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Haganai (はがない), short for Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (僕は友達が少ない, loosely “I Don’t Have Many Friends”), is a Japanese light novel series written by Yomi Hirasaka, illustrated by Buriki, and published by Media Factory. It has been given several manga adaptations; the first incarnation, its title and basic plot unchanged, began serialization in 2010; it was written and illustrated by Itachi and published in Monthly Comic Alive. A retelling of the series, written by Misaki Harukawa and illustrated by Shuichi Taguchi and called Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai+ was published in Jump SQ.19. A 12-episode anime adaptation by AIC Build aired in Japan between October and December 2011. An original video animation episode was released in September 2012. A second anime season, Haganai NEXT, aired between January and March 2013. A live-action film adaptation was released in February 2014.

Conception

Yomi Hirasaka had been working on Light Novel Club (ラノベ部, Ranobe-bu), which consisted of short stories about everyday life. In developing Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, or Haganai for short, Hirasaka contrasts the main characters as opposites of the ones in the Light Novel Club which had good relationships to begin with. Hirasaka drew influences from personal experience: “This novel is a story about myself who also had few friends, bad communication skills, negative thinking, lacking life experiences and useless delusional habits.” Hirasaka also considers the setting of the stories to be less restrictive. The anime was directed by Hisashi Saito, who had previously directed the fan service romantic comedy Heaven’s Lost Property. Hirasaka noted that Itachi’s portrayal of the characters in the manga are “all so cute” and “their faces are full of life”, especially the expressions of the heroines Yozora and Sena.^{Vol. 1}

Plot

Kodaka Hasegawa, a transfer student to St. Chronica’s Academy, has found it difficult to make friends because of his mix of brown-blond hair (inherited from his deceased English mother) and fierce-looking eyes that make him look like a delinquent. One day, he accidentally comes across the equally solitary and very abrasive Yozora Mikazuki as she converses with “Tomo”, her “air” (imaginary) friend. Realizing that they lack social lives and skills, they decide that the best way to improve their situation is to form the Neighbors Club (隣人部, Rinjin-bu), “an after-school club for people with no friends like themselves”. Other students with various backgrounds join the club: Sena Kashiwazaki is an attractive but arrogant idol who has no female friends and treats the boys as her slaves; Yukimura Kusunoki is an effeminate underclassman who idolizes Kodaka and strives to become manly like him; Rika Shiguma is a genius scientist with a perverted mind; Kobato Hasegawa is Kodaka’s little sister who generally cosplays as a vampire; and Maria Takayama, a ten-year-old foul-mouthed nun who serves as the club’s advisor. The story follows their adventures as the club tries out various school and outside social activities as practice for making friends.

Light novels

The original light novel series, written by Yomi Hirasaka and illustrated by Buriki, began publication on Media Factory‘s MF Bunko J imprint from August 31, 2009 to August 25, 2015. Eleven volumes in the series have been published. Hirasaka and Buriki also released the light novel Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Connect in December 2012. Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Universe (僕は友達が少ないゆにばーす) is a series of anthology stories by various guest authors, including Yomi Hirasaka, Yūji Yūji, Wataru Watari, Yū Shimizu, Sō Sagara, Asaura, Hajime Asano, Ryō Iwanami, Shirō Shiratori, Takaya Kagami and guest illustrators Buriki, Kantoku, Ruroo, Peco, QP:flapper, Miyama-Zero, Shunsaku Tomose, Yuu Kamiya, Koin, Ponkan8, Hanpen Sakura.

Two volumes of the spin-off Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Universe were published on November 23, 2011, and February 22, 2013.

Manga

The first Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai manga series, written and illustrated by Itachi, was published in Media Factory‘s Monthly Comic Alive magazine from its May 2010 issue, released on March 27, 2010, to February 2021 issue, released on December 27, 2020. The series has been collected in twenty tankōbon volumes. Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the first manga series in North America under the title Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends and released it between 2012 and 2022.

A remade manga series, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai+ (僕は友達が少ない+), written by Misaki Harukawa and illustrated by Shouichi Taguchi, was published in Shueisha‘s Jump SQ.19 from November 19, 2010 to June 19, 2012. Plus introduces the characters in a different order and goes through different adventures. The series was collected in two volumes, which were published on October 4, 2011 and August 3, 2012.

Three volumes of short stories, titled Boku wa Tomdachi ga Sukunai: Kōshiki Anthology Comic (僕は友達が少ない公式アンソロジーコミック), have been published by Media Factory since October 22, 2011. Each chapter of them is written and illustrated by different authors.

The series of one-shot stories Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends – Now With 50% More Fail! (僕は友達が少ないショボーン！, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai: Shobōn!) written by Chiruwo Kazehana and illustrated by Shirabii; and Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends – Club Minutes (僕は友達が少ないはがない日和, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai: Haganai Biyori) written by Kiurian and illustrated by Bomi, were serialized in Comic Alive in 2011–2012 and 2012–2013 respectively. Both series have been licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment; and released on July 1, 2014 and December 16, 2014, respectively.

