A monumental motorcycle manga featuring endurance racing
“Futari Taka,” a motorcycle manga by Kaoru Shintani, a master of aircraft manga, that took on the theme of endurance racing, was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday from 1981 to 1985 and gained immense popularity. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the end of the serialization of “Futari Taka” in 2025, it will be republished as a complete edition!
Set in endurance races such as the Suzuka 4 Hours Endurance, Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance, and the World Endurance Championship, the two main characters, Sawatari Taka and Tojo Taka, are rivals who strive for the top while shouldering a strange fate… With the revival, you can enjoy the detailed drawings of the bikes and the powerful racing scenes in a large B5 size, the same size as the magazine when it was serialized.
©️ Kaoru Shintani/2025 Published by Shogakukan
Kaoru Shintani has taken time out of her busy writing schedule to cover the Suzuka 8 Hours and other circuits across Japan, and even led a team to compete in the Suzuka 4 Hours. Drawing on her experience of riding many bikes in real life, the variety of bikes featured in the series is not to be missed. The two-color pages from the original serialization have been vividly restored, and the opening pages feature color pinups of bikes drawn by the author. Feature articles are also included, thoroughly showcasing the appeal of “Futari Taka.”
The first volume includes an interview with Shintani Kaoru and articles from Kawasaki World. It is a must-have luxury comic for motorcycle and classic car fans, focusing on the Z400FX, which also appears in “Futari Taka,” and Kawasaki’s most famous bikes from the 1980s.
The Kawasaki Z400FX (1979-1982), a four-cylinder motorcycle that could be ridden with a medium-sized license and was immensely popular among young people at the time, plays an important role at the beginning of “Futari Taka.”
Futari Taka
Author: Kaoru Shintani
Publisher: Shogakukan
Release date: Volume 1 / Friday, July 25, 2025 *Volumes 2 and beyond are scheduled to be released on the fourth Friday of odd-numbered months
Size: B5
Price: 5,200 yen (tax included)
Check out Kaoru Shintani’s interview with Futari Taka in Monthly Moto Champ
The motorcycle magazine Monthly Moto Champ runs a series of interviews with manga artists, animators, and other artists who have a deep connection to motorcycles as their works or owners. The magazine features an interview with Kaoru Shintani in two consecutive issues, the April and May 2021 issues.
Moto Champ April 2021 issueHunter Cub Custom Guide
Monthly Moto Champ April 2021 issue digital edition
Moto Champ May 2021 issue90s Minibike Best Hit Ranking
Monthly Moto Champ May 2021 issue digital edition
Fans will not only be able to read “Futari Taka” but also other works that feature motorcycles, as well as the content that delves into Kaoru Shintani’s motorcycle life.
Both can be read in digital format, so please read them together with the revived publication of “Futari Taka.”
