Rookies (manga)
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese shōnen
manga
written and illustrated by Masanori Morita
. The series was featured on Weekly Shōnen Jump
during its original run from 1998 to 2003. The series was licensed for release in France by Edition Tonkam and in Italy by Star Comics
, where it was featured in the magazine Express. Rookies had previously been published in Taiwan by Da Ran Culture, but the company went bankrupt and Tong Li Publishing picked up the license. The manga has been adapted into a television series which was broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System
between April 19, 2008 and July 26, 2008. The series was later released on DVD by TC Entertainment, and the soundtrack released on June 28, 2008. The finale of the TV series was in the form of a film, called which premiered on Japanese cinemas on May 31, 2009.
Rookies is the story of an amateur teacher, Koichi Kawato, who is faced with the challenge of guiding a high school baseball club composed of delinquents. The students are wary of him and often threaten Kawato, but he refuses to abandon them and continuously speaks highly of recognizing their dreams. Eventually, the team is assembled and they dedicate their time to achieve their dream of going to the Koshien
.
Vice Principal Ikebe is a former member of the baseball team who had once made it to Koshien
. Though he seemed uptight and strict at first, often lecturing Kawato over the smallest details, he later warms up to Kawato. When the team starts playing again, Ikebe becomes their coach, lending his expertise.
Principal Murayama is the former captain of the baseball team from 43 years ago, when the team went to Koshien. He harbors a resentment for the current baseball team as he views them as tarnishing the legacy he left behind, and is willing to do anything to get them all expelled. However, after witnessing their first game against Yoga Daiichi, he starts to regard the baseball team more positively. When Yoga Daiichi's coach threatens to press charges of assault against Kawato for hitting him during their game, Murayama takes the blame for Kawato and resigns.
Keiichi Aniya is the team's primary pitcher. He was well known in middle school, but lost his motivation after a pitcher who had struck him out was unable to strike anyone out at Koshien Stadium
.
Shuta Sekikawa is the team's fastest member and sports a mohawk
that is "rock hard" due to the amount of styling products he uses.
Kei Shinjo was originally angry at the other members for starting to leave gang-life behind, and proceeded to heavily injure them. He is later revealed to care deeply about his friendship with the team, but was reluctant to rejoin due to his actions. He later rejoins and works twice as hard to make up for his actions.
Yuya Okada is a rational member who keeps his hair in long dreadlocks
.
Tetsuro Yufune is a nervous player who uses his batting technique "Cat Swing", in which he screams "Meow
" before he hits the ball, to achieve better accuracy. He also has a crush on the English teacher, Rie Mayumi, but he is unable to confess his feelings to her, choosing to jump off a balcony (yelling "MEOW" like he does when he's nervous) rather than do so.
Kiyooki Hiyama is one of the team's worst batters, often mocked by other teams as "the bearded strikeout king." Although he is short-tempered, he refused to fight against a few boys from Megurogawa attacking him to avoid team disqualification. However, after constant practice, he managed to improve his hitting.
Tomochika Wakana is the only player able to consistently catch Aniya's pitches, though he originally was unable to keep his eyes open as the ball came to him. With help from Hiyama, Wakana was able to overcome this obstacle.
Taichi Hiratsuka is a strong member who has almost no skill in baseball. However, he is able to achieve incredible hits by using survival instinct, particularly when a ball is thrown at his head.
Shonobu Imaoka is the team's ambidextrous
player and considered strange among several of his teammates. He is close friends with Hiratsuka and refers to him by the nickname "Hiracchi."
Shouji Akahoshi is a skilled player who was also well known in middle school, and dreamed of being able to compete in Major League Baseball
. At first he seemed arrogant, claiming he only needed high school to learn English and refusing to join the baseball team as he viewed them beneath him. However, he was practicing with a university team in secret, something Yagi and Aniya accidentally found out. When he was convinced to join the team, he discovered they were all as or even more talented than he was, leading him to work much harder for his spot on the team.
Hamanaka Taiyou is the youngest member of the team, being a full year younger than the rest. At first, he was a bully who beat up old men for money. After an encounter with Hiratsuka, he began to model himself after Hiratsuka, who he believed to be a brilliant player. After realizing the truth, Hamanaka still joined the baseball team, though he is deemed useless.
