With very solid sales in Japan and approval for a second season revealed recently, it’s definitely a good time to be a fan of Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend. Even more so if you’re buying the Japanese DVD and Blu-ray releases as the cover artwork for them is fantastic. The first blush image has surfaced for the fifth volume of the series this week and while it’s not as large as the previous images we have, you definitely get a good feeling for it. The thirteen episode series is getting a seven volume release where “episode zero” is the first disc by itself for both formats. That has the first volume priced at 4,000 and 3,000 yen respectively for Blu-ray and DVD while the remainder of the volumes, which have two episodes each, are priced at 7,000 and 6,000 yen respectively for Blu-ray and DVD. The releases will be coming with a bonus disc that has a mini soundtrack as well as event tickets for local events in Japan. On disc extras include a clean opening and closing, promo videos and web ads.
The series is based off of the light novels that began in the summer of 2012 and has five volumes so far as written Fumiaki Maruto with artwork by Kurehito Misaki. The series is directed by Kanta Kamei based on scripts by Fumiaki Maruto with animation production done by A-1 Pictures. It star Chinatsu Akasaki as Izumi Hashima and Tetsuya Kakihara as Iori Hashima. The cast previously announced Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Tomoya Aki, Saori Ohnishi as Eriri Spencer Sawamura, Ai Kayano as Utaha Kasumigaoka and Sayuri Yahagi as Michiru Hyodou.
Plot concept: One day, an otaku high school student Tomoya Aki has a fateful encounter with a girl amidst the beautiful cherry blossom trees. This meeting inspires Tomoya to design his very own “gal-game” (dating-simulation video game) featuring a heroine modeled after the girl he saw. In order to make his desire a reality, Tomoya must persuade a few eccentric “creators” such as the ace member of the art club, Eriri Spencer Sawamura and the school’s top student, Utaha Kasumigaoka to join his development team. Meanwhile, Tomoya is shocked to learn that the girl he idolized as his muse for this whole project was none other than his boring classmate, Megumi Kato! But, this doesn’t dissuade Tomoya. He is determined to give Megumi a total make-over within his game and raise her to be the absolute girlfriend that every man desires…!
[Source: Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata]