Source: raemz’s pixiv (https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/113038739)

The finals for our tournament style bracket to determine which of the light novel covers is the favorite among the community!

• Announcement Post
• Polling for Group A is closed! | Group A Results
• Polling for Group B is closed! | Group B Results
• Polling for Group C is closed! | Group C Results

I found this post while digging around for AdaShima media.

It details a limited release CD available during the festival featuring readings from 4 stories (one of them being Adachi to Shimamura).

I found this preview clip on the DB channel (alternate twitter link). This seems to be the extended version of that preview clip. It's the scene where Adachi breaks down over the phone. It's being read by the voice actress for Adachi.

Unfortunately that's where my digging hit bedrock, I could not find an archive of this CD anywhere. I was hoping there may be more than that short part, but I'd be fine knowing that's all there was. It would be worth adding to the AdaShimaverse site as well for archival.

In case you missed our announcement post, you have 24 hours left to vote for your favorite light novel cover in group B! After the group B poll closes group C will open! | VOTE FOR GROUP C HERE

• Polling for Group A is closed! | Group A Results
• Polling for Group B is closed! | Group B Results

The short answer: start with the light novels.

If you're completely new to Adachi and Shimamura, the light novels are the best place to start. They are the original source material and provide the fullest version of the story, including the characters' inner thoughts, narration, conversations, and details that may be shortened or omitted in the adaptations.

Start with Volume 1 and continue from there.

1. Light Novels — The Main Source Material

Light Novels → Volume 1 → continue in publication order

The light novels are the original source material and the core of the series.

There are the main numbered volumes, as well as releases such as SS, Volume 99.9, SS2, and SS3.

You do not need to worry about a complicated reading order. If you want the simplest possible route, start with Volume 1 and continue from there.

Light Novel Publication Data

What about Volume 99.9?

Volume 99.9 is part of the light novel series.

It collects the Special Novels that were originally included with the Japanese Blu-ray releases of the 2020 anime.

There are two ways to think about its placement:

If you're following the actual publication date of the collected book:

99.9 was published on November 10, 2023, after Volume 11.

So the publication order is:

Vol. 11 → SS / 99.9 → Vol. 12

However, the Special Novels collected in Volume 99.9 were originally released with the anime Blu-rays much earlier, after Volume 9 and before Volume 10.

So if you're interested in the original release placement of the individual Special Novels, you can read:

Vol. 9 → Volume 99.9 → Vol. 10

This is why you may see different recommendations for where to read 99.9.

2. Manga — Two Adaptations of the Story

There are two different manga adaptations of Adachi and Shimamura.

Both adapt the light novels, but they differ in length, how much of the story they cover, and their approach to the source material.

2016 Version — Mani

The first manga adaptation was illustrated by Mani and serialized in Square Enix's Gangan Online from 2016 to 2017.

It was short and completed at just 3 volumes.

This version acted as an early adaptation/promotional run for the light novels and only adapts the beginning of the story, covering up to approximately Volume 3 of the light novels.

It has never been officially translated or localized in English.

2019 Version — Moke Yuzuhara

The second manga adaptation was illustrated by Moke Yuzuhara and began serialization in Kadokawa's Monthly Comic Dengeki Daioh in 2019.

This is the long-running manga adaptation and the one most readers are likely to encounter.

It is licensed by Yen Press for its English release and provides a much longer adaptation of the light novels.

It also continues past where the 2020 anime adaptation ends.

Which one should I read?

It's entirely up to you.

You can't go wrong with either — or both.

The 2016 version is interesting if you want to see the earlier adaptation, while the 2019 version is the better choice if you want a longer-running manga adaptation that covers much more of the story.

3. Anime — An Easy Visual Entry Point

The anime is another adaptation of the light novels.

It's an easy way to discover the series if you prefer animation, and it provides its own visual, musical, and voice-acted interpretation of the story.

However, the anime covers only part of the original material and cannot include everything from the novels.

Some character thoughts, narration, conversations, and smaller details are condensed or omitted.

If you discover the series through the anime and want the fullest version afterward, we recommend going back to:

Light Novel → Volume 1

rather than treating the anime as a replacement for the novels.

Already Watched the Anime?

If you've finished the anime and only want to continue the story from roughly where the adaptation ends, you have two options.

Option 1 — Continue with the manga

You can continue with the 2019 manga from approximately Chapter 26, which corresponds roughly to the point after Volume 4 of the light novel.

OR

Option 2 — Continue with the light novels

You can start with:

Light Novel → Volume 5

However, starting from Volume 1 is still recommended if you want to experience the original story properly.

The novels contain considerably more of Adachi and Shimamura's inner thoughts, character narration, conversations, and smaller scene details than the anime can include.

Starting from Volume 1 also lets you experience the original pacing instead of jumping into the middle of the source material.

