What is your dream for the future?
Do you remember being asked this in an elementary school essay and struggling to think of something to write?
Some people become adults without having a dream, only to encounter one later in life. That dream was to deliver the manga "Space Brothers" to school libraries across the country.
As part of the "Space Brothers Nationwide Donation Project," all 46 volumes were presented to Kurashiki City Tsurajima Junior High School on August 31, 2026 (Monday). The goal is not to instill dreams in children, they say. We spoke to both the donors and the recipients.
What is the "Space Brothers Nationwide Donation Project"?
The "Space Brothers Nationwide Donation Project" is an initiative to donate the manga "Space Brothers" to school libraries across the country. It is being voluntarily promoted by volunteers from the organization "Katsuob Club," and it is not an official project of the manga "Space Brothers."
Katsuob Club is a voluntary organization that promotes "donations as culture" and "one step from everyone is better than a hundred steps from one."
Using the membership feature of note, they aim to spread a culture of mutual support through a donation system that anyone can join starting from 100 yen. In addition to donating to school libraries, they also provide disaster relief and donations to facilities for people with disabilities.
The name "Katsuob" comes from a long-time companion of the representative, Masaki Adachi. The experience of sharing a little during financially difficult times has become the foundation of their current activity philosophy of supporting someone in a way that is not burdensome.
The reason for choosing school libraries as donation recipients is that they are places of learning and also the most natural places for children to encounter stories. Katsuob Club writes the following in their activity introduction leaflet.
It is not in class, nor is it evaluated. However, a book that you casually pick up continues to linger somewhere in your heart.
Even if "Space Brothers" does not become a trigger for change right away, we hope it can be remembered years or decades later as "that one book I picked up in the school library"—we wish to become such a presence.
Source: "Space Brothers Nationwide Donation Project" introduction leaflet
The recipient, Kurashiki City Tsurajima Junior High School
Kurashiki City Tsurajima Junior High School is a public junior high school located in Tsurajima, Kurashiki City.
As of May 1, 2026, the number of students is 415.
A librarian is stationed in the library, and manga is also part of the collection. With this donation, all 46 volumes of "Space Brothers" will be lined up together.
By the way, by August 2026, donations had been made to a total of nine schools in Hokkaido, Aichi Prefecture, Hyogo Prefecture, and Kurashiki City, and Tsurajima Junior High School was the tenth recipient.
Interview with Miiko from Katsuob Club
We spoke to Miiko from Katsuob Club, who visited Tsurajima Junior High School for the donation.
Can you tell us why you started the "Space Brothers Nationwide Donation Project"?
Miiko (no honorifics)
From the beginning, I didn't intend to start a donation project.
It all began when I personally thought, "I absolutely have to make my child read 'Space Brothers' and bought it."
However, as I continued reading, I began to think that I wanted all children born in Japan to read it, and that turned into a dream of wanting to donate it to schools and libraries.
While sharing this dream on note, I got to know a junior high school teacher through note. When I consulted about the donation through that teacher, they agreed to accept it. This was the beginning of the donation project, so it started completely as an individual activity.
However, when I was looking for the second school, I had trouble because I had no connections.
If I suddenly contacted a school to say I wanted to donate, it was hard to get them to understand.
Masaki Adachi from Katsuob Club and I were acquaintances through note. Since Katsuob Club had previously donated books to libraries, I consulted them to see if they could help, which led to the start of the "Space Brothers Nationwide Donation Project."
Can you tell us why you decided to donate to Kurashiki City Tsurajima Junior High School?
Miiko
I always talk to the teachers of the schools over the phone at least once. The level of interest varies by teacher, but Moriya-sensei showed interest.
Then, through Moriya-sensei, the donation was realized at Kurashiki City Ajino Junior High School in December 2025. The reason I came to Kurashiki this time was to deliver the final volume to Ajino Junior High School. This year (2026), Moriya-sensei had transferred to Tsurajima Junior High School, so we were talking about how we wouldn't be able to meet.
Then I received an email from Moriya-sensei that said "Kape!"
"Kape!" is a phrase that appears in "Space Brothers." It is a famous line where a little girl cannot say "Good luck" when her astronaut father is leaving.
Seeing that email made me tear up. I thought I had to go meet him, so I asked if I could please donate. I really made the request at the last minute.
The final volume of "Space Brothers," which was released on July 22, 2026, was the first time that all volumes were donated to Tsurajima Junior High School.
What kind of feedback have you received from previous donations?
Miiko
Many children became engrossed in reading.
Children today have fewer opportunities to read paper books. In the past, if you were caught reading manga, you would be scolded, but now it seems that parents want their children to read, even if it's manga.
I have also received feedback from parents of children who borrowed the books, saying, "My child never reads paper books at all, so I was grateful for this opportunity."
I also donated to an elementary school, and some sixth graders read it and asked, "Is it okay if we come back to read after we graduate because we are sad we can't read the final volume?" So, I asked for the names of the junior high schools they would be advancing to and made donations there as well.
Interview with Kazuyuki Moriya from Tsurajima Junior High School
We spoke to Kazuyuki Moriya from Kurashiki City Tsurajima Junior High School, who accepted the donation.
Can you tell us how you learned about the "Space Brothers Nationwide Donation Project"?
