, also known as ''Lovely Complex'', is a
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 ...
shōjo manga
is an editorial category of Japanese comics targeting an audience of adolescent females and young adult women. It is, along with manga (targeting adolescent boys), manga (targeting young adult and adult men), and manga (targeting adul ...
by
Aya Nakahara
is a Japanese manga artist. She won the 49th Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo manga for ''Lovely Complex'' ''Love Com'', a romance manga about a tall high school girl who falls in love with a short guy.
Works
* ''Haru to Kuuki Nichiyobi' ...
. It was published by
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 ...
in ''
Bessatsu Margaret
, or for short, is a shōjo manga magazine published monthly in Japan by Shueisha since 1964.
Serializations
Current
*''Fujishiro-san Kei'' – Yuki Nojin
*'' Ima Koi: Now I'm in Love'' – Ayuko Hatta
*''My Special One'' – Momoko Kōda
*'' ...
'' from 2001 to 2006 and collected in 17 ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes. The series is about the romance between a tall girl and a short boy who are treated as a comedy duo by their classmates. In 2004, it received the 49th
Shogakukan Manga Award
The is one of Japan's major manga awards, and is sponsored by Shogakukan, Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga and features candidates from a number of publishers. It is the oldest manga award in Japan, being ...
for shōjo.
The story has been adapted as a
live-action
Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...
movie released in 2006, a 24-episode
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, 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 Japane ...
television series broadcast in 2007, and an adventure game released for
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
released in 2006. Two
drama CD
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
s have also been produced. The manga and the live-action movie are licensed in North America by
Viz.
A sequel series called ''Love Com D'' (or ''Lovely Complex Deluxe'' or "Lovely Complex Two") began serialization in the May 2009 issue of the bimonthly shōjo manga magazine ''Deluxe Margaret'', focusing on Risa's younger brother.
Plot
''Love Com'' is a love story between a boy and a girl in
Sakai, Osaka
is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and inclu ...
. The girl, Risa Koizumi, is tall—much taller than the average
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
girl. The boy, Atsushi Ōtani, is —way below the
height
Height is measure of vertical distance, either vertical extent (how "tall" something or someone is) or vertical position (how "high" a point is).
For example, "The height of that building is 50 m" or "The height of an airplane in-flight is abou ...
of the average Japanese boy. Because of this, the pair are called the "
All Hanshin Kyojin" after a popular comedy duo that has a similar height difference. The difference in their heights is extremely exaggerated (in the opening credits of the anime, for example, the top of Ōtani's head doesn't even reach Risa's chin when it should be approximately level with her mouth.)
During summer school, a very tall student named Ryouji Suzuki (from another class) shows up and Risa immediately falls for him because he is tall. There is a girl that Atsushi likes as well, so Risa and Atsushi decide to put aside their differences and help each other get their love interests. Their efforts fail spectacularly as Suzuki and the girl whom Ōtani had a crush on - Chiharu Tanaka - end up becoming a couple. All is not lost though, since Risa and Ōtani become close friends. As they get to know each other better, Risa's feelings for Atsushi begin to blossom, and her love life gets complicated from there on.
Almost all of the characters speak in
Kansai-ben
The is a group of Japanese dialects in the Kansai region (Kinki region) of Japan. In Japanese, is the common name and it is called in technical terms. The dialects of Kyoto and Osaka are known as , and were particularly referred to as suc ...
.
Characters
;
:''Drama role by:''
Ema Fujisawa
is a Japanese model and actress represented by Seventh Avenue. She is nicknamed .
Fujisawa is an exclusive model for ''non-no
is a Japanese women's fashion and lifestyle magazine published by Shueisha. The magazine is headquartered in Tokyo. ...
,
: The
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
, Risa Koizumi is not your average Japanese high school girl. Standing tall, Risa stands taller than the average height of Japanese boys let alone Japanese girls (the average height for a female is ). In the anime she states that she has always been the tallest person in her class. Ironically, her surname means 'small fountain'. She and other characters compare her to a
giraffe
The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...
. Risa can be impulsive and strong-willed at times, and is rarely willing to display her softer side. She had a crush on Suzuki before he started dating Chiharu.
: Risa starts developing feelings for Ōtani and soon admits to herself that she likes him. She then starts trying to confess. Failing the first time, Nobuko and Nakao try to help with Nobuko often giving Risa advice on what to do. Finally she very directly tells him. She immediately regrets it, and tells Ōtani to pretend it never happened, but in spite of herself she tells Ōtani once again that she likes him. Ōtani responds that he cannot see her as a girlfriend yet, so her new goal is to make Ōtani regret that and make him like her as well.
