Watashitachi no Tamura-kun
Encyclopedia
is a two-volume Japan
ese light novel
series by Yuyuko Takemiya
, with illustrations by Yasu
. The first volume was released on June 10, 2005, and the second followed on September 10, 2005, both published by MediaWorks
under their Dengeki Bunko
label. A manga
adaptation by Sachi Kurafuji started serialization in the shōnen
manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao!
on May 27, 2006, also published by MediaWorks. As of January 26, 2008, three bound volumes
of the manga have been released, and the manga ended serialization on February 27, 2008. A radio drama
was also produced based on the series, and a two-disc compilation of the drama was released on April 30, 2007.
Watashitachi no Tamura-kuns main story revolves around the title character Yukisada Tamura, who is in his third year of junior-high school when the story begins. Yukisada has become captivated by a strange girl named Komaki Matsuzawa who says that her birthplace was on another planet and she is trying to go back. One day, Yukisada confesses his affections to Komaki, but immediately following this, Komaki's grandmother dies and she has to move away. They both manage to keep in contact for a while by writing letters, though Komaki stops writing around the time of the high school entrance exams. When Yukisada enters high school, he becomes concerned with one of his female classmates named Hiroka Sōma. In junior-high, Hiroka was constantly bullied, which would cause her to stay home, eventually causing her to become isolated and helpless. Yukisada chooses not to ignore her like most of his other classmates, and instead starts encouraging her and helps her to build her self-esteem. Before long, Hiroka falls for Yukisada, and one day confesses her love to him. During this time, Yukisada has kept in contact with Komaki and has mentioned Hiroka in his letters. Thereupon, one day after a long time, a letter arrives from Komaki to Yukisada asking who exactly is Hiroka. Yukisada later faces a complicated situation involving his old love Komaki and his new love Hiroka.
Side story
The two-chapter side story
entitled concerns Yukisada Tamura's good friend, Shinichi Takaura and his younger half-sister, Io Tamai. Io detests anything related to matters of love or affection and is very anti-social. Seeing this, Shinichi attempts to rehabilitate his half-sister in the matter of love.
s written by Yuyuko Takemiya
and drawn by Yasu
. The novels are published by MediaWorks
under their Dengeki Bunko
publishing label. The first novel was released on June 10, 2005, and the second followed on September 10, 2005. The series comprises three main chapters and two extra side story
chapters; the first volume contains the first two main chapters and the first side story chapter, while the second volume contains the third main chapter and the second side story chapter. The first main chapter was serialized in the autumn 2004 edition of Dengeki hp Special, a special edition version MediaWorks' now-defunct light novel magazine Dengeki hp
. The second main chapter was serialized in Dengeki hp between thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth volumes.
There were also a series of stories not collected into bound volumes. The first was a short story called "Watashitashi no Chō! Tamura-kun" which appeared in the November 2005 issue of the light novel anthology magazine Dengeki hPa. Another called "Himitsu Melancholy" appeared in the Watashitashi no Tamura-kun First Fan Book which came bundled with the July 2006 issue of Dengeki Comic Gao!
. The last was an additional story added to the drama CD named "Ohige Girls".
adaptation was serialized in the Japanese shōnen
manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao!
between May 27, 2006 and February 27, 2008, published by MediaWorks
. The manga takes its story from the light novels that preceded it, and is illustrated by Sachi Kurafuji. The chapters were collected into four bound volumes
published under MediaWorks' Dengeki Comics
label released between December 16, 2006 and June 27, 2008.
based on the main story from the light novels aired on MediaWorks' radio program Dengeki Taishō
between December 23, 2006 and January 13, 2007 containing four episodes. The radio drama aired on three Japanese radio station
s: Nippon Cultural Broadcasting
, Radio Osaka
, and Tokai Radio Broadcasting
. The drama was later released as a two-disc drama CD set on April 30, 2007; the drama is approximately ninety-five minutes in length. The CD package also contained an original short story written by the author of the novels named "Ohige Girls", two cell phone straps
and charms
each, and a computer desktop wallpaper accessible via the second CD.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
series by Yuyuko Takemiya
Yuyuko Takemiya
is a Japanese writer of light novels. Takemiya debuted in September 2004 with her light novel series Watashitachi no Tamura-kun which first appeared in the autumn 2004 issue of Dengeki hp Special, a special edition version of Dengeki hp...
