is a Japanese manga series written by Ken Kawasaki and illustrated by . It has been serialized in Golf Digest's golfing magazine since August 2014. An anime television series adaptation produced by OLM aired from April to June 2024. A second season aired from October 2024 to January 2025.

By November 2024, the Tonbo! manga had over 2.2 million copies in circulation.

Plot The series is set in the fictional Hinoshima Island in the Tokara Islands (based on Nakanoshima). A retired golfer, Kazuyoshi Igarashi, arrives there and finds Tonbo Ōi, a junior high school girl with a talent for golf.

Characters

Media Manga Written by Ken Kawasaki and illustrated by , Tonbo! started in Golf Digest's golfing magazine on August 4, 2014. Golf Digest has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first two volumes were released on May 30, 2016. As of September 1, 2026, 64 volumes have been released.

Anime In May 2023, an anime television series adaptation was announced. It is animated by OLM (with CG provided by SMDE) and directed by Oh Jin-koo, with Mitsutaka Hirota writing series scripts, Akira Takeuchi designing the characters, Keita Hattori directing the 3DCG, and composing the music. The series aired from April 6 to June 29, 2024, on TV Tokyo. The opening theme song is , performed by Sacra e sole, and the ending theme song is "Let's Swing", performed by Tokyo Groove Jyoshi.

After the airing of the final episode of the first season, a second season was announced. It aired from October 4, 2024, to January 4, 2025. For the second season, the opening theme song is "Seven Pieces", performed by Sacra e sole, and the ending theme song is , performed by Tokyo Groove Jyoshi.

Remow licensed the series for streaming on its It's Anime YouTube channel. The company also streamed the first season of the series on Amazon Prime Video with an English dub, releasing it simultaneously as it aired in Japan. The second season was added to the platform as well.

Episodes Season 1

Season 2

Other media In 2023, Miki City, known as the "City of Golf" due to its large number of golf courses, collaborated with the manga to offer golf balls with a Tonbo design printed on them as gifts for people who paid hometown tax to the city, with the goal of promoting the sport in the city and contributing to its financial reconstruction. This initiative raised more than ¥270 million in revenue for the city over a six-month period, with a total of 5,712 taxpayers participating.

Reception

Manga By June 2023, the manga had over 1.55 million copies in circulation (including digital copies); by November 2024, it had over 2.2 million copies in circulation (including digital copies). The manga placed third in Rakuten Kobo's second E-book Award in the "Long Seller Comic" category in 2024.

Anime Anime News Network had four editors review the first episode of the anime: Richard Eisenbeis expressed that while the series was unlikely to become a breakout hit, it provided sufficient entertainment to warrant watching a second episode. Rebecca Silverman praised the effective establishment of the setting and the use of the island's "casual golf culture" to hint at Igarashi's past golf-related trauma, but she criticized Tonbo's initial characterization as more of a "non-character than a person." She suggested that the series required another episode to develop its plot and characters, and concluded that it was not comparable to Birdie Wing but might suit viewers seeking a low-key sports series. Nicholas Dupree criticized the leads for lacking engagement or interest and noted that the production exhibited traits of a long-running show with modest resources and limited ambition, citing inconsistent character art and reused footage. He commented that while nothing was inherently flawed, the series could improve as characters developed and the cast coalesced, and that it adequately served as a family-friendly sports show without excelling. James Beckett criticized the "stale characters" and the visuals, which he described as stiff and lifeless, remarking that the animation appeared to have been produced with minimal budget and that the end product felt comparable to viewing the manga with color and an unwelcome soundtrack.

Fellow ANN editor Jairus Taylor reviewed the complete first season and assigned it a D+ grade. He criticized the slow pacing of the plot, the "overly technical" and "more realistic approach" to depicting golf, the underdeveloped supporting cast, and OLM's "acceptable, if largely unimpressive" production, which failed to enhance the golfing scenes. Taylor concluded that the series did not warrant seeking out and that viewers would be better served watching an actual golf match. He contrasted Birdie Wing, which compensated for golf's lack of visual excitement through flashy and exaggerated presentation. Taylor selected the first season as his pick for the Worst Anime of 2024, citing poor pacing, one-note supporting characters, bland direction of golf scenes, and insufficient incentive to invest in the second season, concluding that boredom was a greater fault than terribleness and that the series was the year's most tedious watch.

Taylor reviewed the first episode of the second season, criticizing the first half for its pacing and "overly technical explanations" but praising the second half for introducing Hinoki and the potential for an ensemble cast alongside Tonbo and Igarashi. He concluded that viewers who had followed and enjoyed the first season would likely find more of the same and have a decent experience. Erica Friedman, also writing for ANN, reviewed the complete second season and awarded it an overall B+ grade. She criticized the "overblown and silly" depiction of golf and the "otaku-level details" but praised the plot's exploration of the sport's mental aspects through character development and the improved animation relative to the first season.

References

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