;
:''Drama role by:''
Teppei Koike
is Japanese actor and singer associated with Burning Productions. After appearing in the television drama ''Tentai Kansoku'' in 2002, Koike began appearing in several other films and dramas, notably as Atsushi Otani in ''Love Com''. At the sam ...
, , ''Voice actor for game/drama CD:''
Takahiro Sakurai
is a Japanese voice actor, narrator, and radio personality from Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
His well-known roles include heroes such as Cloud Strife in ''Compilation of Final Fantasy VII'', Suzaku Kururugi in ''Code Geass'' and X in ''Mega Man X' ...
: Atsushi Ōtani is one of the main characters. He is very short for a boy, standing . The average height for a male in Japan is . Like Koizumi, Ōtani's surname (roughly, "big valley") is a pun on his diminutive stature. He can be thoughtless and rude but he is kind and a little silly at heart. Ironically, Ōtani also happens to be the star player of the school basketball team. He reveals he wants to go to University after graduation to get his teaching certificate. He dreams of teaching basketball to elementary school students.
:His ex-girlfriend is Mayu Kanzaki, the manager of his middle-school basketball team. She broke up with him for a much taller boyfriend, and this is one of the reasons Ōtani is sensitive about his height. He later finds out that his lack of height wasn't the reason that she broke up with him; it was because she was in love with someone else already who just happened to be tall. He doesn't know quite yet how he feels about Risa when she confesses her feelings for him, and responds that he can't see her as a girlfriend (yet). He later realizes that he does care for her, and he kisses her. Later on in the series, Ōtani gets the wrong idea when Risa does suspicious things with her co-worker Kohori, and then breaks up with her. However, after seeing how devoted she is to him, Ōtani reconsiders and they make up on
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
.
;
:''Drama role by:''
Nami Tamaki
Nami ( ar, نامي, ja, 波 ('wave'), ('regular'), etc.) may refer to:
Given name
* Nami (, , , , ), Japanese feminine given name
* Nami Akimoto (born 1968), Japanese manga artist
* , Japanese film director, screenwriter and editor
*, Japanes ...
,
: Fashionable and charming, Nobu is Risa's best friend. She is generally wiser than Risa or Chiharu in the ways of love, and is always ready to offer her advice. She's usually the one who sets up all the 'alone time' moments with Risa and Ōtani. Unfortunately her efforts tend to end in failure and Risa returns to her for comfort. She's utterly in love with her boyfriend, Nakao, and is always calling him her 'honey', 'darling', and 'baby'. Whenever Otani upsets Risa, she and Nakao express their disapproval, usually through means of torture and insults.
;
:''Drama role by:''
Yusuke Yamazaki, , ''Voice actor for game/drama CD:''
Kenjiro Tsuda
is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator, and film director. He works at ANDSTIR. Some of his roles as a voice actor include Seto Kaiba in ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'', Sadahara Inui in ''Shin Tennis no Ouji-sama'', Kazama Chikage in ''Hakuoki'', Ryuga in ' ...
: Nobu's boyfriend and Ōtani's best friend. Considerate, sensitive, mild-mannered and easygoing., Nakao is absolutely dedicated to Nobu, and when he is not playing basketball with Ōtani, he can usually be found helping with her match-making schemes. Despite the fact that Otani is his best friend, Nakao and Nobu-chan are seen multiple times insulting and torturing him, usually after Otani rejects or upsets Risa.
;
:''Drama role by:''
Risa Kudo,
: One of Risa's closest friends, Chiharu has such a shy, demure personality that she fears most boys her own age. Ōtani once harbored a crush on her (she resembles Kanzaki, his ex-girlfriend, or vice versa), but Chiharu instead fell for the gentle Suzuki. The two are now a couple. When everybody starts making college plans, Suzuki and Chiharu applied for the same college, but Suzuki got rejected. He sadly tells Chiharu somebody else would be able to protect her. For the first time, Chiharu breaks out of her shy character and violently lifts up a desk and throws at him (narrowly missing), frustrated that Suzuki thinks he can be replaced. They later make up and Suzuki promises to join Chiharu in her new school the next year.
;
:''Drama role by:''
Hiro Mizushima
, known professionally as , is a Japanese actor, creative director, and writer. He appeared in a number of Japanese TV dramas, including ''Mei-chan no Shitsuji'', ''Hanazakari no Kimitachi e'' and ''Zettai Kareshi''. Additionally, he was well kn ...
