Video Girl Ai, known in Japan as simply , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masakazu Katsura. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 1989 to April 1992. It was followed by a short sequel entitled Video Girl Len, published between April and July 1992. The chapters were collected in 15 volumes.
A live-action film of Video Girl Ai was released in 1991. The series was also adapted into a six-episode original video animation (OVA) series produced by IG Tatsunoko, released in 1992 by Jump Video. In 2018, a television drama adaptation, Den'ei Shōjo: Video Girl Ai 2018, was broadcast on TV Tokyo. Another series, Den'ei Shōjo: Video Girl Mai 2019, was broadcast the following year.
In North America, the manga and the OVA have been licensed for English-language release by Viz Media. It was formerly published in the anthology Animerica Extra by Viz.
By 2018, the manga had over 14 million copies in print.
Plot
Yota Moteuchi discovers that Moemi Hayakawa, the girl he admires, has romantic feelings for his close friend Takashi Niimai. While returning home disappointed, he encounters an unusual establishment called "Gokuraku" ('Paradise'), and rents a video titled I'll Cheer You Up! featuring Ai Amano, unaware it contains a "video girl"—a being designed to materialize from television screens to comfort viewers. Due to a malfunctioning video recorder, Ai emerges with irregular traits including the capacity for genuine emotional experience.
Initially programmed to support Yota's pursuit of Moemi, Ai gradually develops romantic feelings for him, which he eventually reciprocates after abandoning his affection for Moemi. Their relationship faces challenges when Rolex, a representative of Gokuraku, attempts to retrieve Ai due to her defective state, compounded by the impending expiration of her rental period.
The narrative follows their efforts to navigate these obstacles while addressing other complications, including Yota's lingering attachment to Moemi and his interactions with Nobuko Nizaki. Ai frequently engages in provocative behavior toward Yota, such as feigning sexual advances or intruding on private moments under guises of assistance, generating comedic situations through his flustered reactions.
Characters
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Live-action film
A live-action film of Video Girl Ai was released on June 29, 1991.
Original video animation
Video Girl Ai was adapted into a six-episode OVA produced by IG Tatsunoko (now Production I.G). The series was released in 1992 by Jump Video. It roughly covers most of the material found in the first three volumes of the manga.
In North America, Viz Video released the OVA on VHS in 1999 and on DVD in December 2001.
Drama
In 2018, a live-action television drama called Den'ei Shōjo: Video Girl Ai 2018 ran on TV Tokyo. The series is set 25 years after the original manga and the main character is the nephew of Yota Moteuchi. TV Tokyo continued the live-action adaptation with a second series Den'ei Shōjo: Video Girl Mai 2019, focusing on the character Mai, played by Mizuki Yamashita.
Reception
As of 2018, the manga has over 14 million copies in print.