First Love Limited
First Love Limited, also known as Hatsukoi Limited, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mizuki Kawashita. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 2007 to May 2008, with its chapters collected in four volumes. The series depicts vignettes in the love lives of eight girls in middle school and high school.
A drama CD adaptation was released in February 2009, and a light novel in March of that same year. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation produced by J.C.Staff was broadcast from April to June 2009.
Plot
The manga features a series of short stories about eight girls in middle school and high school, plus their classmates and relatives. Each chapter focuses on a different main character. These stories are intertwined and eventually lead to a main story involving most of the cast. A series relating the intertwined stories about the "first loves" of several middle-schoolers and high-schoolers. Each episode tends to focus on a different character, however the developments established during previous episodes continue to play smaller roles in those following. As the series progresses, an array of unusual and unexpected love webs begin to blossom.Characters
Middle school students
;Ayumi Arihara;Kei Enomoto
;Koyoi Bessho
;Rika Dobashi
;Nao Chikura
;Mamoru Zaitsu
;Etsu Kusuda
;Haruto Terai
;Hiroyuki Sogabe
;Soako Andou
;Sumire Fudounomiya
High school students
;Misao Zaitsu;Yuuji Arihara
;Misaki Yamamoto
;Yuu Enomoto
;Meguru Watase
;Uemura
;Yoshihiko Bessho
;Kazuma Chikura
;Gengorou Takei
;Yukito Renjou
;Nanoka Kyuuma
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Mizuki Kawashita, Hatsukoi Limited was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1, 2007, to May 26, 2008. The 32 chapters were collected in four volumes, released from February 4 to September 4, 2008.Drama CD
A drama CD adaptation was released by Shueisha on February 16, 2009.Light novel
A light novel adaptation written by Sawako Hirabayasi called Winter Photography was published by Shueisha on March 23, 2009.Anime
The anime television series adaptation was produced by J.C.Staff, written by Mariko Kunisawa, and directed by Yoshiki Yamakawa, with character designs by Tomoyuki Shitaya. The opening theme is "Future Stream" by sphere, and the ending theme is "Hatsukoi Limited" by marble. The series debuted on April 11, 2009, on in Japan on BS11, and completed on June 27, 2009, with the twelfth episode.The series was licensed for English release in North America by Sentai Filmworks, releasing it on DVD on July 21, 2012.
Episodes
Reception
The first volume of First Love Limited reached number 10 on the Tohan list of best-selling manga in the week it was released.The opening episode was rated 4 out of 5 by Anime News Network's Theron Martin, who described it as "surprisingly funny and even occasionally sweet" despite "a typical set-up and an overused plot device." Carlo Santos rated the episode 2.5 out of 5, saying "this would be a lot more appealing if the plot weren't so cut-and-dried and the characters weren't so transparent." Carl Kimlinger gave it 3 ½, citing the episode's sensitivity to the character's emotions and that the "female cast is downright delectable, the fan-service lovingly animated, and the overall look realistic."