B Gata H Kei

B Gata H Kei

Cover of B Gata H Kei Volume 1 featuring the main character Yamada.
B型H系
(Bī Gata Etchi Kei)
Genre Romantic comedy
Manga
Written by Yōko Sanri
Published by Shueisha
Demographic Seinen
Magazine Weekly Young Jump
Original run 2004 – 2011
Volumes 9
Anime television series
Directed by Yusuke Yamamoto
Studio Hal Film Maker
Licensed by
Original network KBS, Tokyo MX, tvk, TV Wakayama, AT-X, Chiba TV, Mie TV, Nara TV
English network
Original run April 2, 2010 – June 18, 2010
Episodes 12

B Gata H Kei (B型H系, Bī Gata Etchi Kei, lit. Type: B; Style: H) is a four-panel manga series by Yoko Sanri. It was published by Shueisha and ran in Weekly Young Jump from 2004-2011. The story focuses on the salacious wishes of a high school girl, whose perceived drawback of being a virgin leads to her lusting after and pursuing a rather average and unremarkable boy in her class.

The series was adapted into an anime,[1] where it premiered on KBS and Tokyo MX television network on April 2, 2010,[2] and ran weekly for 12 episodes. FUNimation has licensed the anime series with the title Yamada's First Time: B Gata H Kei, and released the series on DVD and Blu-ray on January 31, 2012.[3] A drama CD has also been released.[4]

Plot

B Gata H Kei revolves around lascivious 15-year-old high school student Yamada, who makes it a goal to have sexual relations with 100 different guys. However, her insecurities as a virgin herself lead her to reject every guy who attempts to make a move on her. To overcome this mental barrier, she searches for a "cherry boy," an inexperienced guy who will be her first. At the bookstore, she falls on her rather plain classmate Takashi Kosuda, and makes him the target of her seductions, without realizing that she might actually develop true feelings of love for him.

Characters

Yamada (山田)
Yamada is a high school girl who is best described as oversexed, flirtatious and lustful. She is particularly vain and is unabashed in flaunting her looks in public. Her goal in high school is to have sex with 100 guys; however, her insecurities as a virgin causes her to turn down any advances. She believes the first step towards realizing her dreams is to lose her virginity to an inexperienced boy; this leads her to pursue Takashi Kosuda after she accidentally falls on him at the bookstore.[ch. 1] Through the course of the series, Yamada tries to make advances on Kosuda, and becomes overly jealous whenever other girls interact with him. She eventually acknowledges she has feelings for him. Despite living at home with her younger sister, Yamada is unashamed in her licentious habits. She is an excellent student,[ch. 11] although that is partly attributed to her ability to read and memorize articles about sex.[ch. 253] At the conclusion of the manga series, author Yoko Sanri noted that she never managed to reveal Yamada's given name.[ch. 300:author's notes] Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network describes her as "single-minded in her determination to get down and dirty" and "rather refreshing to see a girl so comfortable with her sexuality and wants, even if we don't share them".[5] Yamada is voiced by Yukari Tamura in Japanese,[6] and by Brittney Karbowski in English.[7]
Takashi Kosuda (小須田 崇, Kosuda Takashi)
Takashi Kosuda is Yamada's classmate and the target of her lust and affections. He is perceived by Yamada and their classmates as being nothing special, even "plain and ordinary".[ch. 3] When Yamada makes advances on him, he is initially taken in, but becomes confused and anxious because of her mixed signals. His hobby is landscape photography.[ch. 8] Over the course of the story, he develops feelings for Yamada while being totally oblivious that she only wants to be with him in order to lose her virginity. He is voiced by Atsushi Abe in Japanese,[6] and by Scott Freeman in English.[7]
Miharu Takeshita (竹下 美春, Takeshita Miharu)
Miharu Takeshita is Yamada's best friend and classmate. She is described as "dry and sarcastic", and a "foil for the loud, sex-obsessed Yamada".[5] Despite Yamada's prurient interests, she tries her best to help, even going so far as to invite Takashi and Yamada on a double date at the water park.[ch. 15] Yamada gives her the moniker "F-shita" as a reference to her cup size. Although she has a boyfriend who is a college student, she rarely talks about him because of Yamada's lewd prying,[ch. 15] and hinting that she lost her virginity after junior high school graduation.[ch. 79] Miharu is voiced by Yui Horie in Japanese,[6] and by Cherami Leigh in English.[7]
Mayu Miyano (宮野 まゆ, Miyano Mayu)
Mayu Miyano is the childhood friend of Takashi, who lives directly across the street from her house. She is depicted as a shy, clumsy, yet busty girl with glasses.[ch. 20, 22] Mayu has feelings for Takashi but doesn't have the courage to confess to him, instead she tends to revert to cooking.[ch. 37] Because of her close history with Takashi and her relatively large bust size, she is perceived by Yamada as a rival,[ch. 21, 22] although Takeshita considers her totally sexually innocent[ch. 37] and a virgin.[ch. 73] She is voiced by Kana Hanazawa in Japanese,[6] and by Jad Saxton in English.[7]
Kyoka Kanejo (金城 京香, Kanejō Kyōka)
Kyoka Kanejo is a returning transfer student from America who joins Yamada's class in their second year. She is extremely wealthy,[ch. 52] and classifies herself as a perfectionist who can do everything, including modeling,[ch. 51] cooking[ch. 74] and sports.[ch. 46] After she finishes as a runner-up to Yamada in the school's beauty pageant,[ch. 29, 45] she becomes obsessed with Yamada as a rival,[ch. 75, 76] and declares to her that she will still steal her boyfriend,[ch. 76, 101] However, she has an excessive complex over her brother Keiichi, and harbors a secret room full of pictures and objects that sport his image.[ch. 72-75] Kyoka is voiced by Yū Kobayashi in Japanese,[6] and by Kristi Kang in English.[7]

Supporting characters

Media

Manga

The series is written and illustrated by Yōko Sanri. It initially appeared as a one-shot set of comics in Shueisha's Monthly Young Jump special Makaku and the Weekly Young Jump in 2003. The manga then appeared regularly in Weekly Young Jump from Issue 20 in 2004 to Issue 10 in 2011 (released February 3, 2011). The chapters were also collected into nine tankōbon with the first one released on February 18, 2005,[11] and the ninth on March 18, 2011.[12] A Drama CD was released on September 14, 2007.[4] Outside Japan, the series is licensed in Traditional Chinese by Sharp Point Press.[13]

Anime

B Gata H Kei officially premiered on the KBS and Tokyo MX television network on April 2, 2010[2] and ran weekly for 12 episodes. The opening theme song for the series was "Oshiete A to Z" (おしえて A to Z) and its ending theme was "Hadashi no Princess" (裸足のプリンセス). Both theme songs are performed by Yukari Tamura,[14] and a maxi single containing the two themes was released on April 28, 2010.[14] An internet radio show was produced by Hibiki Radio to go with the anime.[15]

FUNimation has licensed the anime series with the title Yamada's First Time: B Gata H Kei, and released the series on DVD and Blu-ray on January 31, 2012.[3] FUNimation also released a Blu-ray limited edition that has a mousepad of Yamada.[5]

Reception

Anime News Network reviewed the first episode of the series as a preview for the spring 2010 anime season. Carl Kimlinger initially assessed the series as having "real promise",[16] and Theron Martin felt the comedy was on how Yamada focused on the sex side of a relationship rather than the emotional side, finding the first episode "fanboy-pandering", but somehow reticent about showing fanservice.[17] Tim Maughan noted that although the premise could be interpreted as a "ballsy teen-sex comedy" about the pressures teens feel about becoming sexually active, but noted that due to the 1 am screening time, the audience was "otaku men-children" rather than teens.[18] Zac Bertschy regarded it as "yet another in a long line of crappy anime sex comedies".[19] It fared well in an ANN review of the Complete Series Collection, Rebecca Silverman commented that although it was a "bit tasteless" it is "also a surprisingly clean, very funny show about one girl's realization that sex and emotion aren't totally divorced from each other."[5]

In July 2010, the anime team for the series posted a notice that they had received multiple threatening letters concerning the content and presentation of the anime. The team responded that the studio and its writers are not solely responsible for the content, the anime was handled by the production committee, and that they have reported the threats to the police.[20]

    References

    1. ↑ "B Gata H Kei Manga's TV Anime Confirmed for Next Spring (Updated)". Anime News Network. December 9, 2009.
    2. 1 2 "TVアニメ『B型H系』公式サイト - Media" [TV Anime "B Gata H Kei" Official Site - Media] (in Japanese). bgata-hkei.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
    3. 1 2 "Yamada's First Time: B Gata H Kei DVD/Blu-ray Complete (Hyb) Limited Edition". Rightstuf.com. January 31, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
    4. 1 2 "B型H系　ドラマCD" [B Gata H Kei Drama CD] (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
    5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Silverman, Rebecca (February 13, 2012). "B Gata H Kei: Yamada's First Time: Blu-Ray + DVD - The Complete Series". Anime News Network.
    6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "TOKYO MX ＊ ｢B型H系｣" (in Japanese). Tokyo MX. Archived from the original on April 10, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
    7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rojas, Justin (October 12, 2011). "Cast Announcement for B Gata H Kei - Yamada's First Time". FUNimation.
    8. ↑ Amith, Dennis (2012-01-12). "B Gata H Kei: Yamada’s First Time – Complete Series (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)". J-ENT!.
    9. 1 2 3 4 "TVアニメ『B型H系』公式サイト - キャスト" [TV Anime "B Gata H Kei" Official Site - Cast]. bgata-hkei.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2010-04-13.
    10. ↑ "Boy Meets Girl. Please Give Me Your 'First Time'!!". Yamada's First Time: B Gata H Kei. Episode 1.
    11. ↑ "B型H系　1" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on April 14, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
    12. ↑ "B型H系　9" [B Gata H Kei 9] (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
    13. ↑ "B型H系(01)" (in Chinese). Sharp Point Press. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
    14. 1 2 "TVアニメ『B型H系』公式サイト - CD" [TV Anime "B Gata H Kei" Official Site - CD] (in Japanese). bgata-hkei.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
    15. ↑ "響 - HiBiKi Radio Station -「Ｂ型Ｒ系（ビーガタ・ラジオケイ）」番組詳細" [Sound - HiBiKi Radio Station - "B Gata H Kei" program details] (in Japanese). hibiki-radio.jp. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
    16. ↑ Kimlinger, Carl (April 1, 2010). "The Spring 2010 Anime Preview Guide - Carl Kimlinger". Anime News Network.
    17. ↑ Martin, Theron (April 1, 2010). "The Spring 2010 Anime Preview Guide - Theron Martin". Anime News Network.
    18. ↑ Maughan, Tim (April 1, 2010). "The Spring 2010 Anime Preview Guide - Tim Maughan". Anime News Network.
    19. ↑ Bertschy, Zac (April 1, 2010). "The Spring 2010 Anime Preview Guide - Zac Bertschy". Anime News Network.
    20. ↑ "B Gata H Kei Studio, Writers Get Multiple Threat Letters". Anime News Network. July 2, 2010.

    Manga references

    B Gata H Kei manga volumes by Yoko Sanri. Original Japanese version published by Shueisha.
    1. Vol. 1 (ch. 1–36): B型H系　1 (in Japanese). February 18, 2005. ISBN 4-08-876756-X. 
    2. Vol. 2 (ch. 37–71): B型H系　2 (in Japanese). January 19, 2006. ISBN 4-08-877021-8. 
    3. Vol. 3 (ch. 72–105): B型H系　3 (in Japanese). October 19, 2006. ISBN 4-08-877154-0. 
    4. Vol. 4 (ch. 106–141): B型H系　4 (in Japanese). June 19, 2007. ISBN 978-4-08-877278-3. 
    5. Vol. 5 (ch. 142–174): B型H系　5 (in Japanese). April 23, 2008. ISBN 978-4-08-877411-4. 
    6. Vol. 6 (ch. 175–202): B型H系　6 (in Japanese). April 22, 2009. ISBN 978-4-08-877613-2. 
    7. Vol. 7 (ch. 203–232): B型H系　7 (in Japanese). March 22, 2010. ISBN 978-4-08-877742-9. 
    8. Vol. 8 (ch. 233–265): B型H系　8 (in Japanese). July 16, 2010. ISBN 978-4-08-877899-0. 
    9. Vol. 9 (ch. 266–300): B型H系　9 (in Japanese). March 18, 2011. ISBN 978-4-08-879114-2. 
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