Hōkagogakari

Hōkagogakari
First light novel volume cover
ほうかごがかり
GenreHorror
Light novel
Written byGakuto Coda
Illustrated byPotg
Published byASCII Media Works
ImprintDengeki Bunko
Original runJanuary 10, 2024 – present
Volumes6
Manga
Written byGakuto Coda
Illustrated byMeiji
Published byKadokawa Shoten
ImprintKadokawa Comics A
MagazineComp Ace
Original runJuly 26, 2024 – present
Volumes2

Hōkagogakari (ほうかごがかり) is a Japanese light novel series written by Gakuto Coda and illustrated by Potg. It began publication under ASCII Media Works's Dengeki Bunko imprint in January 2024, with six volumes released as of December 2025. A manga adaptation illustrated by Meiji began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's Comp Ace magazine in July 2024, and has been compiled into two volumes as of September 2025.

Plot

Kei Nimori, a sixth-grader, becomes suspicious one day when he sees his name and the words "after-school duty" on his classroom blackboard. Later that night, he hears a school bell ring and a call to go to after-school duty. He suddenly himself in a mysterious school along with six others, including his former friend Sei Ogata. They are tasked with "after-school duty" by documenting the school's so-called Unnamed Mysteries, which manifest as monsters that haunt the school each night between 12:12:12 AM and 4:44:44 AM.

Characters

Kei Nimori (二森 啓, Nimori Kei)
A student who is summoned one night to another dimension. Together with six others, he becomes one of the Hōkagogakari, a group aiming at investigating the monsters that roam Hōkago. He is a skilled artist and uses his drawing skills in investigating monsters.
Sei Ogata (緒方 惺, Ogata Sei)
A student who goes to the same school as Kei. He was previously Kei's best friend and the only one at school who appreciated Kei's art, but the two had drifted apart.
Maaya Kenjō (見上 真彩, Kenjō Maaya)
Iruma Seto (瀬戸 イルマ, Seto Iruma)
Ruki Kojima (小嶋 瑠希, Kojima Ruki)
Raku Dōjima (堂島 楽, Dōjima Raku)
Sensei (先生)
A student who is also nicknamed Tarō-san (太郎さん) and tasks the others with their "after-school duty" of documenting the Unnamed Mysteries.

Development

Gakuto Coda had been developing the manga for over ten years, having been inspired by tropes such as the Seven School Mysteries in Japanese schools as well as his own life as an elementary school student. He wanted to use the Seven School Mysteries as a major theme, depicting them as being incomprehensible or horrific, in contrast to them often being depicted in a more light-hearted manner in other works. He wanted the characters to feel as if they were truly sent to another world and found themselves in an "alien" situation. Despite his reputation for writing horror works, he considered himself as more of a fairy tale writer and wanted to incorporate folklore elements as well.[1]

Media

Light novel

The series is written by Gakuto Coda, who previously wrote the horror novel series Missing and Danshō no Grimm,[2] and features illustrations by Potg. It is published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint, with the first volume being released on January 10, 2024.[3] Six volumes have been published as of December 10, 2025.[4] A promotional video narrated by Akari Kito was released on August 12, 2024.[5]

No. Release date ISBN
1January 10, 2024[3]978-4-04-915199-2
2February 9, 2024[6]978-4-04-915383-5
3May 10, 2024[7]978-4-04-915200-5
4February 7, 2025[8]978-4-04-915850-2
5July 10, 2025[9]978-4-04-915851-9
6December 10, 2025[4]978-4-04-916602-6

Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Meiji began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's Comp Ace magazine on July 26, 2024.[10] The first tankōbon volume was released on February 26, 2025;[11][12] two volumes have been released as of September 24, 2025.[13]

No. Japanese release date Japanese ISBN
1February 26, 2025[12]978-4-04-115862-3
2September 24, 2025[13]978-4-04-116472-3

Reception

The series was included in the 2025 edition of Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!, ranking 7th in the New Release category and 12th in the Paperback category.[2] The series also ranked 9th in the Paperback category of the 2024 Next Light Novel Awards.[14]

Writing for Da Vinci News, Minami Asato praised the first volume of the light novel, being thrilled by the story, which she felt got scarier as the volume went on. She noted how vivid the volume was, to the point that it was as if its scariness could even encroach on reality.[2]

References

  1. ^ ""ほうかごがかり"になった少年が、怪異を記録…メルヘンラノベのコミカライズが「怖い」【ホラー漫画】". Web The Television (in Japanese). December 10, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Asato, Minami (February 27, 2025). "学校中の教室に棲む怪異。その観察を強いられた少年少女の恐怖と絶望を描く大人気シリーズ「ほうかごがかり」【書評】". Da Vinci News (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  3. ^ a b "ほうかごがかり" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "ほうかごがかり６ あかね小学校" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  5. ^ "『ほうかごがかり』のスペシャルPVが公開中　ナレーションは鬼頭明里さんが担当". LN-News.com (in Japanese). August 12, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  6. ^ "ほうかごがかり２" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  7. ^ "ほうかごがかり３" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  8. ^ "ほうかごがかり４ あかね小学校" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  9. ^ "ほうかごがかり５ あかね小学校" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  10. ^ "「ほうかごがかり」に選ばれた少年少女が体験する恐怖と絶望、真夜中のメルヘン". Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. July 6, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  11. ^ "異次元の学校で怪異を観察する「ほうかごがかり」に選ばれた少年少女の物語". Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. February 26, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  12. ^ a b "ほうかごがかり（１）". Kadokawa Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  13. ^ a b "ほうかごがかり（２）". Kadokawa Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  14. ^ "「次にくるライトノベル大賞2024」結果発表！　文庫部門＆単行本部門の1位は『境界のメロディ』『私の心はおじさんである』に決定！". EEO Media (in Japanese). November 27, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
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