Loving Yamada at Lv999!

Loving Yamada at Lv999![lower-alpha 1] (Japanese: 山田くんとLv999の恋をする, Hepburn: Yamada-kun to Reberu Kyū-hyaku Kyū-jū Kyū no Koi o Suru) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mashiro. It began serialization on Comic Smart's Ganma! manga website in March 2019. As of April 2023, the series' individual chapters have been collected into seven volumes. An anime television series adaptation produced by Madhouse premiered in April 2023.

Loving Yamada at Lv999!
Cover of the first volume
山田くんとLv999の恋をする
(Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi o Suru)
GenreRomantic comedy[1]
Manga
Written byMashiro
Published by
English publisher
Mangamo
ImprintMF Comics
MagazineGanma!
DemographicShōjo
Original runMarch 7, 2019 – present
Volumes7
Anime television series
My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999
Directed byMorio Asaka
Written byYasuhiro Nakanishi
Music by
  • Mito
  • De De Mouse
StudioMadhouse
Licensed byCrunchyroll
Original networkTokyo MX, BS11
Original run April 2, 2023 – present
Episodes7

Plot

The story follows the daily life of college student Akane Kinoshita, who after getting dumped by her ex-boyfriend, gets closer with the members of the guild in the game she's playing, especially the emotionless, high school student Akito Yamada.

Characters
Akane Kinoshita (木之下 茜, Kinoshita Akane)
Voiced by: Inori Minase[2]
Akane is a college student and a casual player of online game Forest of Savior, which she started playing for her ex-boyfriend (who ironically cheated on her with fellow game player). She has a habit of keeping things and letting them pile up, as she treasures the presents she receives so much. In Forest of Savior, she uses her real name as a nickname. She belongs to a guild called "Chocolate Rabbit."
Akito Yamada (山田 秋斗, Yamada Akito)
Voiced by: Koki Uchiyama[2]
A member of Akane's guild under name "Yamada," his avatar is an emotionless afro male character. Akito is a 3rd year high school student who hardly expresses his emotions and thoughts. He is locally popular as a pro-gamer, a player who gets sponsored to play a game. Forest of Savior is his "casual game," while mainly playing FPS games.
Eita Sasaki (佐々木 瑛太, Sasaki Eita)
Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae, Ai Kakuma (Rurihime)[3]
A 19 year old college student who runs the guild "Chocolate Rabbit" under a girl avatar named "Rurihime." He is Akito's childhood friend, who created the guild so his little sister could play in ease.
Runa Sasaki (佐々木 瑠奈, Sasaki Runa)
Voiced by: Ai Kakuma[3]
Eita's younger sister who is the model of Rurihime's appearance. She hates if Eita adds more people to guild, and will scheme things so they will voluntary quit the guild themselves, including Akane. After getting closer to Akane, she becomes attached to her instead, even supporting her and Akito.
Momoko Maeda (前田 桃子, Maeda Momoko)
Voiced by: Saori Ōnishi[4]
Akane's best friend who likes going to gokon.
Takezo Kamota (鴨田 たけぞう, Kamota Takezō)
Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita[4]
The sub-master guild of Chocolate Rabbit under name "Takezo." His avatar is a small, cotton-like avatar, which will grow to monster-size during battle. He is uIn real life, he is a middle-aged man who owns a strawberry factory owner and mysteriously has wide connections.
Yukari Tsubaki (椿 ゆかり, Tsubaki Yukari)
Voiced by: Rio Tsuchiya[4]
Akito's classmate.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Mashiro, the series began serialization on Comic Smart's Ganma! manga website on March 7, 2019.[5] Media Factory is publishing the series in print under their MF Comics imprint. As of April 2023, seven tankōbon volumes have been released.[6]

Mangamo is publishing the series in English digitally simultaneously with its Japanese release.[7]

Volume list
No. Release date ISBN
1 February 21, 2020[8]978-4-04-064520-9
2 September 23, 2020[9]978-4-04-064954-2
3 March 23, 2021[10]978-4-04-680295-8
4 September 21, 2021[11]978-4-04-680776-2
5 April 22, 2022[12]978-4-04-681368-8
6 October 21, 2022[13]978-4-04-681914-7
7 April 21, 2023[6]978-4-04-682409-7

Anime

An anime television series adaptation, titled My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 (different English translation of the same Japanese title), was announced during the Aniplex Online Fest 2022 event on September 24, 2022.[14] It is produced by Madhouse and directed by Morio Asaka, with scripts written by Yasuhiro Nakanishi, character designs by Kunihiko Hamada, and music composed by Mito and De De Mouse.[2][3] The series premiered on April 2, 2023 on Tokyo MX and other networks.[15][16] The opening theme song is "Gradation" (ぐらでーしょん) by Kana-Boon featuring Yūho Kitazawa, while the ending theme song is "Trick Art" (トリック・アート) by Ryujin Kiyoshi.[4] Crunchyroll licensed the series.[17]

Episode list
No.Title [18][19]Directed by [18]Written by [18]Storyboarded by [18]Original air date [20]
1"This Is Why I Can't Stand Gamer Guys!"
Transcription: "Kore da Kara! Gēmu Suru Otoko Nante!!" (Japanese: これだからっ！ゲームする男なんて！！)		Aya KobayashiYasuhiro NakanishiMorio AsakaApril 2, 2023 (2023-04-02)
Akane is dumped by her boyfriend Takuma for a girl named Eri he met in the online game they both play, Forest of Saviour (FOS). Logging on to FOS Akane ends up lashing out at Yamada, an online guildmate known to be cold and antisocial. She sees an invitation to a real-world event for FOS players. Suspecting Takuma and Eri will attend, Akane has a makeover to ensure Takuma regrets dumping her but at the event she trips trying to get Takuma to notice her. She is helped up by a handsome guy she identifies as Yamada from his cold personality. Takuma is a huge Yamada fan so Akane bribes him with a super rare game item to pretend to be her new boyfriend. Takuma is jealous but is cheered up by Eri, leaving Akane unsatisfied and miserable. Akane and the reluctant Yamada talk over drinks, and she learns he is a famous pro-gamer who gets sponsorships to play games in official competitions. He is also uninterested in dating. After Yamada buys band-aids for her scratched ankle Akane cries and get drunk to dull the pain for rejection. The next morning Akane wakes up hungover in Yamada’s apartment with Yamada gaming nearby.
2"It's Almost Time for the Boss to Spawn, So..."
Transcription: "Sorosoro Bosu Waki no Jikan Nande" (Japanese: そろそろボス湧きの時間なんで)		Hideki TonokatsuYasuhiro NakanishiMorio AsakaApril 9, 2023 (2023-04-09)
Akane fears she and Yamada had sex, but all he did was let her sleep. He asks her to leave and not to see her again. Akane realizes her necklace, the first gift she received from Takuma, is missing. Tracking down Yamada in FOS he insists it is not at his apartment and then criticizes her overusing the limited space in the guilds' storage box. Akane logs off upset. Yamada finds the necklace by accidentally stepping on and breaking it. Akane realizes she needs to move on from Takuma. She spots Yamada in public harshly rejecting a classmate's confession and is compelled to scold him, while realizing Yamada must be a high school senior. Yamada returns the broken necklace which deeply upsets her, give her his umbrella in the rain. The next day Akane’s mother abruptly sends all her belongings from her childhood bedroom, filling her small apartment with boxes. She realizes this is why Yamada was upset about the guild storage box and she throws away everything she doesn’t need. Getting drunk again she visits Yamada to thank him for everything. Yamada actually hints it might be nice to see her in FOS again.
3"I Wanna Have an Offline Meeting"
Transcription: "Ofu-kai Shitai nā" (Japanese: オフ会したいなぁ♡)		Chihiro KumanoYasuhiro NakanishiMiwa SasakiApril 16, 2023 (2023-04-16)
After attending a disastrous singles mixer, Akane logs on FOS and accidentally eavesdrops on Yamada and guild leader Rurihime, leading her to suspect they are dating. This depresses her more than the mixer. At college she meets a guy from the mixer whose name she can’t remember, and ignores him when she spots Yamada talking to a girl she suspects is Rurihime, making her feel even worse. She decides to avoid FOS for a while, but Rurihime abruptly invites her to a café mixer for the whole guild, including Yamada. Akane struggles to follow the directions to the café until a handsome guy offers to direct her there as he is a guild member. Akane greets the girl with Yamada as Rurihime but is embarrassed when she isn’t Rurihime at all. A flashback to the night Akane slept drunk at Yamada’s apartment shows she didn’t pass out straight away, she began crying over Takuma so Yamada held her until she fell asleep.
4"Are You In Love with Yamada?"
Transcription: "Yamada-san no Koto Suki Nan Desu ka?" (Japanese: 山田さんのこと好きなんですか？)		Kotono WatanabeYasuhiro NakanishiKenji SetōApril 23, 2023 (2023-04-23)
It transpires the handsome guy is Rurihime, real name Eita, an old school friend of Yamada. An old man named Takezo also joins them whom Akane has never met in FOS as he specializes in raiding dungeons. The girl is Eita’s sister Runa, who plays FOS so rarely almost no one else knows she is a guild member. Akane is relieved Yamada is in fact single and didn’t lie to her. Runa hates Akane’s causal relationship with Yamada and demands to know if she loves him, causing Eita to scold her rudeness. Akane is shocked to realize she probably does have a crush on Yamada. Meanwhile, Yamada worries Akane is upset with him, exasperating Eita that Yamada doesn’t understand girls at all. After the mixer ends Runa jealously decides to get Akane expelled from the guild. Sharing a train home Akane struggles to maintain conversation with Yamada but settles on food. Discovering his terrible diet, Akane impulsively gives him days' worth of homecooked meals from her freezer, confusing him. Runa calls Akane to apologies and invites her to spend Saturday together as friends. Yamada knows Runa already has plans for Saturday and is suspicious.
