A Town Where You Live

A Town Where You Live (君のいる町) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kōji Seo. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from May 2008 to February 2014 and the chapters collected into 27 tankōbon volumes. The series follows the daily life of Haruto Kirishima as he becomes enamored with Yuzuki Eba.

A story arc from A Town Where You Live was adapted into an original video animation series called A Town Where You Live: Twilight Intersection by Tatsunoko Production in 2012. An anime television series adaptation animated by Gonzo aired from July to September 2013, later spawning a radio program, drama CD, and an image song. Reception towards the manga was mixed with reviewers praising the plot for its realism or panning it as predictable and cliché.

Plot
Suddenly, a girl, Yuzuki Eba, who is the daughter of his father's acquaintance, arrives from Tokyo as a freeloader at the house of the main character, Haruto Kirishima, who is going to high school in the spring in a rural town in Hiroshima Prefecture. Haruto has been fond of his classmate Nanami Kanzaki since middle school, and with Yuzuki's help they become good friends, but they do not develop into a relationship. As he interacts with the urbane and free-spirited Yuzuki under the same roof, even though she has problems with her sister-in-law, Rin Eba, he gradually becomes interested in her.

After her family problems are resolved and Yuzuki returns to Tokyo, Haruto realizes how important Yuzuki is to him, confesses her love, and begins a long-distance relationship with her. There are missing each other and misunderstandings, and suddenly he receives a farewell letter from Yuzuki and he is no longer able to contact her, saying that she has started dating the person she liked. In order to find out the truth, Haruto stays at the Heights Asahiyu where his sister lives and transfers to a high school in Tokyo, and the story also moves to Tokyo.

After transferring to Tokyo, Haruto is mistaken for a burglar and is attacked with a baseball bat. After that, he becomes friends with Asuka Mishima, a neighbor of his sister's apartment, and her friend Kyosuke Kazama, and they even discuss the end of Haruto's long-distance relationship. When Kyosuke was hospitalized due to anemia, Haruto ran into Yuzuki and learned that it was actually Kyosuke that Yuzuki was dating. During this period, he also met Kyosuke's childhood friend Kiyomi Asakura and his classmate Natsukoshi.

Kyosuke had a dream of becoming a motorcycle racer even though he was suffering from an incurable disease that gave him only one year to live, and although he underwent surgery hoping for a chance of recovery, he suddenly died. Haruto becomes estranged from Yuzuki, who is heartbroken and says, "Maybe we'll never see each other again". He is confessed to by Asuka and spends his college life dating her. Rin appears at his part-time job and teases Haruto, and coincidentally runs into Yuzuki again, and they exchange new contact information. Interaction with Yuzuki and Rin gradually returns.

During the summer vacation, the three Eba siblings go to Hiroshima and the Hiroshima group returns home, so everyone gets together and Haruto and Yuzuki reminisce about their time in Hiroshima. Haruto is told by Yuzuki about her feelings for Haruto, and she is told, ``I won't go see you again,'' and he once again realizes that he loves Yuzuki. After much consideration, Haruto chooses Yuzuki, but when he dumps her, Asuka, his relationships with his friends fall apart. Yuzuki's father blames them and the two are separated, but when Yuzuki runs away from home, Seidai and Yuzuki rent an apartment and start living together.

Haruto and Yuzuki deepen their love while interacting with Hoshina, who lives next door to their apartment and has a fear of men and a tendency to run wild and delusional, as well as Miyanaga, a student at the cram school where Yuzuki works part-time. From this period, service shots (swimming suits, bathing, etc.) began to increase in his works. With the help of Yuzuki's mother and Rin, she gains the understanding of her father, and thanks to Akari, his friendship with Takashi, Nanami, and Asuka, whose relationship had broken down, is restored. Takashi has a shotgun marriage with Kiyomi. Due to her father's poor health, Akari returns to Hiroshima and gets a job, and she marries Nanami's brother, who also works there. Nanami begins dating Fujikawa.

Haruto got a job and was assigned to Kochi. Yuzuki stays in Tokyo to fulfill her dream of becoming her teacher, and the two start a long-distance relationship again. Haruto leads a busy working life, struggling with a local female boss and tough business partners. Yuzuki visits Haruto many times, and she collapses from overwork. The two broke up once, but when Haruto transferred to Tokyo, he reunited with Yuzuki at Toyama Park and got married. The last members of the Hiroshima group to get married were Haruto and Yuzuki.

In the epilogue, Haruto runs the Kirishima Shokudo, and Yuzuki also helps out on school holidays. Their son and the heroine of the next work, Fuuka Akizuki, also appear. Asuka played an active role as the ace of the Japan women's softball team, and Kyosuke's helmet is displayed in the Kirishima Shokudo.