, with illustrations by Yasu
Yasu (illustrator)
is a Japanese illustrator from Tokushima, Japan, though now lives in Tokyo. As of 2007, Yasu is a free illustrator.-Works:Light novels*Koe de Bakasete yo Baby*Oto × Maho*Phantom*Reverse Brad*Toradora!*Watashitachi no Tamura-kun...
. The first volume was released on June 10, 2005, and the second followed on September 10, 2005, both published by MediaWorks
MediaWorks (publisher)
was a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group known for their brand magazines and book labels. These included such well-known magazines as Dengeki Daioh, and Dengeki G's Magazine, along with MediaWorks' main light novel publishing imprint Dengeki Bunko. The company was merged with ASCII...
under their Dengeki Bunko
Dengeki Bunko
is a publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works . It was established in June 1993 with the publication of Hyōryū Densetsu Crystania volume one, and is a light novel imprint aimed at a male audience...
label. A manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
adaptation by Sachi Kurafuji started serialization in the shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao!
Dengeki Comic Gao!
, also known as Dengeki Gao! as was a Japanese shōnen manga magazine that primarily contained manga and information about series featuring bishōjo characters. It was published from December 1992 to February 2008 by MediaWorks. The Gao in the magazine's title is a childish form of the sound Grr...
on May 27, 2006, also published by MediaWorks. As of January 26, 2008, three bound volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
of the manga have been released, and the manga ended serialization on February 27, 2008. A radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
was also produced based on the series, and a two-disc compilation of the drama was released on April 30, 2007.
Story
Main storyWatashitachi no Tamura-kuns main story revolves around the title character Yukisada Tamura, who is in his third year of junior-high school when the story begins. Yukisada has become captivated by a strange girl named Komaki Matsuzawa who says that her birthplace was on another planet and she is trying to go back. One day, Yukisada confesses his affections to Komaki, but immediately following this, Komaki's grandmother dies and she has to move away. They both manage to keep in contact for a while by writing letters, though Komaki stops writing around the time of the high school entrance exams. When Yukisada enters high school, he becomes concerned with one of his female classmates named Hiroka Sōma. In junior-high, Hiroka was constantly bullied, which would cause her to stay home, eventually causing her to become isolated and helpless. Yukisada chooses not to ignore her like most of his other classmates, and instead starts encouraging her and helps her to build her self-esteem. Before long, Hiroka falls for Yukisada, and one day confesses her love to him. During this time, Yukisada has kept in contact with Komaki and has mentioned Hiroka in his letters. Thereupon, one day after a long time, a letter arrives from Komaki to Yukisada asking who exactly is Hiroka. Yukisada later faces a complicated situation involving his old love Komaki and his new love Hiroka.
Side story
The two-chapter side story
Side story
A side story is a story that occurs alongside established stories set within a fictional universe. As opposed to a prequel, sequel, or interquel, a side story takes place within the same time frame as an existing work....
entitled concerns Yukisada Tamura's good friend, Shinichi Takaura and his younger half-sister, Io Tamai. Io detests anything related to matters of love or affection and is very anti-social. Seeing this, Shinichi attempts to rehabilitate his half-sister in the matter of love.
Characters
- Yukisada is the protagonist of the story. At one point, he loved learning about bugs, but has since moved on to the manners and customs during the Kamakura periodKamakura periodThe is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
in Japan. The story begins with him in his third year of junior-high school. He falls in love with his classmate and friend Komaki Matsuzawa, and manages to confess to her one day. However, she moves away almost immediately after due to her grandmother's death. Yukisada lives in a five-person household with his two parents, and an older and younger brother. Basically, he is a frivolous person who easily gets carried away. His favorite meals are eel and home-made jiaoziJiaoziJiǎozi 餃子 or 饺子 , bánh bột luộc , gyōza , Mo:Mo: or Momocha म:म: or ममचा , or pot sticker is a Chinese dumpling widely spread to Japan, Eastern and Western Asia.Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into...
. He finds inspiration from Hōjō TokimuneHojo Tokimuneof the Hōjō clan was the eighth shikken of the Kamakura shogunate , known for leading the Japanese forces against the invasion of the Mongols and for spreading Zen Buddhism and by extension Bushido among the warrior class.- Life :Born as the eldest son of the regent and Tokuso Tokiyori of the...
, though his dream is to be someone as great as Emperor JimmuEmperor Jimmuwas the first Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He is also known as Kamuyamato Iwarebiko and personally as Wakamikenu no Mikoto or Sano no Mikoto....
.
