Farewell My Dear Cramer Manga Reading Order (2026)

Farewell, My Dear Cramer Manga Reading Order — The Complete List

Here’s the full reading order with everything you need to plan your purchase:

Recommended reading order:

1. Sayonara, Football (prequel — 2 volumes) — This short series follows Nozomi Onda during her middle school years. It establishes her character and the gender-barrier themes that define everything that comes after. Think of it as a standalone short story set earlier in the same character’s life — it gives you background that makes the main series land harder.

1. Farewell, My Dear Cramer (main series — 14 volumes, 55 chapters) — Picks up as Onda moves into high school and joins a women’s soccer team with a large new cast of characters. The main series was originally published chapter by chapter in Monthly Shonen Magazine (a long-running Japanese manga magazine) from August 2016 through April 2021.

Total books to buy: 16 volumes. That’s 2 prequel volumes + 14 main series volumes = 16 books for the complete story.

An important note about the English release: Kodansha Comics publishes the English editions, and the naming can trip people up. Rather than keeping the two separate Japanese titles, Kodansha combined everything under the Sayonara, Football name with continuous numbering — so the prequel is Sayonara, Football volumes 1–2, and the main Farewell, My Dear Cramer content continues as Sayonara, Football volumes 3–16.

This means if you search for “Farewell, My Dear Cramer” on a bookstore site and find nothing, try searching Sayonara, Football instead. That’s the title on every English volume’s spine. Start with Sayonara, Football Volume 1 and read straight through to Volume 16.

Since the entire series is complete, you can read it from start to finish without any gaps or delays. That’s one of the nicest things about picking this up now — the full story is already waiting for you.

Why the Reading Order Matters

You might be wondering if you really need to bother with the prequel. The answer is: you don’t have to, but you’ll get a lot more out of the main series if you do.

Sayonara, Football is a short story — just 2 volumes — about Nozomi Onda during her middle school years. She’s a talented soccer player fighting to compete in a system that doesn’t take women’s soccer seriously. It’s a focused, emotionally direct story about one girl pushing back against institutional indifference.

Farewell, My Dear Cramer then picks up that thread and expands it. Onda enters high school and joins a women’s soccer team alongside a large new cast. The themes of the prequel — the lack of respect and support for women’s soccer in Japan, the personal cost of loving a sport that doesn’t love you back — carry forward and deepen across the main series.

Here’s why that matters for your reading experience: if you start with the main series cold, Onda is just one character among many. She’s interesting, but you won’t feel the weight of what she’s been through. If you read the prequel first, every scene with Onda in the main series carries far more weight. You understand her frustration. You know what she’s already sacrificed — the battles she fought in middle school just to be allowed on the pitch.

That said, Farewell, My Dear Cramer is written so that new readers can follow the plot without the prequel. Author Naoshi Arakawa doesn’t leave you confused if you jump straight into the high school story. The prequel adds depth, not prerequisites. Think of it as the difference between watching a movie and watching a movie after reading the book — same story, but a richer experience with the extra context.

Which Edition Should You Buy

The English edition is published by Kodansha Comics, and it’s the only official English release available. There are no competing translations or alternate publishers to choose between, which simplifies things.

Here’s the naming situation in plain terms. In Japanese, the prequel and the main series have two separate titles. When Kodansha Comics brought the series to English, they made a publishing decision to merge both series under one title — Sayonara, Football — with a single numbering system running from Volume 1 through Volume 16. That’s 2 prequel volumes followed by 14 main series volumes, all sharing the Sayonara, Football name.

So when you’re shopping, search for Sayonara, Football — not Farewell, My Dear Cramer. Every English volume carries the Sayonara, Football title on its cover.

Both digital and physical editions are available through Kodansha Comics. The full English run is finished, so you can collect the entire set right now.

For buying purposes:

• Physical volumes — Available at major retailers. Good for shelf display and comfortable reading.
• Digital volumes — Available through various digital manga platforms. Convenient if you want to start reading immediately or prefer not to store physical books.

Since this is a completed series, there’s no risk of getting halfway through and having to wait for the next volume (a common frustration with ongoing manga, where individual books — called “volumes” — release months apart). You can read at your own pace from beginning to end.

How Well Does It Teach Soccer to New Fans

One of the first questions people ask about any sports manga: “Do I need to actually know the sport?”

With Farewell, My Dear Cramer, the answer is a clear no. You don’t need to know a single rule of soccer to follow and enjoy this series.

Naoshi Arakawa weaves tactical and rule-based information into the story naturally, mostly through coaching scenes and conversations between players. When a formation (how players are positioned on the field) or strategy matters to the plot, the manga explains it through character interaction rather than walls of text dropped into the panels. It feels organic — you’re learning alongside the characters rather than sitting through a lecture.

That said, this series leans more toward the emotional and social side of women’s soccer in Japan than toward detailed play-by-play breakdowns. If you’re hoping for a manga that goes deep on match tactics and strategy, this isn’t that kind of series. The competitive matches are there, and they’re engaging — but Farewell, My Dear Cramer spends just as much time on what happens off the pitch.

The real strength here is how the series portrays the reality of women’s soccer in Japan: the institutional barriers, the lack of funding, the social pressure to quit, and the emotional toll of loving a sport that your country doesn’t fully support at the women’s level. That’s the story Arakawa is most interested in telling, and it’s what gives the series its weight.

For readers with zero soccer knowledge, the character drama and team dynamics carry the story completely on their own. You’ll pick up the sport naturally as you go, and the matches are drawn clearly enough that the action is easy to follow even if you’ve never watched a game.

Things to Know Before You Start

A few things worth knowing before you crack open Volume 1:

Expect a grounded, emotionally heavy tone. This is not a high-energy, power-up-driven sports manga. Farewell, My Dear Cramer lives in a more realistic space — characters face real setbacks and social pressure with no easy resolution. There are triumphant moments, absolutely, but the series never shies away from the harder, more painful aspects of its subject matter.

You’ll be tracking a large cast. This is an ensemble story, meaning the focus is shared across many characters rather than following one hero. Expect to meet a full roster of teammates, rivals, and coaches over the first several volumes. The early chapters introduce these characters one by one, so you won’t be thrown into the deep end — but knowing upfront that there are a lot of names to learn helps set the right expectation.

If you’ve read Your Lie in April, you’ll recognize the storytelling style. Naoshi Arakawa created both series, and the same emotional instincts are at work here — characters you grow deeply attached to, put through situations that test everything they believe in. If you haven’t read Your Lie in April, here’s what to expect from Arakawa’s approach: he builds stories around characters who care intensely about something (in this case, soccer) and then honestly depicts what it costs them to keep caring in the face of real obstacles. It’s the kind of writing that earns its emotional payoff because it doesn’t take shortcuts.

The series tackles real issues facing women’s soccer in Japan. This isn’t just background flavor — it’s central to the story. Characters deal with lack of institutional support, dismissal from peers and authority figures, and the constant question of whether pursuing women’s soccer is “worth it” in a society that doesn’t value it equally. Knowing this going in enriches the reading experience rather than catching you off guard.

Pacing note: be patient with the early volumes. The first stretch of the series focuses heavily on team assembly and character introductions. Arakawa takes time to establish who these players are, what they want, and why they’ve ended up on this particular team before the competitive matches really ramp up. It’s deliberate — all that setup pays off once the games begin and you already care about every player on the field.

On the topic of mature themes: the series deals with some emotionally heavy subject matter, particularly around gender discrimination and the psychological toll it takes on the characters. It’s handled thoughtfully and never gratuitously, but it’s worth being prepared for if you’re coming in expecting a lighthearted underdog story.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Farewell, My Dear Cramer finished?

Yes. The manga is completed at 14 volumes and 55 chapters. It was originally published chapter by chapter in Monthly Shonen Magazine from August 2016 through April 2021. The full English edition (16 volumes including the prequel) is also finished. You can read the entire story right now without waiting for new releases.

Do I need to read Sayonara, Football first?

Recommended but not strictly required. The 2-volume prequel introduces Nozomi Onda during her middle school years, and reading it first gives her character significantly more depth in the main series. However, Farewell, My Dear Cramer is written to be accessible to readers who start with the main story. If you want the fullest experience, start with the prequel. If you want to jump straight into the high school team story, you won’t be lost.

Is there an anime adaptation?

Yes, an anime adaptation exists — anime being an animated (cartoon) version of the story. There is both a TV anime series and an anime film. The film, titled Farewell, My Dear Cramer: First Touch, covers the Sayonara, Football prequel storyline, while the TV series adapts the main manga.

If you’re wondering whether to watch the anime instead of reading the manga: the manga is the original and complete version of the story. The anime covers some of the same ground but the manga gives you the full experience as the author intended it. If you do watch, the recommended order mirrors the manga — film first (prequel), then TV series (main story).

Why is the English title different from the Japanese title?

In Japan, the prequel and main series have two separate titles. When Kodansha Comics published the English edition, they combined both series under a single title — Sayonara, Football — with continuous volume numbering from 1 to 16. This means every English volume is branded “Sayonara, Football” even when the content has moved into the Farewell, My Dear Cramer story. It’s a genuine source of confusion, so if you’re searching online and not finding what you expect, try the alternate title.

Who is the author?

Naoshi Arakawa — best known for creating Your Lie in April, a widely beloved music drama manga about a young pianist working through grief and creative paralysis. Arakawa brings the same character-focused emotional storytelling to Farewell, My Dear Cramer, applied to the world of women’s soccer instead of classical music.

Is this a good manga for someone who doesn’t watch soccer?

Absolutely. The series prioritizes character development and social themes over technical sports detail. Soccer knowledge helps you appreciate some tactical moments, but the emotional story stands completely on its own. If you enjoy stories about underdogs fighting against systemic barriers, this will resonate whether or not you’ve ever watched a match.