Classmates (manga)

Classmates, also known as Doukyusei (Japanese: 同級生, Hepburn: Dōkyūsei), is a Japanese yaoi manga series written and illustrated by Asumiko Nakamura. The series follows the relationship between students Rihito Sajō and Hikaru Kusakabe, who meet while attending an all-boys high school. First published in the manga magazine Opera in July 2006, Classmates has spawned multiple sequels and spinoffs: Sotsu Gyo Sei, Sora to Hara, O.B., and Blanc. An anime film adaption of the first volume of the series, Doukyusei: Classmates, was released by A-1 Pictures in February 2016.

Classmates
First volume of the manga series, featuring Hikaru Kusakabe (left) and Rihito Sajō (right)
同級生
(Doukyusei)
GenreRomance, yaoi[1]
Created byAsumiko Nakamura
Manga
  • Dou Kyu Sei
  • Sotsu Gyo Sei – Winter
  • Sotsu Gyo Sei – Spring
  • Sora to Hara
  • O.B.
  • blanc
Written byAsumiko Nakamura
Published byAkane Shinsha
English publisher
JManga, Digital Manga Guild, Seven Seas Entertainment
ImprintEdge Comix
MagazineOpera
Original runJune 2006 (2006-06) – present
Dou Kyu Sei
June 2006 – July 2007
Sotsu Gyo Sei – Winter
January – October 2008
Sotsu Gyo Sei – Spring
January – August 2009
Sora to Hara
December 2009 – December 2011
O.B.
April 2012 – December 2013
Blanc
March 2018 – present
Volumes5
Anime film
Doukyusei: Classmates
Directed byShōko Nakamura
Produced byHanako Yamashita
Music byKotaro Oshio
StudioA-1 Pictures
Licensed byAniplex of America
ReleasedFebruary 20, 2016 (2016-02-20) (Japan)
May 6, 2016 (2016-05-06) (NA)
Runtime60 minutes

Synopsis

Dou Kyu Sei (Classmates)

While attending summer school to study for college entrance exams, student Hikaru Kusakabe notes that classmate Rihito Sajō does not sing at choir practice, opting to instead mouth along to the words. Hikaru offers to help Rihito practice singing; they grow closer, and eventually begin dating.

Sotsu Gyo Sei (Alumni)

Now third year high school students, Rihito and Hikaru continue to pursue their relationship. Tension over their future mounts as Rihito plans to move away to attend university, while Hikaru intends to stay in the city for work.

Sora to Hara (Sora and Hara)

A spin-off series focusing on the relationship between Manabu Hara and Sora Aoto, a teacher and student at Rihito and Hikaru's high school.

O.B.

After graduating high school and becoming OBs ("old boys"), Rihito moves to Kyoto while Hikaru remains in Tokyo, and they pursue a long-distance relationship.

Blanc

Though ostensibly still dating, Rihito and Hikaru's distance and differing goals have caused them to drift apart, prompting Rihito to propose that they take a break on their relationship.

Characters
Rihito Sajō (佐条 利人, Sajō Rihito)
Voiced by: Kenji Nojima (audio drama & film)[2][3]
A studious and quiet student, Rihito is highly intelligent but suffers from acute anxiety and is prone to obsessive over-analysis of his actions. As the series progresses, he studies pharmaceutical science at Kyoto University while maintaining a long-distance relationship with Hikaru.
Hikaru Kusakabe (草壁 光, Kusakabe Hikaru)
Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya (audio drama & film)[2][3]
An impulsive and extroverted student. He is the guitarist in an amateur rock band, and is widely liked and popular among his peers. In contrast to the highly driven Rihito, Hikaru is largely directionless in life, with few plans for his post-school life.
Manabu Hara (原マナブ, Hara Manabu)
Voiced by: Hideo Ishikawa (audio drama & film)[3][4]
The music teacher at Touichikou High School. He is gay, and offers advice on sexuality and relationships to Rihito and Hikaru while pursuing Rihito romantically.
Aoto "Sora" Sorano (青砥空乃, Sorano Aoto)
Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (audio drama)[5]
A freshman a Touichikou High School. He is gay, and makes frequent trips to Shinjuku Ni-chōme despite reprimands from Hara. As the series progresses, he and Hara pursue a romantic relationship.
Satoshi Arisaka (有坂聡, Arisaka Satoshi)
Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita (audio drama)[5]
A music teacher at Hara's school when he was a student. They kissed, prompting Satoshi to leave the school; years later, they reunite when Satoshi becomes a substitute teacher at Touichikou High School.
Hibiki Sano (佐野響, Sano Hibiki)
Voiced by: Yūki Ono (audio drama)[5]
A high school delinquent who works as a confectioner. He is in a relationship with Satoshi, despite the objections of his parents.
Komatsu (コマツ)
Voiced by: Masahiro Yamanaka (audio drama)[5]
A friend of Hara's who later befriends Sorano. Works as a fashion designer in Ni-chōme.

Media

Manga

Classmates was Nakamura's first series published in a boys' love manga magazine.[6] She has stated that she wished to create a story about a "slow, serious love" that was "cliché" and "almost hackneyed" in its execution.[6] In Japan, Classmates and its sequels and spinoffs have been published in the manga magazine Opera. Dou Kyu Sei was serialized from June 2006 to July 2007, Sotsu Gyo Sei -Winter- was serialized from January to October 2008, Sotsu Gyo Sei -Spring- was serialized from January to August 2009, Sora to Hara was serialized from December 2009 to December 2011, O.B. was serialized from April 2012 to December 2013, and blanc has been serialized since February 2018.[7] The series has been collected as six tankōbon volumes published by Akane Shinsha.[8]

In North America, the digital distribution platform JManga released an English-language translation of the first volume of Classmates under the title Doukyusei in April 2012.[9] Following the dissolution of JManga, publishing rights to Classmates were acquired by Digital Manga, which published the first three volumes of the series digitally under its yaoi imprint Juné as Classmates, Graduate - Winter, and Graduate - Spring. In July 2018, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that it had acquired the North American license for Classmates, and began publishing the series in June 2019.[10]

Internationally, the series has been translated into French by Boy's Love IDP,[11] Spanish by Ediciones Tomodomo,[12] Italian by Magic Press,[13] Polish by Waneko,[14] and Taiwanese Mandarin by Sharp Point Press.[15]

No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBNEnglish release dateEnglish ISBN
1 February 15, 2008[16]978-4871829687April 26, 2012 (JM)[9]
April 29, 2014 (DM)[17]
June 4, 2019 (SS)[18]		9781421588025

Volume One: Dou Kyu Sei (alternately titled Classmates)

  • 01. Summer
  • 02. Autumn
  • 03. His First


  • 04. A Complex Fool and a Simple Fool
  • 05. The Second Summer
  • 06. Sabotage
2 January 28, 2010[19]978-4863491281May 6, 2016 (DM)[20]
August 13, 2019 (SS)[21]		978-1642750676

Volume Two: Sotsu Gyo Sei – Winter (alternately titled Graduate - Winter)

  • 01. The Beginning of Winter
  • 02. So This Is Adulthood...
  • 03. Shall We Go Buy Gloves?
  • 04. Fitting


  • 05. The Person I'm Interested In
  • 06. The Teacher I'm Interested In
  • 07. Hide From the Rain
  • 08. When You're About to Cry
3 January 28, 2010[22]978-4863491298May 6, 2016 (DM)[23]
November 12, 2019 (SS)[24]		978-1642750683

Volume Three: Sotsu Gyo Sei – Spring (alternately titled Graduate - Spring)

  • 01. The Tears That Don't Spill Over
  • 02. As You Like It (Okonomiyaki)
  • 03. Lost in a Wild Idea (Fried Egg)
  • 04. Jealous (Grilled Mochi)


  • 05. Bash (Barbecue)
  • 06. In Kyoto
  • 07. Graduation
  • 08. After School
4 May 19, 2012[25]978-4863491298–—
Volume Four: Sora to Hara
5 February 15, 2014[26]978-4863494107–—
Volume Five: O.B.1
6 February 15, 2014[27]978-4863494114–—
Volume Six: O.B.2

Audio drama

Since 2008, a series of audio drama CDs that adapt the manga have been produced by A+, a division of Comic House.

