Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! (美男高校地球防衛部Love!) is a 2015 magical boy anime television series created by Kurari Umatani and produced by Diomedéa.[2] The series is directed by Shinji Takamatsu and written by Michiko Yokote.[3] The series premiered on January 6, 2015.[4] The anime is licensed by Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand[5] and by Ponycan USA in North America, with Funimation and Crunchyroll streaming it.[6]
The story follows the lives of five ordinary boys who gain nature-based powers given to them by a mysterious creature from outer space. Calling themselves the "Earth Defense Club", they fight against the "Earth Conquest Club", whose members seek to conquer Earth.
A spin-off manga titled Binan Kokou Chikyuu Seifuku-bu Love! started serialization in Pony Canyon's web comics magazine online, on October 16, 2014. A light novel was released on January 7, 2015, in Japan,[9] with two additional light novels released in 2016. A game based on the series for Android and iOS devices was released in Japan in February 2015.[10]
One day, the Earth Defense Club at Binan High School, consisting of Yumoto Hakone, En Yufuin, Atsushi Kinugawa, Io Naruko, and Ryuu Zaou, who regularly attend a local bathhouse run by Yumoto's brother, meet a pink wombat-creature from another planet who tasks them with saving the world. Using a set of "Loveracelets" he gives them, the group transforms into Battle Lovers (バトラヴァーズ), who use the power of love to combat those intent on spreading hate and discord. As they battle, they encounter the Earth Conquest Club, which has fallen under the influence of the green hedgehog-like creature Zundar. Kinshiro Kusatsu, Ibushi Arima and Akoya Gero, the members of the school's student council, become their enemies, being responsible for creating the monsters they fight.
Originally an unofficial school club, the Earth Defense Club became semi-official because its members occupied a club room which had a sign reading "Earth Defense Club" on its door. After the student council orders them to formally register their club, it is later approved.
People with strong negative feelings who Caerula Adamas turns into monsters using Zundar's needles.
A flying squirrel-like creature who is Zundar's brother.
People who are overcome with jealousy and are turned into monsters by The Vepper through Dadacha.
A flying squirrel-like creature who is Zundar's brother.
People who are overcome with jealousy and are turned into monsters by The Vepper through Dadacha.
The series, which was directed by Shinji Takamatsu at Diomedéa and written by Michiko Yokote, aired in Japan between January 6, 2015, and March 24, 2015, and was streamed by Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Viewster.[11][12] The series is licensed in North America by Ponycan USA, who began releasing the series on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in August 2015.[13] The first opening theme for season one is "Zettai Muteki☆Fallin'LOVE☆" (絶対無敵☆Fallin'LOVE☆) by the Earth Defense Club (Kazutomi Yamamoto, Yuichiro Umehara, Kōtarō Nishiyama, Yusuke Shirai, and Toshiki Masuda), while the ending theme is "I Miss You no 3 Metre" (I miss you の3メートル) by the Conquest Club (Hiroshi Kamiya, Jun Fukuyama, Takuma Terashima).[4] The second season aired in Japan titled Cute High Earth Defense Club Love! Love! from July 7, 2016, to September 27, 2016. The opening theme for Season two is "Futten Toppa☆LOVE IS POWER☆" (沸点突破☆ LOVE IS POWER ☆) by the Earth Defense Club (Kazutomi Yamamoto, Yuichiro Umehara, Kōtarō Nishiyama, Yusuke Shirai, and Toshiki Masuda), the ending theme is "Anata wa Haruka Ittousei" (あなたは遥か一等星) by the Vepper/ Beppu brothers Keisuke Koumoto and Yoshiki Murakami.[14]
A new anime series, titled Binan Kōkō Chikyū Bōei-bu Haikara! (美男高校地球防衛部ハイカラ!), was announced on March 17, 2025. It is produced by Studio Deen and directed by Takamatsu,[15] with Takashi Aoshima writing the scripts, Ayashi Murakami designing the characters, and yamazo composing the music. The series aired from July 7 to September 22, 2025, on AT-X and other networks.[16]
A parallel manga entitled Binan Kokou Chikyuu Seifuku-bu Love! (lit. 'Cute High Earth Conquest Club Love!') has finished its monthly serialization in Pony Canyon's web comics magazine, having started on October 16, 2014. The manga focuses more on the lives of the series' antagonists.[17]