- Komaki is Yukisada's classmate during their third year of junior-high school. During an accident when she was twelve, she lost both her parents and her older brother. Due to this, she turned very reserved and quiet. When she entered her third year of junior-high, she met Yukisada and little by little opened her heart to him. However, during summer vacation shortly after that school year began, her grandmother dies and she has to move away to a far distant relative's house. She is a very strange girl who says she was born on another planet and wants to go back. In school, she always gets top grades, and is on the track team at her school under the 200 meter dash200 metresA 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
event. Her favorite food is curryCurryCurry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
.
- Hiroka is Yukisada's classmate during their first year of high school. While thought to be very beautiful, she acts cold towards others so most people leave her alone; she was given the nickname "TundraTundraIn physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
Queen" due to her standoffish personality. During her junior-high school life, she was bullied constantly and even did not go to school for a year because of it. In high school during exam time, she gets help from Yukisada's older brother Nao as a tutor to go over things she learned in school. Some of her classmates from her junior-high still attempt to tease her, though Yukisada does his best to encourage her and help to build back her self-esteem. Due to this, Hiroka becomes quite attached to Yukisada and even one day confesses her love to him; eventually, Hiroka shares her first kiss with Yukisada. Hiroka is also very good at cooking.
- Hachiya is the school nurse at Yukisada's high school. She likes to encourage Hiroka as well and indoctrinates Hiroka and Yukisada about various things. Her nickname in school is .
- Shinichi is a good friend of Yukisada and they have known each other at least since junior-high school when Shinichi was the class representative of their class. One way or another, he is constantly worrying about his younger half-sister Io.
- Io is Shinichi's half-sister born from Shinichi's father and his mistress. Her mother enjoys trifling with the Takaura family's assets, which makes Io disdain her. Since her familial life is rather complicated, she has gone through different interests from reading books, to researching black magicBlack magicBlack magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
, and even ran a website dedicated to aestheticsAestheticsAesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
. She is extremely disgusted by anything pertaining to love or attraction. She has a pet Shiba InuShiba InuThe is the smallest of the six original and distinct breeds of dog from Japan.A small, agile dog that copes very well with mountainous terrain, the Shiba Inu was originally bred for hunting. It is similar in appearance to the Akita, though much smaller in stature...
named Potato.
- Reiko is Io's mother. Since she is Shinichi's father's mistress, she lives in their house. She constantly has fights with members of the Takaura family or her daughter but has a surprisingly good relationship with Shinichi as she sees him as a good role model for Io.
- Nao is Yukisada's three-year-older brother. He has a sharp mind and spends much of his time attending university. He also helps tutor Hiroka with her school work. In short, he is a very dependable older brother. He also constantly concerns himself with matters of JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
lexiconLexiconIn linguistics, the lexicon of a language is its vocabulary, including its words and expressions. A lexicon is also a synonym of the word thesaurus. More formally, it is a language's inventory of lexemes. Coined in English 1603, the word "lexicon" derives from the Greek "λεξικόν" , neut...
.
- Takayuki is Yukisada's three-year-younger brother. He enjoys playing sports and is popular with girls. During his sixth year of elementary school, he devotes much of his time to playing soccer.
- Ritsuka is Komaki's classmate during their first year of high school. Like Komaki, she also has someone she likes and misses due to distance between each other. She is the main character from the short side story "Himitsu Melancholy".
- Yōko is the class representative of Yukisada's class during their first year of high school. She also appears in the short side story "Ohige Girls".
Light novels
Watashitachi no Tamura-kun began as two-volume series of light novelLight novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
s written by Yuyuko Takemiya
Yuyuko Takemiya
is a Japanese writer of light novels. Takemiya debuted in September 2004 with her light novel series Watashitachi no Tamura-kun which first appeared in the autumn 2004 issue of Dengeki hp Special, a special edition version of Dengeki hp...
and drawn by Yasu
Yasu (illustrator)
is a Japanese illustrator from Tokushima, Japan, though now lives in Tokyo. As of 2007, Yasu is a free illustrator.-Works:Light novels*Koe de Bakasete yo Baby*Oto × Maho*Phantom*Reverse Brad*Toradora!*Watashitachi no Tamura-kun...
