Koizora
Encyclopedia
, or for short, is a 2005 best-selling Japanese coming of age and romance novel
written by Mika. Originally posted on the cell phone website "Mahō no iLand" , where chapters would be released exclusively for mobile reading, Koizora received a hard print publication from Starts Publications in October 2006, with the story being separated into two volumes.
Koizora is claimed to be a biographical account of Mika, or at least, based on first-hand accounts. It boomed in popularity and became a mass cultural phenomenon , spawning a theatrical film, a television drama adaptation , and a manga adaptation.
boy in her grade, Nozomu, acquires her cell phone number and begins to make frequent calls. When summer vacation starts, one day, Nozomu drunkenly phones her
, but Hiro confiscates the phone and converses with her instead. Although Mika does not know who Hiro is, she feels at ease at the sound of his voice and the two befriend each other.
Mika and Hiro agree to meet each other when school starts, and to Mika's shock, Hiro turns out to be the delinquent boy she is afraid of. However, as she understands how gentle he is, they began to fall in love with each other and face a multitude of challenges threatening their relationship, such as Hiro's ex-girlfriend Saki hiring a group of men to rape Mika and continuing to harass her over the phone. Despite these events, Hiro vows to protect Mika, and she begins to compare him to the sky. An unplanned pregnancy
occurs when Mika and Hiro consummate in the school library, and although they are determined to start a family together, a miscarriage brings tragedy to them both.
Shortly afterwards, Hiro discovers that his health is deteriorating due to cancer and makes the painful decision to break up with Mika to keep his condition from causing her pain, but secretly continues to follow her whereabouts through his high school friend, Nozumu. Mika eventually forgets Hiro with the help of Yū, her new boyfriend. Hiro's condition is revealed to Mika and she makes a difficult decision to leave Yū to go to his bedside. Having Mika back, Hiro is determined to fight his disease and begins to improve. During a routine checkup, Hiro's condition makes a turn for the worst and he exchanges his last goodbyes.
Mika is distraught and attempts suicide by jumping off a bridge, but is stopped when two white doves fly towards the sky. She drops Hiro's diary which was given to her after his death and discovers a letter he wrote to her before he died. She learns that he had anticipated his death and was happy with the time he had spent with her. She decides to carry on with life, not just for herself, but for Hiro's share and sake as well. She is later on seen placing a pair of blue mittens for Hiro next to the smaller, pink ones that were meant for her baby and praying for both their happiness.
In addition to the empathy readers, the anonymity of the author attributes to the appeal of the Koizora. Much like the anonymous Densha Otoko
, readers are more likely to tolerate exaggerated writing, first-hand accounts or not, due to how Mika's anonymity makes Koizora seem more "real" and "personal."
Despite its popularity, Koizora has been attacked for having sexual and violent material available to young readers. A grade school teacher criticized the novel for supporting the misconception in young girls that rape leads to love.
series drawn by Ibuki Haneda and overseen by Mika herself. The manga was published by Futabasha Publishers under the "Comic Mahou no iRando" label and lasted for eight volumes, the first volume releasing on June 21, 2007 and the last on February 21, 2009.
as Mika and Haruma Miura
as Hiro. The film adaptation was released on November 3, 2007, with a gross revenue of 3.9 billion yen and 3.14 million people attending the theater. It debuted at #3 on the box office. The DVD was released on April 25, 2008.
was chosen to play Mika, and Koji Seto
as Hiro; there were a total of more than a thousand applicants.
TBS
broadcast the serial drama in prime-time, and the first audience rating was 5.6%.
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
written by Mika. Originally posted on the cell phone website "Mahō no iLand" , where chapters would be released exclusively for mobile reading, Koizora received a hard print publication from Starts Publications in October 2006, with the story being separated into two volumes.
Koizora is claimed to be a biographical account of Mika, or at least, based on first-hand accounts. It boomed in popularity and became a mass cultural phenomenon , spawning a theatrical film, a television drama adaptation , and a manga adaptation.
Plot
Mika Tahara has just started high school and yearns to fall in love. However, to her dismay, a gal-likeGyaru
is a Japanese transliteration of the English word gal, that of girl being . The name originated from a 1970s brand of jeans called "gals", with the advertising slogan: "I can't live without men", and was applied to fashion- and peer-conscious girls in their teens and early twenties. Its usage...
boy in her grade, Nozomu, acquires her cell phone number and begins to make frequent calls. When summer vacation starts, one day, Nozomu drunkenly phones her
Drunk dialing
Drunk dialing is a pop-culture term denoting an instance in which an intoxicated individual places phone calls that he or she would not likely place if sober...
, but Hiro confiscates the phone and converses with her instead. Although Mika does not know who Hiro is, she feels at ease at the sound of his voice and the two befriend each other.
