Love Lab


Love Lab is a Japanese four-panel manga series written and illustrated by Ruri Miyahara. An anime adaptation by Doga Kobo aired in Japan from July to September 2013.

Plot

Love Lab is set in Fujisaki Girls Academy, which is known for their school body being composed of very proper students. The most prominent one of them is [|Natsuo Maki], the student president who is admired by her classmates for her calm and polite demeanor. On the other hand, [|Riko Kurahashi] is also admired but for having a very forward and boyish personality. Riko accidentally walks into Maki when she is kissing a body pillow with a picture of a guy for practice, and learns that she is not as collected as everyone thinks she is. Riko is forced into keeping Maki's secret and joins her in practicing romance activities such as holding hands and more.

Characters

Main characters

Supporting characters

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Media

Manga

The series has been released in fifteen tankōbon volumes.
The fifteenth and final volume was released on January 7, 2020.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation aired in Japan on MBS from July 5 to September 27, 2013. The series was animated by Doga Kobo, produced by Aniplex and directed by Masahiko Ohta, with series composition by Takashi Aoshima, original character designs by Chiaki Nakajima and music by Yasuhiro Misawa. The series was streamed on Niconico, after premiering on July 14, 2013, and on Crunchyroll, starting with the 9th episode on August 30, 2013. Sentai Filmworks licensed the series for release in North America.
The opening and ending themes are "Love Shitai—!" and "Best Friends", both by the lead cast: Manami Numakura, Chinatsu Akasaki, Inori Minase, Ayane Sakura, and Yō Taichi.

Reception

Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network gave Love Lab an overall B− grade. He wrote that the series works better as a straightforward comedy when director Masahiko Ohta has the cast delivering slapstick humor than emotional moments throughout the three storylines that each carry a weighty dramatic ending like Kotoura-san, concluding that: "Even weighted down, though, this is a very funny comedy: easy to get into and easy to enjoy. It just isn't quite so easy to love." Tim Jones and Stig Høgset of THEM Anime Reviews praised the series' ongoing and complete plot, its main cast being "a fun bunch" and having "an equal amount of respect" towards both genders, concluding that: "It drags a bit at the end, but overall Love Lab is one of the funniest, quirkiest entries in the now well-tread high school girl comedy anime genre we've seen in a good while."