Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata Episode 9 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

One-on-one Route After 8 Years

Tomoya wakes to find that Megumi has called Utaha, who reads Eriri's anger as feeling robbed of both her pride as a creator and her place as his childhood friend. On the last day of Comiket Tomoya asks Iori for help, and on the night of the fireworks festival, following Utaha's plan modeled on Little Love Rhapsody, he leads Eriri out of her family's party.

Outside their old school, Eriri calls it betrayal that he shared Little Love Rhapsody with another girl, and Tomoya pours out eight years of resentment over her abandoning him. When he says Izumi's book excites him more, Eriri vows to become his number one and refuses to apologize until then. She then finishes the circle cut, and Tomoya names the circle blessing software, which is promptly teased as 'Megumi Soft'.

• Utaha steps in

  After a nightmare, Tomoya wakes to find Utaha, whom Megumi called. Hearing what happened, Utaha says Eriri must feel robbed of both her pride as a creator and her place as his childhood friend, and tells him to win her back like a childhood-friend heroine.

• The fireworks-night plan

  On the last day of Comiket Tomoya asks Iori for his cooperation. On the night of the fireworks festival, following Utaha's plan modeled on Little Love Rhapsody's fireworks event, he leads Eriri out of her family's party.

• Old grievances aired

  Outside the school they attended as children, Eriri calls it betrayal that he shared Little Love Rhapsody with another girl, and Tomoya pours out his resentment over her abandoning him eight years ago. When he says Izumi's book excites him more, Eriri vows to become his number one and refuses to apologize until then.

• Circle cut and the name blessing software

  Eriri finishes the circle cut, drawing the heroine on Megumi's figure, and Tomoya announces the circle's name, blessing software, which is promptly teased as 'Megumi Soft'.

Recent Timeline

• Overnight plot revision in Wago City (Episode 6)

  Tomoya followed Utaha to Wago City, missed the last train, and spent the night with her reworking the game's plot. He argued that the heroine Meguri could not be truly happy if she was bound only by her past-life story and proposed an everyday-romance route, and they kept the past-life story as well. The next morning Utaha welcomed him into the world of creators.

• Izumi's return and Iori's challenge (Episode 7)

  Behind on her Summer Comiket manuscript, Eriri Sawamura asked Tomoya Aki to help work out its story. Around then Izumi Hashima, the junior Tomoya once got into games, returned to Tokyo drawing Little Love Rhapsody doujinshi and invited him to her Summer Comiket booth. Then her brother Iori Hashima, the best friend Tomoya had cut ties with, appeared and challenged him over Eriri's creative future, saying his circle rouge en rouge was also looking for an illustrator.

• Summer Comiket sellout and Eriri's tears (Episode 8)

  After finishing her manuscript, Eriri Sawamura pledged herself to Tomoya's circle until Winter Comiket and turned down Iori Hashima's offer. On the second day of Summer Comiket, Izumi Hashima's book sold out after Tomoya Aki hung a large poster of its unfinished page and Megumi Kato helped at the booth. Afterward Tomoya called out to Eriri, who had secretly bought Izumi's book; in tears she asked whether her work mattered as much to him, and he could not answer.

• Utaha's advice and the fireworks-night plan (Episode 9)

  Tomoya Aki explained his quarrel with Eriri Sawamura to Utaha Kasumigaoka, whom Megumi Kato had called; Utaha urged him to win Eriri back through their shared childhood, while Megumi suggested he play the heroine instead of the hero. On the last day of Summer Comiket Tomoya went to Iori Hashima and asked for his cooperation in bringing Eriri back to his circle. Following Utaha's plan modeled on Little Love Rhapsody's fireworks event, he then led Eriri out of the party her family holds every year on fireworks night.

• Confrontation at the old school and blessing software (Episode 9)

  Outside the school they had attended as children, Eriri Sawamura called it betrayal that Tomoya Aki had shared Little Love Rhapsody with another girl, and he poured out his resentment over her abandoning him eight years earlier. Each demanded an apology from the other; when he said Izumi's book excited him more, Eriri vowed to become his number one and refused to apologize until then. Later Eriri finished the circle cut, defending its heroine as a faithful copy of Megumi's figure, and Tomoya announced the circle name, blessing software, which was promptly teased as 'Megumi Soft'.

Character Graph

Keiichi Kato

Cousin of Megumi Kato who goes out to dinner with her.

• Megumi Kato (Family, Affinity)

  Her cousin; they go out to dinner together while their parents attend a play.

Sonoko Machida

Utaha Kasumigaoka's editor and a deputy editor at her publisher. She presses Utaha on deadlines and brought Tomoya Aki in to interview her.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka (Colleague, Mixed)

  Her editor; keeps pressing her on deadlines and arranged her interview with Tomoya.

Iori Hashima

Izumi Hashima's older brother and Tomoya Aki's former classmate and best friend, who now runs the top doujin circle rouge en rouge. Eriri Sawamura turned down his offer, and on the last day of Summer Comiket Tomoya came to ask for his help in bringing her back; afterward he told Izumi that Kashiwagi Eri had bought her book.

• Rival circle

  Says rouge en rouge is starting a game project like Tomoya's and needs an illustrator, framing it as a contest over Eriri's creative future.

• Break with Tomoya

  They once vowed to rise in the otaku world together, but Tomoya cut ties because Iori rides on popular works and creators to make himself look big.

• Plans for Izumi

  Complained that Tomoya had spoiled his plan to launch Izumi through his circle the following year.

• Tomoya Aki (Friend, Mixed)

  Former best friend turned rival; Tomoya cut ties over his habit of exploiting creators, yet still came to him for help in bringing Eriri back.

• Eriri Sawamura (Other, Neutral)

  Wanted her for his circle, but she turned him down, calling him a doujin hustler.

• Izumi Hashima (Family, Neutral)

  Older brother; Tomoya suggests he hides his doujin activities from her. After Summer Comiket he told her that Kashiwagi