# 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 [ja]
    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 [ja]
    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

| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | April 12, 2019 | 978-4-06-515154-9 | February 16, 2021 | 978-1-64-659956-1 |
| 2 | September 13, 2019 | 978-4-06-517003-8 | March 16, 2021 | 978-1-63-699004-0 |
| 3 | January 10, 2020 | 978-4-06-518251-2 | April 20, 2021 | 978-1-63-699056-9 |
| 4 | June 11, 2020 | 978-4-06-519779-0 | May 18, 2021 | 978-1-63-699099-6 |
| 5 | November 13, 2020 | 978-4-06-521317-9 | June 15, 2021 | 978-1-63-699156-6 |
| 6 | May 13, 2021 | 978-4-06-523303-0 | October 19, 2021 | 978-1-63-699422-2 |
| 7 | January 13, 2022 | 978-4-06-525897-2 | June 21, 2022 | 978-1-68-491168-4 |
| 8 | October 13, 2022 | 978-4-06-529154-2 | March 21, 2023 | 978-1-68-491862-1 |
| 9 | September 13, 2023 | 978-4-06-532984-9 | February 20, 2024 | 979-8-88-933375-3 |

### Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on October 10, 2022. It is produced by Project No.9 and directed by Yoshihiro Takamoto [ja], with scripts written by Aya Satsuki [ja], characters designed by Yukiko Ban [ja], and music composed by Tsubasa Ito [ja]. 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

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboarded by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Spring and Beginnings" Transliteration: "Haru to Hajimari" (Japanese: 春とはじまり) | Yoshihiro Takamoto | Aya Satsuki | Yoshihiro Takamoto | September 29, 2023 (2023-9-29) |
| 2 | "Maidenly Feelings and Parental Feelings" Transliteration: "Otomegokoro to Oyagokoro" (Japanese: 乙女心と親心) | Taiji Kawanishi | Aya Satsuki | Noriaki Saitō | October 6, 2023 (2023-10-6) |
| 3 | "Kisses and Love" Transliteration: "Kisu to Suki" (Japanese: キスとスキ) | Akira Katō | Aya Satsuki | Noriaki Saitō | October 13, 2023 (2023-10-13) |
| 4 | "Duty and Danger" Transliteration: "Kiken to Tonari Awase" (Japanese: 危険とトナリあわせ) | Tomio Yamauchi | Aya Satsuki | Noriaki Saitō | October 20, 2023 (2023-10-20) |
| 5 | "Strife and Settlement" Transliteration: "Haran to Teuchi" (Japanese: 波乱と手打ち) | Yoshihiro Takamoto & Tomohiro Takahashi | Aya Satsuki | Noriaki Saitō | October 27, 2023 (2023-10-27) |
| 6 | "A Midsummer and Night's Dream" Transliteration: "Manatsu to Yoru no Yume" (Japanese: 真夏と夜の夢) | Taiji Kawanishi | Aya Satsuki | Hikaru Takeuchi & Kōji Yoshikawa | November 3, 2023 (2023-11-3) |
| 7 | "Tanuki and Guard Dog" Transliteration: "Tanuki to Banken" (Japanese: 狸と番犬) | Yoshihiro Takamoto & Tomohiro Takahashi | Miharu Hirami | Noriaki Saitō | November 10, 2023 (2023-11-10) |
| 8 | "Cheap Theatrics and Melodrama" Transliteration: "Sanmon Shibai to Merodorama" (Japanese: 三文芝居とメロドラマ) | Natsumi Yasue | Yoriko Tomita | Noriaki Saitō | November 17, 2023 (2023-11-17) |
| 9 | "Knives and Attacks" Transliteration: "Ninjō to Sata" (Japanese: 刃傷と沙汰) | Akira Katō | Aya Satsuki | Noriaki Saitō | November 24, 2023 (2023-11-24) |
| 10 | "Lingering Scents and Whispers" Transliteration: "Utsuriga to Sasayaki" (Japanese: 移り香と囁き) | Zi Xiong | Miharu Hirami | Noriaki Saitō | December 1, 2023 (2023-12-1) |
| 11 | "Days Gone By and Days to Come" Transliteration: "Koshikata to Yukusue" (Japanese: 来し方と行く末) | Tomio Yamauchi | Yoriko Tomita | Noriaki Saitō | December 8, 2023 (2023-12-8) |
| 12 | "Scum and Heart" Transliteration: "Kuzu to Hāto" (Japanese: クズとハート) | Natsumi Yasue & Tomohiro Takahashi | Aya Satsuki | Noriaki Saitō | December 15, 2023 (2023-12-15) |
| 13 | "Wounds and Lovers" Transliteration: "Kizu to Koibito" (Japanese: 傷と恋人) | Yoshihiro Takamoto | Aya Satsuki | Yoshihiro Takamoto | December 22, 2023 (2023-12-22) |

### 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 [ja], based on a screenplay by Yо̄suke Masaike [ja]. 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.