is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series by Natsumi Aida. ''Switch Girl!!'' was serialized in the monthly

manga magazine are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics an ...

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

'' from 19 August 2006 to 4 January 2014. A live-action television drama adaptation ran on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

Two from 24 December 2011 and 18 February 2012, with a second season broadcast from 7 December 2012 to 25 January 2013.

Plot

Nika Tamiya, the most popular girl at her high school, is a "switch girl" — in public, she is in her "on" mode, where she is as a put-together, charismatic, and fashionable girl. However, in private, she is in her "off" mode, where she is unorganized, unfeminine, and lazy. One day, Arata Kamiyama transfers into her class and moves into her apartment building. Not only does Arata discover Nika's secret, but he also has an "on" and "off" mode, where his "off" mode reveals he is secretly handsome. As Nika urges Arata to keep her "off" mode a secret, the two begin to learn more about each other and fall in love.

Characters

; :; played by:

Mariya Nishiuchi is a former Japanese model, actress, and singer-songwriter who is affiliated with Rising Production. She is the younger sister of model, actress, and BeForU member Hiromi Nishiuchi. Filmography TV series Films Discography Singles Maga ...

:Nika is a high school student who describes herself as a "switch girl" with an "on" and "off" mode. Her "on" mode is her perfectly cultivated public image, while her "off" mode reveals she is lazy and unfashionable. Due to her popularity at school, she struggles to keep her "off" mode a secret. ; :; played by:

Renn Kiriyama is a Japanese stage and television actor from Yokohama. His debut role was as Bunta Marui in ''The Prince of Tennis'' musical ''Tenimyu#Absolute King Rikkai feat. Rokkaku ~ First Service, Absolute King Rikkai feat. Rokkaku ~ First Service''. Kiri ...

:Arata is a transfer student in Nika's class who moves into her apartment building, and, like Nika, he has an "on" and "off" mode. His "on" mode has him wear glasses and appear inconspicuously, while his "off" mode reveals he is handsome and attractive. Arata's "on" mode is to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

Media

Manga

''Switch Girl!!'' is written and illustrated by Natsumi Aida. It was serialized in the monthly

'' from 19 August 2006 to 4 January 2014. The chapters were later released in 25 bound volumes by

Shueisha is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...

under the Margaret Comics imprint. A vomic (voice comic) adaptation of the first chapter was released in 2009.

Television drama

''Switch Girl!!'' was adapted into a

television drama series In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular su ...

, which was broadcast on

Two from 24 December 2011 to 18 February 2012. The series stars

as Nika and

as Arata. The theme song for the series is "Love Brick" by

Nana Mizuki , better known by the stage name , is a Japanese voice actress, singer, and narrator. She is represented by the agency StarCrew. Mizuki was trained as an enka singer, releasing one single under her birth name in 1993 and made her debut as a voic ...

. A second season titled ''Switch Girl!! 2'' aired on

Two from 7 December 2012 to 25 January 2013. The theme song is "Happy Go Round" by Nana Mizuki. Part of the first season was screened at

Japan Expo Japan Expo is a convention on Japanese popular culture – the largest of its kind outside Japan – taking place in Paris, France, although it has branched out into a partnership festival – Comic-Con Paris, Kultima – and expanded to inclu ...

2012 in Paris to promote the home release for regional French audiences.

, who stars as Nika, appeared as a guest during the event. In 2020, AsianCrush acquired the English distribution rights for the first season. The drama received negative reviews.

Season 1 (2011)

Season 2: ''Switch Girl!! 2'' (2012)

Reception

''Switch Girl!!'' was number 42 in the list of top-selling manga in 2011 in Japan, with 1,095,914 copies. Renn Kiriyama won the People's Choice Award for Most Popular Actor at the

Seoul International Drama Awards Seoul International Drama Awards (), simply known as SDA, is an annual award ceremony based in Seoul, South Korea which honors excellence in television drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrat ...

for his portrayal of Arata in the second season of the live-action drama adaptation.However, the drama received negative reviews from critics.

References

External links

Official website of the season 2 of the TV drama
{{Margaret (magazine) 2011 Japanese television series debuts 2013 Japanese television series endings 2014 comics endings Comedy anime and manga Fuji Television dramas Japanese romantic comedy television series Shōjo manga Shueisha franchises Shueisha manga Teen comedy comics