Waiting for Spring (Japanese: 春待つ僕ら, Hepburn: Haru Matsu Bokura), released as We Hope For Blooming in Southeast Asia, is a Japanese shōjo manga series by Anashin. Waiting for Spring is serialized in the monthly manga magazine Dessert since April 2014. During the series’ run, a drama CD was released on June 24, 2017. A live-action film adaptation was released on December 14, 2018.

Plot

Mitsuki is a shy first-year student at Seiryo High School struggling to make friends. To her dread, one day, four popular boys from the basketball team, heralded as the school’s “four heavenly kings”, drop by the café she works at. Initially reluctant, Mitsuki soon develops an unlikely friendship with them, particularly with Towa, even though Seiryo High School’s basketball team is banned from dating. Just when Mitsuki finds herself growing fond of Towa, her childhood friend, Aya, returns.

Manga

Waiting for Spring is written and illustrated by Anashin. It is serialized in the monthly magazine Dessert since April 2014 and is scheduled to end in the November 2019 issue. The chapters were later released in bound volumes by Kodansha for a total of 14 volumes. During the series’ run, drama CDs were released in limited edition bundles of volumes 7 and 9.

M&C! announced that Waiting for Spring had been licensed in English for Southeast Asian distribution on September 24, 2016 under the manga’s original English subtitle We Hope For Blooming. Kodansha USA announced that Waiting for Spring had been licensed in English for North American distribution on October 6, 2016, with the first volume releasing in summer 2017.

Film

A live-action film adaptation was announced in March 2018 and released in theaters on December 14, 2018. The film is directed by Yuichiro Hirakawa and written by Satoko Okazaki, produced and distributed by Office Crescendo and Warner Bros., The film stars Tao Tsuchiya as Mitsuki, Yuta Koseki as Aya, Takumi Kitamura as Towa, Yu Inaba as Rui, Hayato Isomura as Kyōsuke, and Yosuke Sugino as Ryuji. Additional cast members include Rika Izumi as Nanase, Yuki Saso as Reina, and Tamaki Ogawa as Yuko (Aya’s mother).

Reception

Rebecca Silverman from Anime News Network praised Mitsuki’s character and the overall story composition.

Volume 2 debuted at #49 on Oricon and sold 15,428 copies in its first week. Volume 3 debuted at #24 on Oricon with 44,674 copies sold in its first week and fell to #46 with 21,443 copies sold in its second week, totaling 66,117 copies sold overall. Volume 4 debuted at #5 on Oricon with 47,250 copies sold in its first week and 119,395 copies sold overall. Volume 5 debuted at #9 on Oricon with 80,699 copies sold in its first week and 135,329 copies sold overall. Volume 6 debuted at #9 on Oricon with 95,329 copies sold in its first week and 203,581 copies sold, making it the 98th best-selling manga in Japan for the first half of 2017. Volume 7 debuted at #8 on Oricon with 52,563 copies sold in its first week and 140,115 copies sold overall. Volume 8 debuted at #6 on Oricon with 60,037 copies sold in its first week and 140,396 copies sold overall. Volume 9 debuted at #4 on Oricon with 52,563 copies sold in its first week and 139,640 copies sold overall. Volume 10 debuted at #11 on Oricon with 68,150 copies sold in its first week and 144,725 copies sold overall.

Waiting for Spring was nominated for the 41st Annual Kodansha Manga Awards under the Best Shojo Manga category. The first two volumes were included in the 2018 list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens produced by American Library Association‘s Young Adult Library Services Association.

Waiting for Spring
Cover of the Japanese version of vol. 1, first released on July 11, 2014
春待つ僕ら (Haru Matsu Bokura)
Genre	Romance, sports (basketball)
Manga
Written by	Anashin
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	NA Kodansha USA SEA M&C!
Imprint	Kodansha Comics
Magazine	Dessert
Demographic	Shōjo
Original run	April 2014 – September 24, 2019
Volumes	14
Live-action film
Directed by	Yuichiro Hirakawa
Written by	Satoko Okazaki
Music by	Yu Takami
Studio	Office Crescendo Warner Bros.
Released	December 14, 2018