My Love Story!!
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, is a Japanese
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 ...
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 by
Kazune Kawahara is a Japanese manga artist who is best known for creating the romantic comedy ''shōjo'' manga ''High School Debut'' (''Koukou Debut''). Kawahara has also published and authored several other manga series, most notably ''Ai no Tame ni'' and ''A ...
and illustrated by
Aruko is a Japanese manga artist. After debuting in 1999, she launched her first series, ''Yasuko to Kenji'', in 2005. Following its completion, she began illustrating Kazune Kawahara's ''My Love Story!!'' in 2011, which performed well and received mu ...
. The manga was serialized 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 ''
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 *'' ...
'' magazine from October 2011 to July 2016.
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 ...
published the series in English. The story follows dense but kind-hearted giant Takeo Gōda, who falls head-over-heels for Yamato Rinko after he defends her from a groper on the train. An
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 adaptation by Madhouse aired from April to September 2015 and 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 ...
film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
of the same name was released in October 2015. As of November 2015, the manga had over 4.5 million copies in circulation. In 2013, ''My Love Story!!'' won the 37th
Kodansha Manga Award is an annual award for serialized manga published in the previous year, the event is sponsored by the publisher Kodansha. It is currently awarded in three categories: '' shōnen'', '' shōjo'', and general. The awards began in 1977, initially w ...
in the '' shōjo'' category, and the 61st
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 ...
in the same category in 2016.


Plot

The story follows Takeo Gōda, a tall and muscular high school student who does not have much luck with women, as every girl he likes ends up falling for his best friend, Makoto Sunakawa, who is charming and good-looking. This all changes when he saves Rinko Yamato, a petite shy girl who, above all other expectations, falls in love with Takeo, beginning a unique love story.


Characters

; : :''Actor portrayal'':
Ryohei Suzuki is a Japanese actor who is represented by the talent agency Horipro. Early life He graduated from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies with a Bachelor's degree in English Studies in March 2006. When he was a student, he worked part-time in NHK ...
:The protagonist of the story and a first-year student at Shuei High School. He is very tall and muscular, easily dwarfing everyone around him. Women tend to find his appearance off-putting or frightening, likening him to a bear or gorilla, but Takeo nevertheless has many friends due to his popularity among men, who are inspired by his strength, physique, and vitality. Despite his hulking appearance and strength, Takeo has an affable personality and is actually extremely kind and selfless, quickly helping others without a second thought throughout the story and never holding a grudge for things people say about him. Near the beginning of the story, he saves Rinko from a groper and quickly develops feelings for her, but mistakenly thinks that she likes Makoto. Rinko, later on, confessed her love to Takeo, which he gladly accepted. Takeo is also a considerate and caring person to his family and friends. When he found out that Rinko has to move to Spain due to her father's job, Takeo let her go anyway although he did not want to be apart from her. When Takeo found out that Rinko has troubles during her exams in Spain, he quickly rushes to her place to comfort her and promises her to always stay by her side no matter what happens instead of blaming himself for the problem. However, he made a bold move by proposing to Rinko in front of the crowds, much to Rinko's surprise, but she happily accepts in excitement. In the end, Takeo is shown leaving his high school with Rinko and Makoto after bidding farewell to his friends at the high school graduation ceremony, beginning their new college life together after. ; : :''Actor portrayal'':
Mei Nagano is a Japanese actress. Amongst her film and television credits are Rinko in the film '' My Love Story!'', Suzume Yosano in the film '' Daytime Shooting Star'', and Suzume Nireno in the 98th NHK asadora ''Hanbun, Aoi''. Career Nagano was scouted ...
:A high school girl whom Takeo saves from a groper on a train. After Takeo saves her, she immediately fell in love with him. Rinko is also a smart person when she secretly follows Takeo after the incident and also asking the neighborhood to find out where he lives and study. Rinko also purposely leaves her cellphone at his house one time when she comes to visit and thank him in order to see Takeo again. When she thought that Takeo mistaking Suna likes her, Rinko rushes to find Takeo and confess her love to him which he gladly accepts. Unlike most girls, who find Takeo frightening, Rinko admires his strength, confidence, and kindness, and she does not seem to pay any mind to his unusual size or appearance. She attends Koizumi Girls' Academy and is very skilled in baking and making sweets. Rinko is the first girl who has been called "a nice girl" by Makoto, presumably since she's the first to look past Takeo's appearance. Rinko is shown to have a determined mind by politely declining Kouki's confession and saying that she had already fallen in love with Takeo when she first met him. She was also shown to have a selfish side at times. When Rinko's father has a job transfer to Spain, she was unwilling to go with him and stated that she wants to stay in Japan with Takeo but eventually goes with him due to Takeo's acceptance of her father's decision. However, this causes Rinko to get poor results during the mock exams, making Takeo thinks that he was the reason she unable to perform well in exams thus making a decision to break up with her. Takeo quickly regrets his decision later on and rushes to Spain in order to apologize for the mean things he said to her. Rinko then was surprised that Takeo proposed to her and happily agrees in excitement. In the end, Rinko succeeded the exams and managed to go to the same college with Takeo and Makoto due to Takeo's neverending support for her after ending their own high school graduation ceremony. ; : :''Actor portrayal'':
Kentaro Sakaguchi is a Japanese actor and model. He debuted as a model in Men's Non-no magazine in 2010, and as an actor under Tristone Entertainment in 2014. He has since starred in television series ''Tokyo Tarareba Musume'' (2017) and ''Signal'' (2018), as w ...
:Takeo's next door neighbor, childhood friend, and classmate, who he calls "Suna" for short. Compared to Takeo's boisterous personality, Makoto is level-headed, studious, and rational, though he will occasionally burst into stifled laughter upon witnessing Takeo's unique behavior. Because Makoto is so handsome, all of the girls Takeo liked ended up falling in love with Makoto instead. Despite his endless stream of admirers, Makoto remains single, as he rejected every girl that's confessed to him because of their insulting comments they made about Takeo. However, Takeo's girlfriend, Rinko, and his classmate, Saijo, and even Yukika, her kindergarten classmate changed his impression as a nice girl towards Takeo. Although not nearly as outgoing as Takeo, he nevertheless values his friendship, noting that his life would be "boring" if Takeo were not around. Makoto is always watching out for Takeo and is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for his friend. When Takeo is having trouble with his relationship with Rinko, Makoto was there to help him get back on his own and later succeeds to bring Takeo's relationship with Rinko to the next level. After witnessing that Takeo has found his true happiness, Makoto was happy for him as his best friend. In the end, Makoto departs with Takeo and Rinko after his high school graduation ceremony, moving together towards their college life. ; : :Makoto's older sister and a college student. Takeo mentions that she, like her brother, is a great and kindhearted person. She has had a secret crush on Takeo ever since he compared her to a flower when they were children. Only her brother and her colleague Oda know about her feelings for Takeo. Knowing that Takeo had found his true love with Rinko, she supports them and wished them happiness. ; : :''Actor portrayal'':
Sawa Suzuki , Tower Records (October 24, 2013) better known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress represented by the talent agency Horipro. Biography After dropping out of Joshibi University of Art and Design Junior College, Suzuki became a research s ...
:Takeo's mother, who always works hard for her family. Takeo is extremely protective of her, though she insists he worries for no reason as she was once an amateur wrestler and when she was giving birth to Takeo she actually helped carry another woman into the maternity room when she went into labor first. She, later on, gives birth to Maki, which is Takeo's little sister, when he was in high school. ; : :''Actor portrayal'':
Yasufumi Terawaki is a Japanese actor. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 32nd Japan Academy Prize for '' Aibō The Movie''. Selected filmography Film * '' Mangetsu no Kuchizuke'' (1989) * ''Kinako'' (2011) * '' Samurai Hustle'' (2014) * ''My Lov ...
:Takeo's father, who has a rather handsome appearance. He fell in love with Takeo's mother when he saw her put herself in harm's way to protect someone else and decided he wanted to be the one to protect her. ; : :An acquaintance at Ai's university who has a crush on her, but keeps getting turned down because of her feelings for Takeo. Even though he gets turned down, Oda never gives up and hopes Ai will accept his love one day. ; : :A friend and classmate of Takeo. He has an afro hairstyle. He took a liking to one of Rinko's friends, Nanako, and asked her out, and she accepted. ; : :A classmate of Takeo. She begins to call Takeo after he trains her for a sports day relay race at their school. She had a crush on Takeo after witnessing Takeo not giving up to win the relay race. She then confessed to Takeo although she knows he has a girlfriend but was politely declined by him and she moved on. She even gave obligatory/friendship chocolate to Makoto and Takeo on Valentine's Day and is the second girl who has been called "a nice girl" by Makoto. ; : :A friend and classmate of Rinko. She was confessed to by Takeo's friend, Osamu Kurihara, and started dating him after Christmas. ; : :A friend and classmate of Rinko. ; : :A girl from Takeo's and Makoto's childhood. She has a crush on Makoto after he blocked a ball from hitting her during dodgeball in their childhood. She has given anonymous valentine letters to Suna every year since and when she confessed to him; she was politely rejected by him but Makoto has shown his gratitude by giving a gift to her for the years she supported him from behind. Unlike the other girls rejected by Makoto, he felt guilty when seeing Yukika cry. Makoto later acknowledges her as a nice girl and they become friends, yet she still stalks Makoto to prevent any girls from approaching him. ; : :A confectioner that works in the shop where Rinko works for a part-time job. He falls in love upon seeing Rinko and considers her his muse. When he discovers that Takeo is Rinko's boyfriend, he asks him to break up with her because he says that he is a better fit for her, causing an inner dilemma in Takeo´s mind over whether he is really the one who can make Rinko happy. Although being politely rejected by Rinko, he still wishes for her happiness with Takeo.


Media


Manga

The series debuted as a 100-page special in ''Bessatsu Margaret Sister'' on October 13, 2011 before becoming serialized 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 *'' ...
'', ending with a 100-page final chapter on July 13, 2016. The first volume was released by Shueisha on March 23, 2012, while the thirteenth and final volume was released on September 23, 2016.
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 ...
has licensed the series and released the first volume on July 1, 2014. In honor of the 50th anniversary of ''
Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
'', Kawahara and Aruko collaborated with
Io Sakisaka is a 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 ** ...
, the creator of ''
Blue Spring Ride is a Japanese '' shōjo'' manga series written and illustrated by Io Sakisaka. It began serialization in the February 2011 issue of Shueisha's ''Bessatsu Margaret'' and ended in February 2015. ''Ao Haru Ride'' received several adaptation ...
'', to create a crossover comic called ''My Ride!!'', which was released in the July 2013 issue of ''Bessatsu Margaret''.


Volume list


Anime

In November 2014 it was announced that the series was being adapted into an anime series. Covering roughly 34 chapters of the manga, the anime was produced by Madhouse,
Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...
, VAP,
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 ...
and Nippon Television Music Corporation and directed by
Morio Asaka is a Japanese storyboard artist and director. After graduating Osaka Designers' College, Asaka entered Madhouse. He was inspired to become a director by '' Phoenix: Yamato Chapter'' and made his debut as an episode director in episode 40 of ''Y ...
, with
Natsuko Takahashi is a Japanese anime screenwriter. After learning about the profession of screenwriting in middle school, in university she entered a contest. Although her entry did not fit the theme of the contest, the examiners liked it so much that they gave ...
handling series composition, Kunihiko Hamada designing the characters and
S.E.N.S. S.E.N.S. is a Japanese new-age instrumental group formed in 1988, originally with two members. The name stands for "Sound, Earth, Nature, and Spirit" based on their spiritual policy. They have produced many musical scores for TV dramas, docum ...
composing the music. The anime began airing on Nippon TV from April 8, 2015 and is being simulcast by
Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...
. The opening theme is by Trustrick while the ending theme is by Local Connect. The soundtrack is composed by S.E.N.S. Project. The final episode of the series, originally scheduled for September 16, 2015, was delayed to September 23.


Live-action film

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 ...
film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
of the same name was released on October 31, 2015. It starred
Ryohei Suzuki is a Japanese actor who is represented by the talent agency Horipro. Early life He graduated from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies with a Bachelor's degree in English Studies in March 2006. When he was a student, he worked part-time in NHK ...
,
Mei Nagano is a Japanese actress. Amongst her film and television credits are Rinko in the film '' My Love Story!'', Suzume Yosano in the film '' Daytime Shooting Star'', and Suzume Nireno in the 98th NHK asadora ''Hanbun, Aoi''. Career Nagano was scouted ...
and
Kentaro Sakaguchi is a Japanese actor and model. He debuted as a model in Men's Non-no magazine in 2010, and as an actor under Tristone Entertainment in 2014. He has since starred in television series ''Tokyo Tarareba Musume'' (2017) and ''Signal'' (2018), as w ...
. Southeast Asian anime distributor
ODEX Odex Pte. Ltd. is a Singapore-based company that licenses and releases anime for local and regional Southeast Asian consumption. Odex was established in 1987 and set up its Anime Distribution department in 2000, selling anime in Singapore. ...
began to release the film in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines between January and February 2016.


Reception

As of November 2015, the manga had over 4.5 million copies in circulation. The fifth volume of the series was the 53rd best-selling manga volume of the first half of 2014 in Japan. ''My Love Story!!'' won the 37th
Kodansha Manga Award is an annual award for serialized manga published in the previous year, the event is sponsored by the publisher Kodansha. It is currently awarded in three categories: '' shōnen'', '' shōjo'', and general. The awards began in 1977, initially w ...
in the '' shōjo'' category in 2013. The manga won the 61st
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 ...
in the ''shōjo'' category in 2016. It was nominated for the 6th
Manga Taishō The is a Japanese comics award recognizing achievement in manga. It is awarded annually to a manga series published in the previous calendar year of eight or fewer collected volumes in length. The Manga Taishō was founded with the aim of re ...
in 2013 and received a total of 58 points, coming in at 5th place. It was also nominated for the 18th Annual
Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Named after Osamu Tezuka, the is a yearly manga prize awarded to manga artists or their works that follow the Osamu Tezuka manga approach founded and sponsored by Asahi Shimbun. The prize has been awarded since 1997, in Tokyo, Japan. Current ...
"Reader Award". In
Takarajimasha is a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is known for publishing subculture-oriented fashion magazines aimed at teens, fashion magazines in general, as well as guide books. History The company was founded on September 22, ...
's 2013 edition of the guidebook ''
Kono Manga ga Sugoi! is an annual reference mook series published by Takarajimasha since 2005 featuring yearly rankings and reviews of manga. The rankings are compiled by surveying people in the manga and publishing industry. The series is part of Takarajimasha's ...
'', a survey with more than 400 manga professionals, ''My Love Story!!'' was selected as the best series for female readers; in the 2014 edition, it was the 15th best. ''My Love Story!!'' was number one on the Book of the Year list of Female-Oriented Comics from January to June, 2013 by '' Da Vinci'' magazine, and number five in the annual list of 2012.


References


External links

* * {{Madhouse 2011 manga 2015 anime television series debuts Anime series based on manga Madhouse (company) Manga adapted into films Nippon TV original programming Romantic comedy anime and manga Works by Akiko Nogi Sentai Filmworks Shōjo manga Shueisha manga Viz Media manga Winner of Kodansha Manga Award (Shōjo) Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo manga