Love Roma
| Love Roma | |
 Cover of the first volume | |
| ラブロマ (Rabu Roma) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Romantic comedy[1] |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Minoru Toyoda |
| Published by |
|
| English publisher | |
| Magazine | Monthly Afternoon |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Original run | 2003 – 2005 |
| Volumes | 5 |
Love Roma (Japanese: ラブロマ, Hepburn: Rabu Roma) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Minoru Toyoda. It was serialized in Kodansha's magazine Monthly Afternoon from 2003 to 2005 and published in five volumes.
Plot
[edit]In the middle of class, Hoshino asks Negishi to go out with him. Negishi refuses, so they settle on walking home together, to the amusement of the class. The next day, Negishi asks Hoshino to go out with her.
Characters
[edit]- Hajime Hoshino (星野一, Hoshino Hajime)
- An honest guy who always says what he thinks. He has loved Negishi since the first moment he saw her, but he did not have the courage to act upon according to his feelings; from that moment on, he decided he would always be honest.
- Yumiko Negishi (根岸由美子, Negishi Yumiko)
- The girl Hoshino loves; she has more common sense than he does, and thus she often slaps or punches him out of embarrassment. She gets embarrassed when their relationship is put on display to the high school public. Negishi is a horrible cook who can barely make any edible food.
- Yoko Meguro (目黒陽子, Meguro Yoko)
- Negishi's best friend. She often thinks of absurd plans for Hoshino. Despite this, she supports their relationship.
- Toshio Tsukahara (塚原敏男, Tsukahara Toshio)
- Hoshino's best friend. Unlike Hoshino, he tends to be rational in his decision-making. Although he generally sees through Yoko's pranks he stays silent, preferring to be the onlooker.
- Wada (和田さん)
- A member of the Occult Research Club.
- Yoshitsune (水元義経)
- A member of Tsukahara's band and Hoshino's classmate.
Publication
[edit]Written and illustrated by Minoru Toyoda, the series originated as a one-shot that won the Afternoon Shiki Award's Grand Prize. The one-shot was turned into a full series, which began serialization in Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon in 2003.[2] The series completed serialization in 2005. Its individual chapters were collected into five tankōbon volumes.[2] In 2012, Shogakukan began re-releasing the volumes.[2]
In February 2005, Del Rey Manga announced that they licensed the series for English publication.[3]
Volumes
[edit]| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 18, 2003[4] | 978-4-06-314330-0 | August 30, 2005[3][5] | 978-0-34-548262-4 |
| 2 | April 23, 2004[6] | 978-4-06-314346-1 | January 2006[5] | 978-0-34-548263-1 |
| 3 | September 22, 2004[7] | 978-4-06-314354-6 | June 2006[5] | 978-0-34-548264-8 |
| 4 | April 22, 2005[8] | 978-4-06-314375-1 | October 2006[5] | 978-0-34-548265-5 |
| 5 | December 22, 2005[9] | 978-4-06-314397-3 | February 2007[5] | 978-0-34-549251-7 |
Reception
[edit]Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network described it as a "warm, honest adolescent love story", while also stating that it can be repetitive at times.[10] A reviewer for Publishers Weekly expressed similar opinions on the story as Kimlinger. They also compared the illustrations to those of John Porcellino and Jeffrey Brown.[11] In Manga: The Complete Guide, Jason Thompson wrote that the artwork, which he felt was similar to indie comics, complemented the story well.[12]
See also
[edit]- Kongōji-san wa Mendōkusai, another manga series by the same author
- Kore Kaite Shine, another manga series by the same author
References
[edit]- ^ ラブロマ. Mangapedia (in Japanese). Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c 「ラブロマ」新装版1巻「タケヲ」新刊、とよ田みのる同発. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. September 12, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Macdonald, Christopher (February 25, 2005). "New Manga Licenses". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
- ^ ラブロマ（１） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Love Roma". Del Rey Manga. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ ラブロマ（２） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ ラブロマ（３） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ ラブロマ（４） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ ラブロマ（５） ＜完＞ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ Kimlinger, Carl (December 23, 2006). "Review: Love Roma G.novel 1-3". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ "Love Roma Book 1". Publishers Weekly. September 2005. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ Thompson, Jason (July 3, 2012). Manga: The Complete Guide (Google Play Books). Del Rey Books. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-34-553944-1.
External links
[edit]- Love Roma at Anime News Network's encyclopedia