Novel series by Shinobu Gotō
The is a novel series written by Shinobu Gotoh. The series was published from 1992 to 2014 by Kadokawa Shoten, spanning 28 volumes in total.
The novel was adapted into two manga series in the boys' love manga magazine "Ciel": a 1998 adaptation by Billy Takahashi, and a second adaptation by the novel's original illustrator, Kazumi Ohya, that ran from 2000 to 2008. The novels were also adapted into several live-action films.
Plot.
Takumi Hayama is a high school student at Shidō Academy, a private elite boarding school in the mountains. Unlike the other students, Takumi is not from a prestigious background and attends the school to escape from a past psychological trauma that leaves him repulsed by people touching him, and as a result, he is perceived as emotionless and unsociable by his classmates. The only person who doesn't see him as such, besides his roommate, is Giichi "Gui" Saki, is a popular, attractive boy who has returned from the United States. As Takumi and Gui begin their second year at the school, one day, Gui surprises Takumi by confessing that he has been in love with him for some time. As Takumi learns more about Gui, he also must learn to overcome his past and rivals who threaten to break up their newfound relationship.
Voiced by: Yasunori Matsumoto (drama cassette book), Katsumi Toriumi (drama CD vols. 1-6), Makoto Aoki (drama CD vols. 7-8), Soichiro Hoshi (drama CD vols. 9-10), Showtaro Morikubo ("Ruby ni Kuchizuke" radio show), Shinnosuke Tachibana (novel omnibus drama CD)
Takumi is a second-year student. He is seen by his classmates as unapproachable and unsociable due to his indifferent nature. However, Takumi fears getting close to other people after his family blamed him for making advances on his older brother, when in reality, his brother had been grooming and sexually abusing him since elementary school. After meeting Gui, Takumi confronts his past and open towards other people.
Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue (drama cassette book &amp; drama CD vols. 1-6, 9, 10), Ryotaro Okiayu (drama CD vols. 7-8), Toshihiko Seki ("Ruby ni Kuchizuke" radio show), Toshiyuki Morikawa (novel omnibus drama CD)
Nicknamed , he is Takumi's classmate. Gui is a quarter-French and spent his childhood growing up in the United States. Gui is one of the most popular boys in school due to his friendly nature and unique beauty.
Akaike is Gui's friend and part of the student discipline committee. The student body is intimidated by him, and he initially antagonizes Takumi at first due to Takumi not taking Gui's feelings seriously. Since his mother died when he was young, he grew up doing household chores for his father. He is the only character in the series who identifies as straight and his childhood friend Mamiko is in love with him.
Misu is a popular student, but is overwhelmed by his popularity that it causes him to be stressed, which he often takes out on Shingyōji. The two eventually date.
Shingyōji is a calm boy from the kendo club.
Toshihisa was Takumi's roommate during their first year.
Iwashita is Toshihisa's new roommate beginning their second year, and they eventually begin dating.
Izumi is Shidō Academy's "princess", known for his androgynous good looks and spoiled behavior. He is in love with Gui and targets Takumi after discovering Gui's feelings for him. Eventually, he comes to accept Yoshizawa's feelings for him instead.
Yoshizawa is Izumi's good-natured roommate, who is in love with him.
Yagura is a student who fell in love with Yatsu during their school entrance exams.
Yatsu is a popular student and is slow to trust others after being betrayed. He eventually begins dating Yagura.
Nozawa is a gentle boy who is unable to refuse requests.
Komazawa falls in love with Nozawa during their first year.
Media.
Novels.
Shinobu Gotoh published the "Takumi-kun" series from 1992 to 2014, which were published by Kadokawa Shoten under the Kadokawa Ruby Bunko imprint. The novels were all illustrated by Kazumi Ohya.
Volumes.
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Omnibus.
In 2016, Kadokawa published omnibus editions of all the novels in format, which also included new unpublished stories. The 11th volume of the omnibus edition came with a drama CD.
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Manga.
Several manga adaptations have been serialized in the magazine "Ciel". The first manga series, which adapted the novel "Soshite Harukaze ni Sasayaite", was illustrated by Billy Takahashi and published in August 1998. The manga adaptations were then subsequently illustrated by Kazumi Ohya, the original illustrator for the novels, which were published under the Asuka Comics CL-DX imprint. The first three volumes of Ohya's manga adaptation were licensed for English distribution by Tokyopop under their Blu imprint.
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Films.
In 2007, "Soshite Harukaze ni Sasayaite" was adapted into a live-action film, starring Tomo Yanagishita as Takumi and Keisuke Katō as Gui. Following the film's release, four more adaptations were produced, with Kyousuke Hamao as Takumi and Daisuke Watanabe as Gui. After the release of the fifth film, "", Hamao and Watanabe announced they were leaving the project and would not be reprising their roles for any future sequels.
In January 2023, a new film adaptation titled "Takumi-kun Series: Nagai Nagai Monogatari no Hajimari no Asa" was announced for release later in the year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the series.
Stage play.
A stage play adaptation of "Soshite Harukaze ni Sasayaite" ran in December 2009. The DVD was released on April 16, 2010.
Reception.
The novel series was successful during its run, becoming one of the most popular boys' love novels. In 2007, the novel series had sold a cumulative total of 4 million copies. By 2016, the novels had sold a cumulative total of 5 million copies.
References.
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