A Girl & Her Guard Dog

A Girl & Her Guard Dog (Japanese: お嬢と番犬くん, Hepburn: Ojō to Banken-kun) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hatsuharu. It has been serialized in Kodansha's shōjo manga magazine Bessatsu Friend since December 2018, with its chapters collected into nine tankōbon volumes as of September 2023. An anime television series adaptation produced by Project No.9 aired from September to December 2023. A live-action film adaptation is set to premiere in March 2025.

Synopsis

Isaku Senagaki has been feared by those around her because her grandfather Tasuke is the third Senagaki yakuza boss. She gives up on her unrequited crush on Keiya Utō and enrolls in high school to have a normal love life, but Keiya fakes his age and enrolls in the same school.

Characters

Isaku Senagaki (瀬名垣一咲, Senagaki Isaku): Voiced by: Akari Kitō; Portrayed by: Riko Fukumoto; Because she is the granddaughter of a yakuza boss, she doesn't have any friends and is bad at socializing. She has a serious but shy personality. She has a crush on Keiya.
Keiya Utō (宇藤啓弥, Utō Keiya): Voiced by: Yūichirō Umehara; Portrayed by: Jesse; Young leading subordinate in the Senagaki yakuza and responsible for taking care of Isaku. He is overprotective and sometimes goes too far.
Mikio Tanuki (田貫幹男, Tanuki Mikio): Voiced by: Junya Enoki; Portrayed by: Kaito Sakurai; Tasuke's brother's grandson. He is a delinquent who was abandoned by his parents and taken in by his grandfather. He goes to the same school as Isaku and Keiya.
Kaori Sekiya (関谷香織, Sekiya Kaori): Voiced by: Mai Nakahara; Portrayed by: Nozomi Sasaki; Former hostess at a club run by the Senagaki yakuza. She had a physical relationship with Keiya.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Hatsuharu, A Girl & Her Guard Dog began serialization in Kodansha's Bessatsu Friend magazine on December 13, 2018. The manga went on hiatus in March 2023 due to the Hatsuharu's health. The first tankōbon volume was released on April 12, 2019. As of September 2023, nine volumes have been released.

In November 2020, Kodansha USA announced that they licensed the series for an English digital release.

Volumes

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on October 10, 2022. It is produced by Project No.9 and directed by Yoshihiro Takamoto, with scripts written by Aya Satsuki, characters designed by Yukiko Ban, and music composed by Tsubasa Ito. The series aired from September 29 to December 22, 2023, on Tokyo MX and other networks. The opening theme song is "Suki ni Naccha Dame na Hito" (好きになっちゃダメな人, lit. 'A Person You Shouldn't Fall in Love With') by Masayoshi Ōishi, while the ending theme song is "Magie×Magie" by Akari Kitō. Crunchyroll licensed the series outside of Asia. Medialink licensed the series in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) and is streaming it on their Ani-One Asia YouTube channel.

Episodes

Live-action film

A live-action film adaptation was announced on May 16, 2024. It will be produced by Toho Studios and directed by Keiichi Kobayashi, based on a screenplay by Yо̄suke Masaike. Yurika Koike will serve as the producer, and Toho will distribute the film. The film is set to premiere on March 14, 2025. SixTones will perform the theme song "Barrier" (バリア).

Reception

Caitlin Moore of Anime News Network calls the anime adaptation "a pretty ugly show" due to deformities in the characters' animations and many animation mistakes.