, short for , is a Japanese
light novel
A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a '' wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
series written by
Yomi Hirasaka
Yomi Hirasaka (平坂読, ''Hirasaka Yomi'') is a Japanese novelist, game scenario writer, songwriter and manga writer. They are from the Gifu Prefecture. His pseudonym is derived from Yomotsu Hirasaka.
Career
Upon winning the first MF Bunko J L ...
, illustrated by
Buriki
is a Japanese illustrator currently living in Osaka Prefecture. He is the illustrator of the light novel series ''Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai'' and ''Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl''. In 2012, he won the ''Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!'' aw ...
, and published by
Media Factory
, formerly is a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing.
History
It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd. Media Factory was possi ...
. It has been given several manga adaptations; the first incarnation, its title and basic plot unchanged, began serialization in 2010; it was written and illustrated by Itachi and published in ''
Monthly Comic Alive
is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Media Factory. The first issue was released on June 27, 2006.
Serialized titles
*'' Absolute Duo''
*'' Alice or Alice'' (until 2015, part of the supplement magazine '' Comic Cune'')
*'' Ano Ko ni ...
''. A retelling of the series, written by Misaki Harukawa and illustrated by Shuichi Taguchi and called ''Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai+'' was published in ''
Jump SQ.19
, also written as , is a Japanese monthly '' shōnen'' manga magazine. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for '' Monthly Shōnen Jump'', another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of ...
''. A 12-episode
anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
adaptation by
AIC Build aired in Japan between October and December 2011. An
original video animation episode was released in September 2012. A second anime season, ''Haganai NEXT'', aired between January and March 2013. A live-action film adaptation was released in February 2014.
Conception
Yomi Hirasaka had been working on , which consisted of short stories about everyday life. In developing ''Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai'', or ''Haganai'' for short, Hirasaka contrasts the main characters as opposites of the ones in the ''Light Novel Club'' which had good relationships to begin with. Hirasaka drew influences from personal experience: "This novel is a story about myself who also had few friends, bad communication skills, negative thinking, lacking life experiences and useless delusional habits." Hirasaka also considers the setting of the stories to be less restrictive.
The anime was directed by Hisashi Saito, who had previously directed the fan service romantic comedy ''
Heaven's Lost Property
, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Suu Minazuki. The plot revolves around Tomoki Sakurai, a boy who desires to live a peaceful life but encounters a fallen girl with wings, named Ikaros, who becomes his servant.
The ...
''.
Hirasaka noted that Itachi's portrayal of the characters in the manga are "all so cute" and "their faces are full of life", especially the expressions of the heroines Yozora and Sena.
Plot
Kodaka Hasegawa
, short for , is a Japanese light novel series written by Yomi Hirasaka, illustrated by Buriki, and published by Media Factory. It has been given several manga adaptations; the first incarnation, its title and basic plot unchanged, b ...
, a
transfer student
Transfer credit, credit transfer, or advanced standing are the terms used by colleges and universities for the procedure of granting credit to a student for educational experiences or courses undertaken at another institution. This is a subset of ...
to St. Chronica's Academy, has found it difficult to make friends because of his mix of brown-blond hair
(inherited from his deceased
English mother) and fierce-looking eyes that make him look like a delinquent. One day, he accidentally comes across the equally solitary and very abrasive
Yozora Mikazuki as she converses with "Tomo", her
"air" (imaginary) friend. Realizing that they lack social lives and skills, they decide that the best way to improve their situation is to form the , "an after-school club for people with no friends like themselves".
Other students with various backgrounds join the club:
Sena Kashiwazaki is an attractive but arrogant idol who has no female friends and treats the boys as her slaves;
Yukimura Kusunoki is an effeminate underclassman who idolizes Kodaka and strives to become manly like him;
Rika Shiguma is a genius scientist with a perverted mind;
Kobato Hasegawa is Kodaka's little sister who generally cosplays as a vampire; and
Maria Takayama, a ten-year-old foul-mouthed nun who serves as the club's advisor.
The story follows their adventures as the club tries out various school and outside social activities as practice for making friends.
