Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san

***Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san*** (ラーメン大好き小泉さん *Rāmen Daisuki Koizumi-san*), also known as ***Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles***, is a Japanese manga series by Naru Narumi. It began serialization in Takeshobo's *Manga Life STORIA* magazine in September 2013. A live-action drama series adaptation aired from June 2015 to December 2016. An anime television series adaptation was animated by Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ, and aired between January and March of 2018.

## Overview

Koizumi-san is a mysterious, cool-as-ice transfer student of very few words. A young connoisseur of all things ramen, Koizumi-san gets up at the crack of dawn to search for new and exciting dishes throughout Japan. She will ride any train, climb any mountain, and hitch a ride with just about anyone for a taste of delicious noodles. Whether it's instant ramen, pineapple ramen, or even ramen bathed in tequila, nothing is too far-fetched for a pro like Koizumi-san.

## Plot

First-year high school student Yuu Osawa is walking home from school and spots a ramen shop filled with men waiting in line. Upon closer inspection, she notices Koizumi-san, a recent transfer student in her class, waiting in line among them. Yuu is smitten by how cute she looks and decides to introduce herself, but at the same time is puzzled by how a girl like her could go to a ramen shop by herself (since girls eating at a ramen place alone is considered a rarity in Japan). Wanting more than anything to befriend her, Yuu joins her inside the shop, and orders whatever dish Koizumi-san picked from the menu. Not knowing that what she ordered was a monster-sized pork ramen, Yuu panics, but not before realizing how swiftly and elegantly Koizumi-san finished that same bowl. It was then and there that Yuu realized her quiet companion is a serious ramen fanatic, and that she would undoubtedly go through any length just to be with Koizumi-san.

The series can be looked at on two levels: One is where the series simply revolves around Koizumi-san as she meets various people and, rather indirectly, slowly gets them hooked on ramen.

On another level, the focus is on Yuu's fierce pursuit to befriend the unsociable Koizumi-san.

## Characters

All four main characters appear together in all three versions (anime, manga, and drama).

### Main

* Koizumi-san (小泉さん) - High school student with a penchant for ramen.
* Yuu Osawa (大澤 悠) - A friendly girl with an obsession for Koizumi-san.
* Misa Nakamura (中村美沙) - Fashion-conscious rival of Koizumi-san.
* Jun Takahashi (高橋 潤) - Bespectacled class representative.

### Supporting

* Ayane Osawa (大澤 絢音) - Cousin of Yuu from Osaka.
* Shuu Osawa (大澤 修) - Older brother of Yuu.
* Noa Ogawa (小川 乃愛) - Transfer student from Hokkaido.

## Media

### Manga

*Main article: Manga*
The series was created by manga artist Naru Narumi, and is serialized in Takeshobo's Manga Life STORIA bi-monthly comic magazine. It currently has nine volumes.

### TV Drama

*Main article: TV Drama*
A four-episode, live-action television drama series aired from June 27, 2015 to July 18, 2015 on Fuji TV in Japan. It was directed by Matsuki Tsukuru, and stars Akari Hayami as the lead role of Koizumi-san.

On January 4, 2016, a New Year's special entitled Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san Shinshun SP aired on Fuji TV. An end-of-the-year special entitled Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san Nenmatsu SP aired on December 30, 2016. The final special aired on April 5, 2019.

A *Second Generation* series first aired on March 27, 2020 with a new cast.

### Anime

*Main article: Anime*
An anime for Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san was announced on March 2017. It started airing on January 4th, 2018, and concluded its broadcast on March 22nd, 2018. It was animated by both Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ, and had Kenji Seto as the director. Minori Suzuki provided the OP song, Feeling Around, while Shiena Nishizawa provided the ED song, Love Men Holic.

### Game

A smartphone game entitled Manpuku Shikomi Magokoro Shitate (shortened to "Mashi Mashi") was announced on September 19th, 2017. It is a ramen shop "simulation" game, allowing the users to create their own ramen recipes. It was released on December 2017, but has been discontinued since late-2018.

## External Links

* Official Anime Site (in Japanese)
* Official TV Drama Site (in Japanese)
* Mobile Game Site (in Japanese)