Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru

Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru (僕は妹に恋をする, lit. I'm in love with my sister; abbreviated to BokuImo) is a Japanese manga series by Kotomi Aoki. Originally serialized in Shōjo Comic, the individual chapters were published in ten tankōbon volumes by Shogakukan from May 2003 until August 2005. The series focus on fraternal twins Yori and Iku, who fall in love with one another despite being siblings.

Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru
Cover of Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru volume 1 as published by Shogakukan
僕は妹に恋をする
GenreRomantic drama, Incest
Manga
Written byKotomi Aoki
Published byShogakukan
MagazineShōjo Comic
DemographicShōjo
Original runMay 26, 2003 – August 26, 2005
Volumes10
Original video animation
Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru: Secret Sweethearts – Kono Koi wa Himitsu
Directed byMayumi Nishimoto
StudioShogakukan
Vega Entertainment
Zoom Enterprise
ReleasedMay 18, 2005
Runtime50 minutes
Manga
Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu
Written byKotomi Aoki
Published byShogakukan
MagazineShōjo Comic
DemographicShōjo
Original runDecember 20, 2005 – August 26, 2008
Volumes12
Live-action film
Directed byHiroshi Ando
Produced byYouichiro Onishi
Written byHiroshi Ando
Saeki Nejime
Music byOtomo Yoshihide
StudioShogakukan
Toshiba Entertainment
Zoom Enterprise
Nippon Television
ReleasedJanuary 20, 2007 (2007-01-20)
Runtime122 minutes

The manga series was adapted into a one-episode original video animation (OVA) that was released in May 2005 and a live-action film starring Jun Matsumoto and Nana Eikura that premiered in Japan on January 20, 2007.

A ten volume spin-off series focusing on Yori's upperclassmen Takuma Kakinouchi and his childhood sweetheart Mayu Taneda was serialized in Shōjo Comic from December 2005 through August 2008. It is called Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu (abbreviated to BokuKimi) and means "I Give My First Love to You".

Plot

The plot centers around twin siblings, a brother Yori Yuki and sister Iku Yuki, who were extremely close since childhood. However, Yori's feelings toward Iku were more than innocent affection, and only grew stronger over time. The resulting shame causes Yori to distance himself from her by pursuing a relationship with Iku's friend Tomoka Kusunoki, and planning to transfer to an out-of-town high school. This, however, does nothing to help him forget his lust for his sister, and when the twins get into a fight, Yori confesses his love to Iku. She initially rejects his advances, but fearing rejection may drive him away, she reluctantly kisses him. Yori tells her to wait until she is sure of her love for him, and over the next several days, they try to begin a more intimate relationship, hidden from their parents.

Iku is torn between guilt around committing incest and her desire to remain together with Yori. However, when she discovers both Yori's relationship with Tomoka and his plans to leave, Iku realizes that she has fallen in love with him. She confesses this to Yori, who accepts her feelings, breaking off his relationship with Tomoka. The twins then enter into a sexual relationship, and Yori is torn between elation and guilt. He maintains his plans to leave to a different school, as he believes staying would prevent the two from acting like a normal couple. He suggests to Iku that they could keep their relationship if they lived somewhere where no one else knew them. Iku reluctantly agrees to let him go, with the promise that they will stay in touch.

Yori arrives at his new high school, while Iku begins living under the care of Yori's friend Haruka Yano while attending classes at a different school. Yano is aware of their relationship and helps them meet in secret, but also begins to fall in love with Iku. When he ultimately confesses to Iku, however, she rejects him. Tomoka is also enrolled at Yori's school, and tries to reinitiate their relationship, but he rejects her. Consequently, Tomoka plans her revenge against Yori. She attempts to get the twins caught visiting each other, and to blackmail Yori into sleeping with her. Her attempts fail, but she continues to plot against them, culminating in an attempt to have Iku raped by a group of classmates. While this fails, Iku's visits are revealed, causing Yori to be expelled.

Yori transfers into Iku's high school, where they meet Yuugo Azusa, the daughter of one of their parents' friends, Dr. Yuugo Mori. She resembles Yori more than Iku, and when her father invites the Yuki family over to his house, Yori begins to suspect that Dr. Yuugo may have had an affair with his mother. Dr. Yuugo soon confesses that he has been in love with Yori's mother since college and believes that he is Yori's biological father. He secretly confirms his suspicions with a DNA test. When confronted, the twins' mother admits to knowing that Yori is Yuugo's son, having kept it a secret out of fear of ruining her family. Suspecting that Iku was adopted, and therefore not biologically related to him, Yori then reveals their relationship. Their mother insists that they are in fact siblings, and eventually reveals that they are in fact half-twins, the result of heteropaternal superfecundation. Iku is the daughter of her husband, while Yori the son of Yuugo Mori.

To avoid being separated, Yori and Iku run away from home with Yano's help. While in hiding, Yori finally chooses to end the relationship and reconcile with their parents. He ultimately leaves the family to go somewhere he can never be found, hoping that his and Iku's feelings will fade away. Iku falls into a deep depression, and resolves to find him again, no matter how long it takes. Ten years later, Iku is a sales representative for a company owned by Yano, from whom she has rejected several marriage proposals. During a trip to England, she encounters Yori once again, and when they recognize each other, they embrace, and Yori asserts that he is still in love with Iku.

Characters
  • Yori Yuki (結城 頼, Yūki Yori): (Voiced by: Shotaro Morikubo, Portrayed by: Jun Matsumoto) The male lead. He is Iku's older twin brother. He is intelligent and somewhat cold, but has a hidden soft side, especially for Iku. He has been in love with Iku since childhood, though he has tried to avoid his feelings for her. He ultimately decides to embrace his feelings and embarks on a relationship with her, despite the incest taboo. Yori is later revealed to be Iku's half-twin brother, as he was fathered by their father Shunpei's best friend, who slept with Saki in the day of her wedding. Yori ultimately chooses to end the relationship, though his feelings for her never fade.
  • Iku Yuki (結城 郁, Yūki Iku): (Voiced by: Mai Nakahara, Portrayed by: Nana Eikura) The female lead. She is Yori's younger twin sister. In contrast to Yori, she is dense and clumsy, but has a determined spirit. She loves Yori deeply and is very loyal to him, but was shocked when he confessed his love to her. At first, she feels conflicted between loving and losing Yori, but eventually decides return his affections. Like Yori, she feels content with their relationship, but is troubled by the incest taboo. Even so, she remains loyal to him in the face of Yano's confession. She is later revealed to be Yori's half-twin sister, fathered by their mother's husband Shunpei. In the end, she seeks out and reunites with Yori after his departure, and it is implied that they continue their relationship.
  • Haruka Yano (矢野 立芳, Yano Haruka): (Voiced by: Kosuke Toriumi, Portrayed by: Yuta Hiraoka) Yori's best friend from junior high school. He and Yori have similar personalities and intelligence. He knows about their incestuous relationship, but keeps it a secret. He eventually falls in love with Iku after Yori leaves for high school, though she rejects him.
  • Tomoka Kusunoki (楠 友華, Kusunoki Tomoka): (Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami, Portrayed by: Ayaka Komatsu) Iku's former best friend from junior high school. She has a huge crush on Yori and even slept with him. However, he rejects her after starting a relationship with Iku, which Tomoka discovers. She threatens to expose them as a form of revenge, blackmailing Yori and hiring classmates to attempt to rape Iku. However, while she manages to get Yori expelled, she is unsuccessful in either ending the twins' relationship or in resuming her own relationship with Yori.
  • Saki Yuki (結城 咲, Yūki Saki): (Voiced by: Sakiko Tamagawa) Yori and Iku's mother. Although very loving to both of her children, she later becomes suspicious of their "friendliness". She eventually discovers their relationship. She later confesses that the two are really twins, but with different fathers. On her wedding night, she had sex with her husband's best friend Dr. Yuugo, and then slept with her husband Shunpei in an attempt to forget about the betrayal. As a result, Yori was fathered by Yuugo, while Iku was fathered by Shunpei.
  • Shunpei Yuki (結城 俊平, Yuki Shunpei): (Voiced by: Tōru Furusawa) Yori and Iku's father, though he is revealed to be the biological father of only Iku.