Moriya (no honorifics)
I was introduced to it by a teacher I knew during my time at my previous school, Kurashiki City Ajino Junior High School.
Ajino Junior High School also had several volumes of manga in its collection, and the librarian was familiar with "Space Brothers." I had also read up to about volume 20. So, I had a personal feeling that if we could receive the donation, I would be able to read the continuation (laughs).
I discussed it with the principal and decided to proceed with the donation, saying, "This is a good thing, so let's gratefully move forward with this."
Can you tell us how the donation to Tsurajima Junior High School came about?
Moriya
Initially, I was told that the donation would be a few years away.
However, I thought that if it was a few years away, I probably wouldn't be here anymore, and I didn't want to do something half-hearted for the school, so I expressed my apologies.
Still, I wanted to show my support for such activities, so I wrote "Kape!" in the email. As a result, the donation was suddenly decided.
I heard that you also received donations at Ajino Junior High School. Were there any memorable moments with the students?
Moriya
Students who like manga borrowed and read them, and I also borrowed and read them from the library.
At that time, there was a student who was always in the library after school, and that student would tell me, "I've read up to here." It became a conversation starter, and I realized that there were students who were actually picking up the books and reading them.
"What do you want the students to feel?" We asked five people
Front: from left, Miiko, Haratsukune
Back: Tomoo Tokuyama (Principal), Yayoi Nishijima, Kazuyuki Moriya
The interview included Miiko, Moriya-sensei, as well as Tomoo Tokuyama (Principal) and Yayoi Nishijima (librarian) from Tsurajima Junior High School, and Haratsukune, who connected Miiko with Ajino Junior High School.
We asked what they wanted students to feel through "Space Brothers."
Miiko
When it comes to "Space Brothers," I think the main message is "Dreams are wonderful, don't give up." However, I personally feel differently.
I was someone who didn't have a dream.
When I was asked "What is your dream?" in childhood, I would write something vague in essays at school because I had nothing. It was only as an adult that I encountered my dream for the first time.
So, I want to create a situation where people can talk about their dreams. I think everyone has a feeling of not wanting to be laughed at for saying something big, so I am active in trying to eliminate that.
Whether or not dreams exist is really okay, and I hope that even children without dreams will not laugh at someone else's dream. I want to ensure that when they find something they want to do someday, they don't crush their own dreams.
Of course, it is also enough if they simply find it interesting to read.
Haratsukune (no honorifics)
As Miiko mentioned, "What is your dream?" is something that children are often made to write about in essays from elementary school. However, children today can live without dreams.
Focusing on enjoyable things in the present moment is important, and I think it is essential to show this not only to children but also to adults. Children who grow up seeing someone like Miiko, who says, "I will do what I love," will naturally start doing what they love.
I hope that "Space Brothers" can be an opportunity to show that being an adult is fun and that you can do so many things you love. I hope it can be a chance to show a strong and cool back.
Nishijima (no honorifics)
At Kurashiki City elementary schools, there is a library time, and they come to the library at least once a week. Even children who do not like books have time to pick them up and read.
However, when they become junior high school students, library time disappears, and opportunities to touch books become really scarce, leading to a fixed group of readers.
When you donate, one person reads and says, "It was interesting," and that word of mouth spreads, bringing in more and more people. Once they finish reading everything, they start thinking, "What should I read next?"
I am looking forward to how children will feel about it, and I believe it is a story that can truly inspire a positive mindset to move forward, so I hope everyone will read it.
Moriya
Of course, the topic of dreams is natural, but I have two sons. The older one is a university student, and the younger one is a junior high school student.
They have a relationship similar to that of the protagonists, Mutta and Hibito (from Space Brothers), where the younger one is more capable. The older one is working hard and is now pursuing what he wants to do at university, which resonates with me a bit.
I hope that the bond between siblings will be as good as it is now, and I want them to support each other in important times and maintain a relationship where they can respect each other.
The story of siblings and family appears in various ways in "Space Brothers." I hope you will definitely check those parts out, and I felt that I want them to become that kind of family and household.
Tokuyama (no honorifics)
I have not read it, but I certainly know the name of the work.
I am very interested in how those who have given up or faced setbacks live their lives afterward.
So, I want to read those parts myself, and I want my students to feel the same. It might be best to achieve dreams in a straight line, but I also want them to see how people who almost gave up and faced setbacks live their lives afterward.
Conclusion
Miko, who visited the school where the donation was made for the first time, was moved to see the books displayed in the library.
In fact, the manga itself had been donated in advance, and although it was during the summer vacation, students who visited during that time borrowed them one after another, so only about half remained on the day. While it was certainly beautifully displayed, she was moved by the fact that students were actually picking them up.
Although there was no ceremony like a donation ceremony during the interview, it can be said that this is one of the results achieved through the accumulation of small activities.
In the future, they plan to continue the donation project through donations starting from 100 yen via the membership function of note called "Katsuo Club."
If you are interested, please check out the activities as well.
Data on the Space Brothers Nationwide Donation Project
| Name | Space Brothers Nationwide Donation Project |
|---|---|
| Contact | Contact via the message function on note |
| Homepage | 【Space Brothers Special Plan Announcement】 I want to deliver Space Brothers to the 'daily life of children' in school libraries. |