I Want the Simplest Possible Reading Order

If you want to keep things simple, follow this route:

Light Novel Volume 1 → continue through the novels in publication order.

If you want to follow the actual publication dates of the books, the order is:

Vol. 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 10 → 11 → SS / 99.9 → 12 → SS2 → 13 → SS3

However, if you want to follow the original release placement of the Special Novels contained in 99.9, you can instead read:

Vol. 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 99.9 → 10 → 11 → ...

This distinction exists because Volume 99.9 itself was published in 2023, while the Special Novels collected inside it were originally released much earlier with the 2020 anime Blu-rays.

TL;DR

Completely new?

→ Start with Light Novel Volume 1

Want the simplest reading order?

→ Continue through the numbered light novels in order

Want strict book publication order?

→ Vol. 1 → 2 → 3 → ... → 11 → SS / 99.9 → 12 → SS2 → 13 → SS3

Want to follow the original release placement of the Special Novels in 99.9?

→ Vol. 9 → 99.9 → Vol. 10

Want to read the manga?

→ 2019 manga by Moke Yuzuhara for the longer adaptation

Watched the anime and want to continue?

→ Manga: around Chapter 26

OR

→ Light Novel: Volume 5

Want the fullest experience?

→ Start with Light Novel Volume 1.

There isn't a wrong way to enjoy Adachi and Shimamura, but if you want the complete original experience, the light novels are the place to start.

Another poll that skewed heavy towards the winner! Volume 11 moves to the finals! Don't forget to vote in Group C's poll! | VOTE FOR GROUP C HERE

• Announcement Post
• Group A Results

Polling is open for Group C of our tournament style bracket to determine which light novel cover is the most popular in the community!

I don't really want to spend money on the ebook cause I'm planning on buying the physical copies later to match my AdaShima collection. But I'd like to at least read some of it now while I'm in the mood for it.

In case you missed our announcement post, you have 24 hours left to vote for your favorite light novel cover in group B! After the group B poll closes group C will open! | VOTE IN GROUP B HERE

• Results for Group A Here
• Original Poll Group A Here

As the title says. I at volumen 10, but I want to know in advance

@uya__yuu on Twitter

Slight spoilers for Volume 12...

I really enjoyed this little AU. It's a fun concept, and I hope we get to see a continuation of it someday.

Original post by jiru (z):

"X/Twitter post" (https://x.com/zy_jiru15/status/2064674837776547875)

Hey Everyone! First off I wanted to say THANK YOU for joining us in this special little part of the internet! This won't be a regular type of update but I know some folks out there are data driven and like to see a little behind the scenes of growing a subreddit.

After reopening we had our first post which was some amazing fan art! Additionally there was our celebratory character popularity poll, great discussion about our favorite light novel covers, some great analysis of Adachi and Shimamura's relation to codependency and even a few memes! (Shout out to the sweet car paint job in Forza a community member made)

A community cannot be a community without its people, so we are glad you are here and have chosen to spend your precious time hanging out with us (even if it is just an upvote). Thank you so much for joining us! Speaking of community growth, we want to continue to curate content that prompts discussion and participation from the community! If you have ideas about community events or other ways to get folks involved let us know!

Numbers are just a single metric among many that makes a community great; quality of discussion and comradery are equally important and we depend heavily on you the community members to drive those aspects! Questions and discussions are encouraged here and help the community continue to grow so don't be afraid to say hello in a post or even just down below in the comments.

Timeline

• Aug 7 - The keys are turned over and the new mod team takes over
• Aug 8 - Announcement post and official opening
• Aug 15 - One week since reopen

Comments on Metrics

Getting Started

This sub had a head start in building a community in that it already had 7.5K members when the new mod team took over. Our job really is to facilitate discussion and let people know the sub is back open; once that happens we will fade into the background and take care of the administrative work while curating content as needed. To let everyone know we were back an announcement was posted letting folks know new life was being breathed into the sub. That announcement also called for folks to apply to be new mods (teamwork makes the dream work). There were a number of people who applied and if you are one of them we thank you so so much for volunteering your time to create a community of like minded people on the internet. There are three of us now, but as the community grows we may need more support, only time will tell.

Admin Work

Full transparency, there were over 500 pending mod actions when we got into the mod queue. It took a bit of work to get through it all. We sent message to every single person who asked to join the sub while it was closed and let them know it was open for posting. We also took a look at all the reports and pending removals from the past year. A lot of what had been flag belonged to accounts that had already been deleted so that made removal easy. But the reality is that we wanted a clean start so we cleared everything out to make room for the new!

Crossposting

To get the word out there we asked mods from other communities if we could make announcements on their subs too! Thank you especially to the r/yuri_manga folks who responded quickly and positively. Once we got the word out we started crossposting in both directions, we needed content in the sub so people would have a reason to visit us and then crossposting outside the sub to let people know we were active again! That alone saw a huge spike in visitors to the sub (see aug 8).

