Written by Manta Aisora Published by SB Creative Imprint GA Bunko | Illustrated by Koin Demographic Male Magazine GA Magazine | |
Adaptations Nyarko-san Another Crawling Chaos (2012) Books Haiyore! Nyaruko-san(1), Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, #2 Genres Adventure game, Action fiction, Romantic comedy Publishers SB Creative, Shueisha, Flex Comix, 5pb. | ||
Nyaruko: Crawling With Love (這いよれ! ニャル子さん, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, lit. Crawl Up! Nyaruko-san), also known as Nyaruko-san: Another Crawling Chaos, is a Japanese light novel series written by Manta Aisora and illustrated by Koin. It was inspired by the H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. The series' twelve volumes were published by Soft Bank Creative under their GA Bunko imprint between April 2009 and March 2014.
Contents
A flash-animated original video animation (OVA) by DLE titled Haiyore! Nyaruko was published in between October 2009 and March 2010, followed by a television series, Haiyore! Nyaruko: Remember My Mr. Lovecraft, which aired in Japan between December 2010 and February 2011. An anime television series by Xebec aired in Japan between April and June 2012 and a second season aired between April and June 2013. Two manga adaptations have been produced. A video game adaptation, developed by 5pb. for PlayStation Vita was released in Japan on May 30, 2013.
Plot
The story of Haiyore! Nyaruko-san centers around Nyaruko, a formless Lovecraftian-deity of chaos (Nyarlathotep) who can take on the shape of a seemingly ordinary silver-haired girl. Mahiro Yasaka is a normal high school boy who is being chased by a fearsome black alien one night, until Nyaruko saves him. She explains that the creatures from H. P. Lovecraft's works are actually races of aliens, and that she has been sent to Earth by the Space Defense Agency to protect him from being kidnapped by an alien trafficker. Aliens find Mahiro and the Earth strangely attractive, for entertainment, auction or resources. One by one, the Great Old Ones enter Earth illegally. Eventually, Nyaruko and two other Lovecraft-creatures, Cthugha and Hastur, end up being freeloaders at Mahiro's place. Mahiro has become accustomed to his protection detail of Nyarlathotep (Nyaruko), Cthugha, and Hastur making his life fascinating.
Light novels
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san began as a light novel series written by Manta Aisora with illustrations by Koin. The series, spanning twelve volumes, was published by Soft Bank Creative under their GA Bunko imprint between April 15, 2009, and March 17, 2014. Short stories have been published in Soft Bank Creative's GA Magazine.
Anime
A Flash original video animation titled Haiyoru! Nyaruani (這いよる!ニャルアニ) was produced by DLE and directed by Azuma Tani. The first episode was streamed on October 23, 2009. Further episodes were published on December 19, 2010 on DVD as part of the GA Magazine Vol. 3. All 9 episodes were released on March 15, 2010 as part of the Haiyore! Nyaruko-san 4: Special Box (這いよれ!ニャル子さん4 スペシャルボックス, ISBN 978-4-7973-5782-0). The first eight episodes are about one to two minutes in length, while the final episode is about six minutes long.
Another anime series titled Haiyoru! Nyaruani: Remember My Mr. Lovecraft (這いよる!ニャルアニ リメンバー・マイ・ラブ（クラフト先生）, Hayoru! Nyaruani: Rimenbā Mai Rabu(kurafuto-sensei)), also produced by DLE and directed by Azuma Tani, aired 11 episodes on BS11 Digital between December 11, 2010, and February 26, 2011. Each episode is about four minutes in length. The twelfth episode was released as an original video animation included with the Haiyoru! Nyaruani 1&2 Perfect Box, a DVD compilation containing both Flash anime series.
An anime television series produced by Xebec aired in Japan between April 10 and June 26, 2012. Crunchyroll streamed the series with English subtitles outside Asia, along with the two Flash series, under the name Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos. A DVD containing a short original video animation based on the short story "Easy Way to Kill Enemies" (やさしい敵の仕留め方, Yasashii Teki no Shitome-kata) was offered to those who purchased all the BD/DVD volumes of the first season. NIS America licensed the series in North America and released on subtitled Blu-ray Disc on April 15, 2014.
A second season called Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W (這いよれ！ニャル子さんW) aired in Japan between April 8 and July 1, 2013, and was also simulcast by Crunchyroll. An OVA episode on DVD was released for buying all of the second season's Blu-ray Disc or DVD volumes.
Music
Manga
A manga adaptation titled Haiyore! Nyaruko-san illustrated by Kei Okazaki began serialization in Shueisha's Miracle Jump magazine on May 6, 2011. A four-panel comic strip manga titled Haiyore! Super Nyaruko-chan Time (這いよれ！スーパーニャル子ちゃんタイム) illustrated by Sōichirō Hoshino began serialization in Flex Comix's Flex Comix Blood on October 5, 2011. An anthology was published by Holp Shuppan on November 11, 2012.
Video game
In December 2012 5pb. announced the development of a visual novel, titled Haiyore! Nyaruko-san Meijōshigatai Game no Yōna Mono (這いよれ! ニャル子さん 名状しがたいゲームのようなもの). The game's story is based on the first season of the anime TV series, with some additional content. The game was released on PlayStation Vita on May 30, 2013, in both regular and limited edition.
Reception
The English language dubbed anime by NIS America has received reviews from various reviewers. Aiden Foote from THEM Anime reviews gave the first season (Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos) a 3/5 star rating. In his review, Foote says that the anime "should have been a whole better and could well have been" citing the over-pandering as an issue. He went on to say that a character as well-liked as Nyaruko deserved more when it came to a love interest.