Threads of Destiny

Threads of Destiny[1] (Japanese: 赤い糸, Hepburn: Akai Ito, lit. "Red Thread") is a 2006 cell phone novel series written by Mei. Akai Ito was first published on the website Mahō no Toshōkan, where it became the #1 ranked story within the first month of publication. The popularity of Akai Ito has been associated with the boom of cell phone novels in the mid-2000s in Japan. The novel was later published as a series of five books, which sold a consecutive total of 1.8 million physical copies.

Threads of Destiny
Promotional poster for the 2008 television drama and movie project
赤い糸
(Akai Ito)
GenreRomance[1]
Serial novel
Akai Ito
Written byMei
Published byGoma Books
MagazineMahō no Toshōkan
Published2007
Volumes5
Manga
Akai Ito
Written byMei
Illustrated byCocco Kashiwaya
Published byGoma Books
ImprintOrion Comics
Original runNovember 1, 2008 (2008-11-01)May 29, 2009 (2009-05-29)
Volumes6
Television drama
Directed by
  • Shosuke Murakami
  • Yasuhiro Kawamura
Produced by
  • Masayuki Sekiya
  • Yoshihiko Taneda
  • Aya Moriyasu
Written by
Music byYugo Kanno
Original networkFuji TV
Original run December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06) February 28, 2009 (2009-02-28)
Episodes11
Live-action film
Directed byShosuke Murakami
Produced by
  • Masayuki Sekiya
  • Yoshihiko Taneda
  • Aya Moriyasu
Written byChiho Watanabe
Music byYugo Kanno
ReleasedDecember 20, 2008 (2008-12-20)
Runtime108 mins.
Game
Akai Ito DS
DeveloperAlchemist
GenreAdventure[2]
PlatformNintendo DS
Released
  • JP: December 25, 2008 (2008-12-25)
Game
Akai Ito Destiny DS
DeveloperAlchemist
GenreAdventure[3]
PlatformNintendo DS
Released
  • JP: March 26, 2009 (2009-03-26)

The success of Akai Ito has led to a manga adaptation by Cocco Kashiwaya, a television and film project released under the title Threads of Destiny, and two video game adaptations.

Plot

Middle school student Mei Takemiya has a crush on her childhood friend Yūya, but after he confesses to her older sister, Haruna, she withdraws to the company of her circle of friends: Riku, Mia, Yuri, Natsuki, Mitsuru, Asami, and Sara. One day, she becomes acquainted with her classmate, Atsushi Nishino, and the two realize they have a lot in common, including sharing the same birthday and encountering each other when they were young. As Mei and Atsushi become closer, they fall in love and believe to be each other's soulmate.

However, when Atsushi's troubled home life catches up to him, he distances himself from Mei. Mei begins dating Riku, who becomes increasingly abusive, while their circle of friends encounter situations involving drugs, rape, and attempted suicide. In spite of this, Mei struggles to hold onto her belief that she will overcome her obstacles, and the red string of fate will eventually lead her to her true love.

Characters

Main characters

Mei Takemiya (竹宮芽衣, Takemiya Mei)
Portrayed by: Nao Minamisawa[4]
Mei is a gentle and kind middle school student who believes in destiny.
Atsushi Nishino (西野敦史, Nishino Atsushi)
Portrayed by: Junpei Mizobata;[4] Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama[5]
Atsushi is a quiet boy in Mei's class who is nicknamed Akkun (アッくん). His mother is a drug addict, and he spends his time taking care of her.

Supporting characters

Riku Takahashi (高橋陸, Riku Takahashi)
Portrayed by: Ryo Kimura;[4] Voiced by: Masakazu Morita[5]
Riku is one of Mei's friends and is nicknamed Taka-chan (たかチャン). He has been secretly in love with her and they decide to date after Mei and Atsushi break up. However, in spite of his cheerful personality, he starts growing possessive of Mei and eventually starts becoming abusive towards her.
Natsuki Fujiwara (藤原夏樹, Fujiwara Natsuki)
Portrayed by: Tomo Yanagishita;[4] Voiced by: Hiroki Takahashi[5]
Yuri Nakanishi (中西優梨, Nakanishi Yuri)
Portrayed by: Kasumi Suzuki;[4] Voiced by: Ai Maeda[5]
Mitsuru Kamiya (神谷充, Kamiya Mitsuru)
Portrayed by: Ryo Tajima; Voiced by: Naozumi Takahashi[5]
Mia Yamagishi (山岸美亜, Yamagishi Mia)
Portrayed by: Rei Okamoto;[4] Voiced by: Yuko Sanpei[5]
Asami Tadokoro (田所麻美, Tadakoro Asami)
Portrayed by: Anna Ishibashi;[4] Voiced by: Miki Nagasawa[5]
Sara Nakagawa (中川沙良, Nakagawa Sara)
Portrayed by: Nanami Sakuraba;[4] Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa[5]
Sara is one of Mei's friends and is in love with Riku. Upon discovering he is in love with Mei, she attempts suicide but survives the incident with amnesia.
Yūya Shinozaki (篠崎悠哉, Shinozaki Yūya)
Portrayed by: Hiroshi Yazaki; Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa[5]
Yūya is Mei and Haruna's childhood friend, and Mei has been in love with him since childhood. However, he is in love with Haruna and confesses to her.
Haruna Takemiya (竹宮春菜, Takemiya Haruna)
Portrayed by: Sayuri Iwata; Voiced by: Mamiko Noto[5]
Haruna is Mei's older sister.

