My Little Monster

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
Cover of the first manga volume
となりの怪物くん
Genre	Romantic comedy
Manga
Written by	Robico
Published by	Kodansha
Magazine	Dessert
Demographic	Shōjo
Original run	2008 – present
Volumes	12(complete)
Anime television series
Directed by	Hiro Kaburaki
Studio	Brain's Base
Original network	TV Tokyo
Original run	October 2, 2012 – December 24, 2012
Episodes	13

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (となりの怪物くん, lit. The Monster Seated Next to Me) is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Robico about the relationship between a girl named Shizuku Mizutani and a boy named Haru. It began serialization in Kodansha's Dessert magazine in 2008 and will end its run Summer 2013 with the release of the 12th volume which includes an OVA.

An anime adaptation by Brain's Base aired Between October and December 2012. It was also simulcast on Crunchyroll under the name My Little Monster. The anime encompassed approximately half of the manga series.

Plot

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun focuses on the relationship between Shizuku Mizutani, who has absolutely no interests except in studying and her plans for the future, and a boy named Haru Yoshida, who sits next to Shizuku in class but rarely attends school. After Shizuku is tasked with delivering class printouts to Haru's home, she meets Haru, who immediately greets her as a friend, starting their new relationship.

Characters

Main characters

Shizuku Mizutani (水谷 雫, Mizutani Shizuku)

Voiced by: Mariya Ise (drama CD), Haruka Tomatsu (anime)

Shizuku is the female protagonist of the story. She is very diligent in her studies, dedicating the majority of her attention and time to focus on her academics. She met Haru Yoshida when delivering classroom printouts. She maintains a distant and passive demeanor, only changing slightly after her meeting with Haru. He expanded her circle of relations and extended her view and experience of emotions. She falls in love with him later on. She is rejected after confessing her feelings, being able to engage in a romantic relationship only after Haru's feelings are certain. She does not like losing her no. 1 rank, displaying much disdain when Haru continually beats her in exams. She has had trouble in communicating with her mother, often worrying of the bother she would impose upon her work. Haru helped close the distance, and her intimacy with her mother has increased to the point where she could phone her, albeit nervously, about love problems. Shizuku and Haru officially become a couple in volume 8, although in the bonus comic at the end of the issue they realize that they had pretty much already been a couple before, just never officially putting a label on their relationship. Although very serious and considered cold by many for her no-nonsense and blunt attitude, Shizuku nevertheless allows for Asako to affectionately call her "Mitty" (ミッティ, Mitti), a nickname which sprung up when Shizuku helped her know the right things to study for the midterm retest which resulted in Asako considering Shizuku her first true and best friend.

Haru Yoshida (吉田 春, Yoshida Haru)

Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura (drama CD), Tatsuhisa Suzuki (anime)

Haru is the male protagonist of the story. He is seated next to Shizuku in their first year, although initially absent from the majority of the arrangement until his meeting with Shizuku. Despite being a trouble maker, he is passionate boy willing to help others. He was able to memorize all the high school material during his absence from school, with this being reason for his performing academically well. He did not like going to school, with his classmates fearing his delinquent-like demeanor and glare. After meeting Shizuku, he takes her as his first real friend and starts to attend school, falling in love with her in the process. His statement is retracted a bit, though, as feelings were only bordering on "like," but not yet "love," as unaware as he was. It is only after a bit later in the story that he falls in love with her for certain. He also keeps a rooster, later bringing and housing it in school (with the reluctant approval from his teacher). If he presents effort, he attains a great popularity with those around him, the majority of it being with girls. He has somewhat of a perverted mind, openly saying to Shizuku that he would "do" her and confiding his "dirty thoughts" about her, but this seems to be more extended in the anime. He is in a different class from Shizuku in the second year, but this does not change their romantic intimacy. He is also feared by his teacher Saeko, and is always frustrated by her interference in his activities.

Asako Natsume (夏目 あさ子, Natsume Asako)

Voiced by: Yuiko Tatsumi (drama CD), Atsumi Tanezaki (anime)

She is a girl in the same class as Shizuku and Haru. She has poor grades and does not have any friends outside of the internet. She primarily has an online life with mostly online friends. She initially asks Shizuku to help her with the retake test in order to pass, excusing her from remedial classes allowing her to attend a community gathering to meet her online friends. Shizuku initially refuses, but Haru decides to help her in exchange to attend the community gathering. However, she has difficulty understanding Haru's tutoring, causing Shizuku to eventually teach her. Regardless, the community meeting does not go well and her grades remain as is. Natsume treasures her friendship with Shizuku and Haru very much, also displaying slight/occasional possessiveness in their romantic relationship, if something were to interfere. She was bullied and ostracised by her friends and classmates in the past, due to her popularity with the boys. She falls in love with Mitsuyoshi Misawa and is often comforted by Sōhei Sasahara when her love attempts fail. However, due to her major insecurities about boys, she has gotten into fights with Sasayan at times because she thinks his gestures of comfort (something she had never received before without an ulterior motive) are his attempts to woo her, thus in her mind he considers her worthless. She is shocked when Sasayan confesses his love for her, and unsure how to handle a love confession from a close friend (even though he said he is okay just staying friends, due to his knowledge that she is still in love with Mitsuyoshi).

