is a Japanese manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 written and illustrated by Mami Kashiwabara. The manga began serialization in the November 2005 issue of Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

's Afternoon

Afternoon (magazine)

is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha. It is a monthly anthology, and each issue typically has around thirty ongoing stories by various authors and runs about 800 pages...

manga magazine, and as of July 2010, eight bound volumes

Tankobon

, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

 have been released in Japan. A 12-episode anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 adaptation by Studio Comet

Studio Comet

is an animation studio based in Tokyo, Japan. It was established January 21, 1986.-Notable staff:*Hiroshi Kanazawa *Kazuo Harada *Shin Misawa...

 and directed by Shinji Takamatsu aired in Japan between July and September 2009.

Plot

Sora no Manimani revolves around Saku Ōyagi, a bookworm who moves back to the town he lived in as a child after seven years. He had a childhood friend named Mihoshi Akeno who loved astronomy and would always take Saku outside against his will to look at the stars, or do other outdoor activities, whereas Saku would rather have stayed inside with his books. Saku broke his arm the day he moved away after trying to catch Mihoshi falling out of a tree; Saku resented her for this, and that she never saw him off. However, this was a misunderstanding since he was too stubborn to listen to the whole story (the fall had put her in the hospital so she could not see him off), and later becomes friends with Mihoshi again after they meet attending the same high school. Mihoshi convinces Saku to join the astronomy club she is a member of, despite Saku actually wanting to join literature club instead. Hime Makita, a girl in Saku's class who has a crush on him, also joins the astronomy club.

Characters

Saku is the main protagonist for this story, who grew up traveling around Japan due to his father constantly changing jobs. Saku loves to read books and can often be seen reading, whether it be on the bus, at school, or at home. He generally likes to stay indoors and read, but after joining the astronomy club, he starts to enjoy going out and stargazing or participating in other club activities. As Fumie notes, his writing skills are top notch, making him better suited for the literature club. While he is constantly annoyed by Mihoshi, he does enjoy her company. However, because of how Mihoshi shows up to his class a lot, many of his classmates believe that they are dating (much to the dismay of Hime and Saku).

Mihoshi is a cheerful girl who is one year older than Saku, though she has a tendency to act childish. She is very enthusiastic about and has a strong love for the universe, a trait passed down from her late father. She has always enjoyed going outside and stargazing or doing other activities, and would usually take Saku along with her, often against his will. She is thrilled to be reunited with her childhood friend Saku and convinces him to join the astronomy club at school. She becomes the club president after Roma graduates.

Sayo is a calm and intelligent girl who is in the same year as Mihoshi and is also a member of the astronomy club. Her family runs a Buddhist temple

Buddhist temples in Japan

Along with Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples are the most numerous, famous, and important religious buildings in Japan.The term "Shinto shrine" is used in opposition to "Buddhist temple" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. In...

.

Hime is a girl who is in the same class as Saku, whom she has a crush on. After Saku joins the astronomy club, she quickly follows suit so as to spend more time closer to him and getting to know him. She had originally met Saku briefly on the bus before taking their entrance exam for the school, and was surprised to see him again in her class. She is generally a calm girl though is known to get jealous of Mihoshi when she is sticking close to Saku. Though she has a crush on Saku, she is easily put off by other guys trying to make advances on her. Hime's hair gets frizzy in high-humidity weather, and her sister can use this trait to gauge the humidity in the air.

Masashi Edogawa is one of Saku's classmates and friend, and while he often takes part in astronomy club activities, is actually a member of the photography club. He enjoys hanging around the astronomy club because of Mihoshi, Sayo and Hime, whom he sees as all very attractive, and is jealous that Saku is surrounded by beautiful girls. However, he also enjoys astronomy and actively participates in stargazing events. His photography skills tend to come in handy in promoting the astronomy club.

Takeyasu Roma is the president of the astronomy club. He has always had a poor constitution and as such is generally very weak and often spits up blood or passes out after doing something straining. He has an intense love of astronomy, akin to Mihoshi's own enthusiasm. After graduating, he goes to college with Ayumi Ōmi, a girl with the same passion for astronomy as him, and who has a crush on him.

Fumie is the student council president and is a member of the literature club, though still often takes charge in club events despite not being the president. She notices how Saku also enjoys books and reading and has invited him to the literature club on multiple occasions. She admires his writing skills and has an interest in Saku. She feels that the astronomy club and its members are not what a club should be and is generally not favorable about their activities. She has known Mihoshi for several years, but feels animosity towards her. She has terrible eyesight and has trouble distinguishing objects and people without correction.

Manga

The manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

, written and illustrated by Mami Kashiwabara, began serialization in Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

's Afternoon

Afternoon (magazine)

is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha. It is a monthly anthology, and each issue typically has around thirty ongoing stories by various authors and runs about 800 pages...

in the November 2005 issue. The first bound volume

Tankobon

, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

 was released on June 23, 2006, and as of July 23, 2010, eight volumes have been released in Japan.

Anime

A 12-episode anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 adaptation animated by Studio Comet

Studio Comet

is an animation studio based in Tokyo, Japan. It was established January 21, 1986.-Notable staff:*Hiroshi Kanazawa *Kazuo Harada *Shin Misawa...

 and directed by Shinji Takamatsu aired in Japan between July 7 and September 22, 2009. Two pieces of theme music

Theme music

Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...

 are used for the episodes; one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme is "Super Noisy Nova" by Sphere

Sphere (Japanese band)

is a J-pop idol unit made up of voice actresses who are all managed by Sony Music Entertainment, under the Lantis music label in the Music Ray'n subdivision of GloryHeaven. The group debuted in April 2009 releasing their first single "Future Stream"...

, and the ending theme is by CooRie

CooRie

CooRie is a self-produced Japanese music unit by singer-songwriter Rino that performs songs for anime and games. CooRie used to be a two-persons unit when it debuted in 2003, with Rino doing the lyrics and vocals and doing the music compositions and arrangements...

.