We Were There (僕等がいた) is a Japanese romance manga series written and illustrated by Yuki Obata. The story follows the relationship between Motoharu Yano and Nanami Takahashi, starting from their teenage years and continuing into their early twenties. It was serialized in Shogakukan's Betsucomi magazine from April 2002 to February 2012 and later collected into 16 bound volumes under the Flower Comics imprint. The manga is licensed for an English-language release in North America by Viz Media.
We Were There was adapted into a 26-episode anime television series, produced by Artland and directed by Akitaro Daichi, which aired in Japan from July 3 to December 25, 2006. A two-part live-action film adaptation, starring Toma Ikuta and Yuriko Yoshitaka, and directed by Takahiro Miki, was released in Japan on March 17 and April 21, 2012, respectively.
In 2005, the series won the 50th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōjo manga category.
Plot
Nanami Takahashi, a teenage girl in her first year of high school, hopes to make new friends quickly. The center of attention at her school is Motoharu Yano, a very popular boy, whom Nanami dislikes at the beginning, due to his apparent superficiality. However, she soon falls in love with him, but Yano is still affected by the loss of his girlfriend, Nana Yamamoto.