Every year, a number of anime series become a big hit, while others are popular for a few years, then fall off the radar. Nisekoi is one such anime, being a moderately popular anime based on the manga of the same name by author Naoshi Komi. However, it is relatively obscure today compared to competitors such as Toradora! and the more recent Horimiya. While Nisekoi was never a staple of the high school or rom-com anime genres, it's still a solid entry to either, and fans looking for fresh material can try out this underappreciated series and see what it's all about. The manga is complete, and it also has a decent anime to its name.
The Story & Characters Of Nisekoi
Nisekoi stars everyman hero Raku Ichijo, a high school boy who belongs to a yakuza family, and his supposed fiancee, the half-American Chitoge Kirisaki, a lively tsundere who belongs to a crime family of her own. Raku's heart is set on his gentle and sweet classmate Kosaki Onodera, but to his dismay, his and Chitoge's families demand that he and Chitoge begin dating exclusively, thus maintaining the peace between the two rival crime families. Now, Raku and Chitoge must prove their false love, or nisekoi, to the entire world while secretly aggravating and annoying each other behind their lovely facade.
Raku and Chitoge have every reason to maintain this illusion, but one by one, their classmates and friends catch on to the secret of their false relationship. Things become complicated further when more and more girls arrive on the scene, creating a small harem for the flustered Raku to sort out, all while trying to keep Chitoge happy. Moreover, despite Raku's and Chitoge's animosity, their superficial relationship just might become something genuine, and there's also the matter of Raku trying to find the girl he made a promise to in his boyhood. He has a lot to think about.
Where To Read The Nisekoi Manga Series
The Nisekoi manga is complete, clocking in at 25 volumes to give rom-com fans plenty to read without being overwhelmed. The manga is available at a number of retailers, but fans should note that Nisekoi is only available in single volumes, with no omnibuses or hardback special editions available. Barnes & Noble's online catalog stocks all 25 volumes of Nisekoi, both as paperback editions and Nook digital versions. Similarly, Right Stuf Anime stocks all 25 volumes of the Nisekoi manga, and Amazon's book department stocks the paperback volumes of Nisekoi as well as the digital version on Kindle. Amazon even has an option for interested customers to buy all 25 Kindle volumes at once with a single convenient click.
Where To Watch The Nisekoi Anime Series
The Nisekoi anime ran for two seasons and has a few OVAs to its name, but anime fans should note that the anime adaptation never covered the entire story, as opposed to the original manga. Interested anime fans can stream the Nisekoi anime on Crunchyroll, which has all episodes available and is subbed in English, Latin American Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. However, Crunchyroll does not stream Nisekoi's four OVA episodes. Hulu.com also streams the Nisekoi anime in Japanese with English subtitles, as does Funimation.
Fans who would rather purchase the Blu-ray DVD release can try out the complete collection boxed set, which contains all episodes and OVAs of Nisekoi, along with all kinds of bonus content. This all-in-one package can be found on both Amazon and Right Stuf Anime's online catalog. The DVD release is available in Japanese with English subtitles.