Otherside Picnic

Otherside Picnic

Company type	Media franchise
Industry	Literature, manga, anime
Founded	February 2017
Founder	Iori Miyazawa
Products	Novels, manga, anime
Parent	Hayakawa Publishing (novels), Square Enix (manga)

Otherside Picnic is a Japanese yuri science fiction novel series authored by Iori Miyazawa, featuring illustrations by shirakaba. The work draws inspiration from Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Since its debut in February 2017, Hayakawa Publishing has issued ten volumes. The manga adaptation, illustrated by Eita Mizuno, began serialization in February 2018 within Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan magazine and has been compiled into fourteen volumes. In North America, the novels are licensed by J-Novel Club, while the manga rights are held by Square Enix. An anime adaptation produced collaboratively by Liden Films and Felix Film aired from January through March 2021.

Synopsis

Sorawo Kamikoshi, a university student, stumbles upon a portal leading to the Otherside during her urban exploration activities. This enigmatic realm contains sites and creatures drawn from online creepypasta and various urban legends. After a near-fatal encounter there, Sorawo is saved by Toriko Nishina, a proficient firearms user who is on a quest to find a missing friend. Encouraged by payments from the researcher Kozakura, Sorawo and Toriko venture back into the Otherside to collect artifacts and confront its monsters. As their expeditions continue, they experience the Otherside’s strange influence, meet individuals trapped within this world, and gradually build a stronger bond.

Characters

A sophomore attending university in Saitama Prefecture, Sorawo has a keen interest in ghost stories and urban legends. She first discovered the Otherside while exploring deserted buildings. Following family tragedies linked to a cult, she studies on scholarship and collaborates with Toriko to investigate the Otherside for financial compensation.

Toriko is searching the Otherside for her lost friend Satsuki. Skilled with firearms due to her late mothers’ backgrounds—including one who served in Canadian special forces—she tends to keep to herself, with Sorawo and Satsuki as her closest companions.

Kozakura is an Otherside researcher living near Shakujii Park. She finances Sorawo and Toriko’s expeditions by acquiring artifacts through the DS Research Encouragement Association. Once a college acquaintance of Satsuki, she remains troubled by her disappearance and operates an online streaming persona named .

A colleague of Kozakura who disappeared three months prior to the story’s start while exploring the Otherside. She initially invited Kozakura to collaborate on research but sought others such as Toriko when Kozakura declined.

A bright first-year student at Sorawo’s university and skilled karateka. Originally from Saitama, she lives independently after her parents moved away.

The Director General of DS, possessing expertise in firearms and tactical operations. Although not a researcher himself, his background includes time spent in Central America influenced by Carlos Castaneda, bearing a tattoo of Maya scripts, and ties to a private military firm.

Akari is Akari’s childhood friend who chose to work at her family’s garage instead of pursuing further education.

Novels

Otherside Picnic, written by Iori Miyazawa with illustrations by shirakaba, has been published by Hayakawa Publishing since February 2017, totaling ten volumes. In North America, J-Novel Club has released nine volumes of the series.

Volumes

Template:Graphic novel list/header Template:Graphic novel list Template:Graphic novel list Template:Graphic novel list Template:Graphic novel list {{Graphic novel list | VolumeNumber = 5 | OriginalRelDate = December 17, 2020 | OriginalISBN = 978-4-15-031448-4 | LicensedRelDate = August 18, 2021 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-7183-6006-8 | ChapterList =

• File 16: "Pontianak Hotel" (ボンティアナック・ホテル, Pontianakku Hoteru)
• File 17: "Looking at the Past in the Diagonal Mirror" (斜め鏡に過去を視る, Naname-kyō ni Kako o Miru)
• File 18: "Alone Together in a Mayoiga" (マヨイガにふたりきり, Mayoiga ni Futari Kiri)
• File 19: "Hasshaku-sama Revival" (八尺様リバイバル, Hasshaku-sama Ribaibaru)

| LicensedTitle = Hasshaku-sama Revival | OriginalTitle = 八尺様リバイバル |} {{Graphic novel list | VolumeNumber = 6 | OriginalRelDate = March 17, 2021 | OriginalISBN = 978-4-15-031476-7 | LicensedRelDate = November 15, 2021 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-7183-6008-2 | ChapterList =

• File 20: "T is for Templeborn" (Tは寺生まれのT, T wa Tera Umare no T)

| LicensedTitle = T is for Templeborn |} Template:Graphic novel list Template:Graphic novel list Template:Graphic novel list Template:Graphic novel list Template:Graphic novel list/footer

Manga

In November 2017, it was revealed that Eita Mizuno would create a manga adaptation. The series started its serialization in February 2018 within Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan publication and has since been compiled into fourteen volumes. By July 2020, Square Enix announced intentions to release the manga in the North American market.

