Challengers
Encyclopedia
is a shōnen-ai manga
by the Japanese manga artist Hinako Takanaga
, who also authored Little Butterfly
and The Devil's Secret
. The first volume was originally called before the series was retitled Challengers. The series is licensed in German by Tokyopop Germany
under the title Küss mich, Student! and in French by Taifu Comics under the title Rien n'est impossible. The sequel to Challengers is The Tyrant Falls in Love
.
to take an entrance exam for a university. While he is wandering around the streets of Tokyo late at night looking for his hotel, he runs into Mitsugu Kurokawa, a Japanese office worker who had been out drinking with his friend Isogai. Isogai throws up on Tomoe and Kurokawa offers to clean his clothes and let him stay with him for the night. Tomoe accepts the offer and the next morning goes to take the exam. When Tomoe is getting on the train back to Nagoya, Kurokawa kisses him. Tomoe looks shocked and appalled and Kurokawa thinks he'll never hear from him again.
Later, Kurokawa receives a post card from Tomoe saying he passed the entrance exam. Tomoe returns to Tokyo to look for a place to live and asks Kurokwa for help, who offers to let him sub-lessee in his apartment. Tomoe wants to save his family money and accepts his offer. Kurokawa mentions he had an American step father and Tomoe wonders if that was the reason he kissed him the first time, because it was a foreign greeting he picked up from him. Kurokawa goes along with it at first but eventually he confesses his love to Tomoe. Tomoe doesn't know his own feelings and is confused and irritated, but he seems to have feelings for Kurokawa. Their relationship develops gradually, but not without interference from various friends and relatives.
Tomoe's short-tempered older brother, Souichi Tatsumi, is suspicious of the living arrangement and tries to get Tomoe to move back home. Souichi is homophobic because he was nearly raped by his professor at university. His undergrad student assistant is gay and has a crush on Souichi. Their story is continued in the sequel, The Tyrant Falls in Love
.
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...
by the Japanese manga artist Hinako Takanaga
Hinako Takanaga
is a female Japanese yaoi manga artist from Nagoya. She has also provided illustrations for several yaoi light novels by other authors, including The Guilty by Katsura Izumi. Most of her works have been translated into English and German...
, who also authored Little Butterfly
Little Butterfly
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Hinako Takanaga. It is published in Japan by Kaiousha, and is licensed in North America by Digital Manga Publishing, in Taiwan by Taiwan Tohan, in Germany by Tokyopop Germany and in France by Taifu Comics.-Plot:...
and The Devil's Secret
The Devil's Secret
is a Boys Love manga by the Japanese manga artist Hinako Takanaga, who also authored Little Butterfly, Challengers and The Tyrant Falls in Love. It is licensed in English by 801 Media and in German by Tokyopop Germany.-Plot:...
. The first volume was originally called before the series was retitled Challengers. The series is licensed in German by Tokyopop Germany
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
under the title Küss mich, Student! and in French by Taifu Comics under the title Rien n'est impossible. The sequel to Challengers is The Tyrant Falls in Love
The Tyrant Falls in Love
is an ongoing Japanese yaoi manga series written and illustrated by Hinako Takanaga. The Tyrant Falls in Love is a sequel to Takanaga's series Challengers. The series has appeared on manga best-seller lists both in Japan and in Germany, and the long-delayed US release has been labeled "one of the...
.
Plot
Tomoe Tatsumi, a student from Nagoya, visits TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to take an entrance exam for a university. While he is wandering around the streets of Tokyo late at night looking for his hotel, he runs into Mitsugu Kurokawa, a Japanese office worker who had been out drinking with his friend Isogai. Isogai throws up on Tomoe and Kurokawa offers to clean his clothes and let him stay with him for the night. Tomoe accepts the offer and the next morning goes to take the exam. When Tomoe is getting on the train back to Nagoya, Kurokawa kisses him. Tomoe looks shocked and appalled and Kurokawa thinks he'll never hear from him again.
Later, Kurokawa receives a post card from Tomoe saying he passed the entrance exam. Tomoe returns to Tokyo to look for a place to live and asks Kurokwa for help, who offers to let him sub-lessee in his apartment. Tomoe wants to save his family money and accepts his offer. Kurokawa mentions he had an American step father and Tomoe wonders if that was the reason he kissed him the first time, because it was a foreign greeting he picked up from him. Kurokawa goes along with it at first but eventually he confesses his love to Tomoe. Tomoe doesn't know his own feelings and is confused and irritated, but he seems to have feelings for Kurokawa. Their relationship develops gradually, but not without interference from various friends and relatives.
Tomoe's short-tempered older brother, Souichi Tatsumi, is suspicious of the living arrangement and tries to get Tomoe to move back home. Souichi is homophobic because he was nearly raped by his professor at university. His undergrad student assistant is gay and has a crush on Souichi. Their story is continued in the sequel, The Tyrant Falls in Love
The Tyrant Falls in Love
is an ongoing Japanese yaoi manga series written and illustrated by Hinako Takanaga. The Tyrant Falls in Love is a sequel to Takanaga's series Challengers. The series has appeared on manga best-seller lists both in Japan and in Germany, and the long-delayed US release has been labeled "one of the...
.
Characters
- Tomoe Tatsumi
- Mitsugu Kurokawa
- Taichirou Isogai
- Souichi Tatsumi
- Tetsuhiro Morinaga
Manga List
|}Reception
Julie Rosato noted that it was obvious that Challengers, dating from 1995, was one of Takanaga's early works, as the art is not as polished as her later works, and there are some cliches in the storyline. However, Rosato found the first volume on the whole amusing. Writing about the second volume, Rosato feels that although the story is like other BL, Takanaga's execution is entertaining.Further reading
- http://www.animepro.de/anima/db/618_kuess-mich-student-manga
- http://www.animachi.de/review/manga/Kuumlss-mich-Student
- http://www.manga-sanctuary.com/bdd/manga/7932-rien-n-est-impossible/
- http://www.manga-news.com/index.php/manga/Rien-nest-impossible/vol-1#review
- http://www.manga-news.com/index.php/manga/Rien-nest-impossible/vol-2#review
- http://www.manga-news.com/index.php/manga/Rien-nest-impossible/vol-3#review
- http://www.manga-news.com/index.php/manga/Rien-nest-impossible/vol-4#review