Toko Yagi is the baseball team manager and friend of Aniya, who she is implied to have romantic feelings for.
. It was serialized in Shueisha
's Weekly Shōnen Jump
during its original run from 1998 to 2003 from the tenth to 39th issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump. Shueisha
released the manga in 24 tankōbon
volumes between June 4, 1998 and November 4, 2003. It was licensed in France by Editions Tonkam, and in Taiwan by Da Ran Culture before it went bankrupt. The Taiwan license was transferred to Tong Li Publishing. In Italy, Rookies was licensed by Star Comics
and serialized in the magazine Express.
. The series' script was written by Izumi Yoshihiro and was directed by Hirakawa Yuichiro. It was produced by Tsuru Masaaki. Its 11 episodes were broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System
between April 19, 2008 and July 26, 2008. The series' theme song was "Kiseki" by Greeeen
. The first three episodes of the drama were released as a Rookies Omote Box by TC Entertainment on July 18, 2008. Episodes four to eleven were released in a Rookies Ura Box on October 8, 2008. The soundtrack to the drama was released on a CD on June 28, 2008.
and directed by Yūichirō Hirakawa, the film premiered on May 31, 2009.
The last episode of Rookies, broadcasted on July 26, 2008, was rated 19.5 in the average household ratings. The television special episode of Rookies garnered a 10.0 rating. The Rookies Ura Box for the live-action television adaptation of Masanori Morita
's Rookies baseball manga sold 5,595 copies during the October 15–21, 2008 weekend. Rookies TV drama DVDs was ranked the top having the most copies sold in 2008. First episode of Rookies was rated a 9.5 when it re-ran on December 31, 2008. Rookies Ura Box was ranked 24th on the Oricon charts with 1,997 copies sold between June 1–7, 2009. Rookies Omote Box was ranked 30th on the Oricon charts with 1,891 copies sold between June 8–14, 2009.
Rookies drama series was awarded five of the possible nine awards at the 58th Television Drama Academy Awards in 2008. Rookies was awarded best drama; Sato Ryuta was awarded best actor; Ichihara Hayato was awarded best supporting actor; "Kiseki" by Greeeen
was awarded best theme song and Nikogaku Nine was awarded the special award. Rookies was highly commended as one of the best drama series at the 2008 Asian Television Awards.
Document of Rookies ~Sotsugyō debut at 15th on the Oricon charts between April 21–28, 2009 with 9,141 copies sold. It sold 3,092 copies during June 1–7, 2009 to be ranked 10th. It sold 2,648 copies the following week and dropped to rank 20.
Rookies: Graduation topped the Japanese box office chart when it premiered on May 30, 2009, earning the equivalent of US$
12,703,775 over the May 30–31 weekend. It continued to top the Japanese box office chart the following weekend, earning US$12,703,775 that weekend. It was ranked second on the box office chart to Terminator Salvation
, earning US$8,278,440 that weekend. It rose back to top the box office charts on the June 20–21 weekend, earning US$6,404,066 that weekend. On the fifth weekend, the movie dropped to second place to Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, earning US$4,290,266 that weekend. On its sixth weekend on the box office charts, it stayed at second place, earning US$2,933,634 that weekend. In its seventh weekend, Rookies: Graduation fell to 4th place and earned US$1,894,007, and has grossed US$82 million dollars as of July 15. In its eighth weekend, Rookies: Graduation, fell to 8th place and earned US$1,129,349. In its ninth weekend, Rookies: Graduation rose to 6th place and earned US$748,804.
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
written and illustrated by Masanori Morita
Masanori Morita
is a Japanese manga artist who is responsible for creating the manga series Rokudenashi Blues and Rookies. Rokudenashi Blues was made into a live action movie. At the beginning of Masonori's career he was an assistant of Tetsuo Hara on Hokuto no Ken....
. The series was featured on Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
during its original run from 1998 to 2003. The series was licensed for release in France by Edition Tonkam and in Italy by Star Comics
Star Comics (Italy)
Star Comics is an Italian comic book publisher born in December 1985 that publishes Italian edition of manga and Italian comics in Italy. Until the birth of Marvel Italia in 1994 it also published Italian editions of many Marvel Comics's comic books...