In the English manga, each chapter is numbered as a Club Activity Log. Translation was done by Ryan Peterson, and adaptation was done by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane.^{Vol. 1}

Anime

In May 2011, an anime television series based on the light novels was announced on the wraparound jacket of the sixth light novel, with an original video animation bundled with the seventh light novel released on September 22, 2011. Produced by AIC Build under the direction of Hisashi Saitō, the series aired in Japan from October 7 to December 23, 2011. The opening theme is “Zannenkei Rinjinbu Hoshi Futatsuhan” (残念系隣人部★★☆, “The Regrettable Neighbours Club Two and a Half Stars”) by Marina Inoue, Kanae Itō, Nozomi Yamamoto, Misato Fukuen, Kana Hanazawa, and Yuka Iguchi, while the ending theme is “Watashi no Ki-mo-chi” (私のキ・モ・チ, “My Feelings”) by Marina Inoue. The anime is based on the first three volumes and the beginning of volume four. The anime was licensed for streaming by Funimation, who hosted the stream on the website and Nico Nico, before licensing the series for home video release.

A follow-up original video animation episode was released on September 26, 2012. The ending theme is “Kimi wa Tomodachi” (君は友達, “You Are My Friend”) by Inoue, Itō, Yamamoto, Fukuen, Hanazawa, Iguchi and Ryohei Kimura.

A second season, titled Haganai NEXT, aired from January 11 to March 29, 2013. It is based on the novels from volume four until the first few present in volume nine. The series was directed by Toru Kitahata whilst Hirasaka was in charge of the scripts. The opening and ending themes, respectively, are “Be My Friend” and “Bokura no Tsubasa” (僕らの翼, “Our Wings”), both performed by Inoue, Itō, Yamamoto, Fukuen, Hanazawa and Iguchi.

Game

A visual novel, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Portable, was developed by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation Portable and released on February 23, 2012.

Live-action film

On April 24, 2013, Ryukoku University posted a casting call for extras for a 2014 film adaptation of Haganai, to be distributed by Toei and produced by “I Don’t Have Many Friends” Production Committee, consisting of Times-In, Kinoshita Group, Pony Canyon, Toei Video Company, Toei itself, Kadokawa, Dwango and Guild. Hirasaka later confirmed the film’s existence on May 2, 2013, stating that, whilst he initially didn’t approve of the project, as he didn’t feel the story was intended for live-action, he decided to approve it in light of a crisis in the light novel industry. Hirasaka will have a completely hands-off role in the film’s production. Takurō Oikawa, the film’s director, chose not to watch the anime and told his cast members not to watch it either so that they can present a fresh interpretation of the light novels. The Japanese film site Cinema Cafe began streaming the full trailer for the live-action film light novel series on December 4, 2013. The film was released on February 1, 2014.

Reception

The second volume of the manga adaptation ranked seventh on the top 30 of Japanese Comic Ranking, for the week of May 23–29, 2011.

Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network found the first graphic novel “fairly entertaining” with artist Itachi’s illustrations “between beautiful depictions of the girls and messy sketches, which actually works well for the series”. While the premise “retreads familiar ground”, she noted the girls’ reactions in the dating sim chapter as the highlight of the volume.Tim Jones of THEM Anime Reviews gave the anime series three of five stars. He grouped the social misfits show as a “raunchy romp filled with lots of cheesecake and hit-or-miss comedy”, with “great leads, okay side characters”, and didn’t “need to be reminded every episode how huge Sena’s breasts are, thanks”.

Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network found the anime series interesting in that it starts with misfits finding friends and deferred the typical romantic comedy entanglements but was deflated that the series was “taking on harem baggage.” The second half of series was “increasingly formulaic” and left him longing for a story. He found the episodes to have very little novelty: “Relationships change little, characters evolve not at all, and the message—that these outcasts have already found their friends and just refuse to acknowledge it—remains the same. We might as well be watching the first couple of episodes repeat ad infinitum.” Bamboo Dong found the series’ strength to be in the character development, but its drawback was that such moments are far and few compared to the “recycled referential humor, like drawing the characters inside a video game, or drawing them inside a dating sim”, and the same “bland paste of old jokes”. She preferred the English dub as the characters insulting each other was better than the dull name-calling in Japanese.

