Switch Girl!!

Switch Girl!! (Japanese: スイッチガール!!, Hepburn: Suitchi Gāru!!) is a Japanese manga series by Natsumi Aida. Switch Girl!! was serialized in the monthly shōjo manga magazine Margaret from 19 August 2006 to 4 January 2014. A live-action television drama adaptation ran on Fuji TV Two from 24 December 2011 and 18 February 2012, with a second season broadcast from 7 December 2012 to 25 January 2013.

Switch Girl!!
Cover of the first volume of Switch Girl!!
スイッチガール!! (Suitchi Gāru!!)
Genre	Comedy[1]
Manga
Written by	Natsumi Aida
Published by	Shueisha
Imprint	Margaret Comics
Magazine	Margaret
Original run	19 August 2006 – 4 January 2014
Volumes	25
Television drama
Directed by	Hiroki Hayama Kazuhiro Kobayashi
Written by	Keisuke Uyama
Music by	Mayuko Kenichiro Suehiro
Licensed by	AsianCrush
Original network	Fuji TV Two
Original run	24 December 2011 – 18 February 2012
Episodes	8 (List of episodes)
Television drama
Switch Girl!! 2
Directed by	Kazuhiro Kobayashi
Written by	Kouta Ooura
Music by	Yūmao Mayuko Kenichiro Suehiro
Original network	Fuji TV Two
Original run	7 December 2012 – 25 January 2013
Episodes	8 (List of episodes)

Plot

Nika Tamiya, the most popular girl at her high school, is a "switch girl" — in public, she is in her "on" mode, where she is as a put-together, charismatic, and fashionable girl. However, in private, she is in her "off" mode, where she is unorganized, unfeminine, and lazy. One day, Arata Kamiyama transfers into her class and moves into her apartment building. Not only does Arata discover Nika's secret, but he also has an "on" and "off" mode, where his "off" mode reveals he is secretly handsome. As Nika urges Arata to keep her "off" mode a secret, the two begin to learn more about each other and fall in love.

Characters

Nika Tamiya (田宮 仁香, Tamiya Nika)

Voiced by: Yū Asakawa;^[2] played by: Mariya Nishiuchi^[3]

Nika is a high school student who describes herself as a "switch girl" with an "on" and "off" mode. Her "on" mode is her perfectly cultivated public image, while her "off" mode reveals she is lazy and unfashionable.^[3] Due to her popularity at school, she struggles to keep her "off" mode a secret.

Arata Kamiyama (神山 新, Kamiyama Arata)

Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa;^[2] played by: Renn Kiriyama^[3]

Arata is a transfer student in Nika's class who moves into her apartment building, and, like Nika, he has an "on" and "off" mode. His "on" mode has him wear glasses and appear inconspicuously, while his "off" mode reveals he is handsome and attractive. Arata's "on" mode is to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

Media

Manga

Switch Girl!! is written and illustrated by Natsumi Aida. It was serialized in the monthly shōjo manga magazine Margaret from 19 August 2006 to 4 January 2014. The chapters were later released in 25 bound volumes by Shueisha under the Margaret Comics imprint.^{[citation needed]}

A vomic (voice comic) adaptation of the first chapter was released in 2009.^[2]

No.	Japanese release date	Japanese ISBN
1	25 January 2007 (2007-01-25)[4]	978-4-08-846132-8
2	25 May 2007 (2007-05-25)[5]	978-4-08-846171-7
3	25 September 2007 (2007-09-25)[6]	978-4-08-846210-3
4	25 December 2007 (2007-12-25)[7]	978-4-08-846243-1
5	25 April 2008 (2008-04-25)[8]	978-4-08-846286-8
6	25 August 2008 (2008-08-25)[9]	978-4-08-846323-0
7	25 November 2008 (2008-11-25)[10]	978-4-08-846354-4
8	25 February 2009 (2009-02-25)[11]	978-4-08-846384-1
9	25 June 2009 (2009-06-25)[12]	978-4-08-846418-3
10	23 October 2009 (2009-10-23)[13]	978-4-08-846455-8
11	25 February 2010 (2010-02-25)[14]	978-4-08-846494-7
12	25 May 2010 (2010-05-25)[15]	978-4-08-846525-8
13	24 September 2010 (2010-09-24)[16]	978-4-08-846565-4
14	3 December 2010 (2010-12-03)[17]	978-4-08-846604-0
15	25 March 2011 (2011-03-25)[18]	978-4-08-846629-3
16	20 April 2011 (2011-04-20)[19]	978-4-08-846639-2
17	23 September 2011 (2011-09-23)[20]	978-4-08-846697-2
18	25 January 2012 (2012-01-25)[21]	978-4-08-846735-1
19	25 May 2012 (2012-05-25)[22]	978-4-08-846774-0
20	25 October 2012 (2012-10-25)[23]	978-4-08-846840-2
21	25 January 2013 (2013-01-25)[24]	978-4-08-846876-1
22	24 May 2013 (2013-05-24)[25]	978-4-08-845041-4
23	25 September 2013 (2013-09-25)[26]	978-4-08-845094-0
24	24 January 2014 (2014-01-24)[27]	978-4-08-845156-5
25	25 February 2014 (2014-02-25)[28]	978-4-08-845166-4

