Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki has become a multimedia franchise in its five short years of existence. This success has seen the slice of life rom-com go from light novel to manga and finally an anime adaptation in recent months. Western fans can dive into the most prominent parts of the franchise, but sadly, some adaptations are still only available in Japan.
Featuring an awkward gamer who attempts to become more sociable in real life, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki is an endearing and inventive slice of life story. Here's more on what the series is about, as well as how viewers and readers can get hold of the books and anime.
The Plot of Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki stars the eponymous Fumiya Tomozaki, an avid high school gamer and one of the best in the world at the game "Tackfam." Unfortunately, he's so far failed to translate his gaming realm successes into the real world, as he's held back by social inadequacies. Deeming himself a failure at socializing, he feels resigned to the fate of a "bottom-tier character" in the game of life.
He soon meets Aoi Hinami, a classmate from school who's nearly as good at Tackfam as he is while also being much more popular and social. She takes Tomozaki under her wing, teaching him the strict rules of the hardest game of all: life. From there, the stories follow slice of life adventures involving social discomfort, prominent school activities and even romance.
Where to Read Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki is written by Yuki Yaku and illustrated by Fly, beginning as a series of light novels back in 2016 and still being published to this day. A manga adaptation began in 2017, with its six volumes of content ending earlier this year. A spinoff manga titled Nanami Minami wa Kagayakitai began last winter, so far amassing two volumes.
The light novels have been mostly released in English, though the three most recent volumes remain only in Japanese for now. Most are widely available through Amazon, Books-a-Million, RightStufAnime and Barnes & Noble. Sadly, both of the manga are still Japanese exclusive with no official translation just yet. With the anime's success, however, this could change in the coming months, especially with the manga now complete.
Where to Watch Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki
Project No. 9 handled Season 1 of the Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki anime, which was announced back in 2019 before being officially confirmed in 2020. The show was licensed in the West through Funimation, which released dubbed episodes a day after their Japanese airing.
The anime aired from January-March 2021, with DVD and Blu-ray releases soon following in Japan and including two OVAs that expand the story even further. Western viewers can watch the show through Funimation's streaming service, but physical copies have yet to be released outside of Japan. It's currently unknown if there will be future seasons of Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki to watch in the future, but given that the light novels are still being written, it's likely.
