Touch (manga)

Touch (タッチ) is a Japanese high school baseball manga by Mitsuru Adachi. It was originally serialized in the weekly manga magazine Shōnen Sunday from 1981–1986. The manga was also adapted into a 101-episode TV anime series, which was one of the highest-rated television anime series ever, three theatrical anime movies which summarized the TV series, two TV anime 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.

Story
Touch follows the lives of three people: Kazuya and Tatsuya Uesugi (identical twin brothers) and Minami Asakura. They've lived next to each other since they were babies, and their parents even built a playhouse in the yard in order to keep them from damaging the houses. As they grew into their teens, they suddenly noticed that one of them was a girl, and Kazuya and Minami became closer. Kazuya, the younger twin, was an excellent student (as was Minami).

Tatsuya is really talented but also a bit of a slacker. Since middle school, Kazuya has received awards and recognition for excellence as a pitcher and baseball player. Tatsuya, however, is more inclined to let his brother take the limelight, as he is unwilling to directly compete with Kazuya. This includes Minami as well; while most people (including their parents) suggest that Minami and Kazuya will make a perfect couple, Minami tends to prefer Tatsuya.

During the first year in high school, however, Kazuya is hit and killed by a truck while saving a child on his way to the final match of the local qualifying baseball tournament. Because of Kazuya's death, Tatsuya is eventually convinced by Minami to take over where his brother left off and help lead the team to Kōshien, the stadium where the national high school baseball championships are held.

At first, Tatsuya doesn't want to have anything to do with it, but after talking to many friends and thinking it over, he decides to become focused and help out the team. At the same time, Minami dedicates herself to making it to the All Japan Gymnastics Tournament. Touch tells the story of how Kazuya's memory brings them together.

Characters

 * Tatsuya Uesugi (上杉 達也)
 * 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.


 * Kazuya Uesugi (上杉 和也)
 * 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.


 * Minami Asakura (浅倉 南)
 * 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 on 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 the twins, she is also naturally talented in sports.


 * Shingo and Haruko Uesugi, Punch
 * 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 is the Uesugi family Samoyed. (Shingo, Punch), (Haruko)


 * Toshio Asakura (浅倉 俊夫)
 * 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.


 * Kōtarō Matsudaira (松平 孝太郎)
 * Meisei's catcher. He is Kazuya's best friend and is always paired with him.


 * Shōhei Harada
 * 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.


 * Akio Nitta (新田 明男)
 * 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.


 * Yuka Nitta (新田 由加)
 * 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.


 * Isami Nishimura (西村 勇)
 * 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.


 * Eijirō Kashiwaba (柏葉 英二郎)
 * 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.


 * Shigenori Nishio (西尾 茂則)
 * 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.


 * Sachiko Nishio (西尾 佐知子)
 * 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.


 * Takeshi Kuroki (黒木 武)
 * 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.


 * Takeshi Yoshida (吉田 剛)
 * 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 was resolved, he had to move to South America due to his father's job. →


 * Sakata


 * Eiichirō Kashiwaba
 * The brother of Eijirō, and the one who Coach Nishio thought he was hiring.

Manga
The series was collected in 26 tankōbon volumes. It has been reissued in 13 wideban volumes, and then again in 17 "Perfect Edition" volumes in the original magazine size with provide color inserts.

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.

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

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
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.