"That fellow is the type that makes you hate him as much as you love him."
— Kyou describing Hananoi
A Condition Called Love (Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai note ) is a shoujo manga by Megumi Morino that follows the relationship between high schooler Hotaru Hinase, a young girl who has never experienced romantic love and is not even sure she's capable of doing so, and Hananoi Saki, the notorious hopeless romantic loner in her school. The two share a brief encounter when Hotaru witnesses Hananoi get harshly dumped in public and offers him some respite from the snow. This small act of kindness makes Hotaru the new object of Hananoi's obsessive and overbearing love, which Hananoi makes clear by publicly confessing his feelings for her and his desire to date her the very next day at school, to the bewilderment of everyone including Hotaru. What follows is a somewhat unconventional courtship and love story about two young people discovering what love really is and how best to express it to each other.
The manga was first published in print in Dessert in December of 2017 and online in 2020 via the online manga reading platform for the parent company, Kodansha USA. The series has seen widespread success and was nominated for the Kodansha Manga Award in the shoujo category for the first time in 2020, winning the award the following year. A TV anime adaptation was announced in June 2023 to premiere in 2024. The adaptation, produced by East Fish Studio will begin airing in April 2024 and star Kana Hanazawa as Hotaru and Chiaki Kobayashi as Hananoi.
Contains examples of:
- All Take and No Give: Heavily explored as this is the kind of situation Hananoi sets up with his romantic interests so that they will grow to need him, never leave him, and become his. In sum, he love bombs his partners with what he believes to be ideal boyfriend behavior and expects the same level of devotion in return. Naturally, this overbearing approach is resoundly rejected by every one of his past girlfriends. Hotaru rejects this too and tells him that if only one person in a relationship can be happy with the other continuously sacrificing their own desires, interests, and health for them, she doesn't ever want to fall in love. She insists on Hananoi being more demanding and upfront with his emotional needs so that they can have a balanced relationship.
- Anger Born of Worry: Hotaru actually yells at Hananoi when she realizes that he's been digging for her missing hairpin in the cold snow for hours. She tells him that he needs to consider himself more and to stop being so self-sacrificing for his own sake.
- Beautiful Dreamer: In one of the omakes, the author shows that Hananoi still looks shockingly good even while sleeping, whereas Hotaru is just your average sleep-faced girl.
- Because You Were Nice to Me:
- What sparks Hananoi's interest in Hotaru is her shielding him from the snow, one time. That's it. Subverted as we later learn that he's actually been in love with Hotaru since elementary school, but was too insecure to pursue it at the time.
- Yao's feelings for Hotaru developed after she kindly hid him while he was crying at school, mourning the recent loss of his pet dog, and listened to his problems without judgment. However, Yao is unable to recognize his feelings as love at the time and even now, it took someone else saying he's in love for him to understand.
- Beta Couple: Kyou-chan and her boyfriend Keigo who start dating in the very first chapter of the story. They end up supporting Hotaru and Hananoi separately and later go out on a Double Date to a water park with them. Personality-wise, they're louder and more energetic dynamic is a contrast to Hananoi and Hotaru's quieter, more introspective relationship. Visually too, there is a contrast as both Hotaru and Hananoi have black hair where as Kyou-chan has light brown hair and Keigo's hair is seemingly dyed blond.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Hotaru has thicker eyebrows than the rest of the cast and this is consideres one of her main traits.
- Bridal Carry: During their Christmas Eve date at the ice rink, Hananoi suddenly sweeps Hotaru off her feet in a bridal carry. He explains he did it all to make her feel like a princess as it's also her birthday but she rarely ever gets to celebrate as a special day just for her because of the holiday and family obligations.
- Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Hotaru's attentiveness and kindness are some of her most notable traits, though she isn't perfect and has her own past trauma she's trying to work through. Hananoi on the other hand doesn't seem to angst all of that much only because he's a perpetual Stepford Smiler who has buried his complexes so deep down it's hard for even those close to him to see. Doesn't change the fact that he's a loner by choice, Troubled, but Cute male lead.
- Caught the Heart on His Sleeve: When she realizes she wants to give dating Hananoi a shot, Hotaru grabs his jacket sleeve to stop him from leaving to tell him as such.
- Childhood Friends: When asked by their co-workers Yao tells them that he and Hotaru were close friends and he affectionately calls her a nickname. Hotaru on the other hand flatly says that they were just classmates, much to Yao's disappointment. She realizes however that she may be overly wary of him because he was indirectly the cause of her friend hacking her hair off and decides to try to open herself up a bit more to him.
- Chocolate of Romance: Valentine's Day rolls around and naturally Hotaru stresses for a bit about what to give Hananoi to properly convey her feelings. When the day of comes and he uncharacteristically keeps putting off their meet-up time, she goes to his place only to find out that he has been preoccupied with trying to make her homemade chocolates, messing up several times in the process and having to start from scratch. They end up staying in and making a chocolate cake together, symbolizing their more equal standing in the relationship.
- Crush Blush: All over the place given the genre. A prominent example occurs when Hotaru finally tells Hananoi that she loves him and he tries to hide his face as he is so overjoyed that he's blushing profusely.
- Converse with the Unconscious: Hananoi goes to wake up Hotaru who has fallen asleep on his bed, but she's out cold. He tells her if she doesn't wake up he'll kiss her and in her half-asleep state she replies that she wouldn't mind. So he does. For a while. And Hotaru sputters awake embarassed.
- Decon-Recon Switch: Of Dogged Nice Guy. Hananoi is determined to make the object of his affection fall for him and does so by exhibiting extreme selflessness, going out of his way to do whatever it takes to fulfill and conform to his partner's wishes (or what he thinks she wishes), at the cost of his own desires and interests. The manga shows how such a love is actually burdensome to the partner, and Hananoi goes through girlfriends like tissue papers as each one gets fed up with his overbearing form of love. One even shows up later on in the story to tell Hotaru how Hananoi became so controlling and possessive, she had to break up with him. That said, Hotaru is able to understand that Hananoi does mean well, even if he's misguided, and that his desire to see his partner be happy can be a positive thing if done in moderation. In fact, it is Hananoi's attentiveness that ultimately sways her feelings fully towards him.
- Driven by Envy: Back in middle school, a friend of Hotaru's, in a fit of jealousy at hearing a rumor that popular boy Yao and Hotaru may have something going on, cuts Hotaru's long hair in the classroom. This is the source of Hotaru's apprehension to the idea of being in love.
- First Kiss: Hananoi tells Hotaru to give him a sign when she's ready for him to kiss her. She ends up doing so a few weeks later after her Love Epiphany by kissing him on the forehead in an unused classroom after school. He wastes no time in picking up her signal and kisses her, which the brief omake after the chapter comically reveals went for quite some time, with Hotaru struggling to catch her breath.
- First Love:
- Hotaru, having never been in love before, falls for Hananoi and is able to tell him as much.
- Hananoi later admits that though he told other girls he loved them, he actually thinks he never did and was more in love with being in love and receiving affection and attention from them, making Hotaru his true first love. It's also revealed that he had a crush on her all the way back in middle school, making her his actual first love.
- Yao realizes that even back in middle school he felt differently towards Hotaru and that since then, he probably has been in love with her, too.
- Forgotten First Meeting: Hananoi actually went to the same middle school as Hotaru and lived near enough to her that he would frequent the same park she did as a child. He transferred to a different school after a year though and since then has completely changed his shy, quiet, somewhat dorky appearance into the ikemen he is now. He is intentionally keeping this a secret from Hotaru out of shame for not coming to her defense after the haircutting ordeal, but Yao has figured it out.
- Grow Old with Me: After Hotaru has agreed to just trial date Hananoi and asks him what he would like, he responds that he would love it if they could be buried next to each other in the same grave.
- Hands-Off Parenting: What Hananoi's parents believe they are doing, as they see Hananoi's excellence in school as him being self-sufficient enough to take care of himself when they travel for long periods of time for work. In Hananoi's eyes however, it's more like Parental Neglect and Parental Abandonment.
- Holding Hands: One of the few things Hananoi tells Hotaru he wants to do with Hotaru in the beginning is to walk to school while holding hands. She happily obliges.
- Hopeless Suitor: Yao realizes his feelings for Hotaru much too late as she is already in love with and dating Hananoi. He still wishes to be close to her (as friends) despite that.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Hananoi is already tall for guys his age, but Hotaru's also pretty small. Hananoi can even pick her up with little issue because of her rather diminuitive size.
- Just Friends: Defied by Hananoi. Hotaru asks him if at the end of their trial dating period, she still can't see him romantically, whether or not they could remain friends. He bluntly tells her he has no interest in being just her friend.
- Let's Wait a While: A PG-13 version occurs after Hotaru meets one of Hananoi's exes and becomes insecure in the fact that he has had so much more experience with other people than she has. He tells her he can kiss her like he's never kissed another girl and proceeds to french kiss her. Afterwards, Hotaru is overloaded enough to comically pass out and even Hananoi is so worked up that he suggests they put that genie back in its lamp until they're both a bit more ready for it.
- Love Triangle: Hotaru has been involved in two.
- In middle school her best friend had a crush on the popular kid in school, Yao. After showing him kindness while he was grieving his recently deceased dog, Yao develops a small crush on Hotaru and impulsively hugs her behind the school building. Hotaru is oblivious.
- Hotaru and Hananoi are in a relationship, but Hotaru's coworker Yao once again has romantic feelings for her. This later ends up a Love Dodecahedron since Hotaru's other coworker develops feelings for Yao, but she is all too aware of his feelings for Hotaru.
- Meet the In-Laws:
- Hananoi meets Hotaru's parents and younger sister on Christmas Eve when he goes to pick up Hotaru for their planned date. Hotaru's mom is delighted and thinks he's a nice boy. Her father is also oddly calm about it, however he tells Hotaru's older sister this is because he believes high school relationships don't last that long and is expecting them to break up soon.
- Hotaru meets Hananoi's grandma (his primary caretaker) after she calls her to take care of a sick Hananoi. The old woman later calls Hotaru out for coffee one-on-one to grill her. The same happens when Hotaru's father makes a surprise visit; he too calls Hotaru out for one-on-one coffee, but this time Hotaru tells Hananoi beforehand and he intervenes.
- More Experienced Chases the Innocent: Hananoi, a notorious Serial Romeo, pursues Hotaru, an Oblivious to Love, Naïve Everygirl. Hotaru agrees to go out with him specifically because she wants to know if it's possible for even someone as agnostic to love as she is to love and be loved in return. Much of their relationship revolves around Hananoi trying his best to wait for Hotaru's feelings and comfortability to catch up to his and holding himself back as to not spook her off.
- Please, Don't Leave Me: After Hotaru tells Hananoi to stop being accomodating to a fault and to assert his needs and desires more, she asks him what it is that he would like her to do. He tells her that he wants her to never leave him.
- Shrinking Violet: Hananoi was this back in elementary school.
- Single Girl Seeks Most Popular Guy: Hotaru's childhood friend revealed to her that she had a crush on Yao, one of the most popular boys in their class.
- Snow Means Love: Hotaru and Hananoi interact for the first time face to face in the story by her shielding him from the falling snow. The next day he confesses his feelings towards her and asks her to date him.
- Stalker Shrine: When Hotaru goes to Hananoi's house for the first time she notices a shelf in his bedroom that is covered with a small curtain. Before she can pull back the curtain, Hananoi stops her and tells her "That is Hotaru-chan's area. You have to be prepared to look, understand?" She balks at the implication and leaves it alone. Subverted, as it's less of a shrine to Hotaru and more of the place where Hananoi keeps everything related to his life in middle school, of which his crush on Hotaru played a major role in.
- Test Kiss: On the advice of Keigo, Hotaru asks Hananoi to kiss her so she can see if she can think of him in a romantic way, because at the moment, she's not really sure. Hananoi tells her that she shouldn't ask for that so lightly since getting to kiss the girl he's in love with means way more to him than it does for her. He appears to pull back, only to lean in and...promptly pass out on top of Hotaru as he's running a fever, leading to an Almost Kiss.
- Traumatic Haircut: In elementary school, Hotaru's then best friend hacked off her long hair in a fit of jealousy over rumors that there was something going on between her crush Yao and Hotaru. In flashbacks, we see the calmly cheery Hotaru become withdrawn and closed off after the event. She realizes later on she has kept her hair short and shied away from dating and romance out of a subconscious fear of ending up in a similar situation. Once she starts getting comfortable with Hananoi and her own feelings of love for him, she slowly allows her hair to grow out.
- Trial-Period Dating: Oblivious to Love Hotaru is baffled and initially turns Serial Romeo Hananoi down when he confesses his love to her and asks to date her after talking to her for the first time yesterday, but after she sees how much effort he puts into getting her to fall for him, she proposes that they date until Christmas in a few weeks, so she can find out if even she can fall in love just like everyone else.
- Unknowingly in Love:
- After spending Christmas with Hananoi and realizing she doesn't want their trial dating period to end, Oblivious to Love Hotaru wonders to her friends if this feeling she has is love. Kyou screams "YES!" in her head but avoids telling Hotaru as to allow her to come to that conclusion on her own.
- Yao describes the feelings Hotaru evokes in him to his coworker and wonders what it could be. She tells him that he is "stanning" Hotaru, but admits to him later that she lied and that he really is in love with Hotaru. She just wanted to hopefully not make things awkward since Hotaru is dating Hananoi and they're all coworkers.