, where it was featured in the magazine Express. Rookies had previously been published in Taiwan by Da Ran Culture, but the company went bankrupt and Tong Li Publishing picked up the license. The manga has been adapted into a television series which was broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
between April 19, 2008 and July 26, 2008. The series was later released on DVD by TC Entertainment, and the soundtrack released on June 28, 2008. The finale of the TV series was in the form of a film, called which premiered on Japanese cinemas on May 31, 2009.
Rookies is the story of an amateur teacher, Koichi Kawato, who is faced with the challenge of guiding a high school baseball club composed of delinquents. The students are wary of him and often threaten Kawato, but he refuses to abandon them and continuously speaks highly of recognizing their dreams. Eventually, the team is assembled and they dedicate their time to achieve their dream of going to the Koshien
Koshien Stadium
is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on April 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.The name Kōshien comes...
.
Plot
Koichi Kawato is the new Japanese teacher at the ill-famed Futakotamagawa high school, whose baseball club is composed of thugs and bullies who have been suspended for a year from all school competitions, for causing a brawl during an official match. The newly appointed teacher finds that the club members left are only interested in women, smoking and doing nothing good until, under Kawato's guidance, they recognize that baseball is what they truly love doing. Kawato also teaches them that they should follow their dreams, and for them, being able to reach the national high school tournament finals in Koshien (Hyogo prefecture) is what they have always wished for. However, reaching Koshien is far from easy as many obstacles await them.Teachers
Koichi Kawato is a young, optimistic, and highly honorable teacher who strongly believes in following dreams. He also tries to build more personal relationships with his students, even memorizing all their names from the class list. After he promises a student that he would protect the school's baseball team, he becomes the team's advisor. It is later found out he resigned from his last school after getting in a fight with a student, and he vowed never to hit anyone again. Despite this, he was near universally loved at his last school and they try (unsuccessfully) to get him to come back.Vice Principal Ikebe is a former member of the baseball team who had once made it to Koshien
Koshien
Kōshien is a district of Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan.Kōshien also refers to:*Koshien Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, which is the venue of the annual high school baseball tournaments:...
. Though he seemed uptight and strict at first, often lecturing Kawato over the smallest details, he later warms up to Kawato. When the team starts playing again, Ikebe becomes their coach, lending his expertise.
Principal Murayama is the former captain of the baseball team from 43 years ago, when the team went to Koshien. He harbors a resentment for the current baseball team as he views them as tarnishing the legacy he left behind, and is willing to do anything to get them all expelled. However, after witnessing their first game against Yoga Daiichi, he starts to regard the baseball team more positively. When Yoga Daiichi's coach threatens to press charges of assault against Kawato for hitting him during their game, Murayama takes the blame for Kawato and resigns.
Baseball team
Toru Mikoshiba is the team's captain. Though non-violent and intelligent, he is often affected by nervousness and insecurity.Keiichi Aniya is the team's primary pitcher. He was well known in middle school, but lost his motivation after a pitcher who had struck him out was unable to strike anyone out at Koshien Stadium
Koshien Stadium
is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on April 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.The name Kōshien comes...
.
Shuta Sekikawa is the team's fastest member and sports a mohawk
Mohawk hairstyle
The mohawk is a hairstyle in which, in the most common variety, both sides of the head are shaven, leaving a strip of noticeably longer hair...
that is "rock hard" due to the amount of styling products he uses.
Kei Shinjo was originally angry at the other members for starting to leave gang-life behind, and proceeded to heavily injure them. He is later revealed to care deeply about his friendship with the team, but was reluctant to rejoin due to his actions. He later rejoins and works twice as hard to make up for his actions.
Yuya Okada is a rational member who keeps his hair in long dreadlocks
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also called locks, a ras, dreads, "rasta" or Jata , are matted coils of hair. Dreadlocks are usually intentionally formed; because of the variety of different hair textures, various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing...
.
Tetsuro Yufune is a nervous player who uses his batting technique "Cat Swing", in which he screams "Meow
Meow
Meow is an imitative word for a sound made in cat communication. It may also refer to:- Music :* Miou Miou, a Czech pop band* Miaow , an English band* Miaow , a 1994 album by The Beautiful South...
" before he hits the ball, to achieve better accuracy. He also has a crush on the English teacher, Rie Mayumi, but he is unable to confess his feelings to her, choosing to jump off a balcony (yelling "MEOW" like he does when he's nervous) rather than do so.
