Classmates (manga)


Classmates, also known as Doukyusei, is a Japanese yaoi manga series written and illustrated by Asumiko Nakamura. The series follows the relationship between students Rihito Sajō and Hikaru Kusakabe, who meet while attending an all-boys high school. First published in the manga magazine Opera in July 2006, Classmates has spawned multiple sequels and spinoffs: Sotsu Gyo Sei, Sora to Hara, O.B., and Blanc. An anime film adaption of the first volume of the series, Doukyusei: Classmates, was released by A-1 Pictures in February 2016.

Synopsis

''Dou Kyu Sei'' (''Classmates'')

While attending summer school to study for college entrance exams, student Hikaru Kusakabe notes that classmate Rihito Sajō does not sing at choir practice, opting to instead mouth along to the words. Hikaru offers to help Rihito practice singing; they grow closer, and eventually begin dating.

''Sotsu Gyo Sei'' (''Alumni'')

Now third year high school students, Rihito and Hikaru continue to pursue their relationship. Tension over their future mounts as Rihito plans to move away to attend university, while Hikaru intends to stay in the city for work.

''Sora to Hara'' (''Sora and Hara'')

A spin-off series focusing on the relationship between Manabu Hara and Sora Aoto, a teacher and student at Rihito and Hikaru's high school.

''O.B.''

After graduating high school and becoming :ja:OB・OG|OBs, Rihito moves to Kyoto while Hikaru remains in Tokyo, and they pursue a long-distance relationship.

''Blanc''

Though ostensibly still dating, Rihito and Hikaru's distance and differing goals have caused them to drift apart, prompting Rihito to propose that they take a break on their relationship.

Characters

; Rihito Sajō
; Hikaru Kusakabe
; Manabu Hara
; Aoto "Sora" Sorano
; Satoshi Arisaka
; Hibiki Sano
; Komatsu

Media

Manga

Classmates was Nakamura's first series published in a boys' love manga magazine. She has stated that she wished to create a story about a "slow, serious love" that was "cliché" and "almost hackneyed" in its execution. In Japan, Classmates and its sequels and spinoffs have been published in the manga magazine Opera. Dou Kyu Sei was serialized from June 2006 to July 2007, Sotsu Gyo Sei -Winter- was serialized from January to October 2008, Sotsu Gyo Sei -Spring- was serialized from January to August 2009, Sora to Hara was serialized from December 2009 to December 2011, O.B. was serialized from April 2012 to December 2013, and blanc has been serialized since February 2018. The series has been collected as six tankōbon volumes published by Akane Shinsha.
In North America, the digital distribution platform JManga released an English-language translation of the first volume of Classmates under the title Doukyusei in April 2012. Following the dissolution of JManga, publishing rights to Classmates were acquired by Digital Manga, which published the first three volumes of the series digitally under its yaoi imprint Juné as Classmates, Graduate - Winter, and Graduate - Spring. In July 2018, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that it had acquired the North American license for Classmates, and began publishing the series in June 2019.
Internationally, the series has been translated into French by Boy's Love IDP, Spanish by Ediciones Tomodomo, Italian by Magic Press, Polish by Waneko, and Taiwanese Mandarin by Sharp Point Press.

Audio drama

Since 2008, a series of audio drama CDs that adapt the manga have been produced by A+, a division of.
TitleRelease date
DoukyuseiApril 25, 2008
SotsugyouseiApril 2, 2010
Sora to HaraOctober 26, 2012
O.B.April 24, 2015

Film

Doukyusei: Classmates, an anime film adaptation of the first volume of Classmates, was announced by March 14, 2015 and released in theaters on February 20, 2016. The film is produced by A-1 Pictures, with its primary production staff composed of as director, as character designer, Chieko Nakamura as art director, and Ritsuko Utagawa as color designer. The film's soundtrack is composed by guitarist Kotaro Oshio, while its closing theme is performed by Oshio and Yuuki Ozaki of the rock band Galileo Galilei.
In North America, Doukyusei: Classmates received a limited theatrical release through distributors Aniplex of America and Azoland Pictures, which opened on May 6, 2016. The film was released in North America on Blu-ray by Aniplex of America on September 20, 2016.

Other media

Graduation Album, a Classmates fan art book, was published by Akane Shinsha in September 2011. A deluxe re-release was published in February 2016. Classmates was additionally included in a pop-up cafe run by Opera in Harajuku, Tokyo from March 16 to April 8, 2018. The cafe featured original merchandise and menu items inspired by the series.

Reception

Manga

Classmates received positive reviews from critics. Reviewing the series for Otaku USA, Brittany Vincent called the series "a sweet little LGBTQ+-friendly love letter" and offered praise for its artwork, favorably comparing it to xxxHolic by Clamp and Mars by Fuyumi Soryo. Morgana Santilli of Comics Beat noted that while the series is not an "earth-shattering, genre-defying romance", she praised it as "a straightforward teenage romance about gay boys, rather than the type of fetishistic gay drama that populates much of the boys' love manga that are licensed by North American publishers." RightStuf called the plot "underwhelming" while commending Nakamura's artwork.

Film

Doukyusei: Classmates was positively received by critics, many of whom offered extensive praise for the film's production and animation. Jacob Chapman of Anime News Network called the film "meticulous, careful, and almost painfully sensitive in its matchless character animation", and described the story "heartwarming and fulfilling, even if its substance isn't one drop as unique as the movie's style." In his review for the Los Angeles Times, Charles Solomon called the plot "rather standard", but offered praise for film's watercolor-style animation. Cody Perez of Fandom Post called the film a "bold attempt to bring over a rather niche anime genre to theaters across the US", noting that the "beautiful animation and believable romance help to overlook the very fast pacing and inconsistent tone."
In its opening weekend, Doukyusei: Classmates opened in ninth place at the Japanese box office, grossing roughly ¥34 million in 30 theaters. The film ultimately sold 135,730 tickets in Japan, amounting to a total domestic gross of ¥201 million. Outside of Japan, the film grossed a total of USD$1.38 million.
In 2016, Doukyusei: Classmates was shortlisted for Best Soundtrack at the Newtype Anime Awards.