Suki Desu Suzuki-kun!!

Suki Desu Suzuki-kun!! (好きです鈴木くん!!), alternatively known as The Lovin' "S", is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gō Ikeyamada. It began serialization in October 2008 in the shōjo manga magazine Shōjo Comic and is still ongoing. The chapters are collected and bound in tankōbon format by Shogakukan under the Flower Comics label. The story is separated into two arcs, the first arc focusing on the main characters during their middle school years and the latter half when all of them are 17 years old. An original video animation for the series was released in late 2009, along with a game for the Nintendo DS in the making.

Plot
At age 13, four classmates have just began junior high school: Sayaka, Hikaru, Chihiro, and Shinobu. While Sayaka and Hikaru instantly develop an attraction towards each other, Chihiro, Hikaru's childhood friend, secretly pines for him while the spoiled Shinobu (who shares the same last name as Hikaru but has no relation to him) falls in love with Chihiro. Throughout their junior high years, the four sort out their feelings.

During their last year of junior high, at the age of 15, all of them part. However, when they are all reunited at the age of 17, during their second year of high school, everything has changed, and they cannot go back to what they used to be.

Main characters

 * Sayaka Hoshino (星野 爽歌)
 * Sayaka is a shy, unconfident girl who secretly has a passion for acting, garnered from reenacting scenes from television dramas. Her prodigious acting was recognized by Hikaru, and with his encouragement, she joined the drama club. Sayaka is labeled a prodigy actress by her teacher and continues to hold leading roles in school plays. At home, her interest in acting is ignored by her family and her parents are constantly away due to work.
 * Sayaka falls in love with Hikaru and accidentally confesses to him during a school play. The two begin dating and were originally going to attend the same high school together, but due to her father's work, she had to move away to Kyūshū during the summer. Sayaka never contacts Hikaru afterwards despite her promises. Unexpectedly, she moves back to Tokyo at the age of 17, now a famous actress by the name of Sayaka Naruse (成瀬 爽歌), and enrolls at Hikaru's high school. However, she doesn't remember anything from before two years ago, including Hikaru, due to the shock of her parents dying shortly after her move.
 * Sayaka falls in love with Hikaru and accidentally confesses to him during a school play. The two begin dating and were originally going to attend the same high school together, but due to her father's work, she had to move away to Kyūshū during the summer. Sayaka never contacts Hikaru afterwards despite her promises. Unexpectedly, she moves back to Tokyo at the age of 17, now a famous actress by the name of Sayaka Naruse (成瀬 爽歌), and enrolls at Hikaru's high school. However, she doesn't remember anything from before two years ago, including Hikaru, due to the shock of her parents dying shortly after her move.


 * Hikaru Suzuki (鈴木 輝)
 * Hikaru is a cheerful, considerate boy from an average family and dreams of becoming a professional basketball player. Originally, he played baseball, but because his childhood friend, Chihiro, received an injury that wouldn't let her play basketball anymore, he decided to make that dream come true for her by learning basketball from her and becoming a professional in her place. On the first day of junior high school, Hikaru defends Sayaka from Shinobu and becomes captivated by her talent in acting, encouraging her to become more confident. He falls in love with her, but after she moved away, he never saw her again until they were 17. Despite the fact that Sayaka remembers nothing about him, he is patient and determined to wait for her to recover her memories.
 * Hikaru is a cheerful, considerate boy from an average family and dreams of becoming a professional basketball player. Originally, he played baseball, but because his childhood friend, Chihiro, received an injury that wouldn't let her play basketball anymore, he decided to make that dream come true for her by learning basketball from her and becoming a professional in her place. On the first day of junior high school, Hikaru defends Sayaka from Shinobu and becomes captivated by her talent in acting, encouraging her to become more confident. He falls in love with her, but after she moved away, he never saw her again until they were 17. Despite the fact that Sayaka remembers nothing about him, he is patient and determined to wait for her to recover her memories.


 * Shinobu Suzuki (鈴木 忍)
 * Shinobu may have the same family name as Hikaru, but they have no relation; in fact, both dislike the other. Shinobu hails from a wealthy family and is a genius in sports. He is popular with the girls, but simultaneously arrogant and selfish. Despite his contempt towards her during their first encounter, Shinobu quickly falls for Chihiro, although he knows she is hopelessly attached to Hikaru. He continues to pursue her in hopes of helping her move on from him. After hearing Hikaru's sacrifice for Chihiro, he decided to become a professional basketball player for her sake as well.
 * During their last year of junior high school, Shinobu decides to attend Kaijō High School and invites Chihiro to apply with him. However, Chihiro's decision to stay with Hikaru hurts him emotionally. At age 17, Shinobu remains just as popular with the girls as ever, but has become a playboy. He still has not forgiven Chihiro for betraying him, although he still holds feelings for her.
 * During their last year of junior high school, Shinobu decides to attend Kaijō High School and invites Chihiro to apply with him. However, Chihiro's decision to stay with Hikaru hurts him emotionally. At age 17, Shinobu remains just as popular with the girls as ever, but has become a playboy. He still has not forgiven Chihiro for betraying him, although he still holds feelings for her.