Andy Hanley of UK Anime.net gave the anime series a 6/10, and called the anime a series of two halves, where the first half contained “great and hugely funny episodes” but the second half was “increasingly tired and even unlikeable” where “sure-fire comedy concepts such as a visit to karaoke or the swimming pool fail to do anything noteworthy with their subject material.” He found that the main characters undermined the series later on with “Yozora’s snarky, bossy attitude which works so well in early episodes turns to bitchiness and then downright bullying” as Sena’s obsessions to “become something of a dead horse which the series insists upon flogging.” He later gave the first graphic novel a 4/10. With Yozora and Sena as “massive bitches” more so than in the anime, he wrote that “a better title for the series might be It’s Probably For The Best That You Have No Friends.” He found the Seven Seas translation to be balanced and that its presentation was without complaint.

Explanatory notes

The abbreviation “Haganai” is defined in the author’s afterword in the first light novel.^{[LN 1]} Hirasaka noted starting to call it by that title, and that it has somehow become the official title.^{Vol. 1}
^ The only one spared this treatment is Rika, since Rika takes whatever insult she gives her and deflects it back with a dirty joke that leaves her tired.
^ In the light novel, Yozora first calls Sena a cow due to her large breasts, but later nicknames her “Meat” (肉, Niku) when they play a monster hunting video game that has raw and cooked meat as items. Sena reveals she does not mind the insulting nickname because it is the first time she had ever received one.^{LN 1}^,^{Ch. 9}
^ According to the chapter footnotes regarding Rika Shiguma‘s name, “Shiguma” 志熊 translates to the greek letter “Sigma” and Rika, while being a typical girl’s name when romanized, has a kanji 理科 that translates to “science” ^{Ch. 13 translator’s footnote}
^ At the end of the English version of manga volume 1 is a preview chapter for Mayo Chiki.

Notes about works cited

^ “LN” is shortened form for light novel and refers to a volume number of the Haganai light novels.
^ “Ch.” is a shortened form for “chapter” and refers to a chapter number of the Haganai manga.

僕は友達が少ない *(Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai)*
Haganai
Cover of the first Japanese novel published by MF Bunko J featuring Kodaka Hasegawa (left) and Yozora Mikazuki (right).
Genre	Comedy Harem Slice of life
Light novel
Written by	Yomi Hirasaka
Illustrated by	Buriki
Published by	Media Factory
Imprint	MF Bunko J
Demographic	Male
Original run	August 31, 2009 – August 25, 2015
Volumes	11 (List of volumes)
Manga
*Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends*
Written by	Yomi Hirasaka
Illustrated by	Itachi
Published by	Media Factory
English publisher	^NA Seven Seas Entertainment
Magazine	*Monthly Comic Alive*
Demographic	*Seinen*
Original run	March 27, 2010 – March 23, 2021
Volumes	20 (List of volumes)
Manga
*Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai+*
Written by	Misaki Harukawa
Illustrated by	Shouichi Taguchi
Published by	Shueisha
Magazine	*Jump SQ.19*
Demographic	*Shōnen*
Original run	November 19, 2010 – June 19, 2012
Volumes	2
Original video animation
Directed by	Hisashi Saitō
Written by	Tatsuhiko Urahata
Music by	Tom-H@ck
Studio	AIC Build
Released	September 22, 2011
Runtime	12 minutes
Anime television series
Directed by	Hisashi Saitō
Written by	Tatsuhiko Urahata
Music by	Tom-H@ck
Studio	AIC Build
Licensed by	^AUS Madman Entertainment ^NA Funimation
Original network	TBS, MBS, Funimation Channel
English network	^SEA Animax Asia
Original run	October 7, 2011 – December 23, 2011
Episodes	12 (List of episodes)
Light novel
*Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Universe*
Written by	Various authors
Illustrated by	Various illustrators
Published by	Media Factory
Imprint	MF Bunko J
Demographic	Male
Original run	November 23, 2011 – February 22, 2013
Volumes	2
Game
*Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Portable*
Publisher	Namco Bandai
Genre	Visual novel
Platform	PlayStation Portable
Released	February 23, 2012
Original video animation
*Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Add On Disc*
Directed by	Hisashi Saitō
Written by	Tatsuhiko Urahata
Music by	Tom-H@ck
Studio	AIC Build
Released	September 26, 2012
Runtime	25 minutes
Light novel
*Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai CONNECT*
Written by	Yomi Hirasaka
Illustrated by	Buriki
Published by	Media Factory
Imprint	MF Bunko J
Demographic	Male
Published	December 25, 2012
Anime television series
*Haganai NEXT*
Directed by	Toru Kitahata
Written by	Yomi Hirasaka
Music by	Tom-H@ck
Studio	AIC Build
Licensed by	^AUS Madman Entertainment ^NA Funimation
Original network	TBS, MBS
English network	^SEA Animax Asia
Original run	January 11, 2013 – March 29, 2013
Episodes	12 (List of episodes)
Live-action film
Directed by	Takurō Oikawa
Written by	Takurō Oikawa
Studio	Toei
Released	February 1, 2014
Runtime	114 minutes