"Miyuki" and "Touch" Were Serialized Simultaneously!? A Special Conversation Between Manga Artist Mitsuru Adachi and Voice Actress Noriko Hidaka Comes True!

Regarding actually playing the role of Minami Asakura in "Touch," Hidaka reflected on those days: "When I was reading (the manga), I loved being able to immerse myself in the work, but when it came to expressing the underlying emotions and true feelings that aren't put into words through my voice, I received corrections many times. Reading it is wonderful, but I remember thinking that performing it was quite difficult."

The topic of "MIX," which is still being serialized in "Gessan" as of 2025, touched on the fact that it's set at the same Meisei Academy as "Touch."

Adachi revealed behind-the-scenes production details: "When depicting high school baseball, past works inevitably get in the way, but having come this far, I thought I'd just be brazen and throw in various settings without worrying about them. I'd use all the ingredients I have on hand to make a mixed juice. Even I can't imagine how it'll turn out, but I think it'll at least be drinkable."

In the TV anime "MIX" that began airing in 2019, Hidaka appeared as the narrator and in the role of Punch(Puppy). About the work, she introduces: "First, when the serialization started and I opened the pages, I felt it was a nostalgic landscape where I felt I had lived too. While having the nostalgia of visiting a hometown I'd been away from for a while, it's packed full of warm nuances like a home comedy, different from the relationship of the three people in 'Touch,' isn't it?"

Although Adachi has created manga through the Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa eras, regarding the sense of the times, he said: "The environment and rules of high school baseball keep changing, but my manga deals with everyday life. Emotions like falling in love and being unable to sleep probably haven't changed much since long ago. If I become too conscious of the flow of time, I can't draw, so while reminiscing about my own high school days, I'm gradually adding new elements and renewing things, but fundamentally it hasn't changed."

At the end of the conversation, Hidaka also touched on the highlights of the exhibition: "Once again, congratulations on your 55th career anniversary. The fact that you can see the famous scenes the sensei drew in large format is appealing, and the memorable study room has been recreated as a photo spot. And above all, the original artwork! You can see the original artwork colored with the colors the sensei chose before printing, so as you go around continuously, I think you can deeply savor the relationship between your own life and manga."

Adachi commented, "In any case, various people worked very hard to make the 55th anniversary exciting. If you're someone who has touched Mitsuru Adachi's manga even once in your lifetime, if you visit the venue, everyone can become happy," and the conversation concluded.

―55th Career Anniversary Commemoration― Mitsuru Adachi Exhibition
Venue: Ikebukuro Sunshine City Exhibition Hall C
Period: Friday, December 19, 2025 - Wednesday, January 14, 2026
*Closed on Thursday, January 1, 2026 (holiday)

(C)あだち充／小学館
Coverage, Photography, Text / kato