TsumaSho

TsumaSho

Company type	Manga series
Industry	Manga, anime, television drama
Founded	April 27, 2018 (2018-04-27)
Founder	Yayū Murata
Headquarters	Japan
Products	Manga, anime, live-action drama

is a Japanese manga created by Yayū Murata. It first appeared as a one-shot in April 2018 within Houbunsha's Weekly Manga Times, a seinen manga publication. The series was then serialized from July 2018 through December 2022, culminating in fourteen volumes. A live-action television drama adaptation was broadcast between January and March 2022, followed by an anime adaptation produced by Studio Signpost, which aired from October to December 2024.

Plot

Following the tragic loss of his wife Takae Niijima in a car accident, Keisuke Niijima—a sincere yet reliant family man—falls into despair and begins to neglect his adult daughter, Mai. One evening, Marika Shiraishi, an elementary school student, claims to be the reincarnation of Takae. Though initially skeptical, the family becomes convinced when Marika reveals intimate details only Takae would know. Encouraging positive change, Marika inspires Mai to gain self-assurance and pursue a career in social work, where she meets Renji Aikawa, whom she eventually marries. Simultaneously, Marika aids Keisuke in reclaiming his once cheerful but impulsive nature by regularly providing him with homemade bentos.

Together with Marika, the Niijima family embarks on trips that forge new memories. Marika’s mother, Chika Shiraishi—who is divorced—is introduced as largely absent and emotionally detached, prioritizing her relationship with her unfaithful lover Hiroki over her daughter.

Upon discovering Chika’s reputation for neglect, Keisuke confronts her directly. The Niijimas disclose Marika’s true identity to Chika, who gradually comes to accept the truth. Chika’s troubled history—marked by abandonment linked to gambling addiction and abuse from her own mother—sheds light on her behavior. Despite evident remorse and occasional displays of affection toward Marika, she struggles with change but ultimately resigns from her part-time job to accept a stable sales role near the Niijima household.

After meeting Renji’s estranged family members, Takae feels reassured about her former family’s well-being. This triggers a brief reversion to the original Marika Shiraishi—a middle schooler unaware of the past year’s events or her mother’s softened demeanor.

Upon returning, Takae begins to question the nature of her reincarnation due to memory lapses during possession. She encounters Izumo Rion, a young writer whose bestselling novel parallels Takae’s experience. Izumo reveals he is a 30-year-old man who once inhabited a 15-year-old’s body to realize his dream of becoming an author before returning to his original form. Takae understands that she possessed Marika out of remorse for dying and concern for her family; once contentment returned, Marika regained control but Takae resumed possession out of worry for Keisuke.

Feeling guilt over occupying Marika’s time and limiting Chika’s opportunity to reconnect with her daughter, Takae resolves to leave Marika’s body but must persuade Keisuke and Mai to release their grief.

During an emotional trip to an onsen, Takae convinces Keisuke to move forward without lingering regrets for Mai’s sake. With encouragement from colleague Konomi Moriya, Keisuke becomes more self-reliant by preparing his own bentos and managing life without frequent interactions with Takae/Marika. After a heartfelt conversation with Mai, he supports her in beginning to let go of their mother as well.

To facilitate Takae’s peaceful departure, they stage a fictitious marriage proposal between Keisuke and Konomi, symbolizing that they have moved on. This allows Takae’s spirit to peacefully exit Marika’s body while urging Mai to "be strong and live well."

The narrative concludes with enduring transformations: Izumo’s spirit moves on after resolving past regrets; the relationship between Marika and Chika improves; the Niijimas learn to live free from regret; Mai has a daughter with Renji; and Keisuke finds happiness within his renewed family unit.

Characters

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(Takae), (Marika)

Manga

Created and illustrated by Yayū Murata, TsumaSho initially appeared as a one-shot in Houbunsha's seinen publication Weekly Manga Times on April 27, 2018. The series was then serialized in the same magazine from July 27, 2018, until December 2, 2022. A total of fourteen volumes were released between April 2019 and March 2023.

A spin-off manga titled was serialized in Weekly Manga Times from March 8 to May 10, 2024. This side story was later collected into a single volume, which came out on October 16, 2024.

Drama

The announcement of a live-action drama adaptation came on September 17, 2021. The series was directed by Toshio Tsuboi, Takeyoshi Yamamoto, Maiko Ōuchi, and Naoki Katō. Satomi Ōshima provided the screenplay, while the instrumental group Pascals composed the music. Producers Yoshihiko Nakai and Chie Masuda managed the production. The drama aired on TBS from January 21 through March 25, 2022, with the theme song "Tomoshibi" performed by Yuga. Internationally, Netflix holds streaming rights for the series.

An original spin-off drama titled Yako, Shōgakusei ni Naru was made available on the Japanese streaming platform Paravi between February 11 and March 25, 2022. It was directed by Hidetaka Sakamoto, Hiroyuki Tamekawa, and Saya Hirosawa and scripted by Masashi Suwa.

Anime

On March 16, 2023, an anime adaptation was officially announced. This television series is produced by Studio Signpost, with Noriyuki Abe serving as director. Scripts were written by Sawako Hirabayashi; character designs were created by Narihito Sekikawa; and Hiroko Yamasaki composed the soundtrack. The anime broadcasted from October 6 to December 22, 2024, across Tokyo MX and additional networks.

The opening theme "Ai no Reunion" performed by Pachae and the ending theme "Hidamari" sung by Ms. Ooja contributed to the series’ musical identity. Crunchyroll streamed the anime globally, while Medialink secured licensing rights for South and Southeast Asian territories through Ani-One Asia’s YouTube channel.

Episodes

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Reception

In the year 2019, TsumaSho achieved an eleventh-place ranking in the print category at the fifth annual Next Manga Award. By March 2024, circulation figures for the manga had exceeded three million copies, demonstrating its significant commercial success and expanding fanbase.