Characters
Haruto is a high school student in Shōbara, Hiroshima. He has an earnest personality and chastises others when they are in the wrong. Because he often cooks for his family and friends, Haruto is skilled at cooking and considers it as a possible career. His older sister Aoi (桐島 葵) lives in Tokyo in the dorm room next to the Akitsukis from Suzuka. He has a long-time crush on classmate Nanami Kanzaki, but his feelings shift towards Yuzuki as the series progresses. At the end of the series, he marries Yuzuki, has a son named Daiki, and opens up his own restaurant. In both Tatsunoko Production's and Gonzo's anime, he is voiced by Yoshimasa Hosoya. Years prior to the series, Yuzuki attends a summer festival in Shōbara where she befriends Haruto. There, Haruto tells her to return if she is ever troubled. Since then, she grew fond of Haruto and plans to visit him one day. After her father's remarriage, Yuzuki feels estranged by her family and decides to attend school in Shōbara. Due to Haruto's intervention, Yuzuki is able to mend her relationship with her step-family, prompting her to return to Tokyo. There, the terminally ill Kyousuke Kazama asks Yuzuki to be his girlfriend for the remainder of his lifespan. Following Kyousuke's death, Yuzuki decides to stop seeing Haruto out of guilt. Reunited two years later, the two reaffirm their love, and begin dating. At the end of the series, she married Haruto and they have a son named Daiki. In both Tatsunoko Production's and Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by Megumi Nakajima.
 * Haruto Kirishima (桐島 青大)
 * Yuzuki Eba (枝葉 柚希)
 * Hiroshima characters
 * Takashi Yura (由良 尊) is Haruto's childhood friend. He is unpopular with women and faces rejection regularly. In college, he begins dating Kiyomi Asakura, whom he later marries when she becomes pregnant. In both Tatsunoko Production's and Gonzo's anime, he is voiced by Toshiki Masuda.
 * Akari Kaga (加賀 月) is Haruto and Takashi's childhood friend. She is half Russian and half Japanese which gives her blond hair and blue eyes. After her father becomes ill, Akari drops out of university and returns to Hiroshima for work. She marries Nanami's brother Narumi, but beforehand, confesses her love to Haruto one last time to settle her feelings for him. In both Tatsunoko Production's and Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by Nana Kouno.
 * Nanami Kanzaki (神咲 七海) is Haruto's classmate since middle school. She has an older brother named Narumi (神咲 成海). Due to Yuzuki's efforts, Haruto is able to become close with Nanami and earns her affection. However, she postpones and rejects Haruto's confession as she sees Haruto's love towards Yuzuki. At Seijo University, she eventually dates another guy. In Tatsunoko Production's anime, she is voiced by Saori Hayami. In Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by Yuki Takao.
 * Shiho Amagi (天城 紫歩) is a girl Haruto meets during his summer job in a restaurant. She aspires to be a chef and is highly skilled and devoted to that profession; because of this, she is strict towards her co-workers. Three years later, she runs her own restaurant in Tokyo where Haruto works during his university years.
 * Tokyo characters
 * Rin Eba (枝葉 懍) is Yuzuki's step-sister. She has a mischievous personality and enjoys flirting with Haruto. After learning that Haruto and Yuzuki had sex, she realizes that she loves Haruto and feels saddened by this revelation. She later appears in Hitman, another manga by Kōji Seo, where is the CEO of a mobile game company. In Tatsunoko Production's anime, she is voiced by Aoi Yuuki. In Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by Saki Fujita.
 * Asuka Mishima (御島 明日香) is Haruto's neighbor and classmate after his transfer to Tokyo. Following Kyousuke's death and Haruto and Yuzuki's decision to stop seeing each other, she and Haruto begin dating. At the end of the series, she is a pitcher on Japan's national baseball team. She later appears in Hitman, where the protagonist is assigned to make a manga based on her life. In Gonzo's anime, she is voiced by Ayane Sakura.
 * Kyousuke Kazama (風間 恭輔) is Yuzuki's senior at school and becomes friends with Haruto. He uses his terminal illness to make Yuzuki his girlfriend. Upon learning about Yuzuki's relationship with Haruto, Kyousuke decides to undergo a risky surgery to cure his ailment and to win Yuzuki's love fairly; the surgery results in his death. In Gonzo's anime series, he is voiced by Daisuke Ono.
 * Mina Nagoshi (夏越 美奈) is Haruto's high school classmate in Tokyo. Learning that Mina has tickets for an event at Yuzuki's school, Haruto accompanies her which causes her to believe they are on a date. She reappears as a member of the college circle that Haruto joins. There, she comes to believe she and Haruto are a couple again; she later ends this supposed relationship to be with another man. She appears in Gonzo's anime and is voiced by Sayuri Yahagi.
 * Kiyomi Asakura (浅倉 清美) is Kyousuke Kazama's childhood friend. She originally despises Yuzuki for her relationship with Kyousuke, and works with Haruto to try to split them apart. She confesses her love to Kyousuke before he undergoes his surgery. She begins dating Takashi and the two marry when she becomes pregnant. She appears in Gonzo's anime and is voiced by Aya Endo.
 * Shiori Amaya (天谷 栞) is a business student at Seijo University. She stages an incriminating situation in order to blackmail Haruto into taking class notes for her. Despite her family's opposition, she decides to pursue her dream as a manga artist. She later appears as a supporting character in Hitman.
 * Miyu Hoshina (保科 美夕) is Haruto's neighbor during his university years. She does not have friends at the university and, because she has gone to an all-girls high school, has androphobia. After interacting with Haruto and Yuzuki, she becomes more social and studies abroad.
 * Chisa Miyanaga (宮永 知沙) is Yuzuki's student from her cram school job. She develops a crush on Haruto and decides to pursue him. When she becomes a high school student, she moves into Miyu's old apartment.