Title Release date
Doukyusei (同級生) April 25, 2008[3]
Sotsugyousei (卒業生) April 2, 2010[28]
Sora to Hara (空と原) October 26, 2012[29]
O.B. April 24, 2015[30]

Film

Doukyusei: Classmates (stylized as Doukyusei -Classmates-), an anime film adaptation of the first volume of Classmates, was announced by March 14, 2015[2] and released in theaters on February 20, 2016.[4] The film is produced by A-1 Pictures, with its primary production staff composed of Shōko Nakamura as director, Akemi Hayashi as character designer, Chieko Nakamura as art director, and Ritsuko Utagawa as color designer. The film's soundtrack is composed by guitarist Kotaro Oshio,[2] while its closing theme is performed by Oshio and Yuuki Ozaki of the rock band Galileo Galilei.[31]

In North America, Doukyusei: Classmates received a limited theatrical release through distributors Aniplex of America and Azoland Pictures, which opened on May 6, 2016.[32][33] The film was released in North America on Blu-ray by Aniplex of America on September 20, 2016.[34]

Other media

Graduation Album (卒業アルバム), a Classmates art book, was published by Akane Shinsha in September 2011.[35] A deluxe re-release was published in February 2016.[36] Classmates was additionally included in a pop-up cafe run by Opera in Harajuku, Tokyo from March 16 to April 8, 2018. The cafe featured original merchandise and menu items inspired by the series.[37]

Reception

Manga

Classmates received positive reviews from critics. Reviewing the series for Otaku USA, Brittany Vincent called the series "a sweet little LGBTQ+-friendly love letter" and offered praise for its artwork, favorably comparing it to xxxHolic by Clamp and Mars by Fuyumi Soryo.[38] Morgana Santilli of Comics Beat noted that while the series is not an "earth-shattering, genre-defying romance", she praised it as "a straightforward teenage romance about gay boys, rather than the type of fetishistic gay drama that populates much of the boys' love manga that are licensed by North American publishers."[39] RightStuf called the plot "underwhelming" while commending Nakamura's artwork.[40]

Film

Doukyusei: Classmates was positively received by critics, many of whom offered extensive praise for the film's production and animation. Jacob Chapman of Anime News Network called the film "meticulous, careful, and almost painfully sensitive in its matchless character animation", and described the story "heartwarming and fulfilling, even if its substance isn't one drop as unique as the movie's style."[41] In his review for the Los Angeles Times, Charles Solomon called the plot "rather standard", but offered praise for film's watercolor-style animation.[42] Cody Perez of Fandom Post called the film a "bold attempt to bring over a rather niche anime genre to theaters across the US", noting that the "beautiful animation and believable romance help to overlook the very fast pacing and inconsistent tone."[43]

In its opening weekend, Doukyusei: Classmates opened in ninth place at the Japanese box office, grossing roughly ¥34 million in 30 theaters.[44] The film ultimately sold 135,730 tickets in Japan, amounting to a total domestic gross of ¥201 million.[45] Outside of Japan, the film grossed a total of USD$1.38 million.[46]

In 2016, Doukyusei: Classmates was shortlisted for Best Soundtrack at the Newtype Anime Awards.[47]

