Kimi ni Todoke

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Karuho Shiina. It was published by Shueisha in Bessatsu Margaret from 2005 to 2017 and collected in 30 tankōbon volumes. In 2008, it won the Best Shōjo Manga award in the 32nd Annual Kodansha Manga Award. The series was also nominated for the first Manga Taisho awards in 2008. Two anime adaptations of Kimi ni Todoke were aired in Japan, produced by Production I.G. The second season of the anime was announced in Betsuma Magazine, began airing in Japan on January 4, 2011, and lasted for 12 episodes. A live action film adaptation was released in 2010 starring Mikako Tabe and Haruma Miura. A live-action series produced by TV Tokyo and Netflix premiered in March 2023. A third season of the anime series will stream worldwide on Netflix in 2024. Plot The story takes place in Hokkaido. 15-year-old high school freshman Sawako Kuronuma—dubbed Sadako by her classmates for her resemblance to the character from The Ring—has always been feared and misunderstood because of her appearance. Rumors around school report that she can see ghosts and curse people. However, despite her ominous appearance, she is actually a sweet and unassuming girl who only longs to be helpful. She has been shunned for so long that the idea of making friends has become foreign to her. When a popular boy, Kazehaya, begins talking with her, everything changes. She finds herself in a new world, making new friends and talking to different people, and she can't thank Kazehaya enough for giving her these opportunities. Slowly, but surely, a sweet love blossoms between the two as they overcome circumstances and obstacles standing in their way. Characters Sawako, the main protagonist, is a high school girl in search of friendship, but her resemblance to the horror film character Sadako Yamamura made this difficult. Her unhealthy levels of modesty and ineffective communication skills has prevented her from correcting misconceptions. As a result, she was tragically ostracized by everyone she met, and has forgotten how to understand others and express herself. Despite these obstacles, she remains a pure, positive, and caring person who works hard in everything she does.