First Love Monster

First Love Monster

Cover of the first Japanese volume
初恋モンスター
(Hatsukoi Monsutā)
Genre Romantic comedy[1]
Manga
Written by Akira Hiyoshimaru
Published by Kodansha
English publisher
Demographic Shōjo
Magazine Aria
Original run March 2013 – present
Volumes 5
Anime television series
Directed by Takayuki Inagaki
Produced by Suzuki Renta
Yohei Ito
Written by Deko Akao
Sayuri Ooba
Takashi Aoshima
Music by Go Sakabe
Studio Studio Deen
Licensed by
Network AT-X, Tokyo MX, KBS, SUN, BS11
English network
Original run July 2, 2016 – September 17, 2016
Episodes 12 + OVA

First Love Monster (初恋モンスター Hatsukoi Monsutā) or Hatsukoi Monster is a Japanese shōjo manga series written by Akira Hiyoshimaru and published in Kodansha's Aria magazine. A television anime adaptation started airing in July 2016.

Plot

The story follows 15-year-old Kaho Nikaidō as she leaves home to live in a high school dormitory. Almost getting hit by a truck, she is saved by a boy named Kanade Takahashi. She falls in love with him, only to discover that he is her landlord's son and a fifth grader.[2]

Characters

Kaho Nikaidō (二階堂 夏歩 Nikaidō Kaho)
Voiced by: Yui Horie[3] (Japanese); Bryn Apprill[4] (English)
Kaho is a 15-year-old girl and is the main protagonist of First Love Monster. She falls in love with Kanade after he saves her from an accident.[3] As the spoiled daughter of an elderly rich couple, she has found it difficult to make friends.[5]
Kanade Takahashi (高橋 奏 Takahashi Kanade)
Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai[3] (Japanese); Eric Vale[4] (English)
A fifth grader and the object of Kaho's affections. He is in fifth grade, but looks significantly older.[3] Although he mostly behaves his age, he at times shows mature behaviour, passed on from his deceased mother who serves as his role model.
Tomu Kaneko (金子 十六 Kaneko Tomu)
Voiced by: Showtaro Morikubo[3] (Japanese); Austin Tindle[4] (English)
One of Kanade's friends and a delinquent.[3] Like Kanade he's also considerably tall for his age.
Ginjirō Sannomiya (三宮 銀次郎 Sannomiya Ginjirō)
Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita[3] (Japanese); Chris Ryan[4] (English)
A grade schooler and another of Kanade's friends.[3] Like Kanade he's also considerably tall for his age. His father is an OB/GYN where he is groomed to follow his father's profession.
Kazuo Noguchi (野口 一男 Noguchi Kazuo)
Voiced by: Ayumu Murase[3] (Japanese); Dallas Reid[4] (English)
Another of Kanade's friends, but of normal size.[3] Contrary to his age, he is far more mature, level-headed and insightful than his peers, to the point that it surprises Kaho and Kanade's circle consider him their leader. He disapproves of their relationship due to their age difference and believing that Kanade only clings to her out of lack of a maternal figure. Despite of this he still addresses Kaho respectfully. Since he has a butler it is hinted he comes from a rich family.
Jōji Takahashi (高橋 譲二 Takahashi Jōji)
Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura[3] (Japanese); Anthony Bowling (English)
Kanade's cousin.[3] He has a strong kansai dialect and is one year older than Kanade. Both him and Kanade get along very well. He has an interest on Kaho.
Kōta Shinohara (篠原 耕太 Shinohara Kōta)
Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto[3] (Japanese); Chris Burnett[4] (English)
A first-year high schooler who was in love with Kaho.[3] He's one of the residents of Kaho's dorm. Due to being a shy individual he's often the victim of many of Kanade's circles stunts, as well as being teased frequently by Chiaki due to his crush on Kaho and his inability to act and being easily scared on several matters. He hides an effeminate face under his bangs.
Atsushi Taga (多賀 敦史 Taga Atsushi)
Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa[3] (Japanese); Ian Sinclair[4] (English)
A college student and Kaho's rival.[3] He bears an extremely hostile attitude towards Kaho. He claims to be interested on Kanade.
Arashi Nagasawa (長澤 嵐 Nagasawa Arashi)
Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda[3] (Japanese); Justin Pate (English)
Kaho's strange neighbor.[3] He likes and collects cute things and is a hardcore fan of the idol Renren. He dates Chiaki who accepts him as he is, although she is often annoyed with his otaku fanaticism.
Daikoku Nikaidō (二階堂 大谷 Nikaidō Daikoku)
Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa[3] (Japanese); J. Michael Tatum (English)
Kaho's older brother.[3] He went to America for some time. Despite calling himself a "doting brother" he in fact has a morbid obsession with Kaho, going as far as collect items she has used (such as chopsticks or leftovers) and place them in a plastic bag.
Chiaki Yokōchi (横内 千秋 Yokōchi Chiaki)
Voiced by: Mizuki Wai[4] (Japanese); Dawn M. Bennett[4] (English)
One of the residents at Kaho's dorm. She is serious and level-headed and often serves as a voice of reason. She finds the relationship between Kaho and Kanade to be amusing and frequently teases Shinohara for his personality. She dates and accepts Arashi despite his weird tendencies.
Mafuyu Hayashi (林 真冬 Hayashi Mafuyu)
Voiced by: Ai Kayano[4] (Japanese); Monica Rial (English)
One of the residents at Kaho's dorm. While she tends to be composed on the outside, deep down she has a morbid obsession with Shūgo, going as far as stealing his underwears and sniffing them. When noticed or denied her fetish by others, she can enter into a frenzy where she demonstrates animalistic behavior, which cannot be stopped unless she gets what she wants. When provoked she speaks on a deeply foul language.
Shūgo Takahashi (高橋 修吾 Takahashi Shūgo)
Voiced by: Shunsuke Takeuchi[4] (Japanese); Phil Parsons (English)
Kanade's father and the landlord of the dorm.
Yuki Fukaya (深谷 友基 Fukaya Yūki)
Voiced by: Iori Nomizu[4] (Japanese); Megan Shipman (English)
One of Kanade's classmates, who has a crush on him.
Munemitsu Makurazaki (枕崎 宗光 Makurazaki Munemitsu)
Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi[4]
Renren (レンレン)
Voiced by: Shouta Aoi[4] (Japanese); Aaron Roberts[4] (English)
An androgynous boy, who is also a cross-dressing idol. He's the object of fanaticism by Arashi, much to Chiaki's chagrin.