, , ''Voice actor for game/drama CD:''
Masaya Onosaka
is a Japanese voice actor who works for Aoni Production. In 2010 he won the "Best Personality" Seiyu Award.
Onosaka was born in Osaka. He is known for his Kansai accent in some of his roles. He also the known voicing actor as Zhao Yun and Zhug ...
: Chiharu's boyfriend. Suzuki's cool demeanor is often mistaken for standoffishness, and so he has few friends. Oblivious to Risa's crush on him, he develops feelings for Chiharu, and eventually asks her out. Like Chiharu, Suzuki is shy and easily embarrassed. When he fails to get into the same university as Chiharu, he promises to try again the year after.
;
:, ''Voice actor for game/drama CD:''
Ryotaro Okiayu
: A handsome, effeminate young man who developed a childhood crush on Risa when she defended him from a gang of bullies. Though he is popular with many of the other girls (dating seven at a time and towards chapter 52 dates 2 more for a total of nine), he says it's all preparation for when he goes out with Risa, despite the fact that she always rejects him. According to Risa, his grandmother is
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
. It is also suggested that he might have a crush on Seiko. He never tires of insulting Otani, (his most frequently used insult is "Midget"), and is constantly pestering Risa about her feelings for him, stating that Otani isn't good enough for her.
;
:''Drama role by:''
Mio Kato,
: She is Ōtani's ex-girlfriend. She and Chiharu look very similar, which is the most likely reason that Ōtani had a crush on Chiharu. They started dating in middle-school, and she was the manager for the school basketball team. She broke up with him because she was in love with someone else who was tall, leaving him completely heartbroken and causing his
inferiority complex
In psychology, an inferiority complex is an intense personal feeling of inadequacy, often resulting in the belief that one is in some way deficient, or inferior, to others.
According to Alfred Adler, a feeling of inferiority may be brought ab ...
.
:She invites Ōtani to the team Christmas party, and though Ōtani accepts, he ends up going to the Umibōzu concert with Risa instead. She then visited Ōtani's school to see him, but encountered Risa and Nobu. Risa is convinced that Ōtani is still in love with Mayu, so she goes to clear up a misunderstanding. It is then that Mayu tells him that she did not break up with him because of his height. However, she appears again later, after having broken up with her boyfriend. When she asks to meet up again, he says "Sorry, I can't because if I do there'll be an idiot who'll cry."
;
:''Drama role by:''
Shosuke Tanihara,
: Student teacher at Risa and Ōtani's school. Maitake, who prefers the nickname "Maity" or "Mighty", is taller than Risa and extraordinarily good-looking. He bears a resemblance to "Cain-sama", a character in one of Risa's favorite
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 ...
s, and soon acquires a legion of female fans. Gaining affection from Risa, Ōtani soon becomes jealous and quickly starts to realize his feelings for her. It is later revealed he has a fiance - named Jody - much to the disappointment of his fan club - and that he is Haruka's cousin.
;
:
: Ōtani's next door neighbor. She is in love with Ōtani and brings him milk every day in hopes that he would one day grow taller. She is about the same height as Risa. Mimi harbors a burning hatred and jealousy for Risa because (despite her having the same height issue as Mimi) she had won Ōtani's heart. She comically switches between her alter egos, acting sweet towards Ōtani, yet sour to Risa behind his back. Eventually, she accepts that Ōtani likes Koizumi but swears that she will someday take Ōtani from Koizumi.
;
:
: A young student who works part time with Risa in Ikebe. He is notably shorter than her, although slightly taller than Ōtani (158 cm.), and has distinctive black hair with a red streak. Risa soon discovers that he is also an avid Umibouzu fan. He very soon develops feelings for Risa, who admits to herself that she finds him 'cute'. Against her better judgment, Risa attends an Umibōzu concert with Kohori which leads to complications in her relationship with Ōtani. He even proclaims his love for Risa, which causes Ōtani to give him a right hook. Around chapter 60 in the manga, Risa's classmate Abe is shown to have a crush on Kohori and is dating him.
;
:
: A blonde who has a large crush on Ōtani. She is transgender and was born a male, and states that God placed her in a wrong body. She prefers to be called Seiko instead of Seishiro (birth name) because it sounds more feminine. She kissed Ōtani to confess her feelings while she is tending to Ōtani's injury in the school infirmary. Ōtani got a shock when he found out Seiko's real sex, but still chooses to be her friend. In the manga, she has a crush on Haruka and confessed to him in the same manner she did with Ōtani. When Seiko was planning on confessing to a man who saved her from a creeper, her voice became deeper and not "cute", therefore Seiko cut her long hair and decided to become "a dangerous man", choosing Ōtani as her master. But then it seemed that only a cold was making Seiko's voice change, and she went back to her chirpy, female self.
;
:''Drama role by:''
Susumu Terajima
is a Japanese actor. Though he has played a wide range of characters, he is perhaps best known for his portrayal of ''yakuza'' figures, most notably in the films of Takeshi Kitano.
Terajima made his acting debut in 1986's ''A Homansu''. He ...
,
: A popular rapper whom both Risa and Ōtani are avid fans of, leading to Nobu's suggestion that the two are compatible. Risa and Ōtani accidentally cross paths with Umibōzu while on a class trip, and learn that he is actually a devoted family man, with a wife and son with a similar story of how they became a couple. He is named after the mythological creature
Umibōzu
is a paranormal phenomenon or ''yōkai'' from Japanese folklore. Other names include or . Little is known of the origin of ''umibōzu'' but it is a sea-spirit and as such has multiple sightings throughout Japan. Normally, ''umibōzu'' appear ...
due to his bald head.
;
:
: The manager in charge at the restaurant where Risa works. She wears glasses and is quite nosy. When she is intoxicated, she turns wild, and does things that she won't remember the next day.
;
:
: Homeroom teacher at Risa and Ōtani's class. He gave Risa and Atsushi the nickname "All Hanshin Kyojin."
;Risa's
senpai
:''Drama role by:''
Shugo Oshinari
is a Japanese actor.
Career
Oshinari co-starred in Shunji Iwai's ''All About Lily Chou-Chou'' with Hayato Ichihara. He also appeared in films such as Kenta Fukasaku's '' Battle Royale II: Requiem'' and Takahisa Zeze's ''Heaven's Story''.
Filmog ...
;Dancing Yoshiko
:''Drama role by:''
Eiji Wentz
is a Japanese singer, entertainer, actor and a member of the singer-songwriter duo WaT and belongs to the production company Burning Productions.
Early career
Born in Mitaka, Tokyo to a Japanese mother and a German American father, Wentz be ...
Creation and development
According to the afterword of volume 6, Ōtani ("big valley") was going to be named Nakatani ("middle valley"), but Aya Nakahara changed her mind because ''naka'' was "too middlin'."
Media
Manga
The manga was written and illustrated by
Aya Nakahara
is a Japanese manga artist. She won the 49th Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo manga for ''Lovely Complex'' ''Love Com'', a romance manga about a tall high school girl who falls in love with a short guy.
Works
* ''Haru to Kuuki Nichiyobi' ...
. It was initially serialized in Japan by
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 ...
in the
''shōjo'' (aimed at teenage girls) manga magazine ''
Bessatsu Margaret
, or for short, is a shōjo manga magazine published monthly in Japan by Shueisha since 1964.
Serializations
Current
*''Fujishiro-san Kei'' – Yuki Nojin
*'' Ima Koi: Now I'm in Love'' – Ayuko Hatta
*''My Special One'' – Momoko Kōda
*'' ...
'' from September 2001 to December 2006. The untitled chapters were collected in 17 ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes.
The manga is licensed in English in North America by
Viz Media
VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
, with 16 volumes published as of January 2010.
The Viz edition is licensed for distribution in Australia and New Zealand by
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatri ...
,
which released volume one in May 2008.
The series is also licensed in France by
Delcourt,
in Italy by
Planet Manga
Panini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, which also produces collectable stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy. The company publishes comic books in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Hunga ...
,
in Mexico by
Grupo Editorial Vid Grupo Editorial Vid (also known as ''Vid'' or ''Mundo Vid'') was a Mexican comic, manga and books publisher. It was funded in the early 1940s as ''Editorial Argumentos'' (EDAR).
Many of their books are sold from around 30 pesos for comics up to 60 ...
,
in Spain by
Planeta DeAgostini
Editorial Planeta-DeAgostini is a Spanish-Italian publisher and a subsidiary of Grupo Planeta and De Agostini specializing in collectable books, sold periodically in pieces through newsstands (partworks). It has its headquarters in Barcelona. ,
in Taiwan by
Tong Li Publishing
Tongli Publishing Co. (Chinese: 東立出版社, Hanyu Pinyin: ''Dōng Lì Chūbǎnshè''), most known as Tong Li Comics, is a publishing company which distributes a variety of domestic and imported comics in Taiwan.
