Kyou no Go no Ni (or Kyō no 5 no 2, meaning "Today in Class 5-2") is the debut Japanese Seinen Manga series created by Koharu Sakuraba, originally serialized in Kodansha's Bessatsu Young Magazine from 2002 to 2003. The twenty-two chapters were later collected together in a single bound volume along with two extra chapters and published on November 11, 2003 by Kodansha.
The Manga would later be adapted into a five episode OVA running from March 24, 2006 - March 21, 2007. Even later, a full TV Anime adaptation would be developed (unrelated to the OVAs) consisting of 13 episodes between October 5, 2008 - December 28, 2008.
The story of the Manga and adaptations follow the lives of Ryōta Satō and Chika Koizumi, both now in their fifth grade of elementary school in class 5-2 together with their group of friends. The stories cover their many misadventures and complications as they go about surviving in the fifth grade and avoiding the problems that plague them at every turn.
Kodansha has announced that Xebec will be adapting an OVA version of the Anime in 2009, directed by Tsuyoshi Nagasawa, featuring the same cast as the Anime.
The series provides examples of:
- Accidental Pervert: Ryota just too often ends up in situations, where he is mistakenly accused of doing something risque to his female classmates. He's frequently walking in on them getting changed, inwittingly flips their skirts when being toppled over and so on.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Koji and Tsubasa, both having black and blonde hair respectively in the TV series, seem to have switched hair colours for the OVA.
- Air Guitar: A variation using broomsticks, one episode revolves around the boys in class doing this during cleaning duty. Completely played out like an actual concert.
- Brick Joke:
- On the very first episode, Aihara uses Ryota's finger to pull out her loose tooth and asks him to help again when her other teeth loosens. Happens again on the final episode, much to Ryota's chagrin. Doubles as Book Ends.
- Yet another one with an episode revolving around girl's collarbones, particularly Yuki's. Aihara later talks about it in a later episode preview.
- Butt-Monkey: The sole purpose of Ryota's existence is to be on the receiving end of various misfortune. All for the sake of funny.
- Chaste Hero: Ryota is not really oblivious, but he's stranger to the concept of romance and is confused when anything sexual brought up.
- Comically Serious: Deliberately invoked by Aihara to mess with her classmates in various ways.
- Determinator: Ryota is hell-bent on defeating Natsumi at various challenges despite him failing repeatedly. In the end he successuffly beats her ... at embroidery.
- Emotionless Girl: Subverted. Aihara Kazumi maintains a poker face, which would put several professional poker players in shame, but in fact does feel emotion and is just that good at controlling her expression.
- Evolving Credits: The closing credits of the TV series change to reflect the seasonal change in the show, including the song. This means the series has 4 closing credit sequences, with a different song for each one!
- Fall of the House of Cards: Koji finishes one when Aihara walks in and topples it over. It turns out that all of the cards were glued together.
- Fanservice: The OVA is guilty of this, as is the manga on which it was based, which sometimes gets weird knowing the characters are in fifth grade. The anime series removed most of it but still has its moments.
- The Gadfly: As stoic as she is Aihara just loves messing with her classmates in various ways. Her pranks include biting sleeping Ryouta's ear and blaming it on Kouji.
- Groin Attack: Yuki accidentally delivers Ryota one when she tripped on his and Koji's superballs.
- Heavy Sleeper: When Ryota is sleeping in class, just for fun Aihara tries various methods to wake him up, including covering his nose and biting his ear, bu they all fail. During the stargazing episode Ryota's sleep actually becomes contagious.
- Huge Schoolgirl: Megumi, somewhat - she's more developed than the other girls and often worries about her weight.
- It Was with You All Along: Ryota lampshades this, telling Megumi she's already wearing her glasses. In reality, she's looking for her bloomers. Turns out she was wearing it the whole time.
- Just Friends / She Is Not My Girlfriend: Interestingly, Ryota only says it exactly once about him and Chika. After that, they have a lot of moments of Belligerent Sexual Tension and Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other.
- Locked in a Room: One episode has Ryota and Natsumi both locked in a storage room together. Hilarity Ensues.
- Mundane Made Awesome: Includes checking each other's heights and drawing the lottery among many things.
- One of the Boys: Natsumi, often playing sports and wearing boys' clothes, as well as not having any qualms about undressing in front of the whole class.
- Pinky Swear: Between Ryota and Chika, about a Childhood Marriage Promise they made when they were in kindergarten. Leads to a One Dialogue, Two Conversations thing later on.
- Rock–Paper–Scissors: Whenever it appears, Ryota always loses. A whole episode also revolves around it.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Natsumi is forced on a kimono by her family for the summer festival. Even more surprising is the fact that she finally wears a skirt by the end of the series.
- Sprouting Ears: Whenever Aihara is up to some mischief, she sprouts a pair of cat ears complete with a tail
- The Stoic: Aihara Kazumi maintains a permanent poker face, which would put several professional poker players in shame.
- Those Two Guys: Koji and Tsubasa, generally
