Girlfriend, Girlfriend was partially inspired by the empathy creator Hiroyuki felt for the romantic interests who don't end up with the protagonist at the end of stories.
In a new interview with Crunchyroll, Hiroyoki revealed that they were inspired to create Girlfriend, Girlfriend after having a discussion about another romance manga. "I wasn't inspired by anything in particular, but during a meeting with my editor, when I proposed this story, they mentioned that in The Quintessential Quintuplets, one girl is chosen," Hiroyuki said, adding, "While discussing how we felt bad for the girls who weren't chosen, we wondered what it would be like to write a story in which everyone could be saved." The Quintessential Quintuplets is a manga written by Negi Haruba and tells the story of the academically gifted but financially destitute Futaro Uesugi, who takes a job tutoring the five daughters of the wealthy Nakano family. The story states up front that Uesugi will eventually end up marrying one of the five girls, and keeps readers guessing as to who he will end up with throughout the course of the series.
Hiroyuki elaborated further, stating that Girlfriend, Girlfriend developed through his desire to use manga as a platform to tell stories that aren't necessarily realistic. "I'd like to do something that can't be done in the real world. Even though plenty of attractive girls appear in manga, having to ultimately choose only one of them feels like a wasted opportunity, so I was wondering if something could be done about that," the author said. "I want to explore life's possibilities. For example, if I were in that situation, I'm not certain that I'd be 100 percent voluntarily pushing around my girlfriend. If something is even slightly possible, I want to explore it."
Girlfriend, Girlfriend tells the story of Naoya, a high school student who has finally begun a relationship with the girl he's always had a crush on, Saki. Just as Naoya and Saki's relationship begins to grow, however, another girl, Nagisa, confesses her love for Naoya. Faced with the impossible decision of choosing between the two, Naoya picks a third option -- he will date them both, at the same time, with their permission.
Hiroyuki's manga was first published in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine in March 2020. The manga was adapted into an anime series by Tezuka Productions, the animation studio founded by Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka, which also animated the previously mentioned The Quintessential Quintuplets, as well as shows such as Dagashi Kashi and Black Jack.
Hiroyuki's full interview, which also includes their thoughts on their past experiences in the manga industry, as well as their process for working with animation studios, can be read on Crunchyroll. The anime of Girlfriend, Girlfriend is currently airing in Japan and is being simulcast on Crunchyroll.
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Source: Crunchyroll
