Sometimes,
the best news comes with short waits. This weekend, the editorial team of Kadokawa's Monthly
Shonen Ace magazine announced that Meguru Ueno's popular romantic
comedy manga, My First Girlfriend is a Gal (Hajimete no Gal), will
enter an extended publishing hiatus. The reason is more than
justifiable and quite tender: the author will take a well-deserved paternity
leave. Fortunately for fans, the break has an expiration date, as the work
will return in the September issue of the magazine, scheduled to go on sale at
the end of July.
The
confusion on networks and the first break in 10 years
The
original announcement published on Friday generated a rather comical situation
on social networks. Due to the wording of the statement, many fans mistakenly
assumed that Meguru Ueno was a woman. This prompted the creator to post a
personal clarification on Saturday, confirming that he is a man and expressing
how happy he is spending time with his family following the birth of his baby.
As this news item focuses on a hiatus and there are no anime announcements in
the pipeline, it's worth going over the accomplishments that justify this
well-earned break from Ueno's pen:
- An uninterrupted decade: Since its launch in
November 2015, the series has been published monthly without a single
break for nearly 11 years.
- Continued success on paper: The manga maintains a
solid sales base and has just released its 21st compilation
volume on January 23.
- The leap to the screen: The franchise gained worldwide fame thanks to its successful anime adaptation released in July 2017, which boosted the popularity of Gyaru culture among international fans.
What is
this unusual school romance about?
If the
animated adaptation or the more than 20 volumes of the manga have not yet
captured your attention, the premise will hook you because of the absurdity and
tenderness of its beginning. The story follows Junichi Hashiba (better
known as Jun), a completely ordinary high school student who is unpopular and
quite desperate to get a girlfriend. Pressured by his losing friends, Jun makes
the worst and most impulsive decision possible: to get down on one knee and
confess his love to Yukana Yame, an attractive girl in his class.
The big
detail is that Yukana is not just any student, but a real Gyaru: a
girl obsessed with fashion, with an uninhibited attitude, flashy style and a
presence that intimidates average boys. To Jun's absolute shock and terror,
Yukana accepts his confession for pure fun. Thus begins a hilarious and sweet
relationship where this inexperienced protagonist must navigate in unknown
waters, trying to survive the accelerated pace of life of his new and extroverted
girlfriend while his true feelings begin to blossom beyond appearances.
