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Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend
2015 - 2017 6.8 (73 votes) 2 Seasons
Official Website
Genres
Animation Comedy
Networks
Fuji TV

Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend (冴えない彼女の育てかた)

Overview

Tomoya Aki is an otaku who has a dream. His dream is to create the best visual novel game ever. The main heroine for this game and the inspiration for this dream is a background character named Megumi Kato who somehow stumbles into main character-esque traits in his eyes. To complete the game in time he has to call upon the aid of his anime loving professional friends who aren't so keen on the choice of his main heroine.

Key Crew

Producer: Manabu Jinguji

Top Cast

Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka

Aki Tomoya (voice)

Kiyono Yasuno
Kiyono Yasuno

Megumi Kato (voice)

Saori Onishi
Saori Onishi

Eriri Spencer Sawamura (voice)

Ai Kayano
Ai Kayano

Utaha Kasumigaoka (voice)

Sayuri Yahagi
Sayuri Yahagi

Michiru Hyoudou (voice)

Chinatsu Akasaki
Chinatsu Akasaki

Izumi Hashima (voice)

Tetsuya Kakihara
Tetsuya Kakihara

Iori Hashima (voice)

Seasons

Season 1 poster
Season 1 (2015)

Tomoya Aki, an otaku, has been obsessed with collecting anime and light novels for years, attaching himself to various series with captivating stories and characters. Now, he wants to have a chance of providing the same experience for others by creating his own game, but unfortunately, Tomoya cannot do this task by himself. He successfully recruits childhood friend Eriri Spencer Sawamura to illustrate and literary elitist Utaha Kasumigaoka to write the script for his visual novel, while he directs. Super-group now in hand, Tomoya only needs an inspiration to base his project on, and luckily meets the beautiful, docile Megumi Katou, who he then models his main character after. Using what knowledge he has, Tomoya creates a new doujin circle with hopes to touch the hearts of those who play their game. What he does not realize, is that to invoke these emotions, the creators have had to experience the same feelings in their own lives.

12 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: An Error-Ridden Prologue
2015-01-16

A chance encounter with a beautiful girl during spring break inspires Tomoya to make a dating simulation video game. He tries recruiting Eriri and Utaha to assist him.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 2: A Girlfriend Without a Raised Flag
2015-01-23

Tomoya asks Megumi out and gives her a lecture on how a perfect heroine should be like. He invites her to his home for an even more detailed lesson!

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 3: Retake the Climax
2015-01-30

Tomoya continues to procrastinate despite a fast approaching deadline for his project proposal. Eriri and Utaha wonder if he's really serious about creating a dating sim.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 4: Budget, Deadline and New Development
2015-02-06

Tomoya sets up a meeting with his recruits to discuss the game. After seeing Megumi with a boy, he can't help but feel jealous!

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 5: The Date Event of Crossing Paths
2015-02-13

Utaha manages to write out the plot of their game, but it might not be what Tomoya is looking for. Megumi and Tomoya go on a date.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 6: Deciding the Night for Two
2015-02-20

Tomoya leaves Kato in the middle of their date to meet up with Utaha. She takes him to a hotel, and they spend the night together. Alone…

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 7: Friend, Foe or a New Character
2015-02-27

While Tomoya is preparing for the Summer Comiket, two familiar faces from his past show up. Will this affect his game and all the preparations?

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 8: A Wingman's Traumatic Recollection Mode
2015-03-06

Megumi makes a concerted effort to understand dating sims. Later, Megumi and Tomoya assist Izumi during Summer Comiket.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 9: One-on-one Route After 8 Years
2015-03-13

After Tomoya hurts Eriri's feelings by praising Izumi's book, Utaha and Megumi urge him to make up with her in order to keep their group together.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 10: A Melody of Reminiscing and Support
2015-03-20

After an argument with her dad, Michiru runs away and decides to crash at Tomoya's place for a while. In the circle meeting, it is decided that background music is needed for the game. Will they find someone to help them out?

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 11: Ready to Start Resolving the Subplots
2015-03-27

Tomoya continues his attempts to recruit Michiru to his cause. Her critical words, however, cause Tomoya to question the dedication of his circle's members.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 12: The Ups and Downs at the End of Each Day
2015-04-03

The group goes to see Icy Tail's first-ever concert. Before performing, Michiru's bandmates reveal a startling secret.

