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Oi! Ryōma (お～い!竜馬, “Hey! Ryōma”), also known as Rainbow Samurai, is a Japanese manga series written by Tetsuya Takeda and illustrated by Yū Koyama. It is a comical and serious account mixing history and fiction of the life of the Bakumatsu period leader Sakamoto Ryōma. It was serialized in Shogakukan‘s shōnen manga magazine Shōnen Big Comic (1986–1987) and seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Sunday (1987–1996), with its chapters collected in 23 tankōbon volumes. It was adapted into a 39-episode anime television series by Nippon Herald Films and Animation 21 and broadcast on NHK from April 1992 to March 1993. The manga has over 15 million copies in circulation.

Synopsis

It is November 15, 1835, near Kōchi Castle. The youngest daughter of the Sakamoto family, Otome Sakamoto, is stargazing and sees a comet. That day her mother, Sachi Sakamoto, is about to give birth. The comet appears as a dragon and a horse, and Otome shouts to it: “Make the child born tonight a boy! I promise I’ll make him a strong samurai!”, after which the comet changes to a soft glow. Soon the first cry of the baby is heard—a strong baby boy. However, the newborn boy has long hair on his back which is seen as strange. At this the father, Yahei, is dumbfounded but Otome names the boy Ryōma, a name combining Japanese characters for dragon and horse.

Ryōma quickly grows but is a coward and a crybaby. He is mocked for his back hair and bullied every day by children in the neighborhood. He is not a good student and is thrown out of his juku. Otome and the second oldest sister Ei do not give up on Ryōma, and raise him more strictly. Even so, Ryōma’s unique characteristic is his kind heart. This kind heart amazes the bullies in the neighborhood, led by a young Izo Okada. Zuizan Takechi, helped by Ryōma, is also impressed by his capacity for good. It looks as though Ryōma will enjoy a peaceful childhood, but he soon learns about the oppression of the gōshi (郷士) by the upper class jōshi (上士) samurai. His mother is chased to her death by the daimyō Yamanōchi, after which Ryōma vows to himself: “I want to become stronger!”, at the age of 16.

Manga

Written by Tetsuya Takeda and illustrated by Yū Koyama, Oi! Ryoma was serialized in Shogakukan‘s shōnen manga magazine Shōnen Big Comic from 1986 to 1987, when the magazine ceased its publication and was transferred to the seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Sunday, where it ran until its conclusion in 1996. Shogakukan collected its chapters in twenty-three tankōbon volumes, released from October 5, 1987, to July 5, 1996; it was later republished in fourteen wideban volumes from January 16, 1998, to March 16, 2000; and twelve shinsoban volumes from October 30, 2009, to March 30, 2010.

Anime

The manga was adapted into a thirty-nine episode anime television series, produced by Nippon Herald Films and Animation 21 and broadcast on NHK from April 7, 1992, to March 30, 1993.

Reception

As of November 2009, the manga had over 15 million copies in circulation.

References

^ 泣いて笑って恋もして…「推し」が見つかる歴史漫画「お～い！竜馬」. Kōkōsei Shimbun Online [ja] (in Japanese). May 14, 2019. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
^ “Rainbow Samurai”. Enoki Films. Archived from the original on March 6, 2001. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
^ 「お〜い！竜馬」龍馬であい博のオフシャルサポーター就任. AnimeAnime.jp (in Japanese). August 1, 2009. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
^ ヤングサンデー連載作品年表. Weekly Young Sunday (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on January 18, 2006. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
^ お～い！竜馬（YSC） / 1. s-book.com (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on February 12, 2005. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
^ お～い！竜馬（YSC） / 23. s-book.com (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on January 23, 2005. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
^ お～い！竜馬〔YSCワイド版〕 / 1. s-book.com (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on January 23, 2005. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
^ お～い！竜馬〔YSCワイド版〕 / 14. s-book.com (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on February 18, 2005. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
^ 「お～い！竜馬」新装版刊行、サイン入り複製原画プレ. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. October 25, 2009. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
^ 【3月30日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 30, 2010. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
^ お～い! 竜馬. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
^ フェイス，待ち受け画面「お～い！竜馬」を本日より配信. 4gamer (in Japanese). November 13, 2009. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2022.

お～い!竜馬
Oi! Ryoma
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Sakamoto Ryōma
Genre	Historical
Manga
Written by	Tetsuya Takeda
Illustrated by	Yū Koyama
Published by	Shogakukan
Magazine	Shōnen Big Comic (1986–1987) Weekly Young Sunday (1987–1996)
Demographic	Shōnen, seinen
Original run	1986 – 1996
Volumes	23
Anime television series
Directed by	Hiroshi Sasagawa
Studio	Nippon Herald Films Animation 21
Original network	NHK
Original run	April 7, 1992 – March 30, 1993
Episodes	39