Sōhei Sasahara (佐々原 宗平, Sasahara Sōhei)

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto (drama CD), Ryōta Ōsaka (anime)

He is in the same class as Shizuku and Haru. He is a popular boy in the softball club, and is often referred to as "Sasayan" (ササヤン). He asks Shizuku how she got Haru to attend class, as he attended middle school with Haru, which Haru skipped for 3 years in a row. He takes ownership of the rooster, Nagoya, only to return it since his cat is terrified of it. He cares about Haru, and doesn't want a repeat of what happened in middle school where Haru stopped coming to school. Although being considered very popular in school (much to the envy of Asako and Haru), his core group of friends consist of Haru, Asako, and Shizuku. He especially bonded with Asako and becomes her confidant throughout her attempts at finding love. Shizuku finds his constant cheeriness unnerving while Haru considers him to be his best friend. Although always cheery, Sasayan can be especially blunt when it comes to his friends, such as giving Asako truthful (but harsh) advice about falling in love with Mitsuyoshi, confronting Mitsuyoshi about not stringing Asako along if he was not interested in pursuing a relationship with her, and opening Haru's eyes about Shizuku's true feelings. Whenever he and Asako fight (in part because she thinks his attempts at comfort are a come-on), he feels hurt that she only seems him as an "enemy" and not a true friend. However, he later falls in love with her, and confesses his feelings to her in volume 9, even though he knows she is still in love with Mitsuyoshi.

Secondary characters

Kenji Yamaguchi (山口 賢二, Yamaguchi Kenji)

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (drama CD), Takuma Terashima (anime)

Although he initially uses him, Kenji is one of Haru's friends. He attends the same cram school as Shizuku. Initially, he finds Shizuku strange but gradually falls in love with her and tries to win her affection. After being rejected by Shizuku, he distances himself from her despite his unchanged feelings. He also appears to have a poor sense of direction. His peers refer to him as "Yamaken".

Chizuru Ōshima (大島 千づる, Ōshima Chizuru)

Voiced by: Saori Hayami (drama CD), Kana Hanazawa (anime)

She is member of the commitee class, chosen because she wears glasses. She was helped by Haru after he beat up an upperclassman who was picking on her, and after Haru said she was a nice person, she fell in love with him. She is very shy, a little pessimistic and anxious, and even though she likes Haru, she always gives him advice when he can't understand Shizuku. She is in the same class as Haru in the second year, and the class appoints her as the person to discipline and control Haru.

Yū Miyama (宮間 ユウ, Miyama Yū)

Voiced by: Kana Asumi (drama CD), Sayuri Yahagi (anime)

She is Chizuru's friend. She had met her boyfriend in middle school, and accepted his confession that day he was about to move to another school. Although they don't see each other too often, they go on "dates" by playing MMOs together. She's proudly stated that she and her boyfriend have great teamwork.

Yūzan Yoshida (吉田 優山, Yoshida Yūzan)

Voiced by: Yūki Kaji (drama CD), Yūichi Nakamura (anime)

Haru's older brother, whom Haru seems to dislike. Yuzan claims Haru has a brother complex, though this is denied by Haru himself. He came to take Haru back home upon their father's request for Haru to attend a nearer school, where he has more leverage, although Yuzan does want Haru to continue going to school with Shizuku.

Mitsuyoshi Misawa (三沢 満善, Misawa Mitsuyoshi)

Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (drama CD), Tomoyuki Higuchi (anime)

Haru's cousin, Mitsuyoshi acts as a fatherly figure for Haru, looking affectionately after him. Haru (and later Asako) calls him "Mi-chan" (みっちゃん, Micchan). Mitsuyoshi often goes on trips with Haru and his friends, later earning the attention of Asako Natsume. Asako eventually confesses to Mitsuyoshi, but he rejects her because he said he does not hold romantic feelings for her. Despite this, it is hinted that he does have genuine feelings for her, and that he rejected her because of their ten year age difference.

Iyo Yamaguchi (山口 伊代, Yamaguchi Iyo)

She is a first year attending the same school as Shizuku and Haru, and is Kenji's younger sister. She falls in love with Haru, immediately thinking of him as "cool," upon first meeting. Iyo calls herself in third person, and is a rather vain girl, comparing the superiorty of superficial appearance between Shizuku and herself. Though she gets jealous, she knows to sometimes hold back, and does not hate or dislike Shizuku personally. She is scared of her older brother.

Takashi Mizutani (水谷 隆司, Mizutani Takashi)

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu

Shizuku's father. He is usually the one from Shizuku's family who has taken good care of her ever since. Shizuku's mother never really had the chance to take care of her daughter because Takashi is a "failure with work". Thus, Shizuku's mother had to work and never had much time to spend with Shizuku.

Takaya Mizutani (水谷 隆也, Mizutani Takaya)

Voiced by: Ayumu Murase

Shizuku's little brother. He has the same face as his sister. Mostly quiet.

Media

Anime

See also: List of Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun episodes

An anime adaptation of Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun was announced in the July 2012 issue of Kodansha's Dessert magazine. The series was produced by Brain's Base under the direction of Hiro Kaburaki with Noboru Takagi as script supervisor. It began airing in October, 2012. The opening theme is Q&A Recital! by Haruka Tomatsu and the ending theme is White Wishes by 9nine.

External links

• Anime Official Website
• My Little Monster (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• My Little Monster at IMDb