My Love Story!!
My Love Story!!, is a Japanese romantic comedy manga series written by Kazune Kawahara and illustrated by Aruko. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's Bessatsu Margaret magazine from October 2011 to July 2016. Viz Media published the series in English. The story follows dense but kind-hearted giant Takeo Gōda, who falls head-over-heels for Yamato Rinko after he defends her from a groper on the train.
An anime television adaptation by Madhouse aired from April to September 2015 and a live-action film adaptation of the same name was released in October 2015.
As of November 2015, the manga had over 4.5 million copies in circulation. In 2013, My Love Story!! won the 37th Kodansha Manga Award in the shōjo category, and the 61st Shogakukan Manga Award in the same category in 2016.
Plot
The story follows Takeo Gōda, a tall and muscular high school student who does not have much luck with women, as every girl he likes ends up falling for his best friend, Makoto Sunakawa, who is charming and good-looking. This all changes when he saves Rinko Yamato, a petite, shy girl who, above all other expectations, falls in love with Takeo, beginning a unique love story.Characters
;Takeo Gōda;Rinko Yamato
;Makoto Sunakawa
;Ai Sunakawa
;Yuriko Gōda
;Yutaka Gōda
;Hayato Oda
;Osamu Kurihara
;Mariya Saijō
;Nanako
;Ayu
;Yukika Amami
;Kouki Ichinose
Media
Manga
The series debuted as a 100-page special in Bessatsu Margaret Sister on October 13, 2011, before becoming serialized in Bessatsu Margaret, ending with a 100-page final chapter on July 13, 2016. The first volume was released by Shueisha on March 23, 2012, while the thirteenth and final volume was released on September 23, 2016. Viz Media has licensed the series and released the first volume on July 1, 2014.In honor of the 50th anniversary of Margaret, Kawahara and Aruko collaborated with Io Sakisaka, the creator of Ao Haru Ride, to create a crossover comic called My Ride!!, which was released in the July 2013 issue of Bessatsu Margaret.
A 60-page side story chapter was released in September 2018 and 2 further chapters in December 2023 and January 2024. All were published in Bessatsu Margaret.
Volume list
Anime
In November 2014 it was announced that the series was being adapted into an anime series. Covering roughly 34 chapters of the manga, the anime was produced by Madhouse, Nippon TV, VAP, Shueisha and Nippon Television Music Corporation and directed by Morio Asaka, with Natsuko Takahashi handling series composition, Kunihiko Hamada designing the characters and S.E.N.S. composing the music. The anime began airing on Nippon TV from April 8, 2015, and is being simulcast by Crunchyroll. The opening theme is "Miraikei Answer" by Trustrick while the ending theme is "Shiawase no Arika" by Local Connect. The soundtrack is composed by S.E.N.S. Project. The final episode of the series, originally scheduled for September 16, 2015, was delayed to September 23.Live-action film
A live-action film adaptation of the same name was released on October 31, 2015. It starred Ryohei Suzuki, Mei Nagano and Kentaro Sakaguchi. Southeast Asian anime distributor ODEX began to release the film in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines between January and February 2016.Reception
As of November 2015, the manga had over 4.5 million copies in circulation. The fifth volume of the series was the 53rd best-selling manga volume of the first half of 2014 in Japan.My Love Story!! won the 37th Kodansha Manga Award in the shōjo category in 2013. The manga won the 61st Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōjo category in 2016. It was nominated for the 6th Manga Taishō in 2013 and received a total of 58 points, coming in at 5th place. It was also nominated for the 18th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize "Reader Award". In Takarajimasha's 2013 edition of the guidebook Kono Manga ga Sugoi!, a survey with more than 400 manga professionals, My Love Story!! was selected as the best series for female readers; in the 2014 edition, it was the 15th best.
My Love Story!! was number one on the Book of the Year list of Female-Oriented Comics from January to June, 2013 by Da Vinci magazine, and number five in the annual list of 2012.