Kōtsugō Semi-Friend (好都合セミフレンド, lit. "Convenient Semi-Friend") is a Japanese four-panel manga series written and illustrated by Minori Chigusa. The series began serialization in Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara magazine in May 2023. A single tankōbon volume has been released as of December 2023.
| Kōtsugō Semi-Friend | |
 First tankōbon volume cover | |
| 好都合セミフレンド | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Yuri[1] |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Minori Chigusa |
| Published by | Houbunsha |
| Magazine | Manga Time Kirara |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Original run | May 9, 2023 – present |
| Volumes | 1 |
Plot
editThe series follows Suuna Kuruma, a high school student who has just moved into a new dorm. Upon arriving at her new room, she discovers a girl, Ruka Hamanasu, flirting with another girl. Suuna is surprised to see this happen, to which Ruka claims that they were not going out. She claims the other girl was her sefure (セフレ), which she says is short for "semi-friend". As Suuna has no other friends, Ruka offers to be her semi-friend.
Characters
edit- Suuna Kuruma (久留間 珠海, Kuruma Suuna)
- A high school student and Ruka's roommate. She has a very shy personality and thus had been unable to make any friends prior to meeting Ruka. She is conscious of her name as it its kanji is hard to read.
- Ruka Hamanasu (浜薔薇 輝子, Hamanasu Ruka)
- Suuna's roommate, whom she saw flirting with another girl during their first meeting. She claims the other girl is her sefure, but as Suuna is unfamiliar with the term, she claims it is short for "semi-friend". She has a gyaru personality.
Release
editThe series is written and illustrated by Minori Chigusa. It was originally released as a guest series on Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara magazine, before beginning serialization in May 2023.[1] The first tankōbon volume was released on December 26, 2023.[1] To commemorate the volume's release, selected Gamers outlets featured a pop-up section selling series merchandise.[2]
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 26, 2023[3] | 978-4-8322-9516-2 |
| 2 | October 25, 2024[3] | 978-4-8322-9585-8 |
Reception
editThe series has been nominated for the 10th Next Manga Awards in 2024 in the print category.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b c "まんがタイムきららから生まれた"せふれ"がテーマのガールズラブ4コマ1巻" (in Japanese). Comic Natalie. December 26, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ "『好都合セミフレンド』コミックス1巻発売記念POP UPを2023年12月26日(火)よりゲーマーズにて開催致します！" (in Japanese). PR Times. December 11, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ a b 好都合セミフレンド (in Japanese). Houbunsha. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (August 4, 2024). "Voting Opens for Next Manga Awards 2024". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
External links
edit- Kōtsugō Semi-Friend (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia