High School Girls
High School Girls (女子高生, Joshi Kōsei, also known as Girl's High) is a Japanese manga series, created by Towa Oshima, which was originally serialized in Futabasha's Weekly Manga Action magazine from 2001, and then subsequently Comic High! from 2004.
High School Girls | |
![]() Eriko Takahashi on the cover of High School Girls, vol. 1 | |
女子高生 (Joshi Kōsei) | |
---|---|
Manga | |
Written by | Towa Oshima |
Published by | Futabasha |
English publisher | |
Magazine | Manga Action (2001–2004) Comic High! (2004–2006) |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | March 2001 – 2006 |
Volumes | 9 |
Anime television series | |
Girl's High | |
Directed by | Yoshitaka Fujimoto |
Written by | Hideki Shirane |
Music by | Angel Note |
Studio | Arms Corporation |
Licensed by | |
Original network | AT-X, Chiba TV, Nagoya Broadcasting Network, Sun TV, TV Saitama, TVK |
Original run | April 3, 2006 – June 19, 2006 |
Episodes | 12 |
It was adapted in 2006 into an anime television series, entitled Joshikōsei Girl's High (女子高生 GIRL'S-HIGH, Joshikōsei Gāruzu Hai), which premiered in Japan on April 3, 2006 and completed its 12-episode run on June 19, 2006. It was produced by Genco, animated by ARMS, written by Hideki Shirane, and directed by Yoshitaka Fujimoto (director of the anime Cyber Team in Akihabara and Nuku Nuku TV).
A Girl's High PlayStation 2 video game, Joshikōsei Game's High (女子高生 GAME'S-HIGH!!, joshikōsei gēmuzu hai) was made and released in late September, 2006.[1]
The manga series was published in North America by DrMaster (formerly ComicsOne), whereas the anime was distributed across the region by Media Blasters, which released the series under the name Girl's High. The series premiered on Toku in the United States on January 2016.
Plot
Eriko and her friends Yuma and Ayano are excited about entering their first year of high school at Yamasaki Academy. Their excitement leads to their breaking of the rules when they toured the school before the opening ceremony. They find out their preconceptions about the school may not be as true as they had first thought. Despite that, Eriko and her friends are joined by new friends. They aim to get through high school life together.
Characters
Main characters
- Eriko Takahashi (高橋 絵里子, Takahashi Eriko)
- Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame[2]
- The happy-go-lucky main character of the story, Eriko gets good grades but is nevertheless quite clumsy and not at all athletically coordinated (unless it is to escape the many perverts who often cross her path). She tends to be the main victim of the perverted actions (accidental or not) of Odagiri, though she occasionally uses this to blackmail him. Described a few times as "A nosy busybody", Eriko tends to go out of her way to find out people's problems. She's also quite fickle. Eriko is frightened of injections.
- Yuma Suzuki (鈴木 由真, Suzuki Yuma)
- Voiced by: Masumi Asano[2]
- Eriko's friend since middle-school. The two got off to a bad start, but found they had interests in common. Yuma has dyed blonde hair. Yuma has made a career of being the school's best cheater, although she still gets bad grades. She has a younger sister, Momoka. Yuma often pairs up with Eriko, such as in Episode 2 and Episode 7. She is the most short-tempered of the group. Her bunches are something of a trademark, as Odagiri didn't recognize her from behind when she wore it in a bun. She tends to lack in prudence, and ever willing to have fun.
- Ayano Sato (佐藤 綾乃, Satō Ayano)
- Voiced by: Mamiko Noto[2]
- Yuma's life-long friend. They are very close. Ayano is the ingenue of the group. She wears glasses and her hair in plaits, implying an innocent personality, though she has a vivid imagination which often leads to perverted fantasies (as hinted in her eyecatch). By far the most dim-witted of the group, but out of all the main characters, she is the only one with a steady boyfriend (Takanori Shimotakatani). She often is victim to getting hit by the others for PDA's.
- Akari Kouda (香田 あかり, Kōda Akari)
- Voiced by: Satsuki Yukino[2]
- A very rich girl (as seen in her designer accessories from Gucci, Cartier and Prada), Akari is at first a rival to Eriko's group, but she quickly becomes friends with them after they brag about going to school with boys. An "insider" (a girl who transfers from the junior high branch of the private school rather than passing an entrance exam, like Eriko and friends did, to get in) who uses her knowledge of the school ways to show the others the ropes. Kouda aspires to become a famous actress, using all of her energy to be as outrageous as possible, so as to leave a lasting impression. She has the habit of dressing in completely bizarre outfits to gain attention, only to change into more normal clothes a split second later.
- Kyoko Himeji (姫路 京子, Himeji Kyōko)
- Voiced by: Kyoko Hikami[2]
- A friend of Akari's who is the first person that the girls know in their age group who loses her virginity. She is assumed part of Eriko's "Moron Group" much to her chagrin. Himeji is often flippant in her sex life, letting guys get the better of her, since she is easily tempted. She used to be overweight, but her crush on Odagiri gave her the incentive to lose weight. She is the most protective of Ogawa, and has the largest breasts, much to Kouda's chagrin.
- Ikue Ogawa (小川 育恵, Ogawa Ikue)
- Voiced by: Sawa Ishige[2]
- A close friend of Kyoko's, which makes her a member of the group by default. She is the cute, petite girl of the group who acts as young as she looks. ikue usually comes up with the stupidest, almost Mr. Bean-ish solutions (giving Eriko a "mini sleeping pill" to help her relax because she had been up all night watching Doraemon videos) and games (spilling floor wax and using the cloth to slide on). She loves candy and is very fond of sleeping. She calls Kyoko 'Hime-chan' and appears fond of her. Ikue is the daughter of a drugstore's owner.
