Today I want to talk about one of my most cherished light novel series of all time: Adachi to Shimamura (安達としまむら), written by Hitoma Iruma and illustrated by Non for volumes 1 to 8, Shizue Kaneko for volume 9 and Raemz for volumes 10 to 13 plus the side story collections.

The series currently has 13 volumes, along with three side story volumes. I have read the first twelve volumes and all the side stories. I genuinely thought the story ended with volume twelve, but while writing this post I checked the store and discovered volume thirteen is out, so I will definitely be picking it up afterward.

The story follows Sakura Adachi and Hougetsu Shimamura, two high school girls who meet by chance after skipping class and gradually form a friendship. Through misunderstandings, small conflicts and quiet moments, that friendship slowly blossoms into a fully realized romantic relationship.

A friend recommended the series to me back in 2021, and at first I was skeptical. I read the first volume in a single sitting and had an unexpected experience with it. The volume starts with Shimamura’s point of view, and my initial reaction was, “It’s fine, nothing special.”

Then her section ended and the story switched to Adachi’s point of view, and everything changed instantly. The writing style, the emotional intensity and the rawness of her thoughts completely overwhelmed me. I was blown away. The moment the narrative became Adachi-centered, I fell in love with the story. I wanted to know everything: what Adachi felt, what she feared and how her relationship with Shimamura would evolve.

Of course, I grew to love Shimamura as well as the series went on (I will mention one moment later that really deepened my appreciation for her). But in the beginning, the series captured me entirely because of Adachi and the enormous contrast in how the two girls perceive the world.

Shimamura is a beautiful girl with long hair and a certain attitude. She finds socializing troublesome because of the expectations it creates and often prefers being alone, sometimes skipping classes entirely. Especially early on, she becomes overwhelmed by Adachi’s affection, but she always tries, in her own way, to meet her halfway.

Adachi, on the other hand, is shy, introverted and deeply insecure. She struggles with her mother due to their similar personalities. Her first meeting with Shimamura is like a revelation, and she falls in love instantly. She wants to get closer but is terrified of being honest. This leads to jealousy, emotional crashes and moments of vulnerability that Shimamura carefully soothes each time.

The narrative is mostly episodic, with each story focusing on a specific event involving the two girls (or occasionally a side character). Yet time does pass, and their relationship does move forward. The progression is subtle but undeniable.

Side characters include Akira Hino and Taeko Nagafuji, who together form another charming yuri couple, and Yashiro Chikama, a self-proclaimed alien who resembles Yashiro Hoshimiya from Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, also written by Iruma. There is also Tarumi, who acts as a small rival figure meant to strengthen Adachi and Shimamura’s bond rather than disrupt it.

One story that stuck with me unexpectedly was centered on Shimamura. Later in the series, she returns to her hometown with her family and visits her grandparents. While walking through the countryside with her elderly dog, she begins reflecting on life, the passing of time and the very real possibility that this will be her last walk with the dog. The introspective monologue was beautiful and it significantly boosted my appreciation of Shimamura as a character.

We also get glimpses of the future, showing adult Adachi and adult Shimamura living together as a couple. Seeing how they remain fundamentally themselves even years later is incredibly heartwarming. The timeline gets muddier, though, because of one particular story that made me think volume twelve was truly the end.

In that story, we follow Yashiro, who encounters an elderly Shimamura, now living alone after Adachi passed away several years earlier. Yashiro, unchanged and still childlike, speaks with her briefly before saying she must “go somewhere else.” She then arrives in a version of the world where Shimamura has not yet met Adachi and nudges her toward their destined encounter. It made me wonder whether the narrative operates across parallel universes or branching timelines.

I genuinely recommend reading this light novel. It is a masterpiece in the yuri genre and one of the most emotionally resonant series I have ever experienced. Everyone should try it at least once.