is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series written and illustrated by Syundei. The series follows the titular Nakamura, a

closeted ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and other (LGBTQ+) people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and human ...

high school student who has a secret crush on his classmate. ''Go For It, Nakamura!'' was serialized in the manga magazine ''

Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

'' from 2014 to 2016, collected into a bound volume by

Akane Shinsha (AS) is a Japanese publishing company focused on adult material, such as comics (a.k.a. manga) books, and magazines. The company was established in October 1976. In 2009, with 65 titles it ranked 2nd among ero-manga publishers in Japan, surpassed ...

in 2017, and licensed for an English-language release by Seven Seas Entertainment in 2018. A sequel, , began serialization in June 2017.

Synopsis

Closeted ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and other (LGBTQ+) people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and human ...

sixteen-year-old high school student Okuto Nakamura harbors a crush on his classmate Aiki Hirose, despite having never actually spoken to him. The strongly

introverted The traits of extraversion (also spelled extroversion Retrieved 2018-02-21.) and introversion are a central dimension in some human personality theories. The terms ''introversion'' and ''extraversion'' were introduced into psychology by Carl J ...

Nakamura fantasizes about speaking to Hirose and often attempts to integrate himself into scenarios that would allow the two to interact, though the majority end in comedic failure. Nakamura is eventually able to build his confidence and grow closer to Hirose. The series concludes with the two boys developing a reciprocal friendship.

Characters

; : (audio drama) : A closeted high school student. He has a crush on his classmate Aiki Hirose, but is acutely introverted and has never spoken to him. ; : (audio drama) : Nakamura's classmate, and his unrequited love interest. ; : (audio drama) : Nakamura's homeroom teacher. ; : (audio drama) : Nakamura's classmate. A talented artist. ; : (audio drama) : Hirose's childhood friend. ; : (audio drama) : A member of the drama club.

Media

Manga

The character Nakamura first appeared in illustrations and short

web comics Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be ...

posted by Syundei online. In 2014, Syundei was approached by the managing editor of the manga magazine ''

'' to draw a comic to fill empty pages in an issue of the magazine. That comic, a one shot that was published in the December 2014 issue of ''Opera'', would become the first chapter of ''Go For It, Nakamura!''. Beginning in the June 2015 issue of ''Opera'', ''Go For It, Nakamura!'' began

serialization In computing, serialization (or serialisation) is the process of translating a data structure or object state into a format that can be stored (e.g. files in secondary storage devices, data buffers in primary storage devices) or transmitted (e ...

as a regular series, running concurrently in ''Opera'' with Syundei's horror manga series '' Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart''. Upon its conclusion, the eleven-chapter series was collected into a bound volume by

and published on May 27, 2017. On September 15, 2017, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that it would license an English-language translation of the series. The single-volume manga was published on July 3, 2018, making ''Go For It, Nakamura!'' the first boys' love manga series to be published by Seven Seas. A sequel series, , began serialization in ''Opera'' in June 2017. An English-language translation was published by Seven Seas Entertainment in July 2022.

Other media

An audio drama adaptation of ''Go For It, Nakamura!'' was published on September 8, 2021. The adaptation features Kappei Yamaguchi as the voice of Nakamura, Junko Takeuchi as the voice of Hirose, and

Tomoyuki Morikawa is a Japanese voice actor, narrator and singer who is the head of Axlone, a voice acting company he founded in April 2011. His name is also sometimes mistranslated as Tomoyuki Morikawa. In 2003, he and Fumihiko Tachiki formed the band "2Hearts", ...

as the narrator, with original music by OdiakeS. A 12-page exclusive special chapter of the manga series was released with it. Characters from ''Go For It, Nakamura!'' were included in a pop-up cafe run by ''Opera'' in Harajuku,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

from March 16 to April 8, 2018. The cafe featured original merchandise and menu items inspired by the series.

Reception

''Go For It, Nakamura!'' was positively received by critics. The series was praised for its 1980s-reminiscent artwork, with Sean Gaffney of ''Manga Bookshelf'' favorably comparing it to '' Ranma ½'' and '' Kimagure Orange Road''. Anthony Gramuglia noted in his review of the series for ''Anime Feminist'' that ''Go For It, Nakamura!'' is "part of a new wave of oys' lovemanga that are more about identity than sex." Reviewing the series for ''

Otaku USA ''Otaku USA'' is a bimonthly magazine published by Sovereign Media, which covers various elements of the "otaku" lifestyle (such as anime, manga, video games, cosplay and Japanese popular music) from an American perspective. The issues were acc ...

'', Brittany Vincent praised the series'

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

elements, calling ''Go For It, Nakamura!'' a "special treat for LGBT audiences eager for a sweet, retro-flavored romantic comedy." At the 2018 BL Awards presented by ''Chill Chill'', ''Go For It, Nakamura!'' ranked 16th in the rankings of the best boys' love bound volumes released in 2017.

References

External links

* {{ann, manga, 20227, Go For It, Nakamura! 2014 manga 2017 manga Akane Shinsha manga LGBT in anime and manga Comedy anime and manga Seven Seas Entertainment titles Yaoi anime and manga School life in anime and manga