After the Rain (manga)

Lore & Background

After the Rain was first serialized in Shogakukan's Monthly Big Comic Spirits from June 27, 2014, to November 27, 2015, then transferred to Weekly Big Comic Spirits, where it ran from January 18, 2016, to March 19, 2018. Shogakukan collected its chapters in ten tankōbon volumes published from January 9, 2015, to April 27, 2018. Vertical licensed the manga for English release in North America, publishing it in five omnibus volumes from September 25, 2018, to September 17, 2019.

The story follows Akira Tachibana, a high school student working part-time at a family restaurant, who falls in love with the manager, Masami Kondo, a forty-five-year-old divorcé with a young son.

Reader's Guide

After the Rain is significant as a critically acclaimed romantic drama that explores an age-gap relationship with nuance and emotional depth. Its 2018 Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category highlights its recognition within the industry. The series' success is reflected in its over two million copies in circulation by April 2018, and its ranking fourth in Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook in 2016. The manga was also nominated for the ninth Manga Taishō Awards in 2016, ranking seventh with 42 points, and placed fourth on the 'Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics' list in 2016.

The legacy of After the Rain extends beyond print: the anime adaptation by Wit Studio and the live-action film starring Nana Komatsu and Yo Oizumi brought the story to wider audiences. The series' handling of themes such as unrequited love, personal growth, and second chances has resonated with readers, making it a notable entry in contemporary Japanese manga. Its English-language release by Vertical and subsequent home video licensing by Sentai Filmworks have ensured international accessibility.

Did You Know?

• The manga was serialized in both Monthly Big Comic Spirits and Weekly Big Comic Spirits.
• By April 2018, the manga had over two million copies in circulation.
• The anime adaptation was produced by Wit Studio and aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block.
• The live-action film stars Nana Komatsu as Akira Tachibana and Yo Oizumi as Masami Kondo.

The Story at the Core

At its heart, After the Rain follows Akira Tachibana, a high school student whose sharp, wary gaze makes strangers uneasy, as she navigates a complicated attraction to Masami Kondo, the forty-five-year-old manager of the family restaurant where she works part-time. Masami is a divorced father of a young boy named Yuto, a gentle and somewhat timid man who is often chided by his staff for seeming too soft. Their connection began when Akira, still reeling from a leg injury that ended her track career and plunged her into a depressive spell, took shelter from the rain at the restaurant. Masami simply handed her a complimentary coffee, and that small kindness ignited an infatuation she could not easily dismiss. Around them orbits a small but vivid ensemble: Haruka, the loyal track-team friend who never abandoned Akira after her injury; Yui, the bubbly blonde coworker harboring feelings for classmate Takashi; Kayoko, the no-nonsense senior waitress who constantly belittles Masami; and Ryosuke, a chef whose inappropriate interest in Akira escalates into blackmail once he discovers her secret crush. Each character adds a layer of tension and warmth to the central romance.

From Manga Pages to the Big Screen

Jun Mayuzuki's manga first appeared in Shogakukan's Monthly Big Comic Spirits in June 2014 and ran there until late November 2015. The series then migrated to the Weekly Big Comic Spirits, where it continued until March 2018. Shogakukan gathered the chapters into ten tankōbon volumes between January 2015 and April 2018, and later Shueisha issued a five-volume shinsōban re-release in spring 2025. The story's momentum carried it well beyond the printed page. Wit Studio produced a twelve-episode anime adaptation that aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina block from January through March 2018. A live-action film, distributed by Toho and starring Nana Komatsu as Akira and Yo Oizumi as Masami, hit Japanese theaters on May 25, 2018. In North America, Vertical published a five-volume omnibus edition of the manga between September 2018 and September 2019, while Sentai Filmworks secured the anime for home video and digital distribution. The UK market received the anime on Blu-ray through MVM Films in October 2020.

Critical Recognition and Commercial Milestones

After the Rain earned substantial commercial and critical validation during and after its serialization. By April 2018, the manga had surpassed two million copies in circulation, a striking figure for a series that had only recently wrapped up its weekly run. That same year, it shared the 63rd Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category with Kūbo Ibuki, a prestigious honor that recognized the work's narrative craft and emotional resonance. Earlier, in 2016, the series placed fourth in Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook, a widely referenced annual ranking that spotlights standout titles for manga readers. It also received a nomination for a major manga prize that same year, further cementing its reputation among both critics and the reading public. The series' ability to translate its quiet, character-driven romance into measurable success across print, animation, and live-action cinema demonstrated a rare breadth of appeal. The convergence of award recognition, strong sales, and multiple high-profile adaptations in a single year made 2018 a defining moment in the franchise's history.

The Creative Team Behind the Adaptations

The manga was both written and illustrated by Jun Mayuzuki, who shaped every panel of the original story. The anime adaptation brought a large collaborative team to the project: Ayumu Watanabe directed the series, Deko Akao handled the series composition, Yuka Shibata designed the characters, and Ryō Yoshimata composed the score. The production was a joint effort among Fuji Television, Aniplex, DMM pictures, Dentsu, and Wit Studio. The opening theme, "Nostalgic Rainfall," was performed by CHiCO with HoneyWorks, while Aimer sang the closing track, "Ref:rain." The live-action film cast Nana Komatsu in the role of Akira and Yo Oizumi as Masami, with supporting performances from Nana Seino, Honoka Matsumoto, Hayato Isomura, Shono Hayama, Mari Hamada, and Shigeyuki Totsugi. The anime's Japanese voice cast included Sayumi Watabe and Hiroaki Hirata for the two leads, while the English dub featured Luci Christian and Jason Douglas in those same roles. This layered approach to casting across languages and media helped the story find audiences far beyond its Japanese origins.