Futari Daka

Lore & Background

The story begins when Taka Sawatari and his mother are attacked by a motorcycle gang while heading home after dinner. They are saved by a mysterious young man, who Sawatari later learns is a professional racer with the same first name, Taka Toujou. In a race, Sawatari loses control entering a curve, nearly killing Toujou. After this event, the two become rivals, competing against each other with their racing skills. The main characters include Sawatari Taka (voiced by Tohru Furuya), Tōjō Taka (voiced by Kaneto Shiozawa), and Kogure Asako (voiced by Hiromi Tsuru). Pops Yoshimura and David Aldana made some celebrity appearances throughout the series.

Reader's Guide

Futari Daka holds significance as the recipient of the 1984 Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga, marking it as a notable work in the genre. Its anime adaptation, consisting of 36 episodes, aired on Fuji TV from September 1984 to June 1985. The series is also historically notable as the last anime produced by Kokusai Eiga-sha. The anime premiered in France on March 11, 1990, on La Cinq and Mangas, though only 32 episodes were aired there. The opening theme 'The Heartbreak Crossin'' and ending theme 'Sayonara o Iwa Nai De Kure' were both performed by Takanori Jinnai, with music composed by Joe Hisaishi. The legacy of Futari Daka lies in its award-winning manga and its role as a final production for a specific animation studio, as well as its international broadcast in France.

Did You Know?

• Futari Daka received the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga.
• The anime adaptation consisted of 36 episodes broadcast on Fuji TV from September 20, 1984, to June 21, 1985.
• The anime premiered in France on March 11, 1990, but only 32 episodes were aired there.

The Rivalry at the Heart of the Story

Futari Daka, whose title translates to "Twin Hawks," is built around a competitive bond between two young men who share the same given name, Taka. Sawatari Taka and Toujou Taka — whose surnames evoke a hawk and a falcon respectively — become locked in a fierce rivalry after a fateful incident on the track. The narrative ignites during a harrowing evening: Sawatari and his mother, returning from dinner, are set upon by a motorcycle gang. A stranger intervenes to save them, and the following morning Sawatari learns the rescuer is professional racer Toujou Taka. Their rivalry hardens during a race in which Sawatari loses control entering a curve, nearly killing Toujou. From that moment forward, the two push each other to greater heights, competing not only against one another but against other riders in the motorcycle racing world. The manga, written and illustrated by Kaoru Shintani, earned the 1984 Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category, a testament to how powerfully this dual-protagonist dynamic resonated with readers.

The Anime Adaptation and Its Soundtrack

The manga's momentum carried it into animation, where it became the final series produced by Kokusai Eiga-sha. The 36-episode anime aired on Fuji TV from September 20, 1984, through June 21, 1985, giving the racing drama a full season's worth of screen time. The voice cast brought distinct energy to the leads: Tohru Furuya voiced Sawatari Taka, while Kaneto Shiozawa brought life to Toujou Taka, and Hiromi Tsuru lent her voice to Asako Kogure. Behind the scenes, the musical identity of the series was shaped by two notable talents. Takanori Jinnai performed both the opening theme, "The Heartbreak Crossin'," and the closing theme, "Sayonara o Iwa Nai De Kure." Meanwhile, the score was composed by Joe Hisaishi, whose work would go on to define countless other productions. The series also featured celebrity guest appearances by Pops Yoshimura and David Aldana, adding a layer of real-world recognition to the fictional racing world.

A Cross-Border Journey to France

Though born in Japanese manga and television, Futari Daka found a second audience across the Channel. The anime made its French debut on March 11, 1990, when it premiered on La Cinq and the Mangas channel. Notably, not all of the original 36 episodes made it to French screens; only 32 were broadcast, meaning a handful of the racing story's developments were never seen by that particular audience. This partial airing is a small but telling detail in the series' international footprint. The fact that a shōnen motorcycle racing manga from 1984 found a home on French television more than five years after its original run speaks to the enduring appeal of high-speed competition narratives and the cross-cultural resonance of the hawk-and-falcon rivalry at its core. For French viewers in the early 1990s, the series offered a window into Japanese animation at a time when the medium was still building its foothold in European markets.

Award Recognition and Industry Significance

Futari Daka's impact on the manga industry is anchored by a significant honor: the 1984 Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category. This recognition validated Kaoru Shintani's vision of a dual-protagonist racing story and cemented the series' place in the landscape of Japanese boys' manga during the early 1980s. Beyond the award, the series holds a unique position in anime production history. It was the final series animated by Kokusai Eiga-sha, a studio whose name is now part of the broader tapestry of Japanese animation history. This "last of its kind" status gives the adaptation a particular weight for animation historians and fans tracing the evolution of production studios. The series also benefited from a talented supporting cast in the anime, with Asako Kogure serving as a key character voiced by Hiromi Tsuru, and the inclusion of real-world celebrities like Pops Yoshimura and David Aldana in guest roles bridged the gap between the fictional racing circuit and the entertainment world outside it.