Gravitation (manga)

Gravitation
Company type	Manga series
Industry	Manga, anime, light novel
Founded	1996
Founder	Maki Murakami
Headquarters	Japan
Products	Manga, anime, light novel, drama CDs
Parent	Gentosha (publisher)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Gravitation (manga), available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 10 August 2025

is a Japanese manga series created by Maki Murakami that chronicles the journey of Shuichi Shindo and his band Bad Luck as they pursue stardom in Japan's music scene, while also exploring Shuichi's complex relationship with Eiri Yuki.

Originally serialized in Kimi to Boku from 1996 until 2002 and published by Gentosha, the manga was later licensed for English release by Tokyopop. The franchise includes a light novel adaptation as well. The complete series is compiled in the Gravitation Collection, which consists of six volumes, each combining two original manga volumes. A sequel titled was serialized in the web magazine Genzo between 2004 and 2009, later resuming publication in Web Spica starting in 2011.

Expanding beyond print, the franchise features a two-episode OVA directed by Shinichi Watanabe released in 1999, alongside a thirteen-episode anime television series helmed by director Bob Shirohata. This series aired on WOWOW from October 2000 through January 2001 and had a rerun on Tokyo MX in 2007. The anime adaptation covers roughly the first seven volumes of the manga. Both the OVA and TV series are licensed by Nozomi Entertainment for North American distribution and by Medialink in Southeast Asia.

Plot

The narrative centers on Shuichi Shindou, an aspiring vocalist who forms the band Bad Luck with his childhood friend Hiroshi Nakano on guitar. Driven by a dream to become Japan’s next major musical icon, Shuichi draws inspiration from Ryuichi Sakuma, the charismatic former frontman of the renowned band Nittle Grasper. One night, after Shuichi’s lyrics are scattered by the wind, a passerby picks them up and dismisses them as worthless. This encounter piques Shuichi’s curiosity when he learns that the stranger is none other than famed romance novelist Eiri Yuki (real name: Uesugi). The evolving relationship between Shuichi and Eiri serves as a central focus throughout both the manga and its anime adaptation.

Gravitation EX.

Picking up after volume 12, the story follows Shuichi and Eiri as they take responsibility for Riku, the son of Yuki Kitazawa. During this period, Shuichi briefly becomes involved with Ryuichi Sakuma, who reveals his longstanding romantic feelings for him. Following an accident that leaves Eiri temporarily blind, Reiji announces plans to produce a film based on their lives. Shuichi suspects that this movie project may have influenced Ryuichi’s behavior, although Ryuichi’s true motives remain ambiguous.

Development

Gravitation was initially inspired by a prior work titled Help!, featuring characters similar to those in Gravitation but placed in different roles. For a storyline set in New York City, creator Maki Murakami conducted research to authentically depict the setting.

Murakami has also created several spin-off works that explore character relationships with varying degrees of explicitness: the milder Remix series and the more adult-oriented Megamix. The thirteen-volume Gravitation Remix, produced under Crocodile Ave, departs significantly from the original manga and anime regarding sexual content. Despite interest from fans, licensing for this series was declined by Tokyopop due to concerns involving character ages and themes of incest.

Additionally, Murakami developed four highly explicit "Megamix" titles—Mega-gra, Megamix: Panda, Megamix: Kumagorou, and Megamix: Capybara—which also diverge from the primary storyline; notably, Panda contains adult content. A new installment called Megamix Zebra is currently underway, featuring a threesome scenario with Shuichi depicted as the seme.

Manga

Authored and illustrated by Maki Murakami, the manga was serialized in Gentosha’s Kimi to Boku magazine from 1996 through 2002. Sony Magazines initially released eleven volumes between March 1996 and December 2000. Gentosha later reissued the series from April to August 2002, concluding with a twelfth volume. A complete edition was published by Gentosha between April and September 2006.

The North American rights were acquired by Tokyopop, which released twelve volumes from August 2003 until July 2005; subsequently, six omnibus editions were published between 2009 and 2010. Distribution in New Zealand and Australia is handled by Madman Entertainment. In October 2023, Seven Seas Entertainment obtained licensing rights and began releasing omnibus editions of the series.

The sequel title Gravitation EX. started serialization in both Japanese and English within the online magazine Web Comic Genzo. Its first volume was simultaneously published by Gentosha and Tokyopop in February 2007. Madman Entertainment also managed distribution of this sequel across New Zealand and Australia. After a hiatus commencing in March 2009, Murakami resumed serialization in June 2011 through Gentosha's Web Spica, with a second volume issued in November of that year.

On May 28, 2014, Murakami released a one-shot titled , followed by a full series under the same name beginning July 28 within Web Spica.

OVA

A two-episode OVA series was created through a collaboration between Plum, Animate Film, SPE Visual Works, Sony Magazines, and Movic. The initial episode premiered on July 23, 1999, followed by the second installment on September 22, 1999. The opening theme "Blind Game Again" and the closing theme "Smashing Blue" were both performed by Mad Soldiers with vocals by Kinya Kotani. The first part featured the insert track "Spicy Marmalade," while the second included "In the Moonlight," both by Mad Soldiers and Kotani, as well as "Shining Collection" by Iceman. In North America, Nozomi Entertainment released this series on DVD in 2005 under the title Gravitation: Lyrics of Love.

TV series

The anime television adaptation was produced by Studio Deen, SME Visual Works, and Sony Magazines, with direction by Bob Shirohata. The opening theme was "Super Drive" by Yosuke Sakanoue, and the closing theme was "Glaring Dream" performed by Kinya Kotani. Nozomi Entertainment managed the DVD distribution for the North American market in 2004.

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Drama CDs

A total of eight audio drama productions were created for Gravitation, featuring the majority of the voice cast from both the TV series and OVA. Five of these dramas adapt events from the manga, while the remaining three present original storylines. These drama CDs also showcase musical performances by the Japanese voice actors involved.

Other books

Two novels inspired by Gravitation were published: the first, released on November 30, 2000, follows the narrative of the OVA; the second, titled Gravitation the Novel - voice the temptation by Jun Lennon and published on September 30, 2002, narrates Shuichi's journey throughout Japan as he searches for the abducted Yuki. Both novels were brought to North America by Tokyopop in 2006 under the unified title Gravitation: voice of temptation. These editions were subsequently reprinted as deluxe versions on February 24, 2007.

Sony Magazines issued two special editions: one debuted on March 2, 1998, followed by another on August 7, 2000. Furthermore, an anime fan book was made available on March 15, 2001.

Reception

Between 2003 and 2007, nearly 500,000 copies of the Gravitation manga were sold across North America. In 2005, it was recognized as the leading BL-themed manga according to BookScan. Rachel Woods observes that even less explicit BL manga like Gravitation employ sexual innuendos, humorous double meanings, and symbolic imagery to sustain an erotic tone without overt content. For instance, a kissing scene is illustrated through fragmented panels concentrating on Yuki's "wandering hand," which evokes suggestive visuals that invite readers' interpretation.

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