A Side Character's Love Story
Japanese manga series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Side Character's Love Story (Japanese: モブ子の恋, Hepburn: Mobuko no Koi[a]) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akane Tamura. It was initially serialized in Coamix's Monthly Comic Zenon magazine from March 2017 to July 2018. It was later transferred to the Comic Tatan website in August 2018. A live-action film adaptation is set to premiere in Japanese theaters in June 2026.
- Tokuma Shoten (1–6)
- Coamix
| A Side Character's Love Story | |
First tankōbon volume cover | |
| モブ子の恋 (Mobuko no Koi) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Romantic drama[1] |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Akane Tamura |
| Published by |
|
| English publisher | Coamix |
| Imprint | Zenon Comics |
| Magazine |
|
| Original run | March 26, 2017 – present |
| Volumes | 25 |
| Live-action film | |
| Directed by | Hiroki Kazama |
| Written by | Yasuko Kuramitsu |
| Music by | Hidekazu Sakamoto |
| Studio | AOI Pro. |
| Released | June 5, 2026 |
Plot
Nobuko Tanaka is a university student working part time in a supermarket, who has developed a crush on her co-worker Hiroki Irie. Unfortunately, her shy nature and tendency to second-guess and overthink everything she does, make pursuing her feelings a nearly unsurmountable challenge - especially since Hiroki's personality turns out to be quite similar. But with a little courage, luck, and support from the other co-workers, the two manage to begin a relationship.
Characters
- Nobuko Tanaka (田中信子, Tanaka Nobuko)
- Portrayed by: Hiyori Sakurada[2]
- Hiroki Irie (入江博基, Irie Hiroki)
- Portrayed by: Taisei Kido[2]
- Hina Abe (安部陽菜, Abe Hina)
- Portrayed by: Ikoi Hayase[3]
- Sachi Shinozaki (篠崎幸, Shinozaki Sachi)
- Portrayed by: Erika Karata[3]
- Yuya Kaneko (金子優也, Kaneko Yūya)
- Portrayed by: Takuya Kusakawa[3]
- Yo Ohno (大野陽, Ōno Yō)
- Portrayed by: Towa Araki[3]
- Tomonori Orihara (折原智則, Orihara Tomonori)
- Portrayed by: Kanji Furutachi[3]
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Akane Tamura, A Side Character's Love Story initially was serialized in Coamix's Monthly Comic Zenon magazine from March 26, 2017, to July 25, 2018.[1] It was later transferred to the Comic Tatan website on August 19, 2018.[4] Its chapters have been collected into twenty-five tankōbon volumes as of May 2026.[5]
The series' volumes are published digitally in English by Coamix. The series is also published in English on Azuki, Comikey and MangaPlaza.[6][7]
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 20, 2017[8] | 978-4-19-980451-9 | February 11, 2020[9] | — |
| 2 | February 20, 2018[10] | 978-4-19-980479-3 | March 11, 2020[11] | — |
| 3 | July 20, 2018[12] | 978-4-19-980505-9 | April 7, 2020[13] | — |
| 4 | January 19, 2019[14] | 978-4-19-980545-5 | May 5, 2020[15] | — |
| 5 | June 20, 2019[16] | 978-4-19-980575-2 | September 15, 2020[17] | — |
| 6 | November 20, 2019[18] | 978-4-19-980605-6 | October 13, 2020[19] | — |
| 7 | April 20, 2020[20] | 978-4-86-720093-3 | November 10, 2020[21] | — |
| 8 | September 19, 2020[22] | 978-4-86-720166-4 | December 22, 2020[23] | — |
| 9 | January 20, 2021[24] | 978-4-86-720195-4 | April 5, 2022[25] | — |
| 10 | May 20, 2021[26] | 978-4-86-720237-1 | May 3, 2022[27] | — |
| 11 | September 18, 2021[28] | 978-4-86-720265-4 | June 21, 2022[29] | — |
| 12 | January 20, 2022[30] | 978-4-86-720294-4 | November 29, 2022[31] | — |
| 13 | May 20, 2022[32] | 978-4-86-720380-4 | January 24, 2023[33] | — |
| 14 | September 20, 2022[34] | 978-4-86-720423-8 | February 14, 2023[35] | — |
| 15 | January 20, 2023[36] | 978-4-86-720461-0 | May 2, 2023[37] | — |
| 16 | May 19, 2023[38] | 978-4-86-720504-4 | September 19, 2023[39] | — |
| 17 | September 20, 2023[40] | 978-4-86-720566-2 | February 14, 2024[41] | — |
| 18 | January 19, 2024[42] | 978-4-86-720606-5 | May 7, 2024[43] | — |
| 19 | May 20, 2024[44] | 978-4-86-720647-8 | September 10, 2024[45] | — |
| 20 | September 20, 2024[46] | 978-4-86-720683-6 | — | — |
| 21 | January 20, 2025[47] | 978-4-86-720729-1 | — | — |
| 22 | May 20, 2025[48] | 978-4-86-720766-6 | — | — |
| 23 | September 20, 2025[49] | 978-4-86-720803-8 | — | — |
| 24 | January 20, 2026[50] | 978-4-86-720856-4 | — | — |
| 25 | May 20, 2026[5] | 978-4-86-720896-0 | — | — |
Live-action film
A live-action film adaptation was announced in the release of the series' 16th volume on May 19, 2023.[51] The film will be directed by Hiroki Kazama. It was originally set to premiere in 2024, but was delayed to June 5, 2026 and will be released by Aeon Entertainment and Tokyo Theatres.[52][53] The film will feature Hiyori Sakurada and Taisei Kido in lead roles.[2] The film's theme song, "Clover", is performed by Nishina.[3]
Notes
- The Japanese title literally translates to "the love of Mobuko", where "Mobuko" is a nickname given to the main character by the author and used in recurring side notes that describe her quirks. It occurs within the story only in the very beginning as a mishearing of her real name. Nobuko herself then relates this to "mob" (モブ, mobu), the Japanese slang for non-player characters in video games. She consideres the comparison to be apt, reflecting her low self-confidence.