Yūgo Kobayashi’s Aoashi has reached another significant milestone aftering hitting over 15 million copies in circulation. Publishing giant Shogakukan announced the massive figures on Tuesday with the release of the 29th volume of the manga. The number represents an additional 5 million since the debut of Aoashi‘s anime adapation earlier this year.
Aoashi Story Line
Aoashi is a popular sports manga written and illustrated by Yūgo Kobayashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan’s Weekly Big Comic Spirits magazine in 2015. The story was conceptualized by Naohiko Ueno.
It follows the life of Ashito Aoi, a third year middle school student living in the quiet area of the Ehime prefecture. Ashito was a gifted soccer player and was considered the ace of his team. However, his stubbornness eventually led his team to its downfall. Frustrated and disillusioned, Ashito suddenly received an invite from an important person, Tatsuya Fukuya, a coach who saw potential in him during that faithful game. Will it lead him back to the sports he once so loved?
The manga bagged the Best General Manga award at the 65th Shogakukan Manga Awards.
About 7 years since its release, Aoashi was eventually translated into an anime series. It premiered on April 9 this year on NHK Educational. It was directed by Akira Sato.
In 2020, the manga was reported to had over 4.5 million copies in circulation. The figures ballooned to over 12 million the following year. As of now, it is said to have go beyond 15 million copies in circulation.
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