"High School Debut" (Japanese: 高校デビュー, Hepburn: Kōkō Debyū) is a shōjo romance manga created by Kazune Kawahara (河原 和音, Kawahara Kazune). It was published in Japan by Shueisha in the magazine Bessatsu Margaret from 2003 to 2008 and collected into 13 books. The series was adapted into a drama CD, six light novels written by Yū Kuramoto, and a 2011 live-action film. In North America, Viz Media licensed the manga and published English versions of all 13 books between January 2008 and February 2010.

The story follows Haruna Nagashima, a former softball player who is very enthusiastic about the sport, and Yoh Komiyama, the cool boy she persuades to help her with romance. Reviewers have said that while it uses a common idea for shōjo manga, Kawahara's portrayal of the characters, especially the romantic leads, and the artwork make it very enjoyable.

Plot

Haruna Nagashima worked very hard at playing softball during middle school. Now that she has started high school, she wants to focus on a new goal: finding a boyfriend and learning how to fall in love. However, she faces a challenge—she did not pay attention to fashion or trends during middle school, so she does not know how to attract someone she hopes to find. A chance meeting with Yoh Komiyama, a popular student, gives her a chance to learn. Yoh agrees to teach Haruna how to become more attractive, but he sets one rule: she must not fall in love with him. Despite this, Haruna ends up falling in love with Yoh, and he feels the same way. During their relationship, they must deal with challenges, including the return of Yoh's former girlfriend, Haruna's other male friends who like her, and a stalker who wants to separate them because she believes Haruna is not right for Yoh. Even with these problems, Haruna and Yoh remain deeply in love. In the final part of their story, Yoh must move to attend university, but they continue to keep their relationship strong while living far apart.

Media

"High School Debut" was written and drawn by Kazune Kawahara. It was published in Japan by Shueisha in the shōjo manga magazine Bessatsu Margaret from 2003 to August 2008. The series had 52 chapters that were not given titles and were later collected into 13 tankōbon volumes. In North America, the series is published by Viz Media under the Shojo Beat label, with all 13 volumes translated into English. It is also published in Italy by Star Comics and in Korea.

Two short stories titled "Enren Debut" ("Long-Distance Love Debut") were released in the March and May 2009 issues of Deluxe Margaret. These stories take place after the main series ended.

In March 2011, a new volume called "Far Love Edition" or "Love Edition – Far High School Debut" was released. A sequel titled "Far Love Knitting" was published on July 25, 2013.

A drama CD version of the series was released on June 10, 2005. The voice actors included:
• Haruna Nagashima: Junko Noda
• Yoh Komiyama: Hikaru Midorikawa
• Asami Komiyama: Rika Komatsu
• Mami Takahashi: Sayaka Ohara
• Fumiya Tamura: Katsuyuki Konishi
• Asaoka Yui: Akira Sasanuma

A series of six light novels was also created. These books were written by Yū Kuramoto and illustrated by Kazune Kawahara. They were published by Shueisha starting in June 2007. The titles and publication details are:
1. High School Debut (June 28, 2007; ISBN 978-4-08-601047-4)
2. High School Debut: Suki ni Natchaikenai Hito! (August 1, 2007; ISBN 978-4-08-601060-3)
3. High School Debut: Christmas Battle! (November 1, 2007; ISBN 978-4-08-601097-9)
4. High School Debut: Koi no Sōdan ni Goyōjin! (December 26, 2007; ISBN 978-4-08-601120-4)
5. High School Debut: Koi no Toraburu, Tairyō Hassei!? (April 1, 2008; ISBN 978-4-08-601154-9)
6. Kōkō Debyū Koi no Kokuhaku Sarechaimashita!? (September 2, 2008; ISBN 978-4-08-601212-6) – This story is original and not based on the manga.

A live-action movie featuring Ito Ohno and Junpei Mizobata was released on April 1, 2011. Filming for the movie began in October 2010.

Reception

High School Debut was one of the most popular manga series in Japan during its publication. Volumes 9, 10, and 11 reached number 2 on the Tohan best-seller list, and volumes 12 and 13 both started at number 3. Volume 13 was the 34th best-selling manga volume in the six months before May 17, 2009, selling more than 360,000 copies. About.com’s Deb Aoki listed High School Debut as the best shōjo manga of 2008.

Volumes one and two of the English edition were named among the Great Graphic Novels for Teens of 2008 by YALSA. A reviewer at About.com called the English translation a favorite new manga of 2008, describing it as "well-made and enjoyable." A reviewer from PopCultureShock also said the series "makes you happy." School Library Journal described the series as "typical for younger manga readers" and "a good choice for schools and libraries." Joanna Draper at Comics Worth Reading called it her "favorite shojo series" for being entertaining and creative. Otaku USA criticized the first volume for having a story that was too predictable.

Kawahara’s art was praised for its clean style, clear layout, and expressive characters. One reviewer compared it to the work of Yoko Kamio. Reviewers often highlighted Haruna as a main character who helped make the series popular. They also praised how Kawahara portrayed other characters, especially Yoh and his sister Asami. The relationship between Haruna and Yoh was described as one of friends who are equal. Some critics noted that the story’s focus on a makeover was handled better than expected, though others still had some concerns about it.