Media

Manga
Main article: List of Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru chapters

Written and illustrated by Kotomi Aoki, Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru was originally serialized in Japan in Shōjo Comic. The individual chapters were collected and published in ten tankōbon volumes by Shogakukan, with the first volume released May 26, 2003; the last volume was published on August 26, 2008.[1][2] The series is licensed for regional language releases in France by Soleil Productions under the English title Secret Sweetheart,[3] in Spain by Editorial Ivrea,[4] and in Taiwan by Ever Glory Publishing.[5] The original volumes were also imported to the United States and sold as is by Borders and Waldenbooks bookstores in early 2005.[6][7] In March 2008, to celebrate its 40th anniversary, Shōjo Comic posted free chapters of Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru on its website, along with a new side-story.[8]

A spin-off series, Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu (僕の初恋をキミに捧ぐ, lit. "I Offer You My First Love"), began serialization in Shōjo Comic simultaneously in 2005.[9] Focusing on Yori's upperclassmen Takuma Kakinouchi and his childhood sweetheart Mayu Taneda, the series ran until mid-2008.[9] Shogakukan published the individual chapters across twelve tankōbon volumes, with the first released December 20, 2005 and the last on August 26, 2008.[10][11][12]

Original video animation

Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru: Secret Sweethearts – Kono Koi wa Himitsu (僕は妹に恋をする シークレット・スウィートハート この恋はひみつ, lit. "I'm in Love with my Little Sister: Secret Sweethearts – This Love is a Secret") is the original video animation (OVA) adaptation of the manga. On May 18, 2005, Shogakukan released a DVD for the original video animation.[13] Directed by Mayumi Nishimoto, the hour-long, one episode OVA used the song "Ai ga Hoshii" (愛が欲しい, lit. "Desired Love") by Shion as its ending theme.[14]

Live action film
My Sister, My Love (poster)

The manga was adapted into a live action film by Toshiba Entertainment. My Sister, My Love was directed by Hiroshi Ando and produced by Shogakukan, Toshiba Entertainment, Zoom Enterprise and Nippon Television. It was released in Japan on January 20, 2007, and in Taiwan on June 1, 2007.[15] The film features Jun Matsumoto as Yori Yuuki, Nana Eikura as Iku Yuuki, Ayaka Komatsu as Tomoka Kusunoki, Yuko Asano as Saki Yuuki and Yūta Hiraoka as Haruka Yano.[16] The ending theme of the movie is "Kitto Eien ni" by Crystal Kay.

Main article: I Give My First Love to You

The spin-off series Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu was adapted into a film entitled I Give My First Love to You. The film was directed Takehiko Shinjo and was released on October 24, 2009, in Japan. The story revolves around Takuma Kakinouchi, played by Masaki Okada, a boy who is told he will die before he is 20, and Mayu Taneda, played by Mao Inoue, the girl who is in love with him.

Reception

The first seven tankōbon volumes of Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru sold 2.5 million copies by May 2006.[17]

A reviewer for Manga News describes the first volume of the manga as "a mature shojo, appealing and rather captivating".[18] A review of the second volume of the manga commends the author's art as "very pretty". It also comments on the incestuous relationship "Between those two brother and sister are sometimes pushed a bit too far and I found Yuki a bit too silly at times. But that also gives charm to the character."[19] PlaneteBD's Faustine Lillaz comments on the manga's art which "barely save the day. The trait is fine and the style rather pure and the background details are rarely presents and when they are it's only to reinforce the forbidden aspect of Iku and Yori relationship (church, bedroom with parents outside)."[20] Carlos Ross of T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews criticized the hour length of the OVA, feeling its compression of the original manga story causing Yori's feelings for his sister to seem "extremely abrupt and out of left field". Noting that the OVA adaptation departed from the usual "incest-taboo" set up, Ross considered the premise "Freudian" and "very unrealistic." Though he found the animation itself average, Ross praised the background art as varying "from gorgeous to amazing".[21] Anime News Network's Carlo Santos criticises the manga for its lack of depth.[22]

[Yori and Iku] basically spend each chapter getting dangerously close with each other, often in explicit ways, and this smut is repeated over and over until you just want to read some conservative, pedantic pre-Tezuka shōjo manga about how little Chieko became a good obedient wife and waits every day to serve dinner to her salaryman husband because he gets so tired from perpetuating the Japanese economic miracle.

— Carlo Santos, Anime News Network[22]

Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo manga in 2008.[23] The seventh volume of Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu was ranked 5th on the Tohan charts between April 25 and May 1, 2007.[24] The eighth volume was ranked 5th on the Tohan charts between July 24 to 30, 2007.[25] The ninth volume was ranked 3rd on the Tohan charts between October 30 and November 5, 2007.[26] The tenth volume was ranked 5th on the Tohan charts between January 22 to 28, 2008[27] and 1st between January 29 and February 4, 2008.[28] The eleventh volume was ranked 5th on the Tohan charts between April 22 to 28, 2008[29] and 4th between April 29 and March 5, 2008.[30] The twelve volume was ranked 4th on the Tohan charts between August 26 and September 1, 2008.[31]

References
  1. 僕は妹に恋をする 1 [Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru 1] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on January 12, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  2. 僕は妹に恋をする 10 [Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru 10] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  3. "Secret Sweetheart Vol. 1" (in French). Soleil Productions. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  4. "Series Completas" (in Spanish). Editorial Ivrea. Archived from the original on July 22, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  5. 94年03月份（預定發行） [March 1994 (Scheduled for Release)] (in Chinese). Ever Glory Publishing. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  6. "Imported Manga at Borders and Waldenbooks". Anime News Network. February 7, 2005. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  7. "More on Imported Manga". Anime News Network. February 8, 2005. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  8. "Sho-Comi Mag Marks 40th Anniversary with Free Manga". Anime News Network. March 28, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  9. "Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu Manga Gets 2009 Film". Anime News Network. December 2, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  10. 僕の初恋をキミに捧ぐ 1 [Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu 1] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  11. 僕の初恋をキミに捧ぐ 12 [Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu 12] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  12. "Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu Live-Action Series Reveals More Cast".
  13. "僕は妹に恋をする [DVD]" [Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru [DVD]] (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. May 18, 2005. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  14. 僕は妹に恋をする [Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru] (in Japanese). Pony Canyon. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
  15. 妹妹，戀人 My Sister, My Love - Yahoo奇摩電影 (in Chinese). Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  16. "JFDB - MY SISTER, MY LOVE". Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  17. "Historic Shoujo Manga Circulation Numbers". ComiPress. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2009.
  18. "Secret sweetheart Vol.1" (in French). Manga News. Retrieved July 19, 2009. Un shojo mature attrayant et assez captivant
  19. "Secret sweetheart Vol.2" (in French). Manga News. Retrieved July 19, 2009. Les dessins de l'auteure sont très beaux, et Yori est très touchant dans son rôle. Malgré cela, les scènes d'inceste entre ces deux frères et soeurs sont parfois un peu trop poussées, et je trouve Yûki un peu trop niaise par moment. Mais cela donne également du charme au personnage.
  20. Lillaz, Faustine. "Secret Sweetheart, t.1" (in French). Planete BD. Retrieved July 19, 2009. Quant aux graphismes, ils sauvent à peine la mise. Le trait est fin et le style plutôt épuré, mais les décors ne sont présents que rarement et lorsqu’ils le sont, ce n’est que pour renforcer l’aspect interdit de la relation entre Iku et Yori (église, chambre avec les parents à côté…)
  21. Ross, Carlos. "Boku wa Imouto ni Koi o Suru". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  22. Santos, Carlo (February 20, 2007). "Right Turn Only!! Hikikomori Festival". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  23. "53rd Shogakukan Manga Award Winners Announced". Anime News Network. January 30, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  24. "Japanese Comic Ranking, April 25 – May 1". Anime News Network. May 2, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  25. "Japanese Comic Ranking, July 24–30". Anime News Network. August 1, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  26. "Japanese Comic Ranking, October 30 – November 5". Anime News Network. August 1, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  27. "Japanese Comic Ranking, January 22–28". Anime News Network. January 30, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  28. "Japanese Comic Ranking, January 29 – February 4". Anime News Network. February 6, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  29. "Japanese Comic Ranking, April 22–28 (Updated)". Anime News Network. April 30, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  30. "Japanese Comic Ranking, April 29 – May 5 (Updated)". Anime News Network. May 8, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  31. "Japanese Comic Ranking, August 26 – September 1". Anime News Network. September 3, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
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