Lovely Complex
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lovely Complex | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Cover of volume 7 |
|||
| ラブ★コン (Rabu★Kon) |
|||
| Genre | Romantic comedy | ||
| Manga | |||
| Author | Aya Nakahara | ||
| Publisher |  Shueisha |
||
| English publisher |  Viz  Madman Entertainment |
||
|
|||
| Demographic | Shōjo | ||
| Serialized in | Bessatsu Margaret | ||
| Original run | September 2001 – December 2006 | ||
| Volumes | 17 | ||
| Game | |||
| Developer | AQ Interactive | ||
| Genre | Adventure | ||
| Platform | PlayStation 2 | ||
| Released | July 13, 2006 |
||
| Live action film | |||
| Director | Kitani Ishikawa | ||
| Studio | Tohokushinsha Film Corporation | ||
| Released | July 15, 2006 |
||
| Runtime | 100 Minutes | ||
| TV anime | |||
| Director | Konosuke Uda | ||
| Studio | Toei Animation | ||
| Network | TBS, CBC, MBS |
||
| Original run | April 7, 2007 – September 29, 2007 | ||
| Episodes | 24 | ||
Lovely Complex (ラブ★コン Rabu★Kon?), also known as Love★Com, is a shōjo romantic comedy manga by Aya Nakahara. It was published by Shueisha in Bessatsu Margaret from 2001 to 2006 and collected in 17 tankobon 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 for shōjo.[1]
The story has been adapted as a live-action movie released in 2006, a 24-episode television anime series broadcast in 2007, and an adventure game released for PlayStation 2 released in 2006. Two drama CDs have also been produced. The manga and the live-action movie are licensed in the North America by Viz,[2][3] with six volumes of the manga published as of May 2008.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Lovely Complex is a love story between a boy and a girl. The girl, Risa Koizumi, is 172 cm (5'7") tall—much taller than the average Japanese girl. The boy, Atsushi Otani, is 156 cm (5'1 and a half") —way below the height of the average Japanese boy. Because of this, they are called the "All Hanshin Kyojin" after a popular comedy duo that has a similar height difference.
During summer school, a very tall student (from another class) shows up and Risa immediately falls for him, as she has had bad luck with boys in the past because she 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. But as they get to know each other better, Risa's feelings for Atsushi begin to blossom, and her love life gets complicated from there.
One notable fact about Lovely Complex is that instead of speaking standard Japanese, almost all characters speak in Kansai-ben (the story takes place in Osaka).[4] While having one or two characters speaking Kansai-ben is common in many anime shows, having all characters doing so is unusual.[citation needed]
[edit] Characters
- Risa Koizumi (小泉リサ Koizumi Risa?)
- Drama role by: Ema Fujisawa, Voiced by: Akemi Okamura.
- The protagonist of Lovely Complex, Risa Koizumi is not your average Japanese high school student. Standing 172 cm tall (about 5' 8"), Risa's height is well above that of most Japanese girls her age; ironically, her name means 'little spring'. She and other characters compare her to a giraffe. 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, 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 happenened, but in spite of herself she tells Ōtani once again that she likes him. Ōtani responds that he couldn't see her as a girlfriend yet, so her new goal is to make Ōtani regret that and make him like her as well. Eventually they start going out.
- Atsushi Ōtani (大谷敦士 Ōtani Atsushi?)
- Drama role by: Teppei Koike, Voiced by: Akira Nagata, Voice actor for game/drama CD: Takahiro Sakurai
- Atsushi Ōtani is one of the main characters of Lovely Complex. He is very short for a boy, standing 156 cm tall (about 5' 1"). Like Koizumi, Ōtani's name (roughly, "big valley") is a pun on his diminutive stature, and he can be thoughtless and rude; at heart, however, he is kind and a little silly. Ōtani is also the star player of the school basketball team.
- 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, but he later finds out that wasn't the reason 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, and only responds that he can't see her as a girlfriend (at the moment) when Risa confesses her feelings. But later, he realizes that he does care for her, and he kisses her. Later on in the series, Otani gets the wrong idea when Risa keep doing suspicious things with her co-worker Kohori, and then breaks up with her. However, after seeing how devoted she is to him, Otani reconsiders and they make up on Christmas Eve.
- Nobuko Ishihara (石原信子 Ishihara Nobuko?)
- Drama role by: Nami Tamaki, Voiced by: Saori Higashi
- 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 mostly the one who sets up all the 'alone time' moments with Risa and Ōtani, but it usually ends up failing and Risa goes back to her for comfort.
- Heikichi Nakao (中尾平吉 Nakao Heikichi?)
- Drama role by: Yusuke Yamazaki, Voiced by: Yasuhiko Tokuyama, Voice actor for game/drama CD: Kenjiro Tsuda
- Nobu's boyfriend. 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.
- Chiharu Tanaka (田中千春 Tanaka Chiharu?)
- Drama role by: Risa Kudo, Voiced by: Kazuko Kojima.
- 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), but Chiharu instead fell for the gentle Suzuki. The two are now a couple.
- Ryoji Suzuki (鈴木涼二 Suzuki Ryoji?)
- Drama role by: Hiro Mizushima, Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda, Voice actor for game/drama CD: Masaya Onosaka
- 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. The two are now a couple.
- Haruka Fukagawa (深川遥 Fukugawa Haruka?)
- Voiced by: Masaya Onosaka, 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), he says it's all preparation for when he goes out with Risa, but she always rejects him. According to Risa his grandmother is English. It is also suggested that he might have a crush on Seiko.
- Seiko Kotobuki (寿聖子 Kotobuki Seiko?)
- Voiced by: Fujiko Takimoto
- A blonde who has a large crush on Ōtani, although she is biologically male, stating that God placed her in a wrong body. Her given name is Seishirō, but she prefers to be called Seiko as it sounds more feminine. She kissed Otani, but he later found out she was biologically male when she took off her shirt when tending to his injury in the school infirmary. Seiko was afraid that Ōtani would think she was disgusting, but Ōtani stated that he didn't and they remained friends.
- Mayu Kanzaki
- Voiced by: Yuki Matsuoka
- She is the ex-girlfriend of Ōtani. She looks very similar to Chiharu (or Chiharu to her), which is one the most likely reasons that Ōtani had that crush on Chiharu. They started dating in middle-school, and she was the manager for the school basketball team. She broke up with him, leaving him completely heartbroken, because she was in love with someone else.
- She invited Ōtani to the team Christmas party, and though Ōtani accepts, he ends up going with Risa to the Umibōzu concert 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 her, so she goes to clear up a misunderstanding. It is then that Mayu tells him that it was not because of his height that she broke up with him. However, she appears again later, after having broken up with her boyfriend. When she asks to meet up with again, he says "Sorry, I can't because if i do there'll be an idiot who'll cry."
- Umibōzu
- Drama role by: Susumu Terajima
- A popular rap group. Risa and Ōtani are both avid fans of the eponymous lead singer, Umibōzu, 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.
- Kuniumi Maitake (舞竹国海 Maitake Kuniumi?)
- Drama role by: Shosuke Tanihara, Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe.
- Student teacher at Risa and Ōtani's school. Maitake, who prefers the nickname "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 novels, 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.
- Mimi Yoshioka
- Voiced by: Kae Araki
- Ōtani's next door neighbor. She is in love with Ōtani, and brings him milk every day so he could reach her height, about the same as Risa's. Since Ōtani does not not have feelings toward her but he does have feelings for Risa, Mimi becomes jealous of her. She acts accordingly two-faced between them both: acting sweet towards Ōtani, yet acting sour to Risa behind his back. She is also a model in a magazine.
- Risa's Senpai
- Drama role by: Shugo Oshinari
- Dancing Yoshiko
- Drama role by: Eiji Wentz
- Kohori Kazuki
- Voiced by: Hiroki Shimowada
- A young student who works part time with Risa in Ikebe. He is notably shorter than her, although slightly taller than Otani (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 her temporary breakup with Ōtani.
- Matsubara-san (松原さん Matsubara san?)
- 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.