Characters
Neighbors Club
* is the
viewpoint character of the light novels; he is a transfer student who has been unable to make friends in his first month at St. Chronica's. He and Yozora Mikazuki start the Neighbors Club with the purpose of learning how to make friends and how to act in social situations. He has a gentle and balanced personality; but his unusual spotty-blond hair color, inherited from his late English mother, leads classmates to assume he is a violent and abusive
delinquent
Delinquent or delinquents may refer to:
* A person who commits a felony
* A juvenile delinquent, often shortened as delinquent is a young person (under 18) who fails to do that which is required by law; see juvenile delinquency
* A person who fa ...
and to spread defamatory rumors about him. Because of his reputation, Kodaka has become accustomed to conflicts and having to defend himself. Prior to the series, Kodaka often had to move because of his father's work as an
archeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
. He has few memories related to home life, and no friends besides a single childhood friend from ten years previous, whose name eludes him at first. He later discovers that his friend 'Sora', whom he thought to be a boy, is in fact Yozora. He does not show any romantic intentions towards anyone in the club until Sena's confession, which prompts him to reveal that he has been in love with her since their first meeting. Correction: In LN 12 Chapter 51-53, Kodaka/Sena's father is under the impression that Kodaka and Sena are in a relationship and asks how they are progressing, and Kodaka seriously denies this in front of the group. Sena explains to Kodaka in private that she may have misled her father by exclaiming that with the Wonderland tickets she will be able to make Kobato her younger sister, and also tells Kodaka that their fathers betrothed them before they were old enough to remember. It was "a formal contract with their thumbprints and everything". They both smile. Kodaka then says his dad probably doesn't remember, because he wasn't told any of this, and it doesn't matter anymore because "that was when we were kids". Neither confess. When Sena and Kodaka return to the group, they try to keep a low profile but are eventually confronted with the question whether they are engaged. They do not respond, but Yozora is already questioning Rika which is closer - childhood friends or a betrothed couple. Kodaka thinks to himself that this is too cruel to Yozora. They both then say the engagement doesn't matter and to get back to the club's activity - filming. Kodaka is voiced by
Ryōhei Kimura
is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer. His roles included Ryouta Kise in the ''Kuroko no Basket'' series, Bokuto Koutarou in ''Haikyū!!'', Eichi Sakurai in '' Full Moon o Sagashite'', Tartaglia in ''Genshin Impact'', Chihiro Furuya in San ...
, and by
Jerry Jewell
Jerry Jewell is an American voice actor and voice director who works on anime series for Funimation and OkraTron 5000. He has performed the voices for several anime roles and is noted for his roles as Kyo Sohma in the ''Fruits Basket'' series, ...
in English.
For the live-action film, he is portrayed by
Kōji Seto
is a Japanese actor and singer. His major works include lead roles as Wataru Kurenai in ''Kamen Rider Kiva''; and supporting roles as Satoru Okura in Atashinchi no Danshi, Ariake Yamato in Otomen, and Eiji Kikumaru in Tenimyu. He stars as Mori ...
.
* is a
black-haired girl who is described as not having much going for her other than her looks. She is a gifted student who often argues with Sena, who consistently scores better than she does on their exams. Yozora is verbally abusive towards people in general, not to mention the other members of the Neighbors Club, especially Yukimura, whom she fools into working for the club as a
crossdressing
Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself.
Cross-dressing has play ...
cosplay maid.
[The only one spared this treatment is Rika, since Rika takes whatever insult she gives her and deflects it back with a dirty joke that leaves her tired.] Ten years prior to the start of the series, she and Kodaka ("Taka") were childhood friends, but because she had short hair and wore a cap, Taka mistook her for a boy and called her "Sora". The day before he moved away, she wore a skirt to reveal the fact that she was a girl, but was too embarrassed to meet with him. Kodaka was going to tell her of his imminent departure at the meeting, but since it did not happen, it appeared to Yozora that she had been abandoned, thus exacerbating her distrust of others. At the start of the series, she recognizes Kodaka as her childhood friend. When Kodaka discovers her talking to her
imaginary friend
Imaginary friends (also known as pretend friends, invisible friends or made-up friends) are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than physical reality.
...
"Tomo-chan", she creates the Neighbors Club in order to renew their friendship. Kodaka does not recognize her as Sora until later in the story after she cuts her hair short. In the anime, Yozora is voiced by
Marina Inoue
is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo, Japan. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. She was signed into Aniplex until 2007. She was chosen out of 2,000 people from the "Gonna be a star" auditions (hosted by Sony Music Entertainment ...
in Japanese and by Whitney Rodgers in English.
In the live-action film, she is portrayed by
Kie Kitano
is a Japanese actress, singer and gravure idol.
