Tanabata no Kuni
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hitoshi Iwaaki. It was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine Big Comic Spirits from 1996 to 1999, with its chapters collected in four volumes. A ten-episode live-action series adaptation was released exclusively on Disney+ from July to August 2024.
Plot
Yōji Minamimaru|, a college student with the minor supernatural ability to create small holes in objects without touch, is drawn into a mystery when his professor, Masami Murakami, disappears after visiting "Marugami Village". The professor had recently awakened a similar power, and shortly after, a man linked to a nearby development project is found murdered—his skull mysteriously hollowed out. Yōji and lecturer Emi Sayuri, along with fellow students, travel to the village to investigate.The village harbors two supernatural abilities: "the ability to see outside the window", a shared nightmare among villagers, and "the ability to reach", a rare power that erases matter within a spherical volume. Only those with both can become the village priest, but wielders of the latter are dwindling. Strange clues—an out-of-season festival, historical banners depicting nonexistent birds, and the artificial-looking Mount Marugami—hint at deeper secrets.
For over a thousand years, Marugami Village has resisted outside influence. However, four years prior, clan head Yoriyuki Murakami violated this tradition by aiding an assassination, then began erasing objects in reckless experiments. This drew the attention of an external faction, which sent armed forces to eliminate the village's powers. Yōji and his companions must uncover the truth behind the abilities and the village's hidden past before it is too late.
Characters
;Yōji Minamimaru;Sachiko Higashimaru
;Masami Murakami
;Yoriyuki Murakami
;Satō
;Yagihara