[edit] Creation and development
According to the afterward 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'."[5]
 |
Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
[edit] Reception
Lovely Complex received the 2004 Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo manga.[1]
The English edition of Lovely Complex has been favorably reviewed, with praise especially for Nakahara's comedic timing,[6] sympathetic characters,[7] and deft depictions of emotions.[6]
|
|
Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
[edit] Media
[edit] Manga
The manga was originally published by Shueisha in the magazine Bessatsu Margaret from September 2001 to December 2006 and collected in 17 tankōbon volumes. The manga is being released in English in North America by Viz Media, with six volumes published as of May 2008.[8] The Viz edition is licensed for distribution in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment,[9] with volume 1 scheduled for release in May 2008.[10]
| # | Japan[11] | North America[11][2] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release date | ISBN | Release date | ISBN | |
| 1 | 2002-03-25 | ISBN 4-08-847487-2 | 2007-07-03 | ISBN 978-1-4215-1343-0 |
| 2 | 2002-07-25 | ISBN 4-08-847532-1 | 2007-09-04 | ISBN 978-1-4215-1344-7 |
| 3 | 2002-10-25 | ISBN 4-08-847563-1 | 2007-11-06 | ISBN 978-1-4215-1345-4 |
| 4 | 2003-02-25 | ISBN 4-08-847604-2 | 2008-01-01 | ISBN 978-1-4215-1538-0 |
| 5 | 2003-06-25 | ISBN 4-08-847642-5 | 2008-03-04 | ISBN 978-1-4215-1738-4 |
| 6 | 2003-10-24 | ISBN 4-08-847676-X | 2008-05-06 | ISBN 978-1-4215-1739-1 |
| 7 | 2004-02-25 | ISBN 4-08-847715-4 | 2008-07-01 | ISBN 978-1-4215-1740-7 |
| 8 | 2004-07-23 | ISBN 4-08-847762-6 | 2008-09-02 | ISBN 978-1-4215-1741-4 |
| 9 | 2004-11-25 | ISBN 4-08-847802-9 | — | |
| 10 | 2005-03-25 | ISBN 4-08-847836-3 | — | |
| 11 | 2005-07-30 | ISBN 4-08-847877-0 | — | |
| 12 | 2005-12-27 | ISBN 4-08-846017-0 | — | |
| 13 | 2006-04-25 | ISBN 4-08-846050-2 | — | |
| 14 | 2006-07-14 | ISBN 4-08-846074-X | — | |
| 15 | 2006-12-25 | ISBN 4-08-846124-X | — | |
| 16 | 2007-03-13 | ISBN 4-08-846148-7 | — | |
| 17 | 2007-09-25 | ISBN 4-08-846215-7 | — | |
[edit] Movie
Lovely Complex was adapted as a live-action movie released in 2006. The movie was directed by Kitaji Ishikawa, and stars Ema Fujisawa as Risa Koizumi, and Teppei Koike as Atsushi Otani. A DVD was released in English in North America by Viz Media on 2008-02-19.[12]
|
|
Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
[edit] Anime
The television anime was produced by Toei Animation and broadcast on TBS, CBC, and MBS from April 7, 2007 to September 29, 2007.
| Episode | Title[13][14] | Air date[13][14] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Freshman Year Summer! I'll Definitely Find a Boyfriend!" "Kou-1 no Natsu! Zettai Kareshi, Tsukuttaru wa!" (高1の夏！絶対カレシ、つくったるわ！) |
2007-04-07 |
| 2 | "The Ex-Girlfriend Love Triangle?!" "Moto Kano to Sankakukankei!?" (元カノと三角関係！？) |
2007-04-14 |
| 3 | "The Guy I Like or the Guy from the Past?" "Suki na Otoko ka, Mukashi no Otoko ka？" (好きなオトコか、昔のオトコか？) |
2007-04-21 |
| 4 | "Kiss! I've Fallen For You!" "Chū! Suki ni Natchaimashita!" (チュッ！好きになっちゃいました！) |
2007-04-28 |
| 5 | "Send Forbidden Love Flying!" "Kindan no Ai o Buttobase!" (禁断の愛をぶっ飛ばせ！) |
2007-05-05 |
| 6 | "A Maiden's Determination! Love-Love Confession Plan!" "Otome no Ichidai Kesshin! Raburabu Kokuhaku Dai Sakusen!!" (乙女の一大決心！ ラブラブ告白大作戦!!) |
2007-05-12 |
| 7 | "Sunk! Worst Confession in History" "Gekichin! Shijō Saitē na Kokuhaku" (撃沈！史上サイテーな告白) |
2007-05-19 |
| 8 | "Comeback Impossible! Major Heartbreak!" "Saiki Funō! Dai Shitsuren!!" (再起不能！大失恋!!) |
2007-05-26 |
| 9 | "Resuscitation! Aim for Girlfriend Status!" "Kishikaisei!! Mezase Kanojo no Za!!" (起死回生！！めざせ彼女の座！！) |
2007-06-02 |
| 10 | "A Confrontation with the Ex-Girlfriend?! The Epic Breast-Baring Battle!" "Moto Kano to Taiketsu!? Chichi Dashi Daitakusen!!" (元カノと対決！？乳だし大作戦！！) |
2007-06-09 |
| 11 | "Absolute Death! Revived Love with the Ex-Girlfriend?!" "Zettai Zetsumei! Moto Kano to Fukkatsu Ai?!" (絶対絶命！元カノと復活愛？！) |
2007-06-16 |