A light novel series written by Natsuko Takahashi and illustrated by Yumiko Hara was released in Japan on January 7, 2015, as a paperback novel.[18]
A OVA titled ''Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! (美男高校地球防衛部LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!),[19] subtitled The Graduation of Love and Youth! (愛と青春の卒業!, Ai to Seishun no Sotsugyou!'')[20] which aired in select theatres across Japan for a 3-week period in August and September 2017, starting on August 26. It was preceded by an all night season two screening/advance OVA screening on August 25, 2017, exclusive to the Ticket Pia booking system. The OVA is said to be the "concluding chapter" about the graduation of the 3rd years. The opening theme is Eternal Future LOVE YOU ALL (永遠未来LOVE YOU ALL, Eien Mirai LOVE YOU ALL), while the ending is From Both Our Hearts (心と心で, Kokoro to Kokoro de).[21] both by the Earth Defense Club.
An anime film, titled Cute High Earth Defense Club Eternal Love!, which serves as a sequel to the original series and celebrates its 10th anniversary, was released on January 24, 2025. The staff and cast members from the series are reprising their roles.[22]
Reviews for the anime have been generally positive. Amy McNulty from Anime News Network gave the first three episodes of the series an "A" rating writing that: "Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! should make any anime fan laugh, although long-time fans of magical girl shows will get the jokes better by default. As a parody of a genre that can still entertain in its own right, this series walks the line of critiquing and venerating the magical girl genre with finesse. It's comedic, but it's not a gag-a-minute affair. Yes, it has over-the-top situations, but it's just slightly less believable than the typical magical girl show, so it works. We're not laughing at the show, we're laughing with it."[23] When reviewing the ninth episode, to which she gave an A+ rating, McNulty later wrote that it: "demonstrates that the show entertains best when it's both a parody and a magical boy show in its own right. The fact that the boys are able to talk the melon monster down before they heal him with love is another fun twist on the give-speeches-about-justice-to-monster-then-heal-with-love formula. Overall, the viewers spend more time with this monster than any of the previous ones, paving the way for laughs aplenty."[24]
Ian Wolf writing for Anime UK News gave the first two episodes a rating of 9 out of 10 saying: "Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! has so far proven itself to be a highly entertaining show, mainly because of the knowing parody it contains. The series mocks all of the normal magical girl tropes, whether it is the poses, the lines that are spouted, the transformations, or the attacks. The only real difference is the fact that you have male characters instead of female ones." He also stated comparisons to shows such as Ouran High School Host Club, a romantic comedy manga which also parodies romantic manga; and Free! in which he compares the similar fan-bases, namely fujoshi, saying: "Let's be honest, we all knew that as soon as the concept of five attractive boys akin to magical girls was revealed that every fujoshi and fudanshi was preparing to write quite a lot fan fiction."[25]
In a review of the first three episodes Dan Barnett of UK-Anime Network gave the series 7 out of 10 claiming that: "Cute High Earth Defence Club Love is a series that has the potential to be a bit of a breakout hit if it plays its cards right. The series is undeniably hilarious as the characters take everything around them seriously, and sexual innuendo flies around so much that it's impossible to keep a straight face. The pains that Wombat must go through to try and avoid being cuddled by Yumoto are fantastically funny too! What might hold it back though is that three episodes in there's little evidence of a plot other than the bog standard 'bad guys make monster of the week' fare that's typical of the genre. ... It's a tricky line to walk if the series wants to keep as wide an audience as possible, though there are certainly fans around who'll happily pick-up another pretty-boy series to fill the void left by Free."[26]