5"How About You Give Us an Explanation"
Transcription: "Kuwashiku Kikasete Moraou ka" (Japanese: 詳しく聞かせてもらおうか)		Kōki UchinomiyaYasuhiro NakanishiKoji SawaiApril 30, 2023 (2023-04-30)
Yamada is revealed to tutor Runa on Saturdays, but is unsure if he should tell Akane. Akane finds Runa set her up on a blind date with a middle aged man who thinks Akane is Rurihime, so she goes to the bathroom to call Runa. Yamada sees Runa avoid answering the phone, confirming she is pranking Akane. Akane is terrified when the man follows her to the bathroom. Yamada tells Eita who realises Runa set Akane up with a random Rurihime superfan, and scolds Runa for putting Akane in danger with a potential internet stalker. Everyone rushes to rescue Akane who now has an injured leg. Eita is furious but it turns out the man was genuinely checking to see if Akane was sick in the bathroom, and she hurt her own leg falling over from being surprised. Yamada apologises for not revealing the prank before. Realising she really put Akane at risk Runa apologises. Eita intends to scold Runa severely but Akane sends everyone away to speak to Runa alone. Runa admits what she did and they manage to reconcile. Yamada is impressed with Akane. Still believing she is Rurihime the superfan proposes marriage and is decisively rejected.
6"I Personally Would Prefer a Love Comedy Ending"
Transcription: "Kojinteki ni wa Rabukome Tenkai Kibō" (Japanese: 個人的にはラブコメ展開希望)		Aya KobayashiYasuhiro NakanishiMiwa SasakiMay 7, 2023 (2023-05-07)
Flashbacks show that Runa was coddled by her parents and Eita, making her selfish, childish and unable to make friends outside the internet. Then she met Akane whom she considers a friend but is also aware Akane is older and has other friends besides her, so their friendship is not one of equals. While also hanging out with her other friend Momo Runa becomes bad tempered about sharing Akane. Akane believes she and Yamada have grown closer after he apologises for an insensitive statement and uses an emoji. Akane’s computer short circuits leaving her unable to play FOS, so Eita and Runa guilt Yamada into visiting Akane to repair it. Yamada abruptly thanks Akane for the frozen meals she gave him, making her happy. Runa begins to suspect Eita was right; Akane might be the perfect match for Yamada. At Eita’s suggestion Runa plots a “love comedy ending” by pushing Akane onto Yamada for a “lucky pervert scene”, but this only injures Yamada’s eye. Runa’s plot is somewhat successful when Akane tries to see Yamada’s eye, putting their faces close together. Yamada is so surprised by her proximity he quickly leaves, claiming he forgot his computer repair tools.
7"You Want To Feel at Ease?"
Transcription: "Anshin Shitai Desu ka?" (Japanese: 安心したいですか？)		Hideki Tonokatsu
Kazumasa Isogawa		Yasuhiro NakanishiKoji SawaiMay 14, 2023 (2023-05-14)
Yamada buys a drink but upsets the employee when she asks his name, since she recently graduated from Yamada’s school. Returning, he finds Akane and Runa asleep, and Akane has now tied her hair back. Feeling guilty he unties her hair without waking her. Yamada answers Akane’s door and finds her ex Takuma who is amazed by Yamada’s presence in Akane’s home but is certain Yamada wouldn’t be dating her, annoying Yamada on Akane’s behalf. Takuma wonders if she is OK but decides her seeing him would upset her, so he leaves. Akane overhears everything but is OK with it. She realises her hair is down and Yamada admits he did it but can’t explain why, confusing her. Akane gets a job at a convenience store near college. With her laptop repaired Akane resumes FOS and meets Takezo online for the first time, finding his avatar is a 1 inch tall Micronest ideal for his dungeon raiding. As payment for the laptop repair Eita asks Akane for her assistance clearing a dungeon. At school Yamada is asked to participate in the festival pageant but declines just as Eita informs him he, Runa, Takezo and Akane will attend the festival as FOS representatives.
8Transcription: "Moshi Sō nara Sore wa Sugoku" (Japanese: もしそうならそれはすごく)Chihiro KumanoYasuhiro NakanishiKoji SawaiMay 21, 2023 (2023-05-21)

Reception

In the 2020 Next Manga Award, the series ranked ninth in the web manga category.[21] In the same month, the series was nominated for pixiv and Nippon Shuppan Hanbai, Inc's Web Manga General Election.[22] In the 2021 Next Manga Award, the series ranked fourth in the web manga category.[23] At AnimeJapan 2021, the series ranked ninth in a poll asking people what manga they most wanted to see adapted into an anime.[24] In the 2021 Tsutaya Comic Award, the series ranked sixth.[25] In 2022, the series won the grand prize in the Tsutaya Comic Award.[26]

By April 2022, the series has one million copies in circulation between its digital and print releases.[27] By October 2022, the series had two million copies in circulation.[28]

Notes
  1. English title in original anime version is "My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999"

References
  1. Shiraishi, Yuka (October 7, 2021). 「山田ああああああああ」と叫ばずにはいられない、ネトゲからはじまる恋 『山田くんとLv999の恋をする』が面白い. Real Sound (in Japanese). Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  2. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 24, 2022). "My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999 Manga Gets TV Anime in 2023". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  3. Mateo, Alex (February 13, 2023). "My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999 Anime Reveals 1st Promo Video, More Cast, Staff". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  4. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (March 14, 2023). "My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999 Anime Reveals Main Promo Video, More Cast, Theme Song Artists". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  5. ゲーマー男子高校生に不器用女子大生が恋、新連載「山田くんとLv999の恋をする」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 7, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  6. 山田くんとLv999の恋をする（7） (in Japanese). Kadokawa. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  7. Hazra, Adriana (August 1, 2022). "Mangamo Simulpubs Mashiro's 'Loving Yamada at Lv999!' Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  8. 山田くんとLv999の恋をする（１） (in Japanese). Kadokawa. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  9. 山田くんとLv999の恋をする（2） (in Japanese). Kadokawa. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  10. 山田くんとLv999の恋をする（3） (in Japanese). Kadokawa. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  11. 山田くんとLv999の恋をする（4） (in Japanese). Kadokawa. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  12. 山田くんとLv999の恋をする（5） (in Japanese). Kadokawa. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  13. 山田くんとLv999の恋をする（6） (in Japanese). Kadokawa. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  14. 「山田くんとLv999の恋をする」2023年にTVアニメ化、水瀬いのり＆内山昂輝が出演. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. September 24, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  15. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 23, 2022). "My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999 Anime Premieres in April 2023". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  16. Dempsey, Liam (March 1, 2023). "Loving Yamada at Lv999! TV Anime Sets April 1 Premiere with Akane Character Trailer". Crunchyroll. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  17. Hazra, Adriana (April 1, 2023). "Crunchyroll Adds My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 Anime to Spring Simulcast Lineup". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  18. "Sutōrī | Terebi Anime "Yamada-kun to Reberu Kyūhyaku Kyūjūkyū no Koi o Suru" Kōshiki Saito" STORY | TVアニメ「山田くんとLv999の恋をする」公式サイト [Story | TV Anime "My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999" Official Website]. yamadalv999-anime.com (in Japanese). Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  19. "Watch My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 - Crunchyroll". Crunchyroll. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  20. "Terebi Anime "Yamada-kun to Reberu Kyūhyaku Kyūjūkyū no Koi o Suru" Kōshiki Saito" TVアニメ「山田くんとLv999の恋をする」公式サイト [TV Anime "My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999" Official Website]. yamadalv999-anime.com (in Japanese). Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  21. Loveridge, Lynzee (August 19, 2020). "Norio Sakurai's The Dangers in My Heart Wins Tsugi ni Kuru Web Manga 2020 Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  22. Loveridge, Lynzee (August 27, 2020). "Voting Opens for Web Manga General Election 2020". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  23. Loveridge, Lynzee (August 24, 2021). "Kaiju No. 8, Oshi no Ko Win Next Manga Awards Web, Print Categories". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  24. 「僕の心のヤバイやつ」が「アニメ化してほしいマンガランキング」で1位に. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 27, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  25. 歴代の受賞作品・入賞作品 トップ10 (in Japanese). Tsutaya Comic Award. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  26. 「山田くんとLv999の恋をする」が「みんなが選ぶTSUTAYAコミック大賞」で大賞獲得. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. June 22, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  27. 「山田くんとLv999の恋をする」5巻＆100万部達成、新宿駅に大型ポスター. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 25, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  28. 山田くんとLv999の恋をする：テレビアニメが2023年4月スタート　クリスマスビジュアル公開. Mantan Web (in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun. December 24, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
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