Kiyooki Hiyama is one of the team's worst batters, often mocked by other teams as "the bearded strikeout king." Although he is short-tempered, he refused to fight against a few boys from Megurogawa attacking him to avoid team disqualification. However, after constant practice, he managed to improve his hitting.
Tomochika Wakana is the only player able to consistently catch Aniya's pitches, though he originally was unable to keep his eyes open as the ball came to him. With help from Hiyama, Wakana was able to overcome this obstacle.
Taichi Hiratsuka is a strong member who has almost no skill in baseball. However, he is able to achieve incredible hits by using survival instinct, particularly when a ball is thrown at his head.
Shonobu Imaoka is the team's ambidextrous
Ambidexterity
Ambidexterity is the state of being equally adept in the use of both left and right appendages . It is one of the most famous varieties of cross-dominance. People that are naturally ambidextrous are rare, with only one out of one hundred people being naturally ambidextrous...
player and considered strange among several of his teammates. He is close friends with Hiratsuka and refers to him by the nickname "Hiracchi."
Shouji Akahoshi is a skilled player who was also well known in middle school, and dreamed of being able to compete in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. At first he seemed arrogant, claiming he only needed high school to learn English and refusing to join the baseball team as he viewed them beneath him. However, he was practicing with a university team in secret, something Yagi and Aniya accidentally found out. When he was convinced to join the team, he discovered they were all as or even more talented than he was, leading him to work much harder for his spot on the team.
Hamanaka Taiyou is the youngest member of the team, being a full year younger than the rest. At first, he was a bully who beat up old men for money. After an encounter with Hiratsuka, he began to model himself after Hiratsuka, who he believed to be a brilliant player. After realizing the truth, Hamanaka still joined the baseball team, though he is deemed useless.
Toko Yagi is the baseball team manager and friend of Aniya, who she is implied to have romantic feelings for.
Manga
Rookies is written and illustrated by Masanori MoritaMasanori Morita
is a Japanese manga artist who is responsible for creating the manga series Rokudenashi Blues and Rookies. Rokudenashi Blues was made into a live action movie. At the beginning of Masonori's career he was an assistant of Tetsuo Hara on Hokuto no Ken....
. It was serialized in Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
during its original run from 1998 to 2003 from the tenth to 39th issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump. Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
released the manga in 24 tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes between June 4, 1998 and November 4, 2003. It was licensed in France by Editions Tonkam, and in Taiwan by Da Ran Culture before it went bankrupt. The Taiwan license was transferred to Tong Li Publishing. In Italy, Rookies was licensed by Star Comics
Star Comics (Italy)
Star Comics is an Italian comic book publisher born in December 1985 that publishes Italian edition of manga and Italian comics in Italy. Until the birth of Marvel Italia in 1994 it also published Italian editions of many Marvel Comics's comic books...
and serialized in the magazine Express.
Drama
The manga was adapted into a live-action Japanese television dramaJapanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
. The series' script was written by Izumi Yoshihiro and was directed by Hirakawa Yuichiro. It was produced by Tsuru Masaaki. Its 11 episodes were broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
between April 19, 2008 and July 26, 2008. The series' theme song was "Kiseki" by Greeeen
GReeeeN
is a Japanese pop/rock/hip hop/breakbeat vocal group from Kōriyama city in Fukushima Prefecture, comprising the all-male four members Hide, Navi, 92, and Soh. They made their debut with Universal Music in 2007. Their logo image is of a mouthful of teeth, and the four Es indicate the number of members...
. The first three episodes of the drama were released as a Rookies Omote Box by TC Entertainment on July 18, 2008. Episodes four to eleven were released in a Rookies Ura Box on October 8, 2008. The soundtrack to the drama was released on a CD on June 28, 2008.
