Sekaiichi Hatsukoi

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Vorlage:Nihongo is a Japanese boys-love manga series written and illustrated by Shungiku Nakamura. In 2011, the manga was adapted into an anime television series under the title Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi. Produced by Studio DEEN under the direction of Chiaki Kon, the anime series began its broadcast run on April 9, 2011.^[1] An original animation DVD was bundled with the fifth volume of the manga series, released in March 2011.^[2]

Plot

Onodera Ritsu, a literary editor, resigns from his father's publishing company, due to his coworkers' jealousy of his success, claiming that he is simply riding his father's business. He applies for a position at Marukawa Publishing, but instead of his preferred department of literature he is placed in the infamous shoujo manga department, Emerald. He initially considers resigning, especially because he finds his new boss, Masamune Takano, intolerable and unnerving from the very beginning; however, Takano inadvertently convinces Onodera to stick with the job by calling him "useless," his pride forcing him to stay in order to prove his worth. Later, Onodera learns that Takano's old family name was Saga, an older schoolmate from high school that Ritsu fell in love with and confessed to.

Characters

Vorlage:Nihongo: Vorlage:Anime voices; Ritsu is a 25-year-old literary editor. He is the only son of the head of Onodera Publication and previously worked at his father's company in the literature department. After being hurt by his first love in high school, Onodera vowed to never fall in love again. It was also mentioned that he was one of Usami Akihiko's (from Junjo Romantica) editors at his previous job.

Vorlage:Nihongo: Vorlage:Anime voices; Formerly known as Saga Masamune, before his parents divorced in high school. He is the editor-in-chief of the Emerald department, and is sometimes referred to as "the Capable". He and Onodera were in a brief relationship in high school but split up over a misunderstanding. When both he and Onodera realize who each other are, he says that he will make Onodera fall in love with him again, constantly ignoring Ritsu's denials. In Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi: Takano Masamune no Bai (lit. Takano Masamune's Case), Takano's perspective of his and Ritsu's first meeting and romantic development is shown.

Vorlage:Nihongo: Vorlage:Anime voices; Yoshino Chiaki, a 28 year old shoujo mangaka known as Yoshikawa Chiharu. His editor in-charge is Yoshiyuki Hatori, a editor in the Emerald department, who is also his childhood friend.

Vorlage:Nihongo: Vorlage:Anime voices; Hatori, 28 years old, is an editor in the Emerald department. Although he is really serious and not too expressive, he seems to have a secret crush on his childhood friend Yoshino Chiaki, the mangaka under the penname of Yoshikawa Chiharu, of whom Hatori is also in charge of.

Vorlage:Nihongo: Vorlage:Anime voices; Kisa is a fellow editor in the Emerald department, and because of his "baby face" he is mistaken for being younger than his true age of 30. He's never been in a serious relationship and doesn't think himself capable of being in one because of his tendency to only like other men for having nice faces.

Vorlage:Nihongo: Vorlage:Anime voices; Yukina is a 21-year-old clerk in charge of the shōjo manga section at the bookstore Marimo books. He's a fan of Kisa's work (even though he didn't know at the beginning).

Vorlage:Nihongo: Vorlage:Anime voices; Yokozawa works in the Financial department at Marukawa. He was friends and had a physical relationship with Takano when they were both in college, and looks after his cat. He often scolds Ritsu for being too close to Masamune, proclaiming Takano as his.

Vorlage:Nihongo: Vorlage:Anime voices; Chief assisstant for managaka Yoshikawa Chiharu, who is also known as Yoshino Chiaki. Hatori and Chiaki only came to know Yuu when they were in junior high. He has a secret crush on Chiaki.

Vorlage:Nihongo: Vorlage:Anime voices; Mino is a fellow editor in the Emerald department, who is constantly smiling through all the stress and exhaustion. It has been hinted that he has a dark side, however.

Vorlage:Nihongo: Vorlage:Anime voices; Isaka is the senior managing director of Marukawa Publishing, and is acquainted with Ritsu's parents. He is also a character of Junjo Romantica.

Media

Novels

As of April 2011, there have been 4 novels published telling the story of Hatori and Chiaki, titled Yoshino Chiaki no Baai (lit. The Case of Yoshino Chiaki).^[3] Although these novels contain mini-comics, this couple has yet to appear in a manga volume. They have, however, featured in the anime.

Manga

Written and illustrated by Shungiku Nakamura, Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi began serialization in 2007 in The Ruby magazine. From July 2009 to present, however, it is being published in Asuka Ciel magazine. The individual chapters have been released as five tankōbon volumes by Kadokawa Shoten's Asuka Comic CL-DX branch. The first volume was published on July 1, 2008, and the fifth on April 1, 2011. Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi has not yet been released in English. The series was originally licensed for English-language release in North America by Tokyopop's Blu Manga, with volume 1 due for release on 12 July 2011. However, since the 31 May 2011 closure of Tokyopop's publishing efforts, it is currently not licensed for English release.^[4]