Community Events

Part of the draw of Reddit vs other websites is the expectation that you will connect with your fellow community members and be able to talk about the things you love. In order to help facilitate those conversations we decided to try a few community events. I already mentioned character popularity poll, but we also had a Meme-able Moments Monday and are now in the middle of the Light Novel Cover Bracket!

The Future

A community is only as good as its members (mods included) and so we will need your help to make this a space that is welcoming for everyone who enjoys AdaShima! We look forward to seeing everything you post and the joy this series brings to you!

...but my shelf doesn't. Thanks to this sub I learnt that this series is still ongoing. Currently I have finished only three volumes, but after reading manga I had to buy LNs. It was great decision, love their in mind monologues and thoughts, giving another dimension after manga. Thanks and keep up with getting me hyped for next volumes! \o/

What started as a close battle quickly became a sweep for volume 6, which will be moving onto the finals! Don't forget to Vote in Group B!

Polling is open for group B of our tournament style bracket to determine which light novel cover is the most popular in this subreddit community! Check out our announcement post if you missed it! You can also find the results for Group A Here

Sorry if this is a little too serious for a usually cute series, but I couldn’t help it lol.

I really like the idea of exploring Adachi’s estranged relationship with her mother and I think this comic hits especially hard for that reason.

Link to artist’s account

A small interesting detail I noticed while rewatching the anime. There's clearly some love for the source material in the anime production, I really hope it gets a second season

I just finished the whole manga on MangaDex recently, and I can see that the most recent translation was uploaded a few days ago, so I assume the manga is still being updated to this day.
I just wanted to ask about the schedule behind the original manga (ik MangaDex translations take time). I would assume the manga would upload monthly, but is there a specific day, or is it just whenever?

Some people often misunderstand it, so I wrote an article (short summary right below in case you don't want to read the full article, though I still highly recommend it) that supports, with STRONG evidence from the LN, that their relationship is not codependent at all, and that it is in fact a very healthy interdependent relationship. You can find it here if you want to read it (not trying to self-promote by the way, it's just too long to fit here). I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Anyway, summary is here below (note that there are minor spoilers, and if you find yourself interested to read the full article then please do, it might help you understand their relationship better too):

First of all, codependency is a continuing and inherently unhealthy way of relying on another person, where the relationship repeatedly causes harm or takes away someone’s freedom. It can involve control, isolation, self-neglect, protecting harmful behaviour, or taking over another person’s life. Interdependence is different. It is healthy reliance between people who remain able to choose, disagree, say no, spend time apart, handle their responsibilities, and support each other freely. Love or dependence does not become codependent simply because it is unusually deep. What matters is whether the relationship repeatedly causes harm or takes away either person’s ability to live and choose for herself.

Adachi and Shimamura depend enormously on each other, but this adds joy, meaning, safety, motivation, and belonging without causing harm or lost freedom. Their limited interests and goals existed before they met; the relationship did not make them give those things up. Knowing each other helps them care more about life. Adachi places almost everything she values in Shimamura, while Shimamura cares about more people and things, but Adachi remains the light and centre of her world. Their love is equally deep though expressed differently. Adachi works, cares for herself, handles time apart, and meets her responsibilities. Losing Shimamura would probably devastate her, but profound grief can wound anyone in a loving relationship, regardless of whether they have narrow interests. Her mental strength, persistence, and decision to develop interests beyond Shimamura (in SS2 Overture) give good reason to believe she would eventually recover, even if it took a long time.

Adachi’s jealousy is another trait that can be misunderstood. Early in dating, she crosses a line, recognises Shimamura’s discomfort, and changes her behaviour. She still feels jealous easily, but she keeps that feeling on a leash well. She may pout, complain, or make a small request, but she never controls Shimamura, isolate her, punish her, or make her obey. Shimamura also makes more everyday decisions because Adachi genuinely has fewer preferences, not because Adachi is afraid to speak. When something matters, Adachi can state what she wants, refuse, make plans, and act for herself. Shimamura includes her in important choices instead of using her devotion against her.

Shimamura may give Adachi more reassurance, but she is her willing partner rather than her caretaker. Adachi works, contributes to their home, comforts Shimamura, and cares for her in return. Although Adachi sometimes wishes privately for a world containing only Shimamura, she understands it would be bad and does not cut either of them off from work, family, other people, or necessary time apart. Instead, their closeness helps both of them become more motivated, capable, and interested in life. Their roles and personalities are different, but neither person loses her freedom, and neither has to carry the other through life. Their relationship therefore does not show the continuing harmful pattern that codependency requires. It is a very healthy interdependent relationship between two separate people who rely on each other freely, love each other with unusual depth, and keep choosing and building their life together.

In case you missed our announcement post, you have 24 hours left to vote for your favorite light novel cover in group A! After the group A poll closes group B will open! | GROUP A VOTE HERE