| Otomen | |
Cover of Otomen volume 1 as published by Hakusensha |
|
| オトメン(乙男) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Romantic Comedy |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Aya Kanno |
| Published by | Hakusensha |
| English publisher | Viz Media |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Magazine | Bessatsu Hana to Yume |
| Original run | 2006 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 12 |
| TV drama | |
| Directed by | Masaki Tanimura |
| Written by | Teruo Noguchi Maki Kurihara Ritsuko Hanzawa Kota Fukuhara |
| Network | Fuji TV |
| Original run | August 1, 2009 – October 27, 2009 |
| Episodes | 8 + 4 Specials |
Otomen (オトメン(乙男)) is a Japanese romantic comedy manga by manga artist Aya Kanno, which has been running in Bessatsu Hana to Yume since late 2006. The series has been adapted into a live action TV drama. The series has been one of the best-selling shōjo properties in America, since being licensed by Viz Media.[1] The series is also licensed in France by Delcourt and in Spain by Planeta DeAgostini.
Contents |
Asuka Masamune is the coolest, manliest guy in his whole school. He excels in judo and karate, and as captain of the kendo team he reached the national championship tournament. However, he has a secret: the things he really loves are sweets, cute things, cooking, shōjo manga and sewing. He hides this part of his life from everyone else until he meets a girl named Ryo Miyakozuka, the daughter of a martial artist and heir to his dojo.[2]
The title, "Otomen" is a pun made of the Japanese word otome (乙女), meaning "young lady" or "mistress", and the English word "men". The characters in the series refer to Asuka as an "otomen" and even he himself has done so.
Love Chick (ラブチック Rabuchikku) is a fictional shōjo manga by Jewel Sachihana that runs in the fictional manga magazine Hana to Mame (a parody of Hana to Yume). Juta Tachibana bases its story on the relationship between Asuka and Ryo, with the lead characters even sharing names pronounced the same but applied to the opposite genders. However, Asuka's name in Love Chick is written in katakana rather than the kanji used for Asuka's name in Otomen, and Ryo's name is written in kanji rather than in hiragana name in Otomen. Note: Querbeet's fansub of the live-action calls this fictional manga "Love-Tic", which is what the actors sound like they are saying.
Asuka's Aunt on Dad's side
Introduced in volume 6, she is a photographer. She knows the whereabouts of her brother.
Asuka's Mom
Traumatized by her husband's announcement that he always dreamed of being a woman, she takes many measures to ensure Asuka is very manly.
The manga is written and illustrated by Aya Kanno and has been serialized in the shōjo manga magazine Bessatsu Hana to Yume since 2006. Serial chapters have been collected in twelve tankōbon volumes by Hakusensha as of February 2011.[3] Viz Media licensed the series for its Shojo Beat imprint.[1] French publisher Delcourt licensed Otomen and released its first volume in September 2008.[4] As of January 2010, eight volumes have been released.[5] In Spain, the publisher Planeta DeAgostini has licensed the series as Otomen with its first volume released in December 2008.[6] As of April 2011, nine volumes have been released.[7]
| No. | Japan | North America | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release date | ISBN | Release date | ISBN | |
| 1 | January 19, 2007[8] | ISBN 978-4-592-18414-0 | February 3, 2009[9] | ISBN 1-4215-2186-5 |
| 2 | May 18, 2007[10] | ISBN 978-4-592-18415-7 | May 5, 2009[11] | ISBN 1-4215-2187-3 |
| 3 | September 19, 2007[12] | ISBN 978-4-592-18416-4 | August 4, 2009[13] | ISBN 1-4215-2472-4 |
| 4 | December 18, 2007[14] | ISBN 978-4-592-18417-1 | November 3, 2009[15] | ISBN 1-4215-2537-2 |
| 5 | April 18, 2008[16] | ISBN 978-4-592-18418-8 | February 2, 2010[17] | ISBN 1-4215-2737-5 |
| 6 | August 19, 2008[18] | ISBN 978-4-592-18419-5 | May 4, 2010[19] | ISBN 1-4215-2930-0 |
| 7 | March 19, 2009[20] | ISBN 978-4-592-18737-0 | August 3, 2010[21] | ISBN 1-4215-3236-0 |
| 8 | August 24, 2009[22] | ISBN 978-4-592-18738-7 | November 2, 2010[23] | ISBN 1-4215-3591-2 |
| 9 | September 18, 2009[24] | ISBN 978-4-592-18739-4 | February 1, 2011[23] | ISBN 1-4215-3690-0 |
| 10 | February 19, 2010[25] | ISBN 978-4-592-19200-8 | May 3, 2011[26] | ISBN 1-4215-3830-X |
| 11 | September 17, 2010[27] | ISBN 978-4-592-19221-3 | August 2, 2011[28] | ISBN 1-4215-3978-0 |
| 12 | February 18, 2011[29] | ISBN 978-4-592-19222-0 | TBA | — |
The July 2009 issue of Hana to Yume magazine, in which Otomen runs, announced that a live-action drama had been green-lit, and would premier on Japanese television on August 1, 2009. Kaho portrays Ryo, and Masaki Okada plays Asuka.[30] The ending theme song is "ラバソー〜lover soul〜" sung by Kou Shibasaki. A photobook for the live action series by Hakusensha in September 2009 for 1000 yen, entitled Otomen (Otsu Otoko) Ofisharu Foto Bukku (オトメン(乙男)オフィシャルフォトブック) (ISBN 978-4-594-06045-9).[31]
Similar to Kanno's earlier works, the series has become quite popular, scoring high on both Tohan and Oricon's weekly comic charts.[32][33] The seven volumes available in Japan as of May 2009 have sold over 2.5 million copies.[34] The series was listed as being the 3rd best-selling shōjo property, along with the 13th over-all manga property, in America for the first quarter of 2009.[35][36]