Publication and conception
Written and illustrated by Kōji Seo, A Town Where You Live was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from May 28, 2008, to February 12, 2014. Seo stated he wanted to create a love story set in his hometown as the inspiration to the series and that some of his characters were inspired by his friends. Kouji Seo created a guide book titled A Town Where You Live Official Guidebook Love Navi: Love Navigation! (君のいる町　公式ガイドブック　恋なび　Love Navigation!) which was released on August 16, 2013. A special volume, titled A Town Where You Live Delusional Episode 200 Special Edition, (君のいる町 妄想200話 SPECIAL EDITION) collecting nine previously released alternative chapters 200 (also serving as alternative endings with other heroines) was released on October 17, 2018. Six of those chapters were previously released with limited editions of the Gonzo anime volumes, two with limited editions of manga volumes 26 and 27, and one as a bonus released by Amuse Soft Entertainment. A free epilogue chapter was released online on April 1, 2020.

On October 30, 2013, Crunchyroll Manga was launched and included A Town Where You Live in its library with English translation by Abby Lehrke; the series has also been published in languages such as French and Chinese.

Tatsunoko Production
A Town Where You Live: Twilight Intersection (君のいる町～黄昏交差点～) is a two episode original video animation series animated by Tatsunoko Production in collaboration with the city, Shōbara. Yasuhiro Yoshiura and Hiroshi Kobayashi were the directors with script by Momoko Murakami and music by Keiichi Oku. The series' theme song was lit. 'Twilight Intersection' (黄昏交差点) by Erina Mano; the theme song was later released as a CD single by Hello! Project. The episodes were bundled with the limited edition manga volume 17 and 18; they were released on March 16 and June 15, 2012, respectively. The series covers Haruto Kirishima's class trip to Tokyo as he separates from his classmates to search for Yuzuki Eba.

Gonzo
A Town Where You Live was adapted into an anime television series animated by Gonzo. Shigeyasu Yamauchi was the director with script by Reiko Yoshida and music by Keiichi Oku. It was first announced in Weekly Shōnen Magazine, issue 15, 2013. To promote the show, a radio program consisting of the anime's voice cast was broadcast on Nippon Cultural Broadcasting between July 6 and July 27, 2013. The anime aired on TXN between July 13 and September 28, 2013. It was also broadcast on HOME and AT-X and was made available for streaming on networks such as Niconico and Bandai Channel. The series uses four theme songs: The opening theme is Sentimental Love (センチメンタルラブ) by Mimimememimi. The first ending theme is lit. "A Town Where You Live" (君のいる町) which was used for the first six episodes while its alternate version, Answer Songs was used for the final episode; the song was done by Yoshimasa Hosoya. The remaining episodes' ending theme was Dear Friend by Daisuke Ono. Sentimental Love was released as a CD single by A-Sketch while Kimi no Iru Machi and Dear Friend were released by Universal Music Group. Right Stuf Inc.'s Nozomi Entertainment announced an English subtitled release for North America in July 2015. Each of the six limited edition DVD/Blu-ray volumes of the series included a bonus manga chapter that serves as an alternative chapter 200 and an alternative ending with other heroines.

Gonzo also animated two original video animation episodes which are bundled with the limited editions of manga volume 26 and 27. Gonzo's anime adaptation resulted in a drama CD and an image song release.

Reception
In Japan, A Town Where You Live manga volumes frequently appeared on weekly sales charts during their week of release. Jason Thompson praised A Town Where You Live's serious, mature tone and wrote that the audiences will either like the series for its realism or criticize it as slow and mundane. Manga-News praised the series' introduction for being more realistic than the author's previous work, Suzuka, and the plot which was described as eventful. In later volumes, Manga-News criticized the plot for being predictable, encompassing cliché aspects of the genre, and for dragging its story. They also panned the characters' behavior, calling it implausible and inconsistent. Manga-News returned to positive reviews during the volumes involving Kyousuke Kazama; they praised the story arc for introducing a new setting, for breaking away from the usual classicism, and for surprising the readers for the first time in the series. Following this, Manga-News returned to negative reviews, echoing their previous points. AnimeLand had similar reactions. Initially, they were positive, praising the realistic protagonist, but further reviews repeated Manga-News' criticisms.