Minor characters

Miyabi Kawaguchi (川口ミヤビ, Kawaguchi Miyabi)
Portrayed by: Kaoru Hirata
Shu Yasuda (安田愁, Yasuda Shu)
Portrayed by: Ryuya Wakaba
Koichi Murakoshi (村越浩市, Murakoshi Kenji)
Portrayed by: Kenji Matsuda
Natsumi Nishino (西野夏実, Nishino Natsumi)
Portrayed by: Mirai Yamamoto
Takamichi Morisaki (森崎孝道, Morisaki Takamichi)
Portrayed by: Shigemitsu Ogi
Sachiko Takemiya (竹宮幸子, Takemiya Sachiko)
Portrayed by: Noriko Watanabe

Media

Novels

Akai Ito is written by Mei and was posted on the website Mahō no Toshōkan in 2006. Throughout its run, 3.3 million readers were subscribed to the story,[6] and it was consistently ranked at #1 on the website.[7] Media referenced Akai Ito as one of the leaders of the "cell phone novel" phenomenon in the mid-2000s along with Koizora.[8] Akai Ito had over 16 million views by 2008.[8] The chapters were later compiled and released as bound volumes by Goma Books.[6] The consecutive sales of all books sold more than 1.8 million copies.[8]

No. Title Japanese release date Japanese ISBN
1Akai Ito (Ue) (赤い糸(上))January 26, 2007 (2007-01-26) (original release)
October 18, 2007 (2007-10-18) (omnibus)
978-4777105502 (original release)
ISBN 978-4777107704 (omnibus)
2Akai Ito (Shita) (赤い糸(下))January 26, 2007 (2007-01-26) (original release)
October 18, 2007 (2007-10-18) (omnibus)
978-4777105519 (original release)
ISBN 978-4777107704 (omnibus)
3Akai Ito Destiny (Ue) (赤い糸 destiny(上))May 25, 2007 (2007-05-25)978-4777106431
4Akai Ito Destiny (Shita) (赤い糸destiny(下))May 25, 2007 (2007-05-25)978-4777106448
5Akai Ito Precious (赤い糸precious)November 30, 2007 (2007-11-30) (original release)
April 26, 2009 (2009-04-26) (re-release)
978-4777108176 (original release)
ISBN 978-4777151288 (re-release)

Re-releases

Goma Books re-released the Akai Ito series under the Goma Bunko imprint, with stories divided into 3 books, on April 28, 2009.

No. Title Japanese release date Japanese ISBN
1Akai Ito (Ue) (赤い糸(上))April 28, 2009 (2009-04-28)978-4777151066
2Akai Ito (Chu) (赤い糸(中))April 28, 2009 (2009-04-28)978-4777151073
3Akai Ito (Shita) (赤い糸(下))April 28, 2009 (2009-04-28)978-4777151080
4Akai Ito Destiny (Ue) (赤い糸 destiny(上))April 28, 2009 (2009-04-28)978-4777151257
5Akai Ito Destiny (Chu) (赤い糸destiny(中))April 28, 2009 (2009-04-28)978-4777151264
6Akai Ito Destiny (Shita) (赤い糸destiny(下))April 28, 2009 (2009-04-28)978-4777151271

Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Cocco Kashiwaya was released from 2008 to 2009 in bound volumes published by Goma Books under the Orion Comics imprint.

No. Japanese release date Japanese ISBN
1 November 1, 2008 (2008-11-01)978-4777190751
2 November 1, 2008 (2008-11-01)978-4777190768
3 November 29, 2008 (2008-11-29)978-4777190775
4 January 30, 2009 (2009-01-30)978-4777190782
5 March 30, 2009 (2009-03-30)978-4777190973
6 May 29, 2009 (2009-05-29)978-4777191055

