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Junjo Romantica: Pure Romance (純情ロマンチカ, Junjō Romanchika
?, lit. "Pure-Hearted Romantica"),
stylized as Junjo Romantica ~Pure Romance~, is a
yaoi series by Shungiku Nakamura.
It focuses on three story lines; the main couple, which comprises
the bulk of the books, and two other male couples which provide
ongoing side stories (Junjo Egoist and Junjo Terrorist). It has
expanded into several cd-dramas, a manga series with a spin-off running in Asuka
Ciel, a light
novel series running in The Ruby with a spin-off and a
24-episode anime series.
Nakamura-sensei states "Junjo Romantica" is her most prized series,
and the one that made her famous around a considerably large amount
of BL fans.
Characters
- Misaki Takahashi (高橋 美咲, Takahashi Misaki
?) is the 18 (19 in episode 8 of Junjo
Romantica) year old younger brother of Takahiro. At the start of
the series, Misaki is about to sit for his college entrance
examinations. His dream is to go to Mitsuhashi University since
that was the college his brother dropped out of so that he could
begin taking care of Misaki after their parents died. Although
seemingly childish and brash, Misaki is later revealed to be a
person who is simply adamant on insisting against doing anything
that might be troublesome for anyone else. This is due to the fact
that he still blames himself for his parent's death (believing that
if he had not asked them to hurry home, they would not have sped in
the rain and crashed). Misaki and Usami eventually begin a
relationship together which puzzles Misaki, who is unconfident
about his feelings towards the older man. In the anime adaption, he
is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai.
- Akihiko Usami (宇佐見 秋彦, Usami Akihiko
?) is a twenty-eight year old popular
author of fiction and erotic BL novels, and the youngest recipient
of the distinguished Naomori Award. His nickname is "Usagi", which
means "rabbit" in Japanese. Usagi is Misaki's tutor for the
upcoming entrance exams, and a very close friend of Takahiro (he,
in fact, harbored an unrequited love for Takahiro for a long time).
He and Hiroki were childhood friends. Shortly after meeting Misaki,
he finds that Takahiro has gotten engaged. Seeing how upset this
makes Misaki on Usagi's behalf, Usagi realizes that he loves the
younger boy and the two become lovers. In the anime adaptation, he
is voiced by Hikaru Hanada.
- Haruhiko Usami (宇佐見 春彦, Usami Haruhiko
?) is Akihiko's older half brother (they
have different mothers). He is generally cold and disapproving
towards his brother, though no one really knows why. After a brief
appearance by him in the middle of the series he begins proclaiming
that he 'loves' Misaki, but that was only after he found out how
close he and Usagi were. When he begins sending Misaki flowers and
saying he would take Misaki as his own, Usagi claims that Haruhiko
was, 'always trying to take [his] things.' In the anime adaptation,
he is voiced by Kōsuke Toriumi.
- Takahiro Takahashi (高橋 孝浩, Takahashi Takahiro
?) is Misaki's older brother, and
Akihiko's long-time buddy-buddy. He was the subject of Akihiko's
sex fantasies for a long time, but never noticed Akihiko's feelings
due to him being naive. He is extremely caring towards his brother,
even dropping out of school to support Misaki's studies after their
parents died. Early in the series, he engages and marries Kajiwara
Manami. They soon move to Osaka due to his job. In the anime
adaptation, he is voiced by Kishō Taniyama.
- Hiroki Kamijō (上條 弘樹, Kamijō Hiroki
?) in the anime, he is a
long-time friend of Akihiko's, who is an associate professor at the
college Misaki studies at. He is a bit of a loner and is extremely
passionate about classical Japanese literature, apparently having
graduated at the top of his class. Hiroki was initially in love
with Akihiko, his childhood friend. He is an example of the tsundere character archetype:
he has a bad temper and is feared among his students, though he is
actually shy and gets flustered easily. He is often called "Demon
Kamijo" by the students. Hiroki is now in a relationship with
Nowaki and Nowaki calls him Hiro-san. In the anime adaptation, he
is voiced by Kentarō Itō.
- Nowaki Kusama (草間 野分, Kusama Nowaki
?) was orphaned without a name as an
infant, he was named "Nowaki" ("typhoon" in Japanese) by the head
of the orphanage because he was found in a heavy rain storm. Elders
call him "Wacchan". Nowaki first meets Hiroki 6 years ago, when he
is crying about his fruitless relationship with Akihiko, and goes
on to insist that Hiroki become his tutor. Originally studying to
become a social worker, he changes his mind and is currently
studying to become a pediatrician. Nowaki is very kind and
understanding, particularly towards Hiroki. In the anime
adaptation, he is voiced by Nobutoshi Canna.
- Yō Miyagi (宮城 庸, Miyagi Yō
?) in the anime, he is a literature
professor at Mitsuhashi University and a co-worker of Kamijo
Hiroki. He was once married, but is now divorced most likely due to
his indifference to feelings and emotions. He was also in love with
his homeroom teacher, causing conflicting towards Shinobu due to
the resemblance to his former self. His love interest is Takatsuki
Shinobu, his young brother-in-law. Miyagi is often playful when it
comes to teasing Hiroki, often sexually assaulting, though his true
character is far more serious due to an event from his past. In the
anime adaptation, he is voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue.
- Shinobu Takatsuki (高槻 忍, Takatsuki Shinobu
?) is an 18-year old high school student
(and the son of Mitsuhashi University's dean of literature and of
Miyagi's boss) who believes it to be fate that he is in love with
his ex-brother-in-law, Miyagi Yo. He would very much like Miyagi to
take responsibility for Shinobu falling in love with him. He is
often blunt and unreasonable, though he is shown to have a softer
side. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Daisuke
Kishio.
- Ryūichirō Isaka (井坂 龍一郎, Isaka Ryūichirō
?) is Akihiko's editor and Haruhiko's
childhood friend, he is 32 years old in the main time line. He and
his assistant Asahina are the main characters of the short comics
released with the DVDs, Junjou Mistake. Junjou Mistake takes place
ten years before the main Romantica storyline. Isaka aspired to be
a novelist, but his real talents lay in finding future
best-sellers. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Toshiyuki
Morikawa.
- Kaoru Asahina (朝比奈 薫, Asahina Kaoru
?) is Ryūichiro's assistant, and came to
work for the Isaka family when they helped the Asahina's out of a
bad situation. Originally intended to be Isaka's playmate, he ended
up becoming something more of a caretaker. In the anime adaptation,
he is voiced by Ryōtarō Okiayu.
- Kaoruko Usami (宇佐見薫子, Usami Kaoruko
?) is Akihiko's cousin on his mother's
side. She is 20 years old and came to Japan because she heard that
her parents had fallen ill, but really it was a trick by her uncle
Fuyuhiko (usagi's father) to get her to come back and marry
Haruhiko in order to separate him from Misaki. As time progress's
in the story Kaoruko claims to love Misaki as she has the "Same
taste" as Usagi. She wants to be a patisier. In the anime
adaptation she is voiced by Mizuki Nana.
- Eri Aikawa (相川絵理, Aikawa Eri
?) is Usagi's editor, as well as friend
to both him and Misaki. She is roughly the same age as Usagi and is
constantly pushing him to finish his work on time. On the outside
she seems like a very nice mannered person, but when Usagi does not
hand in his manuscripts on time she is famous for freaking out and
even, on one occasion, attacking him. In the anime adaptation, she
is voiced by Noriko Namiki.
- Mizuki Shiiba (椎葉水樹, Shiiba Mizuki
?) is Akihiko's twenty-five year old
cousin from his father's side of the family. He has returned from
America to visit Akihiko, freeloading in his apartment. While he is
very attached to Akihiko, he comes off as quite cold to Misaki. It
turns out that the reason he's so cold to Misaki is that he has
feelings for Kaoruko.
- Shinnosuke Tōdō (藤堂進之介, Tōdō Shinnosuke
?) is Misaki's friend and classmate. He
is attending Mitsuhashi University as a law student with
aspirations of becoming a police officer in the future. He is also
a member of the Kendo club. He met Misaki when he picked up The☆Kan
phone strap that Misaki dropped. The two easily bonded over their
shared love of The☆Kan manga.
- Kyō Ijuuin (伊集院響, Ijuuin Kyō
?) is the mangaka of Misaki's favorite
manga, The☆Kan. Whenever the deadline for his next manga
installment is near, he becomes incredibly pessimistic. According
to Isaka, it is disputed whether The☆Kan is in 1st or 2nd place in
sales for the Marukawa Publishing Company. Misaki first met him at
the Marukawa Publishing Company when Kyō is in one of his
pre-deadline funks. Misaki gives him the motivation to continue by
telling him how much his work means to his fans. Later on, Misaki
is selected in a lottery to meet him once again for an autograph
signing. Kyō's a bachelor, and when he's cleaned up he's a
considerably attractive man. The majority of his fans are women. In
the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Hozumi Gōda.
Media
Manga
Written by Shungiku Nakamura, Junjo Romantica: Pure
Romance began serialization in Asuka Ciel in 2002.
The individual chapters were compiled into nine tankōbon volumes by
Kadokawa
Shoten. The first volume was released on May 29, 2003; as of
December 1, 2008, 11 volumes have been released.[1]
The series is licensed for an English-language release in North
America by Blu Manga. As of July 2009, 10 volumes have
been released.[2]
An attempt to gauge relative sales of manga titles by online
vendors (based on publicly available "bestseller" listings)
suggests that Junjo Romantica was the best-selling yaoi manga series of 2008 among online vendors.[3]
Volume 10 was #6 in the manga category of the New York Times "Graphic Books" weekly bestseller list for
July 11, 2009.[4]
Volume
listing
| No. |
Original |
English |
| Release date |
ISBN |
Release date |
ISBN |
| 1 |
November 1, 2003[1] |
ISBN 4-04-853606-0 |
October 2006[2] |
ISBN 1-59816-719-7 |
- Junjou Romantica act 1
- Junjou Romantica act 2
- Junjou Egoist act 1
- Junjou Egoist act 2
- Junjou Romantica act 2.5
|
|
| 2 |
November 27, 2003[5] |
ISBN 4-04-853702-4 |
February 2007[2] |
ISBN 978-1-59816-720-7 |
- Junjou Romantica act 3
- Junjou Egoist act 3
- Junjou Egoist act 4
- Junjou Egoist act 5
- Junjou Romantica act 3.5
|
|
| 3 |
May 28, 2004[6] |
ISBN 4-04-853748-2 |
June 2007[2] |
ISBN 978-1-59816-721-4 |
- Junjou Romantica act 4
- Junjou Romantica act 5
- Junjou Romantica act 5.5
- Junjou Egoist act 6
- Junjou Egoist act 7
|
|
| 4 |
October 28, 2004[7] |
ISBN 4-04-853778-4 |
October 2007[2] |
ISBN 978-1-59816-722-1 |
- Junjou Egoist act 8
- Junjou Egoist act 9
- Junjou Romantica act 6-1
- Junjou Romantica act 6-2
- Junjou Romantica act 6-3
- Junjou Minimum act 1
|
|
| 5 |
April 27, 2005[8] |
ISBN 4-04-853848-9 |
February 2008[2] |
ISBN 978-1-59816-723-8 |
- Junjou Romantica act 7
- Junjou Romantica act 7.5
- Junjou Terrorist act 1
- Junjou Terrorist act 2
- Junjou Terrorist act 3
- Junjou Egoist act 9.5
- Usami Akihiko and Takahashi Misaki
|
|
| 6 |
October 28, 2005[9] |
ISBN 4-04-853907-8 |
June 2008[2] |
ISBN 978-1-59816-724-5 |
- Junjou Romantica act 8
- Junjou Romantica act 9
- Junjou Egoist act 10
- Junjou Terrorist act 4
|
|
| 7 |
May 1, 2006[10] |
ISBN 4-04-853953-1 |
September 2008[2] |
ISBN 978-1-4278-0218-7 |
- Junjou Terrorist act 5
- Junjou Terrorist act 6
- Junjou Terrorist act 7
- Junjou Romantica act 10
- Junjou Egoist act 11
|
|
| 8 |
February 1, 2007[11] |
ISBN 978-4-04-854072-8 |
January 2009[2] |
ISBN 978-1-4278-0707-6 |
- Junjou Romantica act 11
- Junjou Romantica act 12
- Junjou Egoist act 12
|
|
| 9 |
November 1, 2007[12] |
ISBN 978-4-04-854137-4 |
April 2009 |
— |
- Junjou Romantica act 13
- Junjou Romantica act 14
- Junjou Minimum act 5
- Junjou Terrorist act 8
|
|
| 10 |
April 1, 2008[13] |
ISBN 978-4-04-854162-6 |
July 2009 |
— |
- Junjou Romantica act 15
- Junjou Romantica act 16
- Junjou Egoist act 13
|
|
| 11 |
December 1, 2008[14] |
ISBN 978-4-04-854270-8 |
December 2009 |
— |
- Junjou Romantica act 17
- Junjou Romantica act 18
- Junjou Minimum act 6
- Junjou Terrorist act 9
|
|
| 12 |
September 1, 2009[15] |
ISBN 978-4-04-854362-0 |
- Junjou Romantica act 19
- Junjou Romantica act 20
- Junjou Minimum act 7
- Junjou Egoist act 14
|
|
Anime
Studio Deen
produced an anime adaptation based around the manga series.
Premiering in Japan on TV Hokkaido on April 10, 2008, the series'
first season ran for twelve episodes until its conclusion on June
26, 2008. A second season premiered on the same channel on October
12, 2008, it also ended after twelve episodes.
The anime series is licensed for release in North America by Kadokawa Pictures USA; Seasons 1 and 2 are
supposed to come out sometime in 2010.[16] Per
their website, they may be releasing the series under the name
"Romantica: Pure Love".[17]
Reception
According to Oricon and DVD sales data from Animesuki, the
first DVD for the Junjō Romantica anime adaptation was
released on July 25, 2008 and it became a hit, selling 8,406 copies
in its first week. It is currently the fourth best selling debut
DVD for an anime series of 2008, just after Gundam 00, Macross
Frontier and Aria the
Origination. It continued to dwell on the Oricon anime DVD
charts for the second week charting on the top 5 with total sales
for the first DVD at 10,986 copies. With those sales, it is
currently ranked at number 1 for the shōjo category on DVD sales for the year 2008.
According to Oricon sales for the past 5 years, it is the best
selling BL (Boys Love) anime so far and has performed
the best on the charts.[18]
According to this website Animesuki (http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?s=d7c8479ae1a36aa2f939368671768c8e&p=1744400#post1744400),
The second season's DVD sales have performed extremely well as
well, selling an average of 7,000 to 8,000 copies which makes it
one of the most profitable anime series of the year. It is
constantly ranked very high on Amazon Japan for the DVD category as
well. Fan reviews and the responses were decent.
References
External
links
Kadokawa
Shoten
Blu
Manga
Wikis
Quiz
Search