| 12 | "Recapture Love! Improve as a Girl with Winning Chocolate!" "Ai o Torimodose! Honmei Choko de Onna o Migaku!!" (愛を取り戻せ！本命チョコで女を磨く！！) |
2007-06-23 |
| 13 | "Heating Up! A First Kiss in His Room?" "Hatsunetsu! Aitsu no Heya de Fāsuto Kissu?" (発熱！あいつの部屋でファースト・キッス？) |
2007-06-30 |
| 14 | "A Killer Crush on Mighty!" "Maiti ni Kyunshiniya!" (マイティにキュン死にや！) |
2007-07-07 |
| 15 | "A Dangerous Man, Mighty's Sweet Temptation" "Kiken na Otoko Maiti no Amai Yūwaku" (危険なオトコ マイティの甘い誘惑) |
2007-07-14 |
| 16 | "Mighty's Magic! The Transforming Patterns of Love?!" "Maiti no Mahō! Hengesuru Renbo Yō!?" (マイティの魔法！ 変化する恋模様！？) |
2007-07-21 |
| 17 | "Love's Iron Fist! Catch, O Maiden Soul!" "Ai no Tekken! Uketomero, Otome Tamashii!!" (愛の鉄拳！ 受け止めろ、乙女魂！！) |
2007-07-28 |
| 18 | "The Best Birthday in History" "Shijō Saikō no Tanjōbi" (史上最高の誕生日) |
2007-08-04 |
| 19 | "Sudden Downturn! The First Date Is the Beginning of Disaster" "Kyūten Chokka!! Hatsu Dēto wa Fumei no Hajimari" (急転直下！！初デートは不運の始まり) |
2007-08-11 |
| 20 | "Declaration of War! The Dangerous Beauty Burns with Envy!" "Sensen Fukoku! Shitto ni Moeru Denjarasu Bishōjo!!" (宣戦布告！！嫉妬に燃えるデンジャラス美少女！！) |
2007-08-18 |
| 21 | "Premonition of Separation?! Risa and Otani Walk Separate Paths" "Wakare no Yokan?! Risa to Ōtani ga Ayumu Betsubetsu no Michi" (別れの予感？！リサと大谷が歩む別々の道) |
2007-09-08 |
| 22 | "A Catastrophic Declaration from Otani!" "Ōtani kara no Hakyoku Sengen!!" (大谷からの破局宣言！！) |
2007-09-22 |
| 23 | "Various Paths! Everyone Embraces Their Own Circumstances" "Shinro wa Iroiro!! Minna ga Kakaeru Sorezore no Jiko" (進路はいろいろ！！みんなが抱えるそれぞれの事故) |
2007-09-22 |
| 24 | "Together Always!" "Zutto Isshō!!" (ずっと一緒！！) |
2007-09-29 |
[edit] Theme songs
- Opening
- "Kimi + Boku = Love?" (キミ+ボク=LOVE??) by Tegomass (episodes 1–13)
- "Hey! Say!" by Hey! Say! 7 (episodes 14–24)
- Ending
- "Kiss ~ Kaerimichi no Love Song~" (キッス～帰り道のラブソング?) by Tegomass (episodes 1–13)
- "Bon Bon" by Hey! Say! 7 (episodes 14–24)
[edit] References
- ^ a b 小学館漫画賞：歴代受賞者 (Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
- ^ a b Love★Com. Viz Media. Retrieved on 2007-06-17.
- ^ Love Com The Movie. Viz Media. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
- ^ Lovely Complex (TV). Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
- ^ Nakahara, Aya (2008-05-06). "Special Report", Love*Com, Volume 6 (in English). San Francisco: Viz Media, page 172. ISBN 978-1-4215-1739-1.
- ^ a b Carlo Santos (2008-01-22). RIGHT TURN ONLY!! - Complex and Lovely. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2008-01-25. “Deftly navigating through these extremes of emotion—as well as the extremes of artwork (wacky comedy expressions vs. serious shōjo heartbreak)—is a display of talent that few can hope to match.”
- ^ Katherine Dacey (2008-01-11). On the Shōjo Beat: Crimson Hero, High School Debut, and Love*Com. Pop Culture Shock. Retrieved on 2008-01-25. “Love*Com remains one of the most consistently entertaining titles in the Shōjo Beat line, winning points for stylish, evocative artwork and sympathetic, vivid characters.”
- ^ Lovely Complex (manga). Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
- ^ Viz Media & Madman Entertainment Join Forces. Madman Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
- ^ Love*com (Manga) V1. Madman Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
- ^ a b Lovely Complex (manga). Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2008-01-25.
- ^ Lovely Complex (live-action movie). Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
- ^ a b Lovely Complex (TV). Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
- ^ a b ラブ★コン (Japanese). Tokyo Broadcasting System. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
[edit] External links
Official sites
- Shueisha's manga website (Japanese)
- Toei Animation's anime website (Japanese)
- Official movie website (Japanese)
- Official PS2 game website (Japanese)
- Viz Media's manga website
- Madman Entertainment's manga website
- Akata/Delcourt's manga website (French)
Other
- Lovely Complex (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
- Official Facebook Lovely Complex Fan Page
