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 initiative called the "Space Brothers Nationwide Donation Project," all 46 volumes were donated 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.
The information provided is based on data from the article published in September 2026. Please note that it may differ from current information.
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 "the collective effort of many over the individual effort of one."
Using the membership feature on 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 donations 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. Yet, a book that one picks up casually continues to linger somewhere in the heart.
Even if "Space Brothers" does not become a catalyst 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
Kurashiki City Tsurajima Junior High School, the donation recipient
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, making Tsurajima Junior High School the tenth donation recipient.
Interview with Miiko from Katsuob Club
We spoke with 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 started 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 I was sharing this dream on note, I got to know a junior high school teacher through note. When I consulted with that teacher about the donation, 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 saying 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 on 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 actually visited 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, unable to say "Good luck," says it when her astronaut father is about to leave.
Seeing that email brought tears to my eyes. I thought I had to go meet him, so I asked if I could please donate. I made the request at the very last minute.
The final volume of "Space Brothers," which was released on July 22, 2026, was the first time 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 read only 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 there were sixth graders who read it and asked, "Is it okay if we come back to read after we graduate because we feel sad that 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 with 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 of "If I can receive the donation, I can read the rest" (laughs).
I discussed it with the principal, and we agreed that it was a good thing, so we decided to proceed with the donation.
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 wrote "Kape!" in the email as a way of saying that I support this kind of activity. 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 regarding the students' reactions?
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 and reading the books.
"What do you want the students to feel?" We asked five people
Front: from left, Miiko, Haratsukune
Back: Principal Tomoo Tokuyama, Yayoi Nishijima, Kazuyuki Moriya
The interview included Miiko and Moriya-sensei, as well as Principal Tomoo Tokuyama from Tsurajima Junior High School, librarian Yayoi Nishijima, 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 school essays because I had nothing. It was only as an adult that I encountered my dream for the first time.
So, I want to create an environment 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 working to eliminate that.
It doesn't matter if you have a dream or not, 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's 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's essential to show this not just to children but also to adults. Children who grow up seeing someone like Miiko, who says, "I'm going to do what I love," will naturally start doing what they love.
I hope that becoming an adult is fun and that you can do so many things you love. I hope "Space Brothers" can be a trigger for showing a strong and cool back to others.
Nishijima (no honorifics)
At Kurashiki City elementary schools, there is a library time, and students 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 engage with books become really scarce, leading to a fixed group of readers.
When donations are made, one person reads and says, "It was interesting," and that word-of-mouth spreads, bringing in more readers. Once they finish reading everything, they start thinking, "What should I read next?"
I look forward to seeing how children 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 important, but I have two sons. The older one is a university student, and the younger one is a junior high school student.
Like the relationship between Rokuta and Hibito (the protagonists of Space Brothers), the younger brother is more capable. The older brother is working hard and is currently engaged in what he wants to do at university, which overlaps a bit.
I hope their brotherly bond will be similar, and I want them to support each other during important times and maintain a relationship where they can respect one another.
The themes of brotherhood and family also appear in Space Brothers in various ways. 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 have faced setbacks and were about to give up live their lives afterward.
From the Writer
Miiiko, 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's "Katsuobushi Club".
If you are interested, please check out their activities.
Data on the Space Brothers Nationwide Donation Project
| Name | Space Brothers Nationwide Donation Project |
|---|---|
| Contact | Contact via note's messaging function |
| Homepage | 【Space Brothers Special Plan Announcement】I want to deliver Space Brothers to the 'daily life of children' in school libraries. |
