Adachi and Shimamura
Adachi and Shimamura is a Japanese yuri light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma and illustrated by Non. The series began serialization in October 2012 in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Bunko Magazine, with thirteen volumes and several spin-off works subsequently published under its Dengeki Bunko imprint. The story follows Sakura Adachi and Hougetsu Shimamura, two first-year high school students, as Adachi tries to express her romantic feelings for Shimamura, who treats Adachi as merely a friend.
A manga adaptation with art by Mani was serialized from April 2016 to December 2017, while a second manga adaptation with art by Moke Yuzuhara was serialized starting May 2019 in Dengeki Daioh. The light novels and the second manga adaptation are published in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment and Yen Press respectively.
An anime television series adaptation by Tezuka Productions aired from October to December 2020.
Plot
First-year high school students Sakura Adachi and Hougetsu Shimamura encounter each other one day while skipping class and become friends. Adachi gradually develops romantic feelings for Shimamura, which she struggles to express, while Shimamura feels like Adachi is merely a friend to her. The series follows their relationship and their emerging romance as Adachi gathers the courage to open up to Shimamura.Characters
;Sakura Adachi;Hougetsu Shimamura
;Akira Hino
;Taeko Nagafuji
;Yashiro Chikama
;Tarumi
Media
Light novels
The original light novel series, written by Hitoma Iruma and illustrated by Non, was first serialized in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Bunko Magazine in October 2012. ASCII Media Works began publishing the series under its Dengeki Bunko imprint on March 10, 2013. ASCII Media Works has published thirteen volumes as of December 25. It was initially announced that the twelfth volume would be the final installment of the series, but in April 2024, Iruma stated in a blog post that he planned to continue it further. Seven Seas Entertainment have licensed the light novels for release in North America.Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Mani was serialized online via Square Enix's Gangan Online website from April 4, 2016, to December 22, 2017. It was collected in three tankōbon volumes. A second manga adaptation with illustrations by Moke Yuzuhara began serialization in ASCII Media Works' shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh on May 25, 2019. It has been collected in seven tankōbon volumes. The second manga adaptation is licensed in North America by Yen Press.Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on May 6, 2019. The series is animated by Tezuka Productions and directed by Satoshi Kuwabara, with Keiichirō Ōchi handling the series composition, and Shizue Kaneko designing the characters. Natsumi Tabuchi, Hanae Nakamura, and Miki Sakurai composed the music. The opening theme is "Kimi ni Aeta Hi" performed by Akari Kitō and Miku Itō as their respective characters, while the ending theme is "Kimi no Tonari de" performed by Kitō. It aired from October 9 to December 25, 2020, on TBS and BS11. The series ran for 12 episodes.Funimation acquired the series and streamed it on its website in North America and the British Isles, and on AnimeLab in Australia and New Zealand. On February 17, 2021, Funimation announced the series would be receiving an English dub, with the first episode premiering the next day. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.
Reception
Joe Ballard of CBR reviewed the anime series throughout its run. In early reviews, Ballard said that it is similar to Bloom Into You and called it "a heartwarming coming-of-age story" while noting the "growing friendship" between Adachi and Shimamura, as their relationship expands, and their bond strengthens. In later reviews, he said that the series focuses mainly on "two girls getting to know each other" as they learn more about each other along the way and their romance blossoms. In his review of the final episode, Ballard said that the story is "slowly blossoming into a love story" and added that end of the episode is symbolic, as Adachi and Shimamura are not sitting next to each other, "but they're a little closer than they were before." In January 2021, Constance Sarantos of CBR said that the series shares similar storyboarding moments which emphasize "intimate moments and loneliness" with the series Otherside Picnic. The same month, Ballard penned another review of the series, saying that the first season "concluded with more questions than answers," and hoped that a second season would bring "more concrete answers." The same month, Angelo Delos Trinos of CBR called the series a "heartwarming Shoujo Ai anime" which legitimizes the yuri genre, saying that it is unfortunate that not many people talk about it or "Yuri romances in general."A review of the first volume in Publishers Weekly called the series "oddly voyeuristic" and felt it was "inexplicably" being marketed to an adult audience. The review further criticized the characters as "flimsy adult fantasies" with no complexity, and concluded by saying that it may have appeal with a teenaged audience but would not interest older readers.
The School Library Journal listed the first volume of the Adachi and Shimamura as one of the top 10 manga of 2021.