References
  1. "Classmates: Dou kyu sei". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  2. Nelkin, Sarah (14 March 2015). "Dōkyūsei Boys-Love Manga Gets Anime Starring Kenji Nojima, Hiroshi Kamiya". Anime News Network. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  3. "同級生". Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  4. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (26 October 2015). "Dōkyūsei/Classmates Boys-Love Anime Film's 2nd Promo Video Streamed". Anime News Network. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  5. "サウンドドラマ O.B." Happidra (in Japanese). Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  6. Nakamura, Asumiko (June 2019). Classmates Volume 1: Dou Kyu Sei. Seven Seas Entertainment. p. 181. ISBN 978-1642750669.
  7. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (28 February 2018). "Doukyusei -Classmates- Boys-Love Manga Gets New Series". Anime News Network. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  8. "Akane Shinsha Book List" (PDF). Akane Shinsha (in Japanese). May 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  9. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (23 April 2012). "JManga Adds Tactics, Monochrome Factor Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  10. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (8 July 2018). "Seven Seas Adds Railgun, Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Orphen Spinoff Manga; 3 Light Novel Series". Anime News Network. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  11. "Doukyusei". Boys Love IDP (in French). Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  12. "En la misma clase". Ediciones Tomodomo (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  13. "801 Presenta N.6: Compagni Di Classe". Magic Press (in Italian). Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  14. "3 NOWE TYTUŁY OD WANEKO". Waneko (in Polish). 30 May 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  15. "同級生(全)". Sharp Point Press (in Chinese). Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  16. "同級生 (EDGE COMIX)". Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  17. "Classmates". Juné. Digital Manga. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  18. "Classmates Vol. 1: Dou kyu sei". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  19. "卒業生-冬-". Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  20. "Graduate - Winter". Juné. Digital Manga. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  21. "Classmates Vol. 2: Sotsu gyo sei (Winter)". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  22. "卒業生-春-". Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  23. "Graduate - Spring". Juné. Digital Manga. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  24. "Classmates Vol. 3: Sotsu gyo sei (Spring)". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  25. "空と原". Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  26. "O.B.1". Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  27. "O.B.2". Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  28. "卒業生". Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  29. "空と原". Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  30. "O.B." Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  31. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (29 December 2015). "Kōtarō Oshio, Yuki Ozaki Perform Dōkyūsei/Classmates Boys-Love Anime Film's Song". Anime News Network. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  32. Ressler, Karen (9 March 2016). "Aniplex Confirms Doukyusei -Classmates- Boys-Love Film's US Theatrical Release". Anime News Network. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  33. Ressler, Karen (9 March 2016). "Aniplex Confirms Doukyusei -Classmates- Boys-Love Film's US Theatrical Release". Anime News Network. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  34. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (21 May 2016). "ERASED TV Anime to Get English Dub". Anime News Network. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  35. "Sotsugyō Arubamu: Dōkyūsei Sotsugyōsei Kōshiki Fan Bukku". Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  36. "卒業アルバム 増補版". Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  37. "中村明日美子、春泥、ZAKKが目玉のコラボカフェが3/16オープン！". Commercial BL Portal Chill Chill (in Japanese). 8 March 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  38. Vincent, Brittany (29 August 2019). "[Review] Classmates: Dou Kyu Sei". Otaku USA. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  39. Santilli, Morgana (12 August 2019). "REVIEW: When CLASSMATES fall in love". Comics Beat. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  40. "Classmates Manga Volume 1 Review". RightStuf. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  41. Chapman, Jacob (5 May 2016). "Review: Doukyusei -Classmates- Blu-Ray". Anime News Network. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  42. Solomon, Charles (5 May 2016). "Review: Watercolor-based anime provides romantic escape in 'Doukyusei (Classmates)'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  43. Perez, Cody (7 May 2016). "Doukyusei Anime Movie Review". Fandom Post. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  44. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (23 February 2016). "Girls & Panzer Film Jumps Back to #8, Dōkyūsei/Classmates Opens at #9". Anime News Network. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  45. Loo, Egan (5 April 2016). "Dōkyūsei/Classmates Boys-Love Anime Film Tops 200 Million Yen". Anime News Network. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  46. "Dou Kyu Sei: Classmates". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  47. Loo, Egan (10 October 2016). "Shinkai's 'your name.,' Kabaneri Win Top Newtype Anime Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
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