Career
Kitano was born in Kanagawa Prefecture, and is a former member of the celebrity girls futsal team ''Miss Magazine''. In 2005, Kitano won a Miss Magazine Award, becoming the youngest (age 1 ...
.
* is a
blonde-haired girl who is described as "perfect in every way except for her personality." The daughter of the school's chairman, Sena shows a
dislike of all things "ordinary". She is both attractive and academically successful, but her arrogance precludes her from making female friends, and she treats her male classmates as slaves.
She enjoys playing video games, particularly
''bishoujo'' (games where the main character tries to win over a girl) because they allow her to make female (if virtual) friends, although some of the games have embarrassing
adult content. She does not get along with Yozora, who calls her ,
[In the light novel, Yozora first calls Sena a cow due to her large breasts, but later nicknames her when they play a monster hunting video game that has raw and cooked meat as items. Sena reveals she does not mind the insulting nickname because it is the first time she had ever received one.] Although she originally joins the Neighbors Club to learn how to make friends, she develops feelings for Kodaka after he scolds her for inciting an incident during their trip to the swimming pool. When it is revealed that, fourteen years previously, her father arranged a marriage between her and Kodaka (his best friend's son), Sena confesses her feelings and proposes to Kodaka. In the anime, Sena is voiced by
Kanae Itō
is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Nagano Prefecture.
Biography
After graduating from high school, Ito attended thAmusement Media Academyin 2007. She was a member of the groups and , before they were disbanded between December 16, 2005 ...
in Japanese and by
Jad Saxton in English.
In the live-action film, she is portrayed by Mio Otani.
* is a
junior high
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
student at St. Chronica's Academy. She is very close to her older brother Kodaka, and behaves in a jealous and clingy way whenever he does not give her attention. Kobato cosplays as "Reisys V. Felicity Sumeragi", an ancient vampire, her favourite character from the anime ''Iron Necromancer'', by wearing gothic clothing and a red contact lens, drinking tomato juice (blood) and speaking in affected formal language, although Kodaka still treats her as a little sister by making her eat her vegetables and take a bath. When she gets emotionally worked up, she reverts to a strong
Kyūshū accent. She joins the Neighbors Club to spend more time with Kodaka, and develops a rivalry with Maria, who is closest to her in age. When the club visit her school's festival to watch her class film, it is revealed that she is quite popular, but has refused to make friends with her classmates despite their efforts to befriend her. In the anime, Kobato is voiced by
Kana Hanazawa
is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. A prolific voice performer in anime, she has amassed several film and television credits since her debut in 1990. She won the Seiyu Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2015, and won the Newtyp ...
in Japanese and by
Alison Viktorin
Alison Ruth Viktorin (née Retzloff; born February 1, 1981) is an American former voice actress who has worked with Funimation, her most notable role being Conan Edogawa in the detective series ''Case Closed''. She also voiced Kuroko Shirai in ' ...
in English.
In the live-action film, she is portrayed by Sayu Kubota.
* is an effeminate schoolmate who is first introduced as Kodaka's stalker. A gullible student with low self-esteem, Yukimura believes Kodaka to be a romantic and masculine outlaw who lives life the way he wants to, and eagerly pledges to become his "underling" in order to learn how to become manlier. Despite claiming to be a boy, Yukimura dresses in girls' clothes, as he takes to heart Yozora's flippant comments about masculinity and clothing. Later in the story, Kodaka discovers that Yukimura is actually a girl, even to Yukimura's own surprise.} In the anime, Yukimura is voiced by
Nozomi Yamamoto
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with VIMS.
Voice acting roles
Anime television series
;2011
*'' Haganai'' as Yukimura Kusunoki
*'' Un-Go'' as Rie Kaishō
;2012
*'' Girls und Panzer'' as Satoko Nakajima
*'' Joshiraku'' as Tetora Bōhate ...
in Japanese and by Ashleigh Domangue in English.
In the live-action film, Yukimura is portrayed by
Sara Takatsuki, who has worked on live-action adaptations of ''
Great Teacher Onizuka
''Great Teacher Onizuka'', officially abbreviated as ''GTO'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tooru Fujisawa. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from January 1997 to February 20 ...
'' and ''
Daily Lives of High School Boys
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yasunobu Yamauchi. The manga was serialized in ''Gangan Online'' and was released in seven manga volumes between May 21, 2009, and September 27, 2012. A twelve-episode anime series produ ...