Cast
- Sato Ryuta as Koichi Kawato
- Koide Keisuke as Toru Mikoshiba
- Ichihara Hayato as Keiichi Aniya
- Nakao Akiyoshi as Shuta Sekikawa
- Shirota Yuu as Kei Shinjo
- Takeru SatohTakeru Satohis a Japanese actor. His debut role was as the lead in Kamen Rider Den-O, and is known for his subsequent roles in the dramatizations of Q10 and Ryōmaden.- Career :...
as Yuya Okada - Shunji IgarashiShunji Igarashi' is a Japanese actor, most notably known for the lead role of Mirai Hibino/Ultraman Mebius in the 2006-2007 tokusatsu series Ultraman Mebius. Igarashi is affiliated with the acting unit D-BOYS, produced by .-Career:...
as Tetsuro Yufune - Sōsuke Takaoka as Tomochika Wakana
- Hiroyuki OnoueHiroyuki Onoue', born July 16, 1985, is a Japanese actor from Osaka Prefecture.-TV Drama:*When the Last Sword Is Drawn*Doremi Sora*Teru Teru Kazoku*Medaka*Shin Akakabu Kenji Funsenki*Piano*Byakuyakou *Tsunagareta Asu...
as Shonobu Imaoka - Murakawa Eri as Toko Yagi
Film
A live-action film, , was adapted from the manga. Created by TohoToho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
and directed by Yūichirō Hirakawa, the film premiered on May 31, 2009.
Reception
Rookies was ranked the 9th top-selling manga in Japan in 2008 with 2,765,163 copies sold.The last episode of Rookies, broadcasted on July 26, 2008, was rated 19.5 in the average household ratings. The television special episode of Rookies garnered a 10.0 rating. The Rookies Ura Box for the live-action television adaptation of Masanori Morita
Masanori Morita
is a Japanese manga artist who is responsible for creating the manga series Rokudenashi Blues and Rookies. Rokudenashi Blues was made into a live action movie. At the beginning of Masonori's career he was an assistant of Tetsuo Hara on Hokuto no Ken....
's Rookies baseball manga sold 5,595 copies during the October 15–21, 2008 weekend. Rookies TV drama DVDs was ranked the top having the most copies sold in 2008. First episode of Rookies was rated a 9.5 when it re-ran on December 31, 2008. Rookies Ura Box was ranked 24th on the Oricon charts with 1,997 copies sold between June 1–7, 2009. Rookies Omote Box was ranked 30th on the Oricon charts with 1,891 copies sold between June 8–14, 2009.
Rookies drama series was awarded five of the possible nine awards at the 58th Television Drama Academy Awards in 2008. Rookies was awarded best drama; Sato Ryuta was awarded best actor; Ichihara Hayato was awarded best supporting actor; "Kiseki" by Greeeen
GReeeeN
is a Japanese pop/rock/hip hop/breakbeat vocal group from Kōriyama city in Fukushima Prefecture, comprising the all-male four members Hide, Navi, 92, and Soh. They made their debut with Universal Music in 2007. Their logo image is of a mouthful of teeth, and the four Es indicate the number of members...
was awarded best theme song and Nikogaku Nine was awarded the special award. Rookies was highly commended as one of the best drama series at the 2008 Asian Television Awards.
Document of Rookies ~Sotsugyō debut at 15th on the Oricon charts between April 21–28, 2009 with 9,141 copies sold. It sold 3,092 copies during June 1–7, 2009 to be ranked 10th. It sold 2,648 copies the following week and dropped to rank 20.
Rookies: Graduation topped the Japanese box office chart when it premiered on May 30, 2009, earning the equivalent of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
12,703,775 over the May 30–31 weekend. It continued to top the Japanese box office chart the following weekend, earning US$12,703,775 that weekend. It was ranked second on the box office chart to Terminator Salvation
Terminator Salvation
Terminator Salvation is a 2009 American science fiction action film directed by McG and starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. The fourth installment in the Terminator series, the film is set in 2018 and focuses on the war between Skynet and humanity, with the human Resistance fighting...
, earning US$8,278,440 that weekend. It rose back to top the box office charts on the June 20–21 weekend, earning US$6,404,066 that weekend. On the fifth weekend, the movie dropped to second place to Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, earning US$4,290,266 that weekend. On its sixth weekend on the box office charts, it stayed at second place, earning US$2,933,634 that weekend. In its seventh weekend, Rookies: Graduation fell to 4th place and earned US$1,894,007, and has grossed US$82 million dollars as of July 15. In its eighth weekend, Rookies: Graduation, fell to 8th place and earned US$1,129,349. In its ninth weekend, Rookies: Graduation rose to 6th place and earned US$748,804.