Television drama

Switch Girl!! was adapted into a television drama series,^[1][29] which was broadcast on Fuji TV Two from 24 December 2011 to 18 February 2012. The series stars Mariya Nishiuchi as Nika and Renn Kiriyama as Arata.^[3] The theme song for the series is "Love Brick" by Nana Mizuki.^[30]

A second season titled Switch Girl!! 2 aired on Fuji TV Two from 7 December 2012 to 25 January 2013.^[31] The theme song is "Happy Go Round" by Nana Mizuki.^[32]

Part of the first season was screened at Japan Expo 2012 in Paris to promote the home release for regional French audiences. Mariya Nishiuchi, who stars as Nika, appeared as a guest during the event.^[33] In 2020, AsianCrush acquired the English distribution rights for the first season.^[34] The drama received negative reviews.

Season 1 (2011)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original release date
1	1	"The Switch Girl Appears!" Transliteration: "Suicchi Gāru Tōjō!!" (Japanese: スイッチガール登場!!)	24 December 2011 (2011-12-24)
2	2	"A Group Date is Life-or-Death for High School Girls!!" Transliteration: "Gōkon JK Zettai Zetsumei!!" (Japanese: 合コンJK絶体絶命!!)	7 January 2012 (2012-01-07)
3	3	"My First Experience in His Room!!" Transliteration: "Hajimete no Kare Heya Keiken!!" (Japanese: はじめてのカレ部屋体験!!)	14 January 2012 (2012-01-14)
4	4	"The Bra Photos Leak!!" Transliteration: "Burajā Shashin Ryūshutsu!!" (Japanese: ブラジャー写真流出!!)	21 January 2012 (2012-01-21)
5	5	"Don't Have Sex With Other Girls!!" Transliteration: "Hoka no Onna to H Suru na!!" (Japanese: ほかの女とHするな!!)	28 January 2012 (2012-01-28)
6	6	"A Shocking Experience at Akihabara!!" Transliteration: "Shōgeki no Akiba Keiken!!" (Japanese: 衝撃のアキバ体験!!)	4 February 2012 (2012-02-04)
7	7	"No! Teacher... Stop it!!" Transliteration: "Dame! Sensei... Yamete!!" (Japanese: ダメ! 先生…やめて!!)	11 February 2012 (2012-02-11)
8	8	"The Final Episode... I'll Fall in Love with You!!" Transliteration: "Saishūkai... Anata to Koi o Suru!!" (Japanese: 最終回…あなたと恋をする!!)	18 February 2012 (2012-02-18)

Season 2: Switch Girl!! 2 (2012)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original release date
9	1	"A Shock! A Woman's Territory: the Switch Girl Returns" Transliteration: "Shōgeki! Joshi no Seitei: Suicchi Gāru Ritānzu" (Japanese: 衝撃! 女子の生態～スイッチガールズリターンズ)	7 December 2012 (2012-12-07)
10	2	"A Formidable Opponent! The Heinous Switch Girl Appears" Transliteration: "Kyōteki! Gokuaku Suicchi Gāru Tōjō" (Japanese: 強敵! 極悪スイッチガール登場)	14 December 2012 (2012-12-14)
11	3	"The Ultimate! A Hottie and a Beautiful Girl's Strategy" Transliteration: "Kyūkyoku! Ikemen to Bishōjo Sakusen" (Japanese: 究極！イケメン＆美少女作戦)	21 December 2012 (2012-12-21)
12	4	"The Fear! A Dark Gathering: Shibuya Arc Part 1" Transliteration: "Kyōfu! Kuroi Shūdan Shibuya-hen Zenpen" (Japanese: 恐怖! 黒い集団 渋谷編・前編)	28 December 2012 (2012-12-28)
13	5	"The Crisis! The Confinement of Girls: Shibuya Arc Part 2" Transliteration: "Kiki! Shōjo Kankin: Shibuya-hen Kōhen" (Japanese: 危機! 少女監禁 渋谷編・後編)	4 January 2013 (2013-01-04)
14	6	"A Burst of Laughter! The Dream Couple Hot Springs Trip" Transliteration: "Bakushō! Yume no Kappuru Onsen Ryokō" (Japanese: 爆笑! 夢のカップル温泉旅行)	11 January 2013 (2013-01-11)
15	7	"The Temptation! The Mixed Gender Bath's Trap" Transliteration: "Nōsatsu! Konyoku Onsen no Wana" (Japanese: 悩殺! 混浴温泉のワナ)	18 January 2013 (2013-01-18)
16	8	"The Crying! I Love You So Much I Can't Handle it" Transliteration: "Gōkyū! Suki de Suki de Tamaranai" (Japanese: 号泣! 好きで好きでたまらない)	25 January 2013 (2013-01-25)

Reception

Switch Girl!! was number 42 in the list of top-selling manga in 2011 in Japan, with 1,095,914 copies.^[35] Renn Kiriyama won the People's Choice Award for Most Popular Actor at the Seoul International Drama Awards for his portrayal of Arata in the second season of the live-action drama adaptation.^[36]However, the drama received negative reviews from critics.