Video Girl Ai

Video Girl Ai, known in Japan as simply Video Girl (電影少女), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masakazu Katsura. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 1989 to April 1992. It was followed by a short sequel entitled Video Girl Len, published between April and July 1992. The chapters were collected in 15 volumes.

A live-action film of Video Girl Ai was released in 1991. The series was also adapted into a six-episode original video animation (OVA) series produced by IG Tatsunoko, released in 1992 by Jump Video. In 2018, a television drama adaptation, Den'ei Shōjo: Video Girl Ai 2018, was broadcast on TV Tokyo. Another series, Den'ei Shōjo: Video Girl Mai 2019, was broadcast the following year.

In North America, the manga and the OVA have been licensed for English-language release by Viz Media. It was formerly published in the anthology Animerica Extra by Viz.

By 2018, the manga had over 14 million copies in print.

Plot

Yota Moteuchi discovers that Moemi Hayakawa, the girl he admires, has romantic feelings for his close friend Takashi Niimai. While returning home disappointed, he encounters an unusual establishment called "Gokuraku" ('Paradise'), and rents a video titled I'll Cheer You Up! featuring Ai Amano, unaware it contains a "video girl"—a being designed to materialize from television screens to comfort viewers. Due to a malfunctioning video recorder, Ai emerges with irregular traits including the capacity for genuine emotional experience.

Initially programmed to support Yota's pursuit of Moemi, Ai gradually develops romantic feelings for him, which he eventually reciprocates after abandoning his affection for Moemi. Their relationship faces challenges when Rolex, a representative of Gokuraku, attempts to retrieve Ai due to her defective state, compounded by the impending expiration of her rental period.

The narrative follows their efforts to navigate these obstacles while addressing other complications, including Yota's lingering attachment to Moemi and his interactions with Nobuko Nizaki. Ai frequently engages in provocative behavior toward Yota, such as feigning sexual advances or intruding on private moments under guises of assistance, generating comedic situations through his flustered reactions.

Characters

• Ai Amano (天野 あい)
• Ai is a vibrant and energetic video girl, though her true personality differs from her intended design. Typically, video girls are programmed to be gentle, elegant, and skilled in domestic tasks. However, due to a malfunction in Yota's VCR, Ai behaves more tomboyishly, often displaying bluntness and a tendency toward physical outbursts. Initially a poor cook, she later improves through self-teaching. Despite these quirks, she possesses strong empathy and genuine emotional depth. The same malfunction also causes a noticeable reduction in her breasts.
• Yota "Dateless" Moteuchi (弄内 洋太)
• A socially awkward and insecure individual, often struggling to express his feelings toward his unrequited love, Moemi. Nervous and clumsy around women, he fits the stereotype of a timid underdog. Despite these traits, he demonstrates genuine kindness, compassion, and loyalty toward those close to him, frequently going out of his way to help others.
• Moemi Hayakawa (早川 もえみ)
• Moemi develops romantic feelings for Takashi, who does not return her affections due to his popularity among other potential partners.
• Takashi Niimai (新舞 貴志)
• Takashi fits the conventional "tall, dark and handsome" archetype and maintains considerable popularity. As one of Yota's closest friends, he declines Moemi's romantic overtures out of awareness for Yota's feelings toward her.
• Nobuko Nizaki (仁崎 伸子)
• Nobuko Nizaki is a junior student who developed romantic feelings for Yota after meeting him in art class two years prior. When Moemi and Ai become temporarily unavailable, she attempts to pursue a relationship with him.
• Natsumi Yamaguchi (山口 夏美)
• A childhood friend of Yota, having attended kindergarten with him before her family relocated. Orphaned and living as a runaway, she becomes associated with themes of misfortune while maintaining a compassionate nature, often symbolized by an outstretched helping hand. She suffers from a heart condition. Her eventual hospitalization and death later influence Ai's understanding of romantic love.

Media

Reception

As of 2018, the manga has over 14 million copies in print.[55]

External links