Runtime: 23 min
Season 2 poster
Season 2 (2017)

After finally completing the first route of his visual novel, Blessing Software's producer Tomoya Aki is optimistic about the future of his team and achieving their goal of creating the best game of the season. However, they still have a long way to go. For one, Megumi Katou still has an incredibly flat personality and is unable to fit the role of Tomoya's ideal heroine. The other members of Blessing Software, Eriri Spencer Sawamura, Utaha Kasumigaoka, and Michiru Hyoudou, often forget she is even there due to her lack of presence and character. Throughout the development of their game, Blessing Software learns the struggles of working in an industry where deadlines must be met and edits are made constantly, and the hardships of working in a group setting.

11 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: The Way of Two Boring Rivals' Encounter
2017-04-14

One and a half years ago at Toyogasaki Academy. Utaha confirms that the library is carrying the light novel she wrote Metronome in Love. She leaves and gets stopped along the way by Eriri Spencer Sawamura. We finally get to see how Eriri and Utaha meet. What exactly happened between them?!

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 2: Turning Point of Earnest and Real
2017-04-21

Utaha and Tomoya go out on a date in Ikebukuro to celebrate the completion of the script. After going around to a book store and movie theater, they have dinner at a restaurant. That's when Utaha asks Tomoya whether she should attend a nearby university or one located in Kansai for college. Tomoya gives her his answer at the end of the date. Hearing it, Utaha decides to take a certain action.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 3: First Draft, Second Draft and Great Long Thinking
2017-04-28

Tomoya and the others arrive to meet Izumi, but to their surprise, Iori is there waiting as well. Iori reveals that his Dōjin Team, Rouge en Rouge, is making a new game that is in the same genre as the game Blessing Software is working on, and that Izumi will be in charge of its art. Tomoya believes in his team members, but Iori tells him that he is confident his game's story will be better.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 4: New Route of Two Nights and Three Days
2017-05-05

Tomoya has noticed a fatal flaw in the script Utaha had written. While her script reads amazingly as a novel, it does not hold up very well as a game script. As the director, Tomoya decides the script needs to be rewritten and begins revising it. Fortunately, Utaha comes in to help as well after composing herself, and the two of them work together to improve the writing as a game script.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 5: Deadline or Awakening
2017-05-12

With the script rewrites and additional character route, game production has been significantly delayed, and it's becoming apparent that Eriri is running behind with the art. Utaha points out the quality doesn't reflect the time she's putting in. Even so, Tomoya trusts that Eriri will deliver in the end. So Eriri withdraws herself to her secluded family villa in Nasu Kogen to focus on her work...

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 6: The Deadline Buried in Snow
2017-05-19

Eriri finally finishes the artwork, but she collapses with a fever as she tells Tomoya she's done.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 7: The New Plan of Revenge
2017-05-26

The game Tomoya and his colleagues completed "cherry blessing" gained a lot of popularity on the Internet because of Eriri's art and Utaha's script, leading them to sell out all their copies at their booth, and receive a massive amount of additional orders.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 8: The Girl Who Didn't Break the Flag
2017-06-02

Replaying "cherry blessing", Tomoya notices details that makes him realize how dedicated Megumi had been to the game's development.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 9: Graduation with a Twist
2017-06-09

Tomoya celebrates Utaha's graduation from Toyogasaki Academy, and tells her that he would like to continue making games with the current members of the team.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 10: And the Rivals Will Challenge God
2017-06-16

After the meeting with Akane, Eriri had every intention of not working for Akane. However, Utaha points out that she agreed with her comment about her slump and that she should think about the opportunity this presents. Some time later, Eriri calls Utaha over and convinces her that she is out of her slump and is able to draw better than ever, while also letting her know that she has accepted the offer to work on Field Chronicles XIII. With Eriri joining, Utaha decides to join the project in more of a supervisor role resulting in both girls leaving the circle. While Tomoya discusses the future of his next project with Iori, Iori lets him know that he and Izumi have left Rouge en Rouge feeling that they could not do what they want by remaining in that circle. Tomoya goes up that slope where he met Megumi a year ago, and Megumi is waiting for him.

Runtime: 23 min
Episode 11: Resume and Start the Game
2017-06-23

Tomoya is heartbroken by Utaha and Eriri's departure from the Dōjin Team, but Megumi takes the opportunity to ask Tomoya out on a date again. Back at Rokutenba Mall, the two of them go around the different stores reliving their previous date here. They visit a hat store last, and Tomoya buys her a certain hat to thank her for cheering him up and to repay her for the glasses she gifted him earlier.

Runtime: 23 min

Videos

Trailer [Subtitled]

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