Hen (manga)

Hen
First tankōbon volume cover (second series), featuring Chizuru Yoshida (left) and Azumi Yamada (right)
変
Genre	Erotic comedy[1] Romantic comedy[2] Yaoi[3][a] / Yuri[2][b]
Manga
Written by	Hiroya Oku
Published by	Shueisha
Imprint	Young Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Young Jump
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	1989 – 1994
Volumes	13
Manga
Written by	Hiroya Oku
Published by	Shueisha
Imprint	Young Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Young Jump
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	1995 – 1997
Volumes	8
Television drama
Directed by	Mitsunori Morita Miki Nemoto
Music by	Hiroya Watanabe
Original network	TV Asahi
Original run	April 7, 1996 – June 30, 1996
Episodes	12
Original video animation
Strange Love
Directed by	Daiji Suzuki
Produced by	Katsuaki Takemoto Takehiko Shimazu
Written by	Mayori Sekijima
Music by	Gōji Tsuno
Studio	Group TAC
Licensed by	NA: Central Park Media
Released	March 21, 1997 – June 21, 1997
Episodes	2

Hen (変, "Strangeness") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku. There are two separate Hen series, both published in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump; the first one from 1989 to 1994 and the second from 1995 to 1997. Both series received a television drama adaptation broadcast on TV Asahi in 1996. The second series received a two-episode original video animation (OVA) adaptation released in 1997. In North America, the OVA was licensed by Central Park Media, under the title Strange Love, and released on DVD in 2002.

Plot

• First series ("Suzuki and Satō"):

Ichirō Suzuki (鈴木 一郎, Suzuki Ichirō), a straight young man who becomes besotted with another guy, Yūki Satō (佐藤 ゆうき, Satō Yūki), convinced his bishōnen love is a girl trapped in a boy's body. The first three volumes of this series collect Oku's early short stories, including prototype versions of both Hen series.

• Second series ("Chizuru and Azumi"):

Student Chizuru Yoshida, to her utmost horror, falls in love with another girl, the innocent Azumi Yamada. A prototype version of this story was published in the second volume of the first series.

Characters

• Note: Characters from the second series

Chizuru Yoshida (吉田 ちずる, Yoshida Chizuru)

Voiced by: Atsuko Kichiya^[4] (Japanese); Sharon Becker (English)

Portrayed by: Asami Jō

A beautiful and perfect high school student who excels in everything she does, Chizuru is every man's dream and she knows it. A promiscuous and very sexually active person who plays men for whatever she wants, the young model has a great life until she meets her current fling's new neighbors. Instantly Chizuru, a girl who has never known love, falls heavily for the young female neighbor, Azumi Yamada. Chizuru, refusing to admit it at first, quickly comes to realize she must be with Azumi at any cost. Now living with her fake boyfriend, Hiroyuki, just one apartment away from Azumi, she puts forth every effort to constantly be around her crush. She has an interesting physique compared to other female characters; although she is slender, she has large breasts in contrast to the rest of her willowy figure. The English dub portrays Chizuru as an older teenage college student whereas in the Japanese version she is in high school and around 16 to 17 years old.

Azumi Yamada (山田 あずみ, Yamada Azumi)

Voiced by: Ayumi Sakurai^[4] (Japanese); Allison Keith (English)

Portrayed by: Miho Kiuchi

Azumi is an innocent and average looking high school student. However, after moving from Kyushu to a new city and new apartment complex she meets Chizuru. At first the friendly Azumi tries to be nice to Chizuru, only to be harshly rejected. Eventually though, the two become friends, although Azumi fears that there might be something weird about Chizuru. Azumi, who wishes to become a screenwriter, one day attempts to join the drama club. There she befriends a young, amateur film maker named Ryuichi Kobayashi.

Ryuichi Kobayashi (小林 龍一, Kobayashi Ryūichi)

Portrayed by: Yosuke Kubozuka

Ryuichi is also a newly transferred high school student who enjoys making movies in his free time. Upon meeting Chizuru in the infirmary, he quickly falls in love with her face, wishing for her to be an actress in one of his movies. Ryuichi eventually befriends Azumi as they attempt to join the drama club.

Sushiaki Karasawa (唐沢 寿明, Karasawa Sushiaki)

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu^[4] (Japanese); Vinnie Penna (English)

Portrayed by: Hiroki Okayasu

Karasawa, who appears as the main character for several of the opening chapters, is a new teacher at Momoyuri College (high school in the Japanese version), the same school Chizuru and Azumi attend. He quickly falls in love with Chizuru after recognizing her as a model. After a little effort, Karasawa is able to trick Chizuru into admitting she is a model, infuriating her. She then convinces Karasawa to let her sleep at his apartment for the night, where she enacts vengeance through teasing him to some degree or another throughout the night.

Hiroyuki (ヒロユキ)

Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese); Hideo Seaver (English)

Portrayed by: Shinsuke Aoki

A young Japanese rock star, living in his parents' mansion (a large Japanese apartment considered to be more like a suite) and on their money, he was yet another fling of the beautiful Chizuru. However, when his new neighbors moved in with their daughter Azumi Yamada, Chizuru quickly claimed him as her boyfriend. Hiroyuki, realizing that Chizuru has a crush on Azumi, but truly believing that she loves him, has formed a plan to seduce and sleep with Azumi, ruining her for Chizuru.

Media

Manga

First volume cover of the first manga series

Written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku, the prototype of Hen was selected as a semi-finalist at the 19th Youth Manga Awards in 1988.^[5][6] The manga started an irregular serialization in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump the following year;^[7][8] it started a weekly serialization in 1992,^[8] and finished in 1994.^[9] Shueisha collected its chapters in thirteen tankōbon volumes, released from April 25, 1991,^[10] to April 24, 1995;^[11] a four-volume shinsoban edition was published from October 19, 2000,^[12] to January 19, 2001;^[13] and a nine-volume bunkoban edition was released from April 18 to September 15, 2006.^[14][15]

Another series, also titled Hen (stylized in Latin script), was serialized in Weekly Young Jump from 1995 to 1997.^[16] Shueisha collected its chapters in eight tankōbon volumes, released from September 24, 1995,^[17] to June 24, 1997.^[18] A six-volume bunkoban edition was released from February 18 to June 17, 2011.^[19][20]

Drama

A television drama adaptation was broadcast on TV Asahi in 1996. The first half, adapting the first series and starring Shinsuke Aoki as Ichirō Suzuki and actress Aiko Sato as Yūki Satō, was broadcast for seven episodes from April 7 to May 19;^[21][c] the second half, adapting the second series and starring Asami Jō as Chizuru Yoshida and Miho Kiuchi as Azumi Yamada, was broadcast for five episodes from May 26 to June 30.^[22][c] Art Five re-released the series on two DVD boxes (each containing each part) in November 2006.^[23][24]

Original video animation

A two-episode original video animation (OVA) adaptation of the second series, "Chizuru and Azumi", animated by Group TAC and directed by Daiji Suzuki,^[25][16] was released by Toei Video on March 21 and June 21, 1997.^[26][27][28]

In North America, the OVA was licensed by Central Park Media and released on DVD, under the title Strange Love,^[29] on February 12, 2002.^[30]

Notes

1. First series
2. Second series
3. Originally broadcast on Saturday at 24:00, which is effectively Sunday at midnight JST.

References

1. "Strange Love (DVD) (D/S)". Central Park Media. Archived from the original on September 1, 2004. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
2. Friedman, Erica (March 16, 2004). "Yuri Anime/Yuri Manga: Hen". Okazu. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
3. 変[HEN]. Mangapedia [ja] (in Japanese). Voyage Group. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
4. HEN 第1巻完成報告 (in Japanese). Toei Video. Archived from the original on April 28, 1997. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
5. プロのマンガ家さんに聞く30の質問. manga-gai.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 9, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
6. 奥浩哉. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
7. 1989年（昭和64年・平成元年） (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
8. 奥浩哉. Web Young Jump (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on July 11, 2001. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
9. 変［HEN］. Kotobank (in Japanese). Voyage Marketing. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
10. 変 1. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
11. 変 13. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
12. 変 新装版 1. s-book.com (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on September 17, 2003. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
13. 変 新装版 4. s-book.com (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on July 31, 2003. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
14. 変 1 [集英社文庫] (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on August 6, 2007. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
15. 変 9 [集英社文庫] (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on October 9, 2006. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
16. "HEN". Mangapedia [ja] (in Japanese). Voyage Group. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
17. "HEN 1". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
18. "HEN 8". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
19. HEN 1 [集英社文庫] (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
20. HEN 6 [集英社文庫] (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on October 23, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
21. 変[HEN] VOL,1 鈴木くんと佐藤くん（変[HEN] 鈴木くん 佐藤くん）. TV Drama database. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
22. 変[HEN] vol.2 ちずるちゃん・あゆみちゃん（ちずるちゃんとあずみちゃん）. TV Drama database. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
23. (変)鈴木くん・佐藤くん DVD-box (in Japanese). National Diet Library. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
24. (Hen)ちずるちゃん・あずみちゃん DVD-box (in Japanese). National Diet Library. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
25. Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2015). The Anime Encyclopedia: A Century of Japanese Animation (3rd ed.). Stone Bridge Press. p. 793. ISBN 978-1-61172-018-1. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
26. [スタッフ] (in Japanese). Toei Video. Archived from the original on April 28, 1997. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
27. "HEN Vol.1 INDEX". Toei Video. Archived from the original on April 28, 1997. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
28. ビデオ作品一覧 (in Japanese). Group TAC. Archived from the original on August 13, 2001. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
29. Ross, Carlos. "Strange Love". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
30. "Strange Love (DVD) (sub/dub)". Central Park Media. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002. Retrieved August 31, 2023.

Further reading

• Beveridge, Chris (February 12, 2002). "Strange Love". AnimeOnDVD. Archived from the original on November 1, 2006.
• Toole, Mike (January 27, 2003). "Strange Love (VHS)". Hentai Jump. Archived from the original on January 14, 2004.

External links

• Hen at IMDb (drama)
• Hen at IMDb (anime)
• Hen (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia