Kotoura-san
Kotoura-san is a four-panel manga series by Enokizu. It appeared as a serial in the web magazine Manga Goccha, and the manga magazine Megami from October 14, 2010, to April 22, 2015. Micro Magazine owns the web magazine, and is also the publisher of the series which spanned seven bound volumes released from 2012 to 2015. Kotoura-san is about a first year high school girl named Haruka Kotoura who has the ability to read minds. Growing up she has a horrible life but things turn around when she makes friends who accept her ability. One guy in particular named Yoshihisa Manabe also eventually takes a romantic interest in her.
An anime television adaptation was made from the manga by AIC Classic that aired from January 11 to March 29, 2013. Twelve episodes aired in all and included the addition of five bonus shorts called Haruka's Room. Outside of Japan only the anime adaptation was brought over and released in North America. The series was licensed under the name The Troubled Life of Miss Kotoura by NIS America, they released a Blu-ray subtitled collection on August 4, 2015. The English subtitled release received mixed to mostly positive reviews from critics.
Plot
Haruka Kotoura is a 15-year-old girl who was born with the psychic ability to read minds. As a child she blurts out what people around her are thinking, too young to realize that these thoughts are the person's true feelings which upsets them when they are revealed in public. She is branded a compulsive liar by her teachers, ridiculed by her classmates and loses all of her friends. The strain gets to be too much on her parents as well after she inadvertently exposes that they are both having romantic affairs. Abandoned by her mother into the care of her grandfather, Haruka becomes a outcast and a recluse, distancing herself from everyone, concluding that she only brings people bad luck.Things start to change when she starts high school and meets Yoshihisa Manabe. He is shown to be unfazed by Haruka's mind-reading ability but also has a perverted imagination. Yoshihisa offers her his friendship and vows to stand by her side regardless of the circumstances. He helps her make new friends and together they form the school's ESP Research Club. Haruka's life begins to change completely for the better which gives her newfound strength she never had. She is eventually able to overcome the teasing she has endured, and face her mother regarding her past. The series concludes with her confessing her love to Yoshihisa with support from her friends.
Characters
Supporting characters
;Zenzou Kotoura;Head priest
;Kumiko Kotoura
;Gantetsu Ishiyama
;Aki Tsukino
Media
Manga
The manga by Enokizu was serialized in the web magazine Manga Goccha, and the manga magazine Megami from October 14, 2010, to April 22, 2015. Seven tankōbon volumes were released between 2012 and 2015.Anime
An anime adaptation by AIC Classic aired in Japan between January 11 and March 29, 2013, and was simulcast by Crunchyroll. The opening theme is "Sonna Koto Ura no Mata Urabanashi Desho?" by Megumi Nakajima and the main ending theme is "Kibō no Hana" by Haruka Chisuga. The ending theme for episode five is "The ESP Club's Theme" by Kana Hanazawa, Hisako Kanemoto, Jun Fukushima, Hiro Shimono and Yurika Kubo, whilst the ending theme for episode six is "Tsurupeta" by Kanemoto. There is an insert song in episode 11 titled "Sunao" sung by Megumi Nakajima. NIS America has licensed the series in North America under the title The Troubled Life of Miss Kotoura and released a subtitled Blu-ray collection on August 4, 2015.;Bonus episodes
Haruka's Room is a series of introductory web episodes that were streamed online between December 7, 2012, and January 11, 2013.
Reception
The English subtitled release of Kotoura-san received various reviews from sources that do reviews for anime. Theron Martin from Anime News Network gave the series a B+ rating saying that while some may find the opening 10 minutes "overkill", the series is a great mix of "effectively funny, sincere, and heartfelt content". Martin also praised the musical score, but called the artwork mediocre. Chris Beveridge from The Fandom Post also gave the series a B+ rating saying that it has "a lot going for it". Beveridge points out that it is engaging to watch how Haruka comes out of her indescribable childhood with a largely positive attitude. While she doesn't do it alone, he says that there are many moments where she "stands for herself" in order to do things she wouldn't normally do. Tim Jones from THEM anime reviews gave the series a "very low" 2/5 star rating calling it rushed with no pacing at all. In his review he criticized the usual high school troupes such as "festivals, beaches, fights, perverted male fantasy sequences, and parent troubles", and goes on to say that many of the characters' arcs are left "unfinished or just brushed off".Some reviewers did not review the entire series; Matthew Lee from Screen Anarchy reviewed the first four episodes. He called the opening to the series the "best ever" saying that it does more storytelling in those ten minutes than other shows may do in an entire season. Lee goes on to say that the odd genre mix of 1950s science fiction, and oversexed high-school comedy are used to make the series worth watching. Andy Hanley from UK Anime Network gave the first three episodes a 4 out of 10 rating calling them "relentlessly depressing". To the converse of the previous review, Hanley said that the first twenty minutes were "genuinely horrible to watch", he goes on to say that the "half baked" comedy doesn't make up for the depression.