Television series

A live-action television drama series and a film adaptation was announced in April 2008 and produced simultaneously.[8] Production for both adaptations completed on November 20, 2008.[9] The television broadcast aired on Fuji TV from December 6, 2008 to February 28, 2009,[10] for a total of 11 episodes. Both the television series and the film's theme song is "366 Days" (366日, San-byaku roku-jū-roku nichi) by HY.[7] A DVD box set for the television series was released on July 15, 2009, and it charted at #68 on the Oricon Weekly DVD Charts.[11]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateJapan viewership rating (Kanto region)[12]
1"I Fell in Love With You When We First Met"
Transcription: "Anata ni Deau Tame ni Koi o Suru" (Japanese: 貴方に出会うために恋をする)
Shosuke MurakamiUnknownDecember 6, 2008 (2008-12-06)7.5%
2"The Chocolate That Heals Loneliness"
Transcription: "Kodoku o Iyasu Chokorēto" (Japanese: 孤独を癒やすチョコレート)
Shosuke MurakamiUnknownDecember 13, 2008 (2008-12-13)8.4%
3"When the Two of Us Met"
Transcription: "Deatteita Futari" (Japanese: 出会っていた二人)
Shosuke MurakamiUnknownDecember 20, 2008 (2008-12-20)7.8%
4"In the Nagasaki Sky"
Transcription: "Nagasaki no Sora ni" (Japanese: 長崎の空に)
Shosuke MurakamiUnknownJanuary 10, 2009 (2009-01-10)10.0%
5"Ineffective Drugs"
Transcription: "Kikanai Kusuri" (Japanese: 効かないクスリ)
Yasuhiro KawamuraUnknownJanuary 17, 2009 (2009-01-17)10.8%
6"Broken Threads"
Transcription: "Togireta Ito" (Japanese: 途切れた糸)
Yasuhiro KawamuraUnknownJanuary 24, 2009 (2009-01-24)8.0%
7"A New Love Begins"
Transcription: "Atarashī Koi no Hajimari" (Japanese: 新しい恋の始まり)
Yasuhiro KawamuraUnknownJanuary 31, 2009 (2009-01-31)8.4%
8"Threads of Destiny"
Transcription: "Akai Ito" (Japanese: 赤い糸)
Shosuke MurakamiUnknownFebruary 7, 2009 (2009-02-07)8.0%
9"366 Days"
Transcription: "San-byaku roku-jū-roku nichi" (Japanese: 366日)
Shosuke MurakamiUnknownFebruary 14, 2009 (2009-02-14)8.9%
10"The Children Who Will Never Grow Up"
Transcription: "Otona ni Narenai Kodomo-tachi" (Japanese: 大人になれない子供たち)
Yasuhiro KawamuraUnknownFebruary 21, 2009 (2009-02-21)7.0%
11"A Love That I'm Fine With No Matter What"
Transcription: "Sore Demo Ii to Omoeru Koi" (Japanese: それでもいいと思える恋)
Shosuke MurakamiUnknownFebruary 28, 2009 (2009-02-28)8.9%

Film

A continuation of the first half of the television broadcast was released as a theatrical film on December 20, 2008 and concluded with a "To be continued" intertitle for the second half of the television series.[13] The film was produced simultaneously with the television series and concluded production in November 2008.[9] The film was released on DVD in standard and special editions on May 29, 2009, charting at #29 on the Oricon Weekly DVD Charts.[14][15] Russell Edwards from Variety called some of the secondary plot points "ridiculous", but found the actors likeable.[13]

Video games

A video game adaptation titled Akai Ito DS (赤い糸DS) was produced by Alchemist released on the Nintendo DS on December 25, 2008. The game was first announced on October 14, 2008 and is a visual novel dating simulation where the player takes control of Mei's choices while navigating through the story.[2][16][17]

A sequel, titled Akai Ito Destiny DS, was released on the Nintendo DS on March 26, 2009.[3][5] The limited edition sold by Animate came with a drama CD featuring Jun Fukuyama, Hiroki Takahashi, and Tomokazu Sugita, the voice actors of Atsushi, Natsuki, and Kaito.[18]

References

  1. "Threads of Destiny". Fuji TV. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  2. "赤い糸 DS". Nintendo (in Japanese). Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  3. "赤い糸 destiny DS". Nintendo (in Japanese). Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  4. "溝端淳平に、女子中高生600人「ヤバイ!!ヤバイ!!」を連発". Cinema Today (in Japanese). December 22, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  5. "本日発売『赤い糸 destiny DS』公式サイト更新!". Animate (in Japanese). March 26, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  6. "ゴマブックスが民事再生を申請". IT Media (in Japanese). September 7, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  7. "話題の『赤い糸』ドラマ&映画主題歌「366日」、独占配信中". Barks (in Japanese). November 19, 2008. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  8. "伝説のケータイ小説「赤い糸」、映画&ドラマ化". Barks (in Japanese). April 28, 2008. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  9. "純愛はキレイゴトじゃない?ケータイ小説の映画化「赤い糸」完成". Barks (in Japanese). November 20, 2008. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  10. "溝端淳平が衝撃のケータイ小説にショック!「赤い糸」舞台挨拶". Eiga (in Japanese). December 8, 2008. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  11. "赤い糸 DVDボックス". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  12. "Video Research, Ltd" (in Japanese). Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  13. Edwards, Russell (January 26, 2009). "Threads of Destiny". Variety. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  14. "赤い糸【スタンダード・エディション】". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  15. "赤い糸【スペシャル・エディション】". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  16. "アッくん=福山潤 『赤い糸DS』豪華声優キャストを公開". Inside Games (in Japanese). October 14, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  17. Takizawa, Osamu (October 14, 2008). "アルケミスト、DS「赤い糸 DS」発売日決定 ゲーム内容や豪華キャストを発表". Impress Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  18. "続編公開!『赤い糸 destiny DS』3月26日発売!". Animate (in Japanese). March 9, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
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