Sunset on Third Street

Sunset on Third Street (Japanese: 三丁目の夕日 夕焼けの詩, Hepburn: San-Chōme no Yūhi Yūyake no Uta) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ryōhei Saigan [ja]. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga Big Comic Original since 1974, with its chapters collected in 71 tankōbon volumes as of June 2024.

Sunset on Third Street
First tankōbon volume cover
三丁目の夕日 (San-Chōme no Yūhi)
Manga
Written by	Ryōhei Saigan [ja]
Published by	Shogakukan
Magazine	Big Comic Original
Original run	September 1974 – present
Volumes	71
Anime television series
Directed by	Tsuneo Maeda
Music by	Kentarō Haneda
Studio	Group TAC
Original network	JNN (MBS, TBS)
Original run	October 12, 1990 – September 21, 1991
Episodes	27
Live-action films
Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005) Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007) Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012)

It was adapted into an anime television series broadcast from 1990 to 1991 and three live-action films: Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007) and Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012).

It won the 27th Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga in 1982.

Overview

Set in post-war Japan between 1955 and 1964, it focuses on stories illustrating the humor and pathos of ordinary life in the Japan of that era, mainly about the residents of the fictional Tokyo neighborhood "Sunset on Third Street". However, many stories take place with one-story characters (not only people but animals and legendary creatures) and in other parts of Japan.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Ryōhei Saigan [ja], Sunset on Third Street has been serialized for over forty-five years in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Big Comic Original since September 1974.^[1] Shogakukan has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on September 29, 1975.^[2] As of June 28, 2024, 71 volumes have been released.^[3]

Volumes

No.	Release date	ISBN
1	September 29, 1975[2]	978-4-09-180061-9
2	October 28, 1975[4]	978-4-09-180062-6
3	November 28, 1975[5]	978-4-09-180063-3
4	November 30, 1976[6]	978-4-09-180064-0
5	October 31, 1977[7]	978-4-09-180065-7
6	July 28, 1978[8]	978-4-09-180066-4
7	August 28, 1978[9]	978-4-09-180067-1
8	August 29, 1979[10]	978-4-09-180068-8
9	September 28, 1979[11]	978-4-09-180069-5
10	August 28, 1980[12]	978-4-09-180070-1
11	September 29, 1980[13]	978-4-09-180291-0
12	November 28, 1981[14]	978-4-09-180292-7
13	December 19, 1981[15]	978-4-09-180293-4
14	November 27, 1982[16]	978-4-09-180294-1
15	December 17, 1982[17]	978-4-09-180295-8
16	November 30, 1983[18]	978-4-09-180296-5
17	December 17, 1983[19]	978-4-09-180297-2
18	January 30, 1985[20]	978-4-09-180298-9
19	February 28, 1985[21]	978-4-09-180299-6
20	October 30, 1985[22]	978-4-09-180300-9
21	February 28, 1986[23]	978-4-09-180081-7
22	August 30, 1986[24]	978-4-09-180882-0
23	January 30, 1987[25]	978-4-09-180883-7
24	July 30, 1987[26]	978-4-09-180884-4
25	February 29, 1988[27]	978-4-09-180885-1
26	September 30, 1988[28]	978-4-09-180886-8
27	March 30, 1989[29]	978-4-09-180887-5
28	October 30, 1989[30]	978-4-09-180888-2
29	May 30, 1990[31]	978-4-09-180889-9
30	November 30, 1990[32]	978-4-09-180890-5
31	September 30, 1991[33]	978-4-09-182701-2
32	May 29, 1992[34]	978-4-09-182702-9
33	April 28, 1993[35]	978-4-09-182703-6
34	March 30, 1994[36]	978-4-09-182704-3
35	May 30, 1995[37]	978-4-09-182705-0
36	January 30, 1996[38]	978-4-09-182706-7
37	May 30, 1996[39]	978-4-09-182707-4
38	October 30, 1996[40]	978-4-09-182708-1
39	April 30, 1997[41]	978-4-09-182709-8
40	December 19, 1997[42]	978-4-09-182710-4
41	June 30, 1998[43]	978-4-09-185091-1
42	March 30, 1999[44]	978-4-09-185092-8
43	November 30, 1999[45]	978-4-09-185093-5
44	July 29, 2000[46]	978-4-09-185094-2
45	April 26, 2001[47]	978-4-09-185095-9
46	November 30, 2001[48]	978-4-09-185096-6
47	November 30, 2002[49]	978-4-09-185097-3
48	June 30, 2003[50]	978-4-09-185098-0
49	January 30, 2004[51]	978-4-09-185099-7
50	September 30, 2004[52]	978-4-09-185100-0
51	September 30, 2005[53]	978-4-09-187631-7
52	June 30, 2006[54]	978-4-09-180112-8
53	July 29, 2011[55]	978-4-09-181097-7
54	June 30, 2007[56]	978-4-09-181554-5
55	June 30, 2008[57]	978-4-09-182027-3
56	April 30, 2009[58]	978-4-09-182488-2
57	December 26, 2009[59]	978-4-09-182793-7
58	July 30, 2010[60]	978-4-09-183368-6
59	March 30, 2011[61]	978-4-09-183728-8
60	March 30, 2012[62]	978-4-09-184325-8
61	March 29, 2013[63]	978-4-09-185068-3
62	March 28, 2014[64]	978-4-09-186055-2
63	March 30, 2015[65]	978-4-09-186824-4
64	March 30, 2016[66]	978-4-09-187526-6
65	November 30, 2017[67]	978-4-09-189427-4
66	August 30, 2019[68]	978-4-09-860392-3
67	January 30, 2020[69]	978-4-09-860534-7
68	March 30, 2021[70]	978-4-09-860877-5
69	May 30, 2022[71]	978-4-09-861351-9
70	June 29, 2023[72]	978-4-09-861733-3
71	June 28, 2024[3]	978-4-09-862787-5

Anime

A twenty-seven episode anime television series adaptation by Group TAC was broadcast on MBS from October 12, 1990, to September 21, 1991.^[73]

Live-action films

Main articles: Always: Sunset on Third Street, Always: Sunset on Third Street 2, and Always: Sunset on Third Street '64

The series has been adapted into three live-action films premiered in Japan. Always: Sunset on Third Street, premiered on November 5, 2005;^[74] Always: Sunset on Third Street 2, premiered on November 3, 2007;^[75] and Always: Sunset on Third Street '64, premiered on January 21, 2012.^[76]

Reception

Sunset on Third Street won the 27th Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga in 1982.^[77]

The manga has been credited for causing a nostalgia boom.^[78]