History
Tong Li was founded ...
,
in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
by
Mangafan
Mangafan is a Hungarian manga publisher, located in Szigetszentmiklós near Budapest, Hungary. It was founded in 2006. Since May, 2007, they also publish a monthly magazine dealing with manga, anime and Japanese culture, called Mondo.
Publishe ...
and in Vietnam by
TVM Comics.
Movie
''Love Com'' was adapted as a live-action movie directed by
Kitaji Ishikawa with screenplay by
Osamu Suzuki. It starred
Ema Fujisawa
is a Japanese model and actress represented by Seventh Avenue. She is nicknamed .
Fujisawa is an exclusive model for ''non-no
is a Japanese women's fashion and lifestyle magazine published by Shueisha. The magazine is headquartered in Tokyo. ...
as Risa Koizumi and
Teppei Koike
is Japanese actor and singer associated with Burning Productions. After appearing in the television drama ''Tentai Kansoku'' in 2002, Koike began appearing in several other films and dramas, notably as Atsushi Otani in ''Love Com''. At the sam ...
as Atsushi Ōtani. It was released in theaters on 2006-07-15, and on DVD on 2007-01-01. An English-subtitled DVD was released in North America by
Viz Media
VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
on 2008-02-19.
Anime
The anime television series was produced by
Toei Animation
() is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...
and directed by
Konosuke Uda, with music by
Hironosuke Sato and character designs by
Hideaki Maniwa.
The opening theme songs were by
Tegomass (episodes 1–13) and "
Hey! Say!
"Hey! Say!" is the first single from the temporary group ''Hey! Say! 7'', which later became Hey! Say! JUMP. The songs "Hey! Say!" and "BON BON" are both opening and ending themes for the anime ''Lovely Complex''.
The single is released in two e ...
" by
Hey! Say! 7 (episodes 14–24); the ending themes were by Tegomass (episodes 1–13) and "Bon Bon" by Hey! Say! 7 (episodes 14–24).
It was broadcast on
TBS,
CBC, and
MBS
MBS may refer for:
People
* Mohammed bin Salman (born 1985), crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia
* Mohan Bikram Singh (born 1935), Nepalese politician
Places
* MBS International Airport (IATA code: MBS), Freeland, Michigan, US
* Mari ...
from 7 April 2007 to 29 September 2007.
The Italian distributor
Dynit
Dynit Srl is one of the main Italian manga and anime publishers. Its head office is in the Cadriano ''frazione'' in Granarolo dell'Emilia, Province of Bologna. licensed the anime for a DVD release. In
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
was broadcast on 24 October 2010 on
Rai 4
Rai 4 (pronounced ''Rai Quattro'') is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. Launched on 14 July 2008 with the film ''Elephant'', Rai 4 targets youths with ...
and ended on 17 April 2011.
In April 2012,
Discotek Media
Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retro titles fr ...
announced that they will distribute the Love Com anime on DVD in North America in one subtitled boxset.
Reception
''Love Com'' received the 2004
Shogakukan Manga Award
The is one of Japan's major manga awards, and is sponsored by Shogakukan, Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga and features candidates from a number of publishers. It is the oldest manga award in Japan, being ...
for shōjo manga.
The English edition of ''Love Com'' has been favorably reviewed, with praise especially for Nakahara's comedic timing,
sympathetic characters,
and deft depictions of emotions.
A reviewer at
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
praised it as "the standard by which all other modern romantic comedies should be measured" for its handling of the range of its characters' emotions.
The first volume was named by the
Young Adult Library Services Association
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...
as among the best
graphic novels
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
for teens for 2007.
The live-action movie of ''Love Com'' was named by
Young Adult Library Services Association
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...
as one of 16 movies that are 2009 Fabulous Films for Young Adults on the theme of
coming of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
around the world.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Shueisha's manga website
Toei Animation's anime website
Official movie website
Viz Media's manga websiteMadman Entertainment's manga website*
*
{{Toei Animation
2001 manga
2006 films
2009 manga
2000s Japanese-language films
Anime series based on manga
Discotek Media
Japanese romantic comedy films
Films set in Osaka Prefecture
Live-action films based on manga
Mainichi Broadcasting System original programming
Manga adapted into films
New People films
Osaka Prefecture in fiction
Romantic comedy anime and manga
School life in anime and manga
Shōjo manga
Shueisha franchises
Shueisha manga
TBS Television (Japan) original programming
Toei Animation television
Transgender in anime and manga
Viz Media manga
Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo manga