''.
* is a first-year genius-scientist student whom the school has given a special research room and excused from attending classes. She is an
illeist
Illeism (from Latin ''ille'' meaning "he, that") is the act of referring to oneself in the third person instead of first person. It is sometimes used in literature as a stylistic device. In real-life usage, illeism can reflect a number of diff ...
who always addresses herself in third person, never in first person. She becomes interested in Kodaka after he rescues her from the lab after one of her experiments goes disastrously wrong. Although she wears glasses and seems serious, she is the most
eccentric and sexually forward club member, and often converts innocent remarks into something perverted. She enjoys reading
BL (boys' love) ''
dōjinshi
, also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of '' doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created ...
'' (self-published magazines), and is especially aroused by stories that involve intercourse between
mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japanese is ...
. In the anime, Rika is voiced by
Misato Fukuen
is a Japanese actress and voice actress affiliated with StarCrew. Her real name is . She has also performed activities as a singer under the name of MIRI.
Filmography
TV anime
Original video animation
*''To Love Ru'' – Golden Darkness
*'' T ...
in Japanese and by
Alexis Tipton in English.
For the live-action film, Rika is portrayed by Mao Kanjō.
* is a ten-year-old
nun
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
and the club's staff adviser. She is very rude and immature, and often uses a variety of expletives when annoyed. After Kodaka starts making her packed lunches, she becomes very affectionate with her new-found ''onii-chan'' (big brother), much to Kobato's annoyance. She is easily manipulated by Yozora, who gets her to perform menial tasks by framing them as things adults would do. Volume 8 of the light novels has a story where her teaching position is challenged. In the anime series, Maria is voiced by
Yuka Iguchi
is a Japanese voice actress and singer.
Biography
She auditioned for Broccoli
Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large flowering ...
in Japanese and by
Kristi Kang
Kristi Lynn Kang (née Bingham, born March 24, 1984) is an American voice actress affiliated with Funimation. She has provided voices for a number of English-language versions of Japanese anime films and television series. She voiced Kyoka Kane ...
in English.
For the live-action film, Momoka Yamada portrays Maria.
Supporting characters
* is Sena's father and the president of St. Chronica's. As a friend of Kodaka's father, he arranges for Kodaka and Kobato to attend the school. He is embarrassed by the unusual pronunciation of his first name, which would normally be "Tenma". He often badmouths Kodaka's father, but only because he truly values him as his best (and more or less only) friend. He seems intent to betroth Sena to Kodaka, often saying that he considers Kodaka to be "a man I can entrust Sena to", after misunderstanding Sena's intentions to make Kobato her younger sister. In the anime series, he is voiced by
Ryōtarō Okiayu
is a Japanese actor and voice actor affiliated with Aoni Production. His major roles include Treize Khushrenada in '' Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', Hisashi Mitsui in ''Slam Dunk'', Meisuke Nueno in ''Hell Teacher Nūbē'', Kunimitsu Tezuka in '' ...
in Japanese and by
Brandon Potter
Charles Brandon Potter (born July 28, 1982) is an American actor. He is known for his work voice acting, directing, and script writing on various anime dubs for Funimation.https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/BrandonPotter
Filmogra ...
in English.
* is the Kashiwazaki family butler and Sena's older half-sister. A blonde 22-year-old woman, she is a capable servant, though often surprisingly outspoken to her employer. She has a habit of making straight-faced jokes. In the anime series, Stella is voiced by
Ryōka Yuzuki in Japanese and by
Caitlin Glass
Caitlin Tiffany Glass (born November 16, 1981) is an American voice actress, ADR director, and script writer at Funimation, New Generation Pictures and Bang Zoom! Entertainment who provides voices for English versions of Japanese anime series ...
in English.
* is Maria's older sister who meets Kodaka and expresses her gratitude to him and the Neighbors Club for taking care of Maria and keeping Maria's ego in check. She has a largely nonchalant attitude, and sometimes inappropriately belches or farts in public. Despite being relatively mature, she eventually calls Kodaka ''onii-chan'' (big brother) as well, since she is only 15 years old. In the English version of the manga, she goes by Keito. In the anime series, she is voiced by
Emiri Katō
is a Japanese voice actress and singer. At the 2nd Seiyu Awards, she won Best New Actress with her roles in ''Powerpuff Girls Z'' as Momoko Akatsutsumi/Hyper Blossom and '' Lucky Star'' as Kagami Hiiragi. She also shared a Best Singing Award ...
in Japanese and by
Brina Palencia
Brina Michelle Palencia (born February 13, 1984) is an American voice and television actress. She has voiced a number of English-language versions of characters featured in anime.
