The Toyota Corolla has been an incredible success story for the Japanese automaker, but that success is far from over. New variants like the GR Corolla are set to expand the popularity of the household name even further. Toyota's accomplishment with the nameplate has resulted in an astonishing 50 million sales, and the carmaker recently announced a celebratory special edition to mark the occasion, but the festivities are set to continue.

The Japanese giant has now released a series of beautifully illustrated series of five manga (comic) strips, each of which is said to have been inspired by photographs submitted by Corolla owners.

Manga fans will note that each strip has been illustrated in a style that would have been popular at the time of each featured model's release. The manga illustrations are all in Japanese, but Japanese Nostalgic Car has provided a translation. The manga begins in the 1960s with a father returning home with a new E10 Corolla, only to find that his wife does not appreciate it as she fears it is too expensive. The next day, the father takes the family for a drive, something that would have been a totally novel experience for most Japanese families at the time. Seeing the joy and fun experienced by the kids, the wife soon forgets about the financial aspect of the purchase.

In the '70s, a father and son discuss the teenager's direction in life while driving their E20 Corolla. The son is not interested in talking much but his father convinces him to pose for a photo by the beach. Years on, the adult son sees the photo and realizes how many good times he spent with his father. The venerable gentleman must now rely on his grown-up son for transport, but they share a strong bond with many memories made alongside the Corolla.

For the next manga, we move forward another decade, with a young woman angrily asking her boyfriend where he's been and if he's been cheating on her. It seems that he has, but the object of his affections is an AE86 as he seeks to become a racing driver. Luckily, the girlfriend loves the black-and-white color scheme, which is undoubtedly meant to remind us of another anime called Initial D.

Then in the '90s, the E100 Corolla becomes the focus. A father repeatedly breaks his promise to take his children out and spend time with them. Eventually, he takes them for ice cream and the daughter ultimately falls asleep in the car on the way home. The father promises not to work as hard the following weekend so he can take the kids out again and the mother captures the moment on film.

Finally, the 2020s are less nostalgic and show someone who connects mainly on social media. It's a sweet little series and shows that the Corolla has been around through generations of different families and individuals. As the car gets better and better with each year, we have little doubt that it'll easily sell another 50 million units.