Media

Manga

First Love Monster is written by Akira Hiyoshimaru, who began publishing the manga in Kodansha's shōjo magazine Aria in March 2013.[2][6] Yen Press announced in October 2014 that it had acquired the rights to republish the series in English.

Volume list

No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBNEnglish release dateEnglish ISBN
1 5 July 2013[7]ISBN 978-4-06-380638-021 July 2015[8]ISBN 978-0-3163-4367-1
2 7 January 2014[9]ISBN 978-4-06-380666-327 October 2015[10]ISBN 978-0-316-34610-8
3 7 July 2014[11]ISBN 978-4-06-380699-126 January 2016[12]ISBN 978-0-316-34611-5
4 7 January 2015[13]ISBN 978-4-06-380738-726 April 2016[14]ISBN 978-0-316-31488-6
5 7 July 2015[15]ISBN 978-4-06-380781-327 September 2016[16]ISBN 978-0-316-54526-6
6 13 May 2016[17]ISBN 978-4-06-358815-6——

Audio drama

The limited edition versions of volumes three, four, and five include an audio drama CD.[18]

Anime

An anime adaptation of the series was announced in the August issue of Aria.[1][6][18] The cast of the audio dramas will reprise their roles for the anime.[1][3] The series will premiere in July 2016.[19] Studio Deen will produce the anime, with Takayuki Inagaki directing the series and Mariko Oka designing the characters.[20] The anime has been licensed by Funimation[21] and by Madman Entertainment[22] for streaming. The anime will consist of 12 episodes, released over 6 Blu-ray and DVD volumes.[23] An OVA episode will be bundled with the manga's 8th volume and released on February 17, 2017.[24]