Palencia provided the dubbed voices of Tony Tony Chopper in ' ...
in English.
* is the student body treasurer at St. Chronica's. She is Sena's classmate and ranked second in the year-end exam. She competes with Sena in her studies and is also envious of her popularity and other excellent attributes. She also attempted to disband the Neighbors Club twice due to the club's lax performance and unmet requirements, but failed nonetheless after being faced with Yozora's and Sena's harsh scolding. She is first introduced in second season of the anime series, and is voiced by
Mariya Ise
Mariya is a variation of the feminine given name Maria.
People
* Mariya Abakumova (born 1986), Russian Olympic javelin thrower
* Mariya Agapova (born 1997), Kazakhstani mixed martial arts fighter
* Mariya Alyokhina (born 1988), Russian polit ...
in Japanese and by
Felecia Angelle
Felecia Angelle (born July 27, 1986) is an American voice actress and ADR director affiliated with Funimation. She has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films and television series. Angelle is best known ...
in English.
* is the student council president in the anime series. She is very popular in school, having been elected twice, and is an athlete who helps out in all the sports clubs.. It is later revealed she is Yozora's older sister. She is voiced by
Yōko Hikasa
is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with I'm Enterprise.
Biography
Hikasa became interested in acting while watching ''Sailor Moon'' and ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''. She attended Nihon Narration Engi Kenkyūjo, a voice actor traini ...
in Japanese and by
Brittney Karbowski
Brittney Marie Karbowski (born ; June 26, 1986) is an American voice actress who has voiced in a number of English-language versions of Japanese anime series for Funimation, Sentai Filmworks and ADV Films.
Early life
Karbowski was born on June ...
in English.
* is Kodaka and Kobato's father. He is a renowned archaeologist. He is voiced by
Katsuyuki Konishi
is a Japanese voice actor from Wakayama, Wakayama. He is affiliated with Ken Production. His debut role was Volfogg/Big Volfogg in ''GaoGaiGar''. He is most well known for portraying Kamina in ''Gurren Lagann'', Laxus Dreyar in ''Fairy Tail'' ...
in Japanese and by Bill Jenkins in English.
* is the cold-hearted student council president who is an exclusive character to the live-action film adaptation. He is portrayed by
Louis Kurihara.
Media
Light novels
The original light novel series, written by Yomi Hirasaka and illustrated by
Buriki
is a Japanese illustrator currently living in Osaka Prefecture. He is the illustrator of the light novel series ''Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai'' and ''Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl''. In 2012, he won the ''Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!'' aw ...
, began publication on
Media Factory
, formerly is a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing.
History
It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd. Media Factory was possi ...
's ''
MF Bunko J
is a publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company Media Factory. It was established in July 2002 and is a light novel label that is aimed at young adult males with a focus on visual novel
A , often abbreviated as VN, is ...
'' imprint from August 31, 2009 to August 25, 2015. Eleven volumes in the series have been published. Hirasaka and Buriki also released the light novel ''Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Connect'' in December 2012.
is a series of
anthology stories by various guest authors, including Yomi Hirasaka, Yūji Yūji, Wataru Watari, Yū Shimizu, Sō Sagara, Asaura, Hajime Asano, Ryō Iwanami, Shirō Shiratori,
Takaya Kagami
is a Japanese light novel and manga writer. Some of his major works include ''The Legend of the Legendary Heroes'', ''A Dark Rabbit Has Seven Lives'' and ''Seraph of the End'', which have been adapted into anime series.
Works
* ''The Legend of t ...
and guest illustrators Buriki,
Kantoku
was a after '' Chōkyū'' and before '' Eishō'', This period spanned the years from November 1044 through April 1046. The reigning emperors were and .
Change of era
* 1044 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. ...
, Ruroo, Peco, QP:flapper, Miyama-Zero, Shunsaku Tomose, Yuu Kamiya, Koin, Ponkan8, Hanpen Sakura.
Two volumes of the spin-off ''Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Universe'' were published on November 23, 2011, and February 22, 2013.
Manga
The first ''Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai'' manga series, written and illustrated by Itachi, was published in
Media Factory
, formerly is a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing.
