Days (manga)
Days is a Japanese sports manga series written and illustrated by Tsuyoshi Yasuda. It was serialized by Kodansha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from April 2013 to January 2021, with its chapters collected in 42 volumes. In North America, the manga is licensed for English digital release by Kodansha USA.
A 24-episode anime television series adaptation by MAPPA was broadcast from July to December 2016.
By December 2020, the Days manga had over 10 million copies in circulation. In 2016, the manga won the 40th Kodansha Manga Awards for the category.
Plot
Tsukushi Tsukamoto is a timid and unathletic teenager entering high school, where he hopes to reunite with his childhood friend and neighbor, Sayuri Tachibana. After bullies harass him during a visit to Sayuri's workplace, Jin Kazama intervenes, driving them off with nunchucks while claiming to be a wandering drifter. Jin, noticing Tsukushi's determination, invites him to fill in for a missing player in a futsal match that evening. Despite another altercation with his bullies and losing a shoe along the way, Tsukushi arrives after running nearly ten miles in heavy rain. Though small, inexperienced, and unskilled, he refuses to give up during the match, playing through injury and exhaustion. His relentless effort inspires his teammates, and in a final burst of energy, he scores the winning goal by colliding headfirst with the goalpost.Later, Tsukushi learns that Jin will also attend Seiseki High School and decides to join the football club alongside him, unaware of the team's prestigious national reputation. Despite his physical limitations and lack of natural talent, his unwavering perseverance earns him a place on the squad. His relentless work ethic and ability to motivate teammates quickly make him an essential presence within the team.
Characters
Main characters
;Tsukushi Tsukamoto;Jin Kazama
Seiseki High School
Soccer club
;Hisahito Mizuki;Atsushi Kimishita
;Kiichi Ōshiba
;Yūta Usui
;Chikako Ubukata
;Hiroyuki Kurusu
;Tetsuya Nitobe
;Naoki Shiratori
;Shou Nakijin
Others
;Sayuri TachibanaRivals
;Kaoru Indou;Shuuji Narukami
;Takumi Hoshina
;Gen'ichiro Taira
;Mayumi Himura
;Miran Aiba
;Kazuhiko Katou
;Ryousuke Ikariya
;Marco Takagi
;Asaichi Sunayama
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Yasuda Tsuyoshi, Days was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from April 24, 2013, to January 20, 2021. Kodansha collected its chapters in 42 volumes, released from July 17, 2013, to March 17, 2021.Kodansha USA publishes the manga in a digital-only format since April 25, 2017.
A spin-off manga, titled Days Gaiden, was published on the Magazine Pocket online platform from October 12, 2016, to May 3, 2018. Its chapters were collected in four volumes, released from March 17, 2017, to May 17, 2018.
Anime
A 24-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by MAPPA, was broadcast on MBS from July 3 to December 18, 2016.Crunchyroll streamed the series with English subtitles as it aired in Japan.
Two original video animations were bundled with the 21st and 22nd volumes of the manga, released on March 17 and May 17, 2017, respectively. The original animation DVDs, depicting the All-Japan High School Soccer Tournament's Tokyo Preliminary Round with Tōin Academy, were bundled with the limited editions of manga volumes 26 to 28 on March 16, May 17, and July 17, 2018.
Episodes
Reception
Volume 2 reached the 44th place on the weekly Oricon manga charts and, by September 22, 2013, has sold 24,745 copies; volume 3 reached the 36th place and, by November 24, 2013, has sold 35,528 copies; volume 4 reached the 41st place and, by January 19, 2014, has sold 24,837 copies; volume 5 reached the 32nd place and, by March 23, 2014, has sold 41,911 copies; volume 6 reached the 40th place and, by May 18, 2014, has sold 25,067 copies; volume 7 reached the 25th place and, by July 20, 2014, has sold 34,421 copies; volume 8 reached the 18th place and, by September 21, 2014, has sold 41,871 copies; volume 9 reached the 21st place and, by December 21, 2014, has sold 44,586 copies; volume 10 reached the 20th place and, by February 22, 2015, has sold 49,901 copies. The manga had 4.5 million copies in print by January 2017. By December 2020, the manga had over 10 million copies in circulation.Days ranked 12th in the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics" by the Honya Club website in 2014. The series was nominated for the category at the 39th Kodansha Manga Awards in 2015, and won in the same category at the 40th Kodansha Manga Awards in 2016.