Supporting characters
- Yuichiro "Idol" Odagiri (アイドル小田桐雄一郎, Aidoru Odagiri Yūichirō)
- Voiced by: Mitsuaki Madono
- The deluded science teacher who believes that he is attractive simply because he is one of the youngest male teachers at Saki Girl's. Often the butt of many pranks by Eriko and her group, Himeji used to have a crush on him before she discovered how vain he is. Chapter 69 is told from his point of view, showing him to be far less vain and perverted than the girls believe him to be.
- Root Hara (ルート原)
- The desperate male math teacher of Saki Girl's. Constantly seen wearing an out-dated 1970s style leisure suit (which is later burned at a school bonfire), decidedly elected as "The teacher who most likely needs Viagra".
- Kamei (ミス亀井)
- Female Health Ed. teacher at Saki Girl's. A bitter older woman who always seems to have a scowl on her face. She dyes her hair black to cover her grays (even though hair dyeing is against the Saki Girl's rules).
- Kaoru "Macho" Matsuo (マッチョ松尾薫, Macho Matsuo Kaoru)
- Voiced by: Keijin Okuda
- The hairy, muscular, infallible P.E. teacher at Saki Girl's who has taken a liking to Eriko.
- Hitler Iwato (ヒトラー岩戸)
- Curiously named Head & classics teacher.
- Takanori Shimotakatani (下高谷孝則, Shimotakatani Takanori)
- Voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima
- Ayano's boyfriend whom she met at the "Meet the Boys" festival. Eriko and pals, as well as Ayano's mother and sister, are usually trying to get Ayano to lose her virginity to him, mostly without the couple's consent. He is a fan of Takeshi Kouda(Kouda's older brother) He has a glasses fetish.
- Momoka Suzuki (鈴木桃香, Suzuki Momoka)
- Voiced by: Ai Shimizu[2]
- Yuma's delinquent, tsundere and near-evil younger sister, who harbors a hatred for Yuma and her friends, but later befriends Yuma's friends. She is often mistaken as a celebrity, and she uses to manipulate people and flirt with boys. The cause of her poor relationship is because Yuma always protect Momoka and she felt useless, so she refused to go to the same school that her sister, causing their bad relationship. It is later shown that although she claims to dislike her sister, Momoka truly loves her sister and misses her when Yuma is away on a trip, and vice versa. Later, her sibling relation with Yuma gets better in the series, and finally she goes to her sister's high school, making their relationship good again.
- Fumino Sato (佐藤史乃, Satō Fumino)
- Voiced by: Eri Saito
- Ayano's attractive, unlucky in love older sister. It is somewhat hinted that she and Ayano had different fathers.
- Taeko "Choko" Sato (佐藤蝶子, Satō Taeko)
- Voiced by: Masako Isobe
- Ayano's unattractive mother, owner of Bar Choko. Also unlucky in love.
- Takeshi Kouda (香田たけし, Kōda Takeshi)
- Akari's elder brother, trying to make it big as a rock star. Unemployed and a womanizer, although he has been seen to occasionally date Ayano's sister Fumino.
Episodes
Episode | Japanese title | Translation | Original airdate |
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1 | 女子高生はバカである。 | High School Girls Are Idiots | April 3, 2006 |
2 | 身体検査は乙女の恥じらいの薫り。 | Physical Exams... The Scent of a Woman's Shyness | April 10, 2006 |
3 | 恋して、ダマして、ラブホテル? | Love, Deception, and a Love Hotel? | April 17, 2006 |
4 | 祝!咲女はいまだにブルマーです。 | Hooray! We Still Wear Bloomers At Sakijo! | April 24, 2006 |
5 | 水着と美少女とマッチョな先生。 | Swimsuits, A Hot Girl, And A Macho Teacher | May 1, 2006 |
6 | 亀裂。 | Rift | May 8, 2006 |
7 | 間違って教え子をナンパすると大変なことになるという実例。 | A Terrible Example of the Consequences... | May 15, 2006 |
8 | ウチらも昔は若かった。~バック・トゥ・ザ・数年前~ | Long Ago, We Were Young Too | May 22, 2006 |
9 | さらば!香田あかり。 | Farewell! Akari Kouda | May 29, 2006 |
10 | メガネ!メガネ!メガネ! | Glasses! Glasses! Glasses! | June 5, 2006 |
11 | 咲女悲恋譚。~想い、歳月を超えて~ | Tales of Tragic Love At Sakijo | June 12, 2006 |
12 | バカ、果てしなくバカ。 | Stupidity, Never Ending Stupidity | June 19, 2006 |
ISBN
English translations published by ComicsOne
- Volume 1: ISBN 1-58899-200-4
- Volume 2: ISBN 1-58899-201-2
English translations published by Dr. Master Productions Inc.
- Volume 3: ISBN 1-58899-202-0
- Volume 4: ISBN 1-59796-084-5
- Volume 5: ISBN 1-59796-058-6
- Volume 6: ISBN 1-59796-059-4
- Volume 7: ISBN 1-59796-051-9
- Volume 8: ISBN 1-59796-052-7
- Volume 9: ISBN 1-59796-005-5 (28 March 2008)
References
- "女子高生 GAME'S-HIGH !!". Archived from the original on 2013-11-29. Retrieved 2006-06-21.
- http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-10-22/high-school-girls-anime
External links
- Manga listing at Futabasha (in Japanese)
- Anime official website (in Japanese)
- High School Girls (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia