Koko ni iru yo!

is a manga series by Ema Tōyama. It is the mangaka's 4th work. The series is currently ongoing in the shōjo magazine Nakayoshi, and in its third volume.

Plot summary

The story centers around a girl named Hikage who describes herself as "plain". She is a very shy and insecure child. Because of her unassertive attitude and unappreciated beauty, she finds herself constantly ignored by her classmates and has a difficult time making friends at school.

In the first chapter of the manga, Hikage begins middle school, vowing to overcome her loneliness and find companionship. She is supported in her ambitions by two online friends who read her blog, Black Rabbit and megaPIG. A romantic plot soon develops involving Hikage and the two most popular boys in her class, Hinata and Teru.

A few bumps occur along the way as Hikage grows closer to Hinata such as bullying and gossip. When she later sticks up for herself she has gained recognition and friendliness from the class.

Characters

;Hikage Sumino: Hikage has brown hair and blue eyes, and is a shy plain 8th grader. The only friends she has at the beginning of the series are the people who visit her blog. Ever since she was little she has never been noticed(she appears to be practically invisible in her class) as we see in a game of hide and seek.

;Hinata Mutou: A popular boy who likes Hikage. He is considered to be more serious than Teru, and ranks highly in exams. He is on the kendo team. Hinata states he's always been watching Sumino since the very start of the year and tells her about how he felt when he first saw her.

;Teru Mikami: Another of Hinata's friends, who is also popular. Known for his jokes and charming personality. Teru speaks bluntly and seems to care for Hikage. He replies to Hikage's blog using the name "Black Rabbit".

References

Although Koko ni iru yo! is a shōjo manga, it draws much inspiration from an eroge, Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shōjo. Hikage has a very similar appearance to the female lead of the game, Hinata - they have the same hair colors, mannerisms, and even similar school uniforms. Furthermore, they are both painfully shy, unnoticed, and consider themselves as 'plain', with very demure and polite speech. Both Hikage and Hinata are compared to sunflowers throughout their respective series, and the focus of both their stories are of them overcoming their shyness with the help of someone who they love. Even Hikage's blog is a reference - it is named "Himawari" and one of the pictures Hikage is shown uploading is a mascot of Akabei Soft, the makers of Sharin no Kuni.