is ever troubled.^{Ch. 23} In the present, Yuzuki transfers to Shōbara due to her estrangement with her step-family.^{Ch. 29} She helps Haruto develop a friendship with Nanami Kanzaki, but Haruto ultimately falls in love with Yuzuki.^{Ch. 39} He helps Yuzuki reconcile with her family which encourages her to return to Tokyo.^{Ch. 50} The two begin a long-distance relationship until Yuzuki suddenly cuts all ties with him.^{Ch. 70} Haruto transfers to Tokyo and learns Yuzuki has begun dating Kyousuke Kazama out of sympathy for his terminal illness.^{Ch. 92} In response, Haruto declares he will take Yuzuki back prompting Kyousuke to take a risky surgery in order to compete for Yuzuki's love fairly.^{Ch. 98} Following Kyousuke's death, Haruto and Yuzuki stop seeing each other out of guilt.^{Ch. 100}

Two years later, Haruto has been dating Asuka Mishima. When he reunites with Yuzuki, the two realize they still love each other.^{Ch. 137} Haruto ends his relationship with Asuka in order to be with Yuzuki which causes their friends to ostracize them.^{Ch. 141} When Yuzuki's father objects to their relationship and attempts to relocate her, she begins living with Haruto;^{Ch. 160} the two eventually earn her father's approval.^{Ch. 164} After reconciling with their friends and graduating from university, Haruto takes a job that relocates him to Kōchi.^{Ch. 246} Unable to sustain their relationship, the two break up;^{Ch. 256} two years later, Haruto is transferred back to Tokyo and reunites with Yuzuki, who had been waiting for his return.^{Ch. 260} The two are married shortly after.^{Ch. 261}

Characters

Haruto Kirishima (桐島 青大 Kirishima Haruto)

Haruto is a high school student in Shōbara, Hiroshima. He has an earnest personality and chastises others when they are in the wrong. Because he often cooks for his family and friends, Haruto is skilled at cooking and considers it as a possible career. His older sister Aoi^{[Jp 1]Ch. 19} lives in Tokyo in the dorm room next to the Akitsukis from Suzuka.^{Ch. 80} He has a long-time crush on classmate Nanami Kanzaki, but his feelings shift towards Yuzuki as the series progresses. At the end of the series, he marries Yuzuki, has a son named Daiki, and opens up his own restaurant.^{Ch. 261} In both Tatsunko Production's and Gonzo's anime, he is voiced by Yoshimasa Hosoya.^[1][2]

Yuzuki Eba (枝葉 柚希 Eba Yuzuki)

Years prior to the series, Yuzuki attends a summer festival in Shōbara where she befriends Haruto. There, Haruto tells her to return if she is ever troubled.^{Ch. 23} Since then, she grew fond of Haruto and plans to visit him one day.^{Ch. 162} After her father's remarriage, Yuzuki feels estranged by her family and decides to attend school in Shōbara.^{Ch. 29} Due to Haruto's intervention, Yuzuki is able to mend her relationship with her step-family, prompting her to return to Tokyo.^{Ch. 50} There, the terminally ill Kyousuke Kazama asks Yuzuki to be his girlfriend for the remainder of his lifespan.^{Ch. 92} Following Kyousuke's death, Yuzuki decides to stop seeing Haruto out of guilt.^{Ch. 100} Reunited two years later, the two reaffirm their love, and begin dating. At the end of the series, she married Haruto and they have a son named Daiki.^{Ch. 141} In both Tatsunko Production's and Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by Megumi Nakajima.^[1][2]

Hiroshima characters

• Takashi Yura (由良 尊 Yura Takashi) is Haruto's childhood friend. He is unpopular with women and faces rejection regularly.^{Ch. 79} In college, he begins dating Kiyomi Asakura,^{Ch. 166} whom he later marries when she becomes pregnant.^{Ch. 225} In both Tatsunko Production's and Gonzo's anime, he is voiced by Toshiki Masuda.^[1][2]
• Akari Kaga (加賀 月 Kaga Akari) is Haruto and Takashi's childhood friend. She is half Russian and half Japanese which gives her blond hair and blue eyes.^{Ch. 78.5} After her father becomes ill, Akari drops out of university and returns to Hiroshima for work.^{Ch. 187} She marries Nanami's brother Narumi, but beforehand, confesses her love to Haruto one last time to settle her feelings for him.^{Ch. 219} In both Tatsunko Production's and Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by Nana Kouno.^[1][2]
• Nanami Kanzaki (神咲 七海 Kanzaki Nanami) is Haruto's classmate since middle school. She has an older brother named Narumi^{[Jp 2]}. Due to Yuzuki's efforts, Haruto is able to become close with Nanami and earns her affection. However, she postpones and rejects Haruto's confession as she sees Haruto's love towards Yuzuki.^{Ch. 39} At Seijo University, she eventually dates another guy.^{Ch. 208} In Tatsunko Production's anime, she is voiced by Saori Hayami.^[1] In Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by Yuki Takao.^[2]
• Shiho Amagi (天城 紫歩 Amagi Shiho) is a girl Haruto meets during his summer job in a restaurant.^{Ch. 63} She aspires to be a chef and is highly skilled and devoted to that profession; because of this, she is strict towards her co-workers. Three years later, she runs her own restaurant in Tokyo where Haruto works during his university years.^{Ch. 190}

Tokyo characters

• Rin Eba (枝葉 懍 Eba Rin) is Yuzuki's step-sister. She has a mischievous personality and enjoys flirting with Haruto.^{Ch. 124} After learning that Haruto and Yuzuki had sex, she realizes that she loves Haruto and feels saddened by this revelation.^{Ch. 202} In both Tatsunko Production's and Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by Saki Fujita.^[1][2]
• Asuka Mishima (御島 明日香 Mishima Asuka) is Haruto's neighbor and classmate after his transfer to Tokyo.^{Ch. 81} Following Kyousuke's death and Haruto and Yuzuki's decision to stop seeing each other, she and Haruto begin dating.^{Ch. 106} At the end of the series, she is a pitcher on Japan's national baseball team.^{Ch. 261} In Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by Ayane Sakura.^[2]
• Kyousuke Kazama (風間 恭輔 Kazama Kyōsuke) is Yuzuki's senior at school and becomes friends with Haruto. He uses his terminal illness to make Yuzuki his girlfriend.^{Ch. 92} Upon learning about Yuzuki's relationship with Haruto, Kyousuke decides to undergo a risky surgery to cure his ailment and to win Yuzuki's love fairly; the surgery results in his death.^{Ch. 100} In Gonzo's anime series, he is voiced by Daisuke Ono.^[2]
• Mina Nagoshi (夏越 美奈 Nagoshi Mina) is Haruto's high school classmate in Tokyo. Learning that Mina has tickets for an event at Yuzuki's school, Haruto accompanies her which causes her to believe they are on a date.^{Ch. 85} She reappears as a member of the college circle that Haruto joins.^{Ch. 180} There, she comes to believe she and Haruto are a couple again;^{Ch. 181} she later ends this supposed relationship to be with another man.^{Ch. 243} She appears in Gonzo's anime and is voiced by Sayuri Yahagi.^[2]
• Kiyomi Asakura (浅倉 清美 Asakura Kiyomi) is Kyousuke Kazama's childhood friend.^{Ch. 95} She originally despises Yuzuki for her relationship with Kyousuke, and works with Haruto to try to split them apart. She confesses her love to Kyousuke before he undergoes his surgery.^{Ch. 99} She begins dating Takashi and the two marry when she becomes pregnant.^{Ch. 225} She appears in Gonzo's anime and is voiced by Aya Endo.^[2]
• Shiori Amaya (天谷 栞 Amaya Shiori) is a business student at Seijo University. She stages an incriminating situation in order to blackmail Haruto into taking class notes for her.^{Ch. 112} Despite her family's opposition, she decides to pursue her dream as a manga artist.^{Ch. 113}
• Miyu Hoshina (保科 美夕 Hoshina Miyu) is Haruto's neighbor during his university years. She does not have friends at the university and, because she has gone to an all-girls high school, has androphobia.^{Ch. 148} After interacting with Haruto and Yuzuki, she becomes more social and studies abroad.^{Ch. 222}
• Chisa Miyanaga (宮永 知沙 Miyanaga Chisa) is Yuzuki's student from her cram school job. She develops a crush on Haruto and decides to pursue him.^{Ch. 177} When she becomes a high school student, she moves into Miyu's old apartment.^{Ch. 230}

Release

A Town Where You Live is authored by Kouji Seo. It was first announced for serialization in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine, issue 24, 2008.^[3] It premiered in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in issue 26 of 2008 which was released on May 28.^[4] The final chapter was released in issue 11 of 2014 which was released on February 12.^[5] Seo stated he wanted to create a love story set in his hometown as the inspiration to the series and that some of his characters were inspired by his friends.^[6] On October 30, 2013, Crunchyroll Manga was launched and included A Town Where You Live in its library with English translation by Abby Lehrke;^[7][8] The series has also been published in languages such as French and Chinese.^[9][10] Kouji Seo created a guide book titled A Town Where You Live Official Guidebook Love Navi: Love Navigation!^{[Jp 3]} which was released on August 16, 2013.^[11]

Anime adaptations

Tatsunoko Production

A Town Where You Live: Twilight Intersection (君のいる町～黄昏交差点～ Kimi no Iru Machi Tasogare Kōsaten) is a two episode original video animation series produced by Tatsunoko Production in collaboration with the city, Shōbara.^[1][12] Yasuhiro Yoshiura and Hiroshi Kobayashi were the directors with script by Momoko Murakami and music by Keiichi Oku. The series' theme song was Tasogare Kōsaten (黄昏交差点^?, lit. "Twilight Intersection") by Erina Mano;^[1] the theme song was later released as a CD single by Hello! Project.^[13] The episodes were bundled with the limited edition manga volume 17 and 18; they were released on March 16 and June 15, 2012 respectively.^[14] The series covers Haruto Kirishima's class trip to Tokyo as he separates from his classmates to search for Yuzuki Eba.

Gonzo

A Town Where You Live was made into an anime series by Gonzo. Shigeyasu Yamauchi was the director with script by Reiko Yoshida and music by Keiichi Oku.^[2] It was first announced in Weekly Shōnen Magazine, issue 15, 2013.^[15] To promote the show, a radio program consisting of the anime's voice cast was broadcast on Nippon Cultural Broadcasting between July 6 and July 27, 2013.^[16] The anime premiered on TX Network between July 13 and September 28, 2013.^[17] It was also broadcast on Hiroshima Home Television and AT-X and was made available for streaming on networks such as Niconico and Bandai Channel.^[18][19][20] The series uses four theme songs: The opening theme is Sentimental Love (センチメンタルラブ Senchimentaru Rabu) by Mimimememimi.^[2] The first ending theme is Kimi no Iru Machi (君のいる町^?, lit. "A Town Where You Live") which was used for the first six episodes while its alternate version, Answer Songs was used for the final episode; the song was done by Yoshimasa Hosoya.^[2] The remaining episodes' ending theme was Dear Friend by Daisuke Ono.^[21] Sentimental Love was released as a CD single by A-Sketch while Kimi no Iru Machi and Dear Friend were released by Universal Music Group.^[22][23][24] Right Stuf Inc.'s Nozomi Entertainment announced an English subtitled release for North America in July 2015.^[25]

Gonzo also produced two original video animation episodes which are bundled with the limited editions of manga volume 26 and 27.^[26] Gonzo's anime resulted in a drama CD and an image song release.^[27][28]

Episode list

No.	Title	Original airdate[17]
1	"Chase" "Oikakete" (追いかけて)	July 13, 2013
2	"When Cherry Blossoms Bloom" "Sakura no Sakukoro" (桜の咲く頃)	July 20, 2013
3	"Suddenly, Batanchu" "Totsuzen, Batanchū" (突然、バタンチュー)	July 27, 2013
4	"Greetings" "Aisatsu" (あいさつ)	August 3, 2013
5	"Declaration of War" "Sensen Fukoku" (宣戦布告。)	August 10, 2013
6	"My True Feelings" "Ore no Honshin" (オレの本心。)	August 17, 2013
7	"Wish" "Negai" (ねがい。)	August 24, 2013
8	"On the Evening of the Reunion" "Saikai no Yoru ni" (再会の夜に)	August 31, 2013
9	"Is it a Date" "Dēto suru ka" (デートするか。)	September 7, 2013
10	"Beautiful Flower" "Kireina Hana" (キレイな花)	September 14, 2013
11	"Confession" "Kokuhaku" (告白。)	September 21, 2013
12	"A Town Where You Live" "Kimi no Iru Machi" (君のいる町)	September 28, 2013

Reception

In Japan, A Town Where You Live manga volumes frequently appeared on weekly sales charts during their week of release.^[29][30] Jason Thompson praised A Town Where You Live's serious, mature tone and wrote that the audiences will either like the series for its realism or criticize it as slow and mundane.^[31] Manga-News praised the series' introduction for being more realistic than the author's previous work, Suzuka, and the plot which was described as eventful.^[32][33] In later volumes, Manga-News criticized the plot for being predictable, encompassing cliché aspects of the genre, and for dragging its story.^[33][34][35] They also panned the characters' behavior, calling it implausible and inconsistent.^[33][35] Manga-News returned to positive reviews during the volumes involving Kyousuke Kazama; they praised the story arc for introducing a new setting, for breaking away from the usual classicism, and for surprising the readers for the first time in the series.^[36][37][38] Following this, Manga-News returned to negative reviews, echoing their previous points.^[39][40] AnimeLand had similar reactions. Initially, they were positive, praising the realistic protagonist, but further reviews repeated Manga-News' criticisms.^{[41][42][43][44]}

Notes and references

Notes

• ^ "Ch." is shortened form for chapter and refers to a chapter number of the A Town Where You Live manga

Japanese

1. 桐島 葵 Kirishima Aoi
2. 神咲 成海 Kanzaki Narumi
3. 君のいる町　公式ガイドブック　恋なび　Love Navigation! Kimi no Iru Machi Kōshiki Gaido Bukku Koi Nabi Love Navigation!

References

1. "A Town Where You Live: Twilight OVA staff" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
2. "A Town Where You Live anime staff" (in Japanese). Kiminoirumachi.com. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
3. "Suzuka's Seo, Samurai Deeper Kyo's Kamijyō to Launch Manga". Anime News Network. May 13, 2008. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
4. "Weekly Shōnen Magazine issue 26, 2008" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
5. "A Town Where You Live Manga to End". Anime News Network. January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
6. Chang, Chih-Chieh (October 30, 2009). "Interview: Kouji Seo". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
7. "Crunchyroll to Simultaneously Offer Kodansha Manga in 170 Countries". Anime News Network. October 26, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
8. "A Town Where You Live". Crunchyroll. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
9. "A Town Where You Live" (in French). Pika Édition. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
10. 小鎮有你 (in Chinese). Tong Li Publishing. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
11. "A Town Where You Live Official Guidebook Love Navi: Love Navigation!" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
12. "Kimi no Iru Machi Manga Gets Anime DVD Next Spring". Anime News Network. August 19, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
13. "Tasogare Kōsaten" (in Japanese). Hello! Project. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
14. "Kimi no Iru Machi Manga to Get 2nd Anime DVD Next June". Anime News Network. October 17, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
15. "Gonzo Makes TV Anime of A Town Where You Live Manga". Anime News Network. March 8, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
16. "A Town Where You Live limited radio broadcast" (in Japanese). Kiminoirumachi.com. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
17. "A Town Where You Live episodes" (in Japanese). TV Tokyo. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
18. "Broadcast station information" (in Japanese). TV Tokyo. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
19. "A Town Where You Live" (in Japanese). AT-X. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
20. "A Town Where You Live streaming networks" (in Japanese). Kiminoirumachi.com. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
21. Ending between "ねがい。". A Town Where You Live. Episode 7. & "告白。". A Town Where You Live. Episode 11.
22. "Sentimental Love (Anime version)" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
23. "Kimi no Iru Machi" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
24. "Dear Friend" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
25. "Nozomi Entertainment July announcement". Anime News Network. July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
26. "A Town Where You Live Manga to Bundle 2 New Anime DVDs". Anime News Network. September 27, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
27. "A Town Where You Live Drama CD Pre-season Story: Determination" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
28. "A Town Where You Live Character Song Album: Answer Songs" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
29. "Japanese Comic Ranking, January 13–19 (Updated)". Anime News Network. January 21, 2009. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
30. "Japanese Comic Ranking, November 18–24". Anime News Network. November 27, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
31. Jason Thompson (November 14, 2013). "House of 1000 Manga Crunchyroll Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
32. "A Town Where You Live Vol 1 review" (in French). Manga-News.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
33. "A Town Where You Live Vol 2 review" (in French). Manga-News.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
34. "A Town Where You Live Vol 4 review" (in French). Manga-News.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
35. "A Town Where You Live Vol 6 review" (in French). Manga-News.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
36. "A Town Where You Live Vol 9 review" (in French). Manga-News.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
37. "A Town Where You Live Vol 10 review" (in French). Manga-News.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
38. "A Town Where You Live Vol 11 review" (in French). Manga-News.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
39. "A Town Where You Live Vol 12 review" (in French). Manga-News.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
40. "A Town Where You Live Vol 13 review" (in French). Manga-News.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
41. Manu, Bahu-Leyser. "A Town Where You Live Vol 1 review" (in French). AnimeLand.com. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
42. Manu, Bahu-Leyser. "A Town Where You Live Vol 3 review" (in French). AnimeLand.com. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
43. Manu, Bahu-Leyser. "A Town Where You Live Vol 4 review" (in French). AnimeLand.com. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
44. Manu, Bahu-Leyser. "A Town Where You Live Vol 6 review" (in French). AnimeLand.com. Retrieved December 16, 2013.

External links

Manga

• A Town Where You Live at Crunchyroll Manga
• A Town Where You Live at Kodansha (Japanese)
• A Town Where You Live (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia

Anime

• A Town Where You Live: Twilight Intersection official website (Japanese)
• A Town Where You Live official website (Japanese)
• A Town Where You Live: Twilight Intersection (OVA) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• A Town Where You Live (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia