The world of manga and anime is sometimes very self-aware, and some popular series feature characters who actually draw their own manga or launch their own animation studio, with Bakuman being a popular example. However, this title isn't the only one. A more humorous and carefree take on the "manga about manga" concept is the popular series Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun.
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun doesn't have an overarching plotline but rather sustains itself on a simple premise and an ever-expanding cast of fun-loving characters who play off each other in a dazzling variety of amusing situations. The manga artist in question is Umetaro Nozaki, and he and his admirer/assistant Chiyo Sakura are ready to welcome new fans to the world of Nozaki-Kun.
The Plot Of Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun
The titular hero of this comedy series, Umetaro Nozaki, is a brawny but gentle high school senior who is already a published shojo manga artist, drawing a popular series titled Let's Fall in Love, serialized in a mainstream magazine. Nozaki takes humble pride in his work, even if he exasperates his editor with bizarre new chapter ideas, and he also welcomes many new assistants to his studio to make the best manga possible. One of his first recruits is his admirer, a petite and energetic girl named Chiyo Sakura. She finally found the courage to confess her amorous feelings to Nozaki -- only for him to politely and platonically offer her a role as his assistant.
Chiyo may be frustrated by Nozaki's aromantic response, but she does love shojo and art, and she takes her new duty seriously. She and Nozaki draw inspiration from their carnival-like daily life at high school to draw new chapters of Let's Fall in Love, and over time, more and more friends join Nozaki's team as inkers, background experts and more. However, half the time, Chiyo hardly has her mind on shojo manga, instead getting swept up in the humorous, zany, bizarre and sometimes romantic antics around her. Her many classmates all have their own crushes, goals and misunderstandings, and Chiyo loves it all.
Where To Read The Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun Manga
The Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun manga series is ongoing, although collectors should take note that new volumes come out very slowly both in Japan and in the West, so collecting future volumes will require serious patience. As of this writing, there are 12 single volumes of Nozaki-Kun translated into English, with no sign of volume 13's translation yet. For now, the series is available only in those single volumes, with no hardback deluxe editions or omnibus editions on the market.
Interested collectors of manga can start with online vendors such as Barnes & Noble's catalog, which includes all 12 current volumes of Nozaki-Kun, both in paperback print editions and Nook e-reader versions for fans of digital media. This series is also available at Right Stuf Anime as paperbacks, and Amazon's book department has the 12 volumes as paperbacks and as digital volumes on Kindle.
Where To Watch The Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun Anime
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun has a 12-episode anime to its name, and this single season of the anime can be either streamed online or purchased on Blu-ray DVD. Anime fans looking to stream the Nozaki-Kun anime can try Netflix, which features this anime in Japanese, English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese dubs, with subtitles in English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. Crunchyroll likewise streams all 12 episodes of Nozaki-Kun, dubbed in Japanese with English, Latin American Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles.
Anime fans can try the Blu-ray release of Nozaki-Kun if they wish, which is available in Amazon's online catalog as well as Right Stuf Anime's own online catalog. The Blu-ray edition is dubbed in Japanese and English, but has only English subtitles.
