House of Five Leaves (さらい屋五葉) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Natsume Ono. It was serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Ikki from November 2005 to July 2010, with its chapters published in eight tankōbon volumes under the Ikki Comix imprint. It is licensed for distribution in North America by Viz Media. The manga was adapted into a twelve-episode anime television series, produced by Manglobe, and written and directed by Tomomi Mochizuki, which aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block from April to July 2010. Funimation streamed it online as part of an international deal with Fuji TV allowing them to simulcast series from the Noitamina block. NIS America licensed the series for a home video release in North America in 2012. The license expired with no plans for renewal in 2017. In 2022, RetroCrush began streaming the anime online with English subtitles. House of Five Leaves also inspired a spin-off manga, Kozure Dōshin, serialized on the Web Ikipara Comic page of Shogakukan's Ikki Paradise website from January 2013 to June 2014. Its chapters were later published in a single tankōbon volume under the Ikki Comix imprint.

Plot

Set during Japan's Edo period, House of Five Leaves follows Masanosuke Akitsu, a rōnin (wandering samurai) and a skilled swordsman, whose timid personality often causes him to be let go by his employers. One day, he encounters Yaichi, the charismatic leader of a group of bandits calling themselves the Five Leaves, and is offered a job as his bodyguard. Although he is worried about their intentions, Masanosuke is intrigued by the group and agrees to work with them.

Characters

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Natsume Ono, House of Five Leaves was serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Ikki from November 25, 2005, to July 24, 2010. The individual chapters were collected and published in eight tankōbon volumes under Shogakukan's Ikki Comix imprint from July 28, 2006, to September 30, 2010. The manga is licensed for distribution in North America by Viz Media. It was first released in a digital, English-language version of Ikki magazine, and later published in eight print volumes under the Viz Signature (or SigIkki) imprint from September 21, 2010, to September 18, 2012. The series is also licensed in Taiwan by Taiwan Tohan Co. and in France by Kana.

Volumes

Spin-off

A spin-off manga, Kozure Dōshin (子連れ同心), was serialized on the Web Ikipara Comic page of Shogakukan's Ikki Paradise website from January 4, 2013, to June 6, 2014. A single tankōbon volume was published under Shogakukan's Ikki Comix imprint on March 6, 2015. The manga depicts the childhood of Tachibana, a supporting character in House of Five Leaves.

Anime

The anime adaptation of House of Five Leaves was produced by Manglobe and written and directed by Tomomi Mochizuki. The show's musical soundtrack was composed by Kayo Konishi and Yukio Kondō, while the opening theme song "Sign of Love" was performed by immi, and the ending theme song "All I Need Is..." was performed by Rake. The series aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block in Japan from April 15 to July 1, 2010, for a total of twelve episodes. On April 16, 2010, Noitamina producer Kōji Yamamoto apologized to the anime's staff via his Twitter account for the first episode's low television rating of 1.5% – a third of what many series in the Noitamina block earn. The anime was distributed on six DVD sets in Japan by Media Factory, with the first DVD set released on July 23, 2010, and the last DVD set released on December 22, 2010. House of Five Leaves was licensed for streaming in North America by Funimation as a part of a deal with Fuji TV allowing them to simulcast series from the Noitamina block. The episodes premiered on Funimation's website one hour after the initial Japanese broadcast. They were later uploaded to Hulu and YouTube. NIS America licensed the series for a home video release in North America, with a premium DVD set released on March 6, 2012, and a standard DVD set released on March 12, 2013. The license expired with no plans for renewal in 2017. The anime was also licensed for a home video release in the United Kingdom by Beez Entertainment and in Australia and New Zealand by Siren Visual. In 2022, Digital Media Rights' RetroCrush service began streaming the anime online with English subtitles.

Episodes

Reception

The American Library Association's YALSA division included House of Five Leaves on its list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens in 2011.