Anime

On March 5, 2020, the announcement came for a 12-episode anime adaptation produced by Liden Films and Felix Film. The project was directed and scripted by Takuya Satō, with character designs by Ayumi Nishihata and a musical score composed by Takeshi Watanabe. The series broadcasted from January 4 to March 22, 2021, airing on networks including AT-X, Tokyo MX, SUN, and BS11. The opening song, titled Ugly Creature (醜い生き物, Minikui Ikimono), was performed by CHiCO with HoneyWorks, while the closing theme, "You & Me," featured vocals by Miki Satō.

Funimation secured licensing rights for North America and the British Isles, streaming the show across Europe (except Germany) via Wakanim, and in Australia/New Zealand through AnimeLab. An English-language dub premiered on November 15, 2021. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series transitioned to that platform. In Germany, licensing is managed by KSM Anime. For Southeast and South Asian territories, Medialink holds the license, distributing it through Ani-One’s YouTube channel and Bilibili.

Reception

Constance Sarantos of CBR commends the series for subverting typical yuri conventions by steering clear of clichés and crafting an original storyline that merges elements of horror with a "relationship forged through crime and survival," rather than focusing solely on conventional romance drama. Sarantos highlights the effective fusion of science fiction with yuri themes, emphasizing both fear and romantic tension—an uncommon combination within yuri anime. Though it does not entirely dismantle genre norms, it shares emotional depth with works like Bloom Into You and Adachi and Shimamura, while its visual style aligns more closely with series such as Kemono Friends and Girls' Last Tour, despite its atypical narrative approach.

Critics at Anime News Network expressed similar views. Caitlin Moore described the anime as "unique," appreciating its break from standard teenage romance narratives but noted that the chemistry between leads Sorawo and Toriko could be enhanced and found some inconsistency in the animation quality. James Beckett conveyed moderate enthusiasm, wishing for additional context to unlock the story’s full potential. Nicholas Dupree found appeal in the main characters but struggled with overall engagement, whereas Theron Martin and Rebecca Silverman praised character dynamics and fidelity to the source material respectively; Silverman also hoped for a more in-depth exploration of urban legend aspects. Hannah Alton from CBR underscored the series’ distinctiveness within the isekai genre, highlighting protagonists’ ability to traverse worlds and its incorporation of Japanese urban myths featuring monsters that can only be defeated if directly observed.

Alton further lauded Sorawo as a reserved college student and noted Toriko’s atypical gun skills as a striking contrast to Japan’s stringent firearm regulations. She concluded that despite containing isekai elements, the story diverges from typical high fantasy empowerment narratives. Additional commentators have placed this anime alongside titles like Moyasimon and Genshiken for delivering a mature perspective on coming-of-age themes within collegiate environments, tackling serious topics such as identity crises and mental health challenges. Christopher Farris positively reviewed episode four for maintaining thematic coherence and effective sound design despite some narrative inconsistencies. Jordan Ramée of GameSpot praised it as a "refreshingly wonderful series" featuring adult protagonists engaged in a wholesome romantic storyline.

Erica Friedman offered a nuanced critique on her blog Okazu, applauding the novel’s integration of Japanese internet folklore, sci-fi elements, action sequences, horror components, and yuri themes but expressing dissatisfaction with the anime’s animation quality, pacing, and comedic action style. Despite these drawbacks, she found it "very enjoyable," commending voice performances but ultimately rated it 7 out of 10 due to an unsatisfactory animation approach and perceived dilution compared to the novels.

Rebecca Silverman’s manga review for Anime News Network observed that it avoids some pitfalls present in the anime by emphasizing horror alongside yuri elements more effectively, resulting in a distinctive narrative faithful to the original novels. She proposed it as a thoughtful commentary on recent trends within the isekai genre and recommended it as a strong standalone work.