Episode list

No. Title[25] Original air date
1 "So: I'm in Primary School. What Now?"
"... De , ore, shōgakuseidakedo dō suru ka?" (...で、俺、小学生だけどどうするか？) 		July 2, 2016
2 "Ah, Kasumi House"
"Ā Kasumi sō" (あゝ華すみ荘) 		July 9, 2016
3 "It's My First"
"Hajimete no" (初めての) 		July 16, 2016
4 "Sought-After Undies"
"Nerawa reta pantsu" (ねらわれたパンツ) 		July 23, 2016
5 "I Know--To the Bath House"
"Sōda, sentō ikou" (そうだ、銭湯いこう) 		July 30, 2016
6 "Hula-Hoop Hullabaloo"
"Futte furafurafurafūpu" (振ってフラフラフラフープ) 		August 6, 2016
7 "Sending My Feeling's... (To the Bathroom)"
"Todoketai omoi... ... (Toireni)" (届けたい思い...... （トイレに）) 		August 13, 2016
8 "Kanade's Telephone Helpline"
"Sō denwa sōdan-shitsu" (奏電話相談室) 		August 20, 2016
9 "A Hushed and Crabby Love Song"
"Hiso ya kanirabusongu" (ひそやカニラブソング) 		August 27, 2016
10 "A Proper Rom-Com For Once"
"Tamani wa mattōna rabu kome demo" (たまにはまっとうなラブコメでも) 		September 3, 2016
11 "No Peeking! Kanade's Secret Diary"
"Micha dame! Kanade no himitsu nikki" (見ちゃダメ！奏の秘密日記) 		September 10, 2016
12 "Adorable/Abnormable"
"Rabunōmaru × abunōmaru" (ラブノーマル×アブノーマル) 		September 17, 2016
OVA  February 17, 2017

Reception

Rebecca Silverman, reviewing the first volume for Anime News Network, gave it an overall grade of C-. She criticized the series for its attempts at serious romance in what was essentially a comedy, and also found fault with author's skill at drawing people. She was most heavily critical of the age gap between the two romantic leads, commenting that upon examination, "First Love Monster's comedy is overwhelmed by its creepy factor." She did, however, praise the series' dialogue, stating that "the way Kanade talks is a fun mixture of childlike and more adult."[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Green, Scott (25 June 2015). ""Hatsukoi Monster" to be Adapted into TV Anime". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Yen Press Licenses A Certain Magical Index, Trinity Seven, Chaika - The Coffin Princess, Prison School Manga". Anime News Network. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 "First Love Monster TV Anime Casts Takahiro Sakurai, Yui Horie". Anime News Network. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Beveridge, Chris (July 16, 2016). "'First Love Monster' Anime Dub Cast Revealed". The Fandom Post. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Silverman, Rebecca (6 August 2015). "First Love Monster GN 1". Anime News Network. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  6. 1 2 Komatsu, Mikikazu (27 June 2015). "VIDEO: "Hatsukoi Monster" TV Anime Confirmed". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "初恋モンスター（１）". Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "First Love Monster, Vol. 1". Hachette Book Group. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "初恋モンスター（２）". Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "First Love Monster, Vol. 2". Hachette Book Group. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "初恋モンスター（３）". Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "First Love Monster, Vol. 3". Hachette Book Group. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "初恋モンスター（４）". Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  14. ↑ "First Love Monster, Vol. 4". Hachette Book Group. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. ↑ "初恋モンスター（５）". Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  16. ↑ "First Love Monster, Vol. 5". Hachette Book Group. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  17. ↑ "初恋モンスター（6）". Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  18. 1 2 "First Love Monster Manga Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  19. ↑ "First Love Monster TV Anime Premieres This Summer". Anime News Network. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  20. ↑ "Rosario + Vampire's Inagaki Directs First Love Monster Anime at Studio DEEN". Anime News Network. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  21. ↑ "Funimation to stream D. Gray Man, Servamp, Tales of Zestiria, Danganronpa 3, Love Live Sunshine, First Love Monster, Handa-kun, Tsukiuta, Time travel Girl, Xechs, Regalia". Anime News Network. June 23, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Animelab".
  23. ↑ "Blu-ray&DVD".
  24. ↑ "First Love Monster Manga to Bundle Unaired 13th Anime Episode". Anime News Network. September 8, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  25. ↑ "STORY" (in Japanese). Retrieved July 2, 2016.
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