Go for It, Nakamura!

Go for It, Nakamura!

Go for It, Nakamura! (Japanese: ガンバレ! 中村くん!!, Hepburn: Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!!) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Syundei. The series follows the titular Nakamura, a closeted high school student who has a secret crush on his classmate. Go for It, Nakamura! was serialized in the manga magazine Opera from 2014 to 2016, collected into a bound volume by Akane Shinsha in 2017, and licensed for an English-language release by Seven Seas Entertainment in 2018. A sequel, Go For It Again, Nakamura! (もっとガンバレ！中村くん!!, Motto Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!!), was serialized from June 2017 to June 2021. An anime television series adaptation produced by Drive premiered in April 2026.

Synopsis

Go for It, Nakamura!

Closeted sixteen-year-old high school student Okuto Nakamura harbors a crush on his classmate Aiki Hirose, despite having never actually spoken to him. The strongly introverted Nakamura fantasizes about speaking to Hirose and often attempts to integrate himself into scenarios that would allow the two to interact, though the majority end in comedic failure. Nakamura is eventually able to build his confidence and grow closer to Hirose. The series concludes with the two boys developing a reciprocal friendship.

Characters

Go for It, Nakamura!

Okuto Nakamura (中村 男久斗, Nakamura Okuto): Voiced by: Kappei Yamaguchi (audio drama), Chiaki Kobayashi (anime) (Japanese); Nasim Benelkour (English) A closeted high school student. He has a crush on his classmate Aiki Hirose, but is acutely introverted and has never spoken to him. In chapter 11 him and Hirose finally end up becoming friends. Aiki Hirose (広瀬 愛貴, Hirose Aiki): Voiced by: Junko Takeuchi (audio drama), Yuki Sakakihara (anime) (Japanese); Patrick Pedraza (English) Nakamura's classmate, and his unrequited love interest. In chapter 11 he becomes Nakamura's friend. He has incredible memory and idolizes Otogiri, their homeroom teacher. Sou Otogiri (乙切想, Otogiri Sou): Voiced by: Toshihiko Seki (audio drama), Takuya Eguchi (anime) (Japanese); Peyton Howard (English) Nakamura's homeroom teacher. Later in the series it is revealed he used to be a delinquent. Hifumi Kawamura (川村ひふみ, Kawamura Hifumi): Voiced by: Yuri Shiratori (audio drama), Fairouz Ai (anime) (Japanese); Gillian Lange (English) Nakamura's classmate. A talented artist. Kota Takeuchi (武内剛太, Takeuchi Kota): Voiced by: Yukihiro Nozuyama (anime) (Japanese); Dalton Tindall (English) Ryou Mukai (向井 亮, Mukai Ryou): Voiced by: Atsushi Tamaru (anime) (Japanese); Weston Loy (English) Yuka Hamaoka (浜岡ゆうか, Hamaoka Yuka): Voiced by: Makoto Koichi (anime) (Japanese); Emi Lo (English) Masako Okuda (奥田マサコ, Okuda Masako): Voiced by: Yume Maihara (anime) (Japanese); Katie Wetch (English) Tsukasa Oomori (大森 司, Omori Tsukasa): Voiced by: Kōki Miyata (audio drama) Tsubasa Sasa (anime) (Japanese); Nate Grizzly (English) Hirose's childhood friend. Arandou Tamura (用村亜乱堂, Tamura Arandou): Voiced by: Ai Orikasa (audio drama) A member of the drama club. Reiko Aokiyama (青木山麗子, Aokiyama Reiko): Voiced by: Satsuki Yukino (audio drama) The leader of the occult research club.

Media

Manga

The character Nakamura first appeared in illustrations and short web comics posted by Syundei online. In 2014, Syundei was approached by the managing editor of the manga magazine Opera to draw a comic to fill empty pages in an issue of the magazine. That comic, a one shot that was published in the December 2014 issue of Opera, would become the first chapter of Go for It, Nakamura!. Beginning in the June 2015 issue of Opera, Go for It, Nakamura! began serialization as a regular series, running concurrently in Opera with Syundei's horror manga series Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart.