 * Chihiro Itō (伊藤 ちひろ)
 * Chihiro is Hikaru's childhood friend and has had romantic feelings for him since they were little, although she knows he is in love with Sayaka. She is mature compared to the rest of her classmates and is also strong-willed; in addition, she is popular for her beauty. Chihiro is the manager of the basketball team, but her interest in the sport dates to before that &mdash; she used to play basketball and wanted to become a professional until she was injured during a competition that prevented her from pursuing her dream.
 * Although Chihiro loves Hikaru, she begins to develop feelings for Shinobu as well. She was originally going to attend Kaijō High School with Shinobu, but after observing Hikaru's pent-up suffering without Sayaka, she decided to stay with him instead. To this day, she continues to blame herself for hurting Shinobu deeply. When Sayaka re-enters their lives, Chihiro gives up on her love with Hikaru after he rejects her confession.
 * Although Chihiro loves Hikaru, she begins to develop feelings for Shinobu as well. She was originally going to attend Kaijō High School with Shinobu, but after observing Hikaru's pent-up suffering without Sayaka, she decided to stay with him instead. To this day, she continues to blame herself for hurting Shinobu deeply. When Sayaka re-enters their lives, Chihiro gives up on her love with Hikaru after he rejects her confession.

Secondary characters

 * Erika Aoi (葵 エリカ)
 * Erika is a famous actress and is also a prodigy in acting. She develops a crush on Hikaru.


 * Haruka Aoi (葵 ハルカ)
 * Haruka is Erika's little brother and becomes a freshman at Hikaru and Chihiro's high school. He is often mistaken as a girl due to his androgynous good looks and falls in love with Chihiro, as she is the first person to tell that he is, in fact, a male. He joins the basketball club only because she is the manager of the team. Haruka feels threatened by Shinobu's presence since he used to date Chihiro and dislikes him for the way he presently treats her. Haruka reminds Hikaru of Shinobu, since he was like him when Shinobu was in middle school.


 * Takumi Shirota (城田 巧)
 * Takumi is Sayaka's boyfriend and helped her through her shock when her parents died. He is determined to keep her from remembering the events from before two years ago to protect her mental stability and wants her to make as less contact with Hikaru as possible.

Manga
Suki Desu Suzuki-kun!! has been running in the manga magazine Shōjo Comic since October 20, 2008 and is still ongoing. The chapters are collected and published by Shogakukan into tankōbon under the Flower Comics label. At the present, there are seven bound volumes in total, with the first volume released on December 24, 2008.

Anime
An original video animation for Suki Desu Suzuki-kun!! was released on December 18, 2009 directly onto DVD along with 2010's first issue of Sho-Comi. The DVD was then redistributed through a fanbook that will release on July 26, 2010. The OVA is an animated re-enactment of the first chapter of the manga.

Light Novel
A light novel titled Suki Desu Suzuki-kun!! Pure White Love (好きです鈴木くん!!―ピュア・ホワイト・ラブ―) was written by Yui Tokiumi and was overseen and illustrated by Ikeyamada. The story revolves around Hikaru and Sayaka's relationship during their third year in junior high. It was released on December 24, 2009.

A second light novel again written by Tokuimi, titled Suki Desu Suzuki-kun!! With Precious Heart (好きです鈴木くん!!―ウィズ・プレシャス・ハート―), will release on July 26, 2010.

Game
Idea Factory is releasing a game for Nintendo DS, titled Suki Desu Suzuki-kun!! ~Yo-nin no Suzuki-kun~ (好きです鈴木くん！！～４人の鈴木くん～) on July 29, 2010. The game takes place during the summer of the characters' first year in middle school. Alongside the main cast, two new characters designed by Ikeyamada herself were introduced with the last name "Suzuki" as well: Michiru Suzuki (鈴木 みちる) (voiced by Sōichirō Hoshi) and Hiroto Suzuki (鈴木 大翔) (voiced by Yūichi Nakamura). The game uses an entirely different voice cast as opposed to the one used for the OVA.

Reception
Suki Desu Suzuki-kun!! is one of the best-selling shōjo manga in Japan. The second volume sold 53,139 copies on the first week of its release and 84,946 in total. The third volume declined in sales with 43,341 copies selling on its first week and 79,865 in total, but was followed by the fourth volume debuting at #9 on the Tohan Comics Charts with 64,362 copies selling in its first week and 89,945 in total. The fifth volume debuted at #6 with 77,911 copies selling on its first week. The sixth volume sold 58,972 copies on its first week and 111,701 copies in total. The seventh volume sold 62,783 copies on its first week and 117,021 in total.

The manga was ranked one of the top 10 shōjo manga "with heart-wrenching scenes" in the July 2010 issue of Junon by its readers.