Mika and Hiro agree to meet each other when school starts, and to Mika's shock, Hiro turns out to be the delinquent boy she is afraid of. However, as she understands how gentle he is, they began to fall in love with each other and face a multitude of challenges threatening their relationship, such as Hiro's ex-girlfriend Saki hiring a group of men to rape Mika and continuing to harass her over the phone. Despite these events, Hiro vows to protect Mika, and she begins to compare him to the sky. An unplanned pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
occurs when Mika and Hiro consummate in the school library, and although they are determined to start a family together, a miscarriage brings tragedy to them both.
Shortly afterwards, Hiro discovers that his health is deteriorating due to cancer and makes the painful decision to break up with Mika to keep his condition from causing her pain, but secretly continues to follow her whereabouts through his high school friend, Nozumu. Mika eventually forgets Hiro with the help of Yū, her new boyfriend. Hiro's condition is revealed to Mika and she makes a difficult decision to leave Yū to go to his bedside. Having Mika back, Hiro is determined to fight his disease and begins to improve. During a routine checkup, Hiro's condition makes a turn for the worst and he exchanges his last goodbyes.
Mika is distraught and attempts suicide by jumping off a bridge, but is stopped when two white doves fly towards the sky. She drops Hiro's diary which was given to her after his death and discovers a letter he wrote to her before he died. She learns that he had anticipated his death and was happy with the time he had spent with her. She decides to carry on with life, not just for herself, but for Hiro's share and sake as well. She is later on seen placing a pair of blue mittens for Hiro next to the smaller, pink ones that were meant for her baby and praying for both their happiness.
Reception
Approximately 20 million people subscribed to Koizora . The novel later received a hard print publication in October 2006 by Starts Publications and was published into two volumes. The books sold more than two million copies and became a mass cultural phenomenon in Japan. Joanna Mauermann of Reading Worldwide attributes the popularity of Koizora to the sensation of realism in that "they are modelled on the readers' own situation" and "[t]he strong presence of the characters, presented in dialogues and (inward) monologues, address the reader directly, and the emotional state of the main character is experienced immediately."In addition to the empathy readers, the anonymity of the author attributes to the appeal of the Koizora. Much like the anonymous Densha Otoko
Densha Otoko
is a Japanese movie, television series, manga, novel, and other media, all based on the purportedly true story of a 23-year-old otaku who intervened when a drunk man started to harass several women on a train...
, readers are more likely to tolerate exaggerated writing, first-hand accounts or not, due to how Mika's anonymity makes Koizora seem more "real" and "personal."
Despite its popularity, Koizora has been attacked for having sexual and violent material available to young readers. A grade school teacher criticized the novel for supporting the misconception in young girls that rape leads to love.
Manga
Koizora was adapted into 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...
series drawn by Ibuki Haneda and overseen by Mika herself. The manga was published by Futabasha Publishers under the "Comic Mahou no iRando" label and lasted for eight volumes, the first volume releasing on June 21, 2007 and the last on February 21, 2009.
Film
Koizora: Setsunai Koi Monogatari was loosely adapted into a theatrical film under the mononymous title Koizora. It was directed by Natsuki Imai and starred Yui AragakiYui Aragaki
is a Japanese idol, model, actress, singer, seiyū and occasional radio show host of Ryukyuan ancestry.She is particularly recognized for her beauty and her movie projects.- Overview :...
as Mika and Haruma Miura
Haruma Miura
is a Japanese actor and singer. He is part of the Amuse agency, and debuted as one of the members of Brash Brats, a J-pop group. However, they are currently on hiatus, while Haruma is still active as an actor. He gained popularity with Gokusen 3 and 2007 film Koizora...
as Hiro. The film adaptation was released on November 3, 2007, with a gross revenue of 3.9 billion yen and 3.14 million people attending the theater. It debuted at #3 on the box office. The DVD was released on April 25, 2008.
Drama
Koizora was also adapted into a TV drama series, which aired from August 2, 2008, until September of the same year, with a total of six episodes. From March until June 2008, auditions were held to choose the actor and actress for the two starring roles. Erena MizusawaErena Mizusawa
is a fashion model and an actress. She was once a model for the teen magazine "Candy" and moved to model for another fashion magazine "Seventeen". Mizusawa graduated from Seventeen in 2011 and is now currently a model for Japanese magazine Non-no . She became an actress in spring 2007, appearing...
was chosen to play Mika, and Koji Seto
Koji Seto
is a Japanese actor and singer. His major works include lead roles as Wataru Kurenai in Kamen Rider Kiva and Hiro in Koizora; and supporting roles as Satoru Okura in Atashinchi no Danshi, Ariake Yamato in Otomen, and Eiji Kikumaru in Tenimyu...
as Hiro; there were a total of more than a thousand applicants.
TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
broadcast the serial drama in prime-time, and the first audience rating was 5.6%.