Upon its conclusion, the eleven-chapter series was collected into a bound volume by Akane Shinsha and published on May 27, 2017. On September 15, 2017, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that it would license an English-language translation of the series. The single-volume manga was published on July 3, 2018, making Go for It, Nakamura! the first boys' love manga series to be published by Seven Seas.

A sequel series, Go For It Again, Nakamura! (もっとガンバレ！中村くん!!, Motto Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!!), began serialization in Opera in June 2017. An English-language translation was published by Seven Seas Entertainment in July 2022.

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	May 27, 2017	978-4863496330	July 3, 2018	978-1626928879
2	August 27, 2021	978-4863498792	July 5, 2022	978-1638585732

Anime

An anime television series adaptation of Go for It, Nakamura! was announced on August 16, 2024. The series will be produced by Drive and directed by Aoi Umeki, with Naoki Yoshibe serving as assistant director, Umeki and Yasuko Aoki writing series scripts, Umeki designing the characters, and Ayana Tsujita composing the music. The series was initially scheduled for 2025, but was later delayed due to "production circumstances". It is set to premiere on April 2, 2026. The first two episodes are set to debut together online on Hulu on the same day, while each new episode is also set to debut a week earlier before the television broadcast in Japan. The opening theme song is "Shunpatsuteki ni Koi Shiyо̄" (瞬発的に恋しよう; 'Let's Fall in Love Instantly') performed by Yasuyuki Okamura and Kento Nakajima. Crunchyroll streams the series. Medialink licensed the series.

Episodes

<table><thead><tr><th>No.</th><th>Title</th><th>Directed by</th><th>Written by</th><th>Storyboarded by</th><th>Original release date</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>"Go For It, Nakamura-kun!!" Transliteration: "Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!!" (Japanese: ガンバレ！中村くん！！)</td><td>Masaki Hayano</td><td>Yasuko Aoki (Studio Monado) & Aoi Umeki</td><td>Aoi Umeki</td><td>April 2, 2026 (2026-04-02)</td></tr><tr><td>"Super Exciting Cooking Class!!" Transliteration: "Dokidoki! Chōri jisshū!!" (Japanese: ドキドキ！調理実習！！)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>"Panic! The Secret Bible!!" Transliteration: "Panikku! Himitsu no baiburu!!" (Japanese: パニック！秘密のバイブル！！)</td><td>Daiki Yonemori</td><td>Yasuko Aoki (Studio Monado) & Aoi Umeki</td><td>Aoi Umeki</td><td>April 2, 2026 (2026-04-02)</td></tr></tbody></table>

Other media

An audio drama adaptation of Go for It, Nakamura! was published on September 8, 2021. The adaptation features Kappei Yamaguchi as the voice of Nakamura, Junko Takeuchi as the voice of Hirose, and Tomoyuki Morikawa as the narrator, with original music by OdiakeS. A 12-page exclusive special chapter of the manga series was released with it.

Characters from Go for It, Nakamura! were included in a pop-up cafe run by Opera in Harajuku, Tokyo from March 16 to April 8, 2018. The cafe featured original merchandise and menu items inspired by the series.

Reception

Go for It, Nakamura!

Go for It, Nakamura! was positively received by critics. The series was praised for its 1980s-reminiscent artwork, with Sean Gaffney of Manga Bookshelf favorably comparing it to Ranma ½ and Kimagure Orange Road. Anthony Gramuglia noted in his review of the series for Anime Feminist that Go for It, Nakamura! is "part of a new wave of [boys' love] manga that are more about identity than sex." Reviewing the series for Otaku USA, Brittany Vincent praised the series' romantic comedy elements, calling Go for It, Nakamura! a "special treat for LGBT audiences eager for a sweet, retro-flavored romantic comedy."

At the 2018 BL Awards presented by Chill Chill, Go for It, Nakamura! ranked 16th in the rankings of the best boys' love bound volumes released in 2017.