Happy Mania

Happy Mania (ハッピー・マニア) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Moyoko Anno. It was serialized in Shodensha's josei manga magazine Feel Young from 1995 to 2001, with its chapters collected in eleven tankōbon volumes. It was licensed in North America by Tokyopop, with the volumes published from 2003 to 2004.

A 12-episode television drama adaptation was broadcast in 1998. A second manga series, titled Go Happy Mania, started in 2019.

Plot
Shigeta, a young woman of 24, spends her days working at Tanaka Books and fretting over her love-life; or, more accurately, the lack thereof. The thing is, though, the biggest obstacle between Shigeta and a satisfying relationship seems to be Shigeta herself. When it comes to men, the poor girl has exceedingly poor judgement, exacerbated by her even poorer self-esteem.

Characters

 * Kayoko Shigeta (重田 加代子)
 * Kayoko is an insecure 24-year-old woman who is quick to fall for potential suitors and even quicker to draw conclusions about those who she perceives as threatening to her love life.


 * Shuichi Takahashi (高橋 修一)
 * A worker at the same bookstore as Kayoko. Shuichi is a student at Tokyo University and is in love with Kayoko despite her constant exploits with other men.


 * Hiromi Fukunaga (福永 ヒロミ) / Fuku (フクちゃん)
 * Shigeta's roommate and best friend. Fuku is a slightly older and significantly more grounded female character in the story whose relative success with men and more laid back demeanor serve as useful contrasts to Kayoko.


 * Yuko Tanabe
 * Another worker at the bookstore, Yuko is a plain looking girl who Kayoko is angered by when she finds out that Yuko has a boyfriend. Kayoko jealously seduces Yuko's boyfriend and has sex with him in a car but is then disappointed to find out that he is not, in fact, in love with her.


 * Tokieda (時枝)
 * A hip DJ that Kayoko meets in a club, Toki is the most significant crush that Kayoko has. After things do not work out with him, Kayoko temporarily renounces boys and focuses on work.


 * Kunihiko Sakai (境 邦彦)
 * The son of a cult leader who Kayoko meets in her hometown when visiting her mother to borrow money. He stalks her after her interest in him wanes leading to his kidnap and near-rape of her, before Shuichi saves her.


 * Violet
 * Violet is a student. When Kayoko sees that Violet is interested in Shuichi, she too realizes his worth as a suitor and gets together with him.


 * Goro Kishiwada (岸和田 悟郎)
 * Kishiwada is another of Kayoko's lovers. An accomplished pottery artist, Kishiwada is the reason that Kayoko takes a job as an apprentice to a pottery teacher.


 * Miss Midori
 * A rumored nymphomaniac, Miss Midori is Kishiwada's lover, and runs away with him.

Manga
Written and illustrated by Moyoco Anno, Happy Mania was serialized in Shodensha's josei manga magazine Feel Young from the August 1995 to the August 2001 issues. Shodensha collected its chapters in eleven tankōbon volumes, released from April 8, 1996, to October 20, 2001.

In North America, the manga was licensed for English release by Tokyopop. The eleven volumes were released from April 15, 2003, to December 7, 2004.

A one-shot chapter sequel was published in Feel Young on July 7, 2017. A second series, titled Go Happy Mania (後ハッピーマニア), started in the same magazine on September 6, 2019. Shodensha released the first collected volume on August 6, 2020. As of June 23, 2023, four volumes have been released.

Drama
A 12-episode television drama adaptation, directed by Takao Kinoshita and Makoto Hirano, was broadcast on Fuji TV from July 8 to September 23, 1998. The series' theme song is "Paradise (Southern All Stars song)" by Southern All Stars.

Reception
The manga has sold 3 million copies. Go Happy Mania ranked second on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2021 for female readers.