History
It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd. Media Factory was possi ...
's ''Monthly Comic Alive'' magazine from its May 2010 issue, released on March 27, 2010, to February 2021 issue, released on December 27, 2020. The series has been collected in twenty ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or ...
'' volumes.
Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as w ...
has licensed the first manga series in North America under the title ''Haganai: I Don't Have Many Friends'' and released it between 2012 and 2022.
A remade manga series, , written by Misaki Harukawa and illustrated by Shouichi Taguchi, was published in
Shueisha
(lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
's ''
Jump SQ.19
, also written as , is a Japanese monthly '' shōnen'' manga magazine. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for '' Monthly Shōnen Jump'', another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of ...
'' from November 19, 2010 to June 19, 2012. ''Plus'' introduces the characters in a different order and goes through different adventures. The series was collected in two volumes, which were published on October 4, 2011 and August 3, 2012.
Three volumes of short stories, titled , have been published by Media Factory since October 22, 2011. Each chapter of them is written and illustrated by different authors.
The series of one-shot stories written by Chiruwo Kazehana and illustrated by Shirabii; and written by Kiurian and illustrated by Bomi, were serialized in ''Comic Alive'' in 2011–2012 and 2012–2013 respectively. Both series have been licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment; and released on July 1, 2014 and December 16, 2014, respectively.
In the English manga, each chapter is numbered as a Club Activity Log. Translation was done by Ryan Peterson, and adaptation was done by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane.
Anime
In May 2011, an anime television series based on the light novels was announced on the
wraparound jacket of the sixth light novel, with an
original video animation bundled with the seventh light novel released on September 22, 2011. Produced by
AIC Build under the direction of Hisashi Saitō, the series aired in Japan from October 7 to December 23, 2011. The opening theme is by
Marina Inoue
is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo, Japan. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. She was signed into Aniplex until 2007. She was chosen out of 2,000 people from the "Gonna be a star" auditions (hosted by Sony Music Entertainment ...
,
Kanae Itō
is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Nagano Prefecture.
Biography
After graduating from high school, Ito attended thAmusement Media Academyin 2007. She was a member of the groups and , before they were disbanded between December 16, 2005 ...
,
Nozomi Yamamoto
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with VIMS.
Voice acting roles
Anime television series
;2011
*'' Haganai'' as Yukimura Kusunoki
*'' Un-Go'' as Rie Kaishō
;2012
*'' Girls und Panzer'' as Satoko Nakajima
*'' Joshiraku'' as Tetora Bōhate ...
,
Misato Fukuen
is a Japanese actress and voice actress affiliated with StarCrew. Her real name is . She has also performed activities as a singer under the name of MIRI.
Filmography
TV anime
Original video animation
*''To Love Ru'' – Golden Darkness
*'' T ...
,
Kana Hanazawa
is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. A prolific voice performer in anime, she has amassed several film and television credits since her debut in 1990. She won the Seiyu Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2015, and won the Newtyp ...
, and
Yuka Iguchi
is a Japanese voice actress and singer.
Biography
She auditioned for Broccoli
Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large flowering ...
, while the ending theme is by Marina Inoue. The anime is based on the first three volumes and the beginning of volume four. The anime was licensed for streaming by
Funimation
Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
, who hosted the stream on the website and
Nico Nico, before licensing the series for home video release.
A follow-up
original video animation episode was released on September 26, 2012. The ending theme is by Inoue, Itō, Yamamoto, Fukuen, Hanazawa, Iguchi and
Ryohei Kimura.
A second season, titled ''Haganai NEXT'', aired from January 11 to March 29, 2013. It is based on the novels from volume four until the first few present in volume nine. The series was directed by Toru Kitahata whilst Hirasaka was in charge of the scripts. The opening and ending themes, respectively, are "Be My Friend" and , both performed by Inoue, Itō, Yamamoto, Fukuen, Hanazawa and Iguchi.
Game
A
visual novel
A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...
, ''Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Portable'', was developed by
Namco Bandai Games for the
PlayStation Portable and released on February 23, 2012.
Live-action film
On April 24, 2013,
Ryukoku University
is a private university in Kyoto, Japan.
It was founded as a school for Buddhist priests of the Nishi Hongan-ji denomination in 1639, and became a secularized university in 1876. The university's professors and students founded the literary ...
posted a casting call for extras for a 2014 film adaptation of ''Haganai'', to be distributed by
Toei and produced by "I Don't Have Many Friends" Production Committee, consisting of Times-In, Kinoshita Group,
Pony Canyon
, also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affi ...
,
Toei Video Company, Toei itself,
Kadokawa Kadokawa may refer to:
*Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group
**Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker
**Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publis ...
,
Dwango and Guild. Hirasaka later confirmed the film's existence on May 2, 2013, stating that, whilst he initially didn't approve of the project, as he didn't feel the story was intended for live-action, he decided to approve it in light of a crisis in the light novel industry. Hirasaka will have a completely hands-off role in the film's production. Takurō Oikawa, the film's director, chose not to watch the anime and told his cast members not to watch it either so that they can present a fresh interpretation of the light novels. The Japanese film site Cinema Cafe began streaming the full trailer for the live-action film light novel series on December 4, 2013. The film was released on February 1, 2014.
Reception
The second volume of the manga adaptation ranked seventh on the top 30 of Japanese Comic Ranking, for the week of May 23–29, 2011.
Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network found the first graphic novel “fairly entertaining” with artist Itachi's illustrations “between beautiful depictions of the girls and messy sketches, which actually works well for the series”. While the premise “retreads familiar ground”, she noted the girls’ reactions in the dating sim chapter as the highlight of the volume.
Tim Jones of THEM Anime Reviews gave the anime series three of five stars. He grouped the social misfits show as a “raunchy romp filled with lots of cheesecake and hit-or-miss comedy”, with “great leads, okay side characters”, and didn't “need to be reminded every episode how huge Sena’s breasts are, thanks”.
Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network found the anime series interesting in that it starts with misfits finding friends and deferred the typical romantic comedy entanglements but was deflated that the series was “taking on harem baggage.” The second half of series was "increasingly formulaic" and left him longing for a story. He found the episodes to have very little novelty: "Relationships change little, characters evolve not at all, and the message—that these outcasts have already found their friends and just refuse to acknowledge it—remains the same. We might as well be watching the first couple of episodes repeat ad infinitum." Bamboo Dong found the series' strength to be in the character development, but its drawback was that such moments are far and few compared to the "recycled referential humor, like drawing the characters inside a video game, or drawing them inside a dating sim", and the same "bland paste of old jokes". She preferred the English dub as the characters insulting each other was better than the dull name-calling in Japanese.
Andy Hanley of UK Anime.net gave the anime series a 6/10, and called the anime a series of two halves, where the first half contained “great and hugely funny episodes” but the second half was “increasingly tired and even unlikeable” where “sure-fire comedy concepts such as a visit to karaoke or the swimming pool fail to do anything noteworthy with their subject material.” He found that the main characters undermined the series later on with “Yozora's snarky, bossy attitude which works so well in early episodes turns to bitchiness and then downright bullying” as Sena's obsessions to “become something of a dead horse which the series insists upon flogging.” He later gave the first graphic novel a 4/10. With Yozora and Sena as "massive bitches" more so than in the anime, he wrote that "a better title for the series might be ''It's Probably For The Best That You Have No Friends''." He found the Seven Seas translation to be balanced and that its presentation was without complaint.
See also
* ''
A Sister's All You Need
is a Japanese light novel series written by Yomi Hirasaka and illustrated by Kantoku. Shogakukan has published 14 novels since March 2015 under their Gagaga Bunko imprint. Two manga adaptations have been published by Shogakukan and Square ...
'' - a light novel series by the same author
Explanatory notes
Notes about works cited
* "LN" is shortened form for light novel and refers to a volume number of the ''Haganai'' light novels.
* "Ch." is a shortened form for "chapter" and refers to a chapter number of the ''Haganai'' manga.
References
External links
Official manga website
Official anime website
*
{{Jump Square
2009 Japanese novels
2010 manga
2012 anime OVAs
2012 video games
2013 anime television series debuts
Anime International Company
Anime and manga based on light novels
Bandai Namco games
Harem anime and manga
Films based on light novels
Funimation
Harem video games
Japan-exclusive video games
Kadokawa Dwango franchises
Light novels
MF Bunko J
Mainichi Broadcasting System original programming
Media Factory manga
PlayStation Portable games
PlayStation Portable-only games
Seinen manga
Seven Seas Entertainment titles
Shueisha manga
Shōnen manga
TBS Television (Japan) original programming
Video games based on anime and manga
Video games developed in Japan
Visual novels
Japanese romantic comedy films