is a Japanese

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

series written and illustrated by Ayumi Ishii. It has been serialized in

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics ( manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the ...

's ''

Monthly Shōnen Sunday , alternately known as , is a monthly '' shōnen'' manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since May 12, 2009 (the June 2009 issue). The magazine was announced in February 2009, with Hayashi Masato, at that time editor of ''Weekly Shōnen ...

'' since May 2009, with its chapters collected in twenty-two ''

tankōbon is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or ...

'' volumes as of February 2022. A ten-episode

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series adaptation was broadcast on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...

from July to September 2014. An eleven-episode

television drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

adaptation was also broadcast on Fuji TV from October to December 2014. A live-action film premiered in Japan in January 2016. As of February 2016, the ''Nobunaga Concerto'' manga had over 3.5 million copies in circulation. In 2012, the manga won the 57th

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga awards, and is sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga and features candidates from a number of publishers. It is the oldest manga award in Japan, being given since ...

for the ''shōnen'' category.

Plot

The story centers around Saburō, a high school boy who time-travels to Japan's Sengoku Era. He must become Oda Nobunaga, the famed warlord who helps unite Japan.

Characters

Main characters

; : :Played by:

Shun Oguri is a Japanese actor and voice actor, son of stage director Tetsuya Oguri, and the youngest of 3 siblings, including older brother Ryo, who is also an actor. He started in small roles as extra in the works in which his father and brother worked ...

:Saburo is a high school boy who finds himself traveling back in time to Japan's Sengoku Era. He meets Oda Nobunaga who asks him Saburo to impersonate him because they look like identical. He occasionally uses his textbook regarding Nobunaga's life to guide him through the events he needs to create. ; : :Played by: Shun Oguri :The real Oda Nobunaga. Unable to withstand the political pressure as Nobunaga, he has the identical twin, Saburo take his place while he travels around the country. He eventually ends up taking over the Akechi Clan after the previous leader had no heir, and now works under Saburō (fake Nobunaga) as

Akechi Mitsuhide , first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''samurai'' general of the Sengoku period best known as the assassin of Oda Nobunaga. Mitsuhide was a bodyguard of Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later a successful general under ...

. ; : :Played by:

Kou Shibasaki is a Japanese actress and singer who has performed in television shows, movies, and commercials. She is managed by Stardust Promotion. Biography Acting career Shibasaki debuted in 2000, when she portrayed Mitsuko Souma in '' Battle Royale.'' S ...

:Kichō is Nobunaga's wife ; : :Played by:

Takayuki Yamada is a Japanese actor, singer, and producer. He is best known for his role as Sakutaro Matsumoto in TV drama ''Socrates in Love'' and as Densha Otoko in the 2005 film of the same name. Yamada gained international popularity through his portrayal ...

:Tokichiro was originally a spy from the Imagawa, sent to ruin the Oda. Tokichiro initially attempted to incite rebellion through Nobuyuki as well as acting as a stable boy for the Oda army in the Imagawa's advance. Both areas failed as Nobuyuki was betrayed by Katsuie and, due to a miscommunication, he sends incorrect info to Yoshimito, leading to his death at Okehazama. With no place to go, he bides his time under Nobunaga, waiting for the perfect opportunity to kill him. ; : :Played by:

Kiko Mizuhara Audrie Kiko Daniel (born October 15, 1990), known professionally as , is an American-born model, actress, singer and designer who has lived in Japan since childhood. Kiko Mizuhara started her modeling career at the age of twelve when she entered ...

:Oichi is Nobunaga's younger sister.

Other characters

; : :Played by:

Osamu Mukai is a Japanese actor. He was born in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from Meiji University. Early life He was born in Isogo-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture and went to Hama Junior high school (浜中学校) and Hitorizawa High schoo ...

; : :Played by: Masahiro Takashima :Originally a retainer of Nobuyuki, Katsuie was initially unable to understand Nobunaga's behaviour, and attempted to kill Matsudaira Motoyasu in order to show Nobunaga's incompetence. Years later, he soon realizes that Nobunaga not only has the support of the people, but also has the ambition to rule the land. Siding with Nobunaga instead, he is still often baffled by his lord's decision making. ; : :Played by:

Taisuke Fujigaya is a Japanese idol, singer and actor. He is most known as a member of the Johnny's boyband Kis-My-Ft2. He appeared as an actor in multiple television series, including ''Mars Ta Da Kimi Wo Aishiteru''.　On September １９－２１、he star ...

:A violent man, he was found by Nobunaga fighting in the streets. As punishment for his rowdy behaviour, he was not allowed to serve in the army until after Nobunaga's first few battles. ; : :Played by: Shinnosuke Abe :Like Toshiie, Narimasa was a violent person and was fighting Toshiie when they were both scouted by Nobunaga. Later on, he becomes a full-fledged officer of the Oda. ; : :Played by: Masanobu Sakata ; : :Played by:

Denden is a Japanese actor and former comedian.http://japancinema.net/2012/05/29/creative-spotlight-episode-126-denden He has appeared in more than 100 films since 1981. Selected filmography Film Television References External links * { ...

; : :Played by:

Gaku Hamada is a Japanese film and television actor. He was a regular cast member of Fuji TV's '' Operation Love'', appearing in all 11 episodes broadcast in 2007 and the 2008 special, and receiving an award for his role. He has made numerous other TV appe ...

:Initially a young hostage for the Oda, Motoyasu becomes indebted to Nobunaga after he rescues the young child's life from Katsuie's assassination attempt. Being given Nobunaga's modern day pornographic magazine, he eventually forms an alliance with the Oda after the collapse of the Imagawa forces at Okehazama to repay the debt to Nobunaga. ; : :Played by:

Naohito Fujiki is a Japanese actor and singer. Filmography Drama * (1996), Guest at Table 3 * ハートにS (1996) * (1996) * * ''Shin-D Love Blood'' (1997) * (1997) * * * (1998) * (1998) * (1999) * (1999) * (1999) * (2000) * * ''LOVE REVOLUTION ...

:A strategist that initially served Saito Tatsuoki, he became dissatisfied with his lord's complacency over Inabayama Castle's victories against Nobunaga, and proceeds to take the castle for himself. Interested in Nobunaga's vision of the world, he eventually turns against the Saito, and joins the Oda forces. ; : :Played by:

Issei Takahashi is a Japanese actor and singer. Biography Takahashi was born as the eldest son in Akasaka, Minato Ward, Tokyo. He has four half-brothers, including the musician, Yuma Abe. He cared for his younger siblings when they were infants, and is more l ...

; : :Played by:

Kunio Murai is a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is famous for Japanese dubbing roles for Harrison Ford (Especially for Indiana Jones). Filmography Films * ''Godzilla vs. Gigan'' (1972) (Takashi Shima) * ''Japan Sinks'' (1973) (Kataoka) * ''The Battle ...

; : ; : ; : :Played by:

Yoshiyuki Morishita is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in more than eighty films since 1996. Selected filmography Film Television References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morishita, Yoshiyuki 1962 births Living people People from Tokyo Japanese ...

; : :Played by: Takumi Kitamura ; : ; : ; : ; : :Played by: Keisuke Horibe ; : :Played by: Arata Furuta :Originally a Yakuza member before being transported to the past, Hisahide relishes the chaos of the Sengoku period, believing it to be a battle where only the strongest win. Meeting Nobunaga after his rejection of the Shogun's letter to attack the Oda, Hisahide offers his loose loyalty to Nobunaga until the time he can rebel. ; : :Played by:

Yūya Yagira is a Japanese actor. In 2004, he became the youngest winner of the Best Actor award in the history of the Cannes Film Festival for his portrayal of 12-year-old Akira in the highly acclaimed '' Nobody Knows''. Career Yagira was 12 years old and n ...

:Nobunaga's younger brother, whom he spites to the core. Nobuyuki, while afraid of Nobunaga, was also tired of his brother's erratic behaviour. In his brother's youth, Nobuyuki had Nohime kidnapped, which was exposed by Nobunaga in front of their father. Years later, he is incited into rebellion by Kinoshita, falsely believing that the Imagawa would support him as the lord of Owari. Failing in his rebellion, he attempts to kill Nobunaga once more when he is sick, only to be betrayed by Katsuie. After his third failure, he commits suicide, but encourages Nobunaga to take the world without the permission of others. ; : :An elderly man who is the tutor of Nobunaga, he is befuddled by Nobunaga's lax behaviour and constantly remonstrates his lord for his laziness. While reviewing conscripts, he notices that Kinoshita is a spy for another warlord and rejects him. Eventually, he is murdered by Kinoshita and another Imagawa spy, and dies telling Nobunaga to not let the world think him a fool. Kinoshita would later kill his associate in order to be able to infiltrate the Oda Army. ; : :Played by:

Toshiyuki Nishida is a Japanese actor. He has won two Japanese Academy Awards for best actor, for '' The Silk Road'' (1988) and ''Tsuribaka Nisshi 6'' (1993). He has also won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for '' Get Up!'' and '' Tsuribaka Nisshi 14'' (200 ...

:The Lord of Mino and the father of Nohime, he was originally a policeman named Nagai Shinichi, who had a family with a daughter. Travelling to the past mysteriously like Saburo, he stays at the Sengoku Period for 30 years. Upon seeing Saburo's school uniform, he gives the younger man his uniform, and later his pistol and a letter to his original daughter and another to Nohime. Like in history, he is killed by his sons in the conflict at Mino. ; : ; : :Played by: Katsuya ; : :Originally a batter for an unknown professional baseball team, Yasuke was transported to the Sengoku period, where he is found by Nobunaga. While taken in as an officer, he is bewildered by the savage culture of the time period as well as his baseball bat being mistaken as a weapon. ; : :Played by:

Hirofumi Arai is a third-generation Zainichi Korean former actor. Career Arai made his screen debut in Isao Yukisada's '' Go'' in 2001 when he was 22 years old. His next film role was the emotionally disturbed senior high school student Aoki in Toshiaki To ...

; :

Media

Manga

''Nobunaga Concerto'' is written and illustrated by Ayumi Ishii. Ishii started the manga in the first ever issue of

's ''

'', the June 2009 issue, released on May 12, 2009. Shogakukan has collected its chapters into individual ''

'' volumes. The first volume was released on November 12, 2009. As of February 10, 2022, twenty-two volumes have been released. The series will end with the release of its 23rd volume.

Volume list

Anime

A 10-episode anime television series adaptation was announced in May 2014. The series is directed by Yūsuke Fujikawa, scripted by

Natsuko Takahashi is a Japanese anime screenwriter. After learning about the profession of screenwriting in middle school, in university she entered a contest. Although her entry did not fit the theme of the contest, the examiners liked it so much that they gave ...

and music composed by

Masaru Yokoyama is a Japanese composer and arranger, known for his work on television dramas and anime series. Biography Yokoyama was born in Nagano Prefecture. He started to take piano lessons at the age of three, taught by his aunt who is an alumna of Kunit ...

. The series aired on

from July 12 to September 20, 2014. The series was streamed worldwide outside of Asia on

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and t ...

Episode list

Drama

An 11-episode

Japanese television drama , also called , are television programs that are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, jidaigeki, thrill ...

was announced in May 2014. It stars

as Saburo and Nobunaga. It was broadcast on Fuji TV from October 13 to December 22, 2014.

Live-action film

A live-action film adaptation was announced in May 2014. It features the same cast from the television drama and premiered in Japan on January 23, 2016.

Reception

As of February 2016, the manga had over 3.5 million copies in circulation. The series placed 10th on '' Kono Manga ga Sugoi!''s 2012 list of Top 10 Manga for Male Readers. In 2012, ''Nobunaga Concerto'' won the 57th

for the ''shōnen'' category. It was nominated for the 5th Manga Taishō Award in 2012, and ranked 3rd with 57 points.

References

External links

*
Official anime website
* {{Shogakukan Manga Award - Shōnen 2009 manga 2014 Japanese television series debuts 2014 Japanese television series endings Anime series based on manga Comics about time travel Cultural depictions of Oda Nobunaga Films about time travel Fuji TV dramas Fuji TV original programming Historical anime and manga Manga adapted into films Manga series Shogakukan manga Shōnen manga Japanese time travel television series Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga Works about Oda Nobunaga