. The novels are published by MediaWorks
MediaWorks (publisher)
was a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group known for their brand magazines and book labels. These included such well-known magazines as Dengeki Daioh, and Dengeki G's Magazine, along with MediaWorks' main light novel publishing imprint Dengeki Bunko. The company was merged with ASCII...
under their Dengeki Bunko
Dengeki Bunko
is a publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works . It was established in June 1993 with the publication of Hyōryū Densetsu Crystania volume one, and is a light novel imprint aimed at a male audience...
publishing label. The first novel was released on June 10, 2005, and the second followed on September 10, 2005. The series comprises three main chapters and two extra side story
Side story
A side story is a story that occurs alongside established stories set within a fictional universe. As opposed to a prequel, sequel, or interquel, a side story takes place within the same time frame as an existing work....
chapters; the first volume contains the first two main chapters and the first side story chapter, while the second volume contains the third main chapter and the second side story chapter. The first main chapter was serialized in the autumn 2004 edition of Dengeki hp Special, a special edition version MediaWorks' now-defunct light novel magazine Dengeki hp
Dengeki hp
was a Japanese seinen magazine published by MediaWorks centered on publishing light novels. The first issue was released on December 18, 1998, and for the first eight issues was published quarterly; after this, it is being published bimonthly...
. The second main chapter was serialized in Dengeki hp between thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth volumes.
Dengeki Comic Gao!
, also known as Dengeki Gao! as was a Japanese shōnen manga magazine that primarily contained manga and information about series featuring bishōjo characters. It was published from December 1992 to February 2008 by MediaWorks. The Gao in the magazine's title is a childish form of the sound Grr...
. The last was an additional story added to the drama CD named "Ohige Girls".
Manga
A mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
adaptation was serialized in the Japanese shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao!
Dengeki Comic Gao!
, also known as Dengeki Gao! as was a Japanese shōnen manga magazine that primarily contained manga and information about series featuring bishōjo characters. It was published from December 1992 to February 2008 by MediaWorks. The Gao in the magazine's title is a childish form of the sound Grr...
between May 27, 2006 and February 27, 2008, published by MediaWorks
MediaWorks (publisher)
was a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group known for their brand magazines and book labels. These included such well-known magazines as Dengeki Daioh, and Dengeki G's Magazine, along with MediaWorks' main light novel publishing imprint Dengeki Bunko. The company was merged with ASCII...
. The manga takes its story from the light novels that preceded it, and is illustrated by Sachi Kurafuji. The chapters were collected into four bound volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
published under MediaWorks' Dengeki Comics
Dengeki Comics
is a manga publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works and is aimed at a male audience. Aside from the main Dengeki Comics label, there is the related Dengeki Comics EX label which publishes a lesser number of manga volumes...
label released between December 16, 2006 and June 27, 2008.
Radio drama
A radio dramaRadio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
based on the main story from the light novels aired on MediaWorks' radio program Dengeki Taishō
Dengeki Taisho
is a Japanese radio program broadcast by Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, Radio Osaka, and Tokai Radio Broadcasting which first aired in October 1994, and is produced by ASCII Media Works . The program airs late at night on the weekend ranging between either 1:00-1:30 AM, 1:30-2:00 AM, or 2:00-2:30 AM...
between December 23, 2006 and January 13, 2007 containing four episodes. The radio drama aired on three Japanese radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s: Nippon Cultural Broadcasting
Nippon Cultural Broadcasting
is a Japanese radio station in Tokyo which broadcasts to the Kanto area. It is one of the two flagship radio stations of National Radio Network and also has a relationship with JOLF and Fuji Television....
, Radio Osaka
Osaka Broadcasting Corporation
is an AM radio station of National Radio Network in Osaka, Japan, and it is known as "Radio Osaka ". It is also a company of Sankei Shimbun Group in Fujisankei Communications Group...
, and Tokai Radio Broadcasting
Tokai Radio Broadcasting
Tokai Radio Broadcasting. Company Limited is a Japanese radio broadcasting company serving the areas of Aichi Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, and Mie Prefecture.- Aichi Prefecture :* Nagoya JOSF 1332 kHz 50 kW* Toyohashi JOSM 864 kHz 100 W...
. The drama was later released as a two-disc drama CD set on April 30, 2007; the drama is approximately ninety-five minutes in length. The CD package also contained an original short story written by the author of the novels named "Ohige Girls", two cell phone straps
Phone strap
A phone strap, cell phone strap, or mobile phone strap, was originally a string or loop to help the user hold their cell phone, which was invented and became popular in Japan where they are known as in Japanese...
and charms
Mobile phone charms
Mobile phone charms are charms that are connected to a mobile phone using a small strap. Many phones have a loop hole through which a strap can be attached.-History:...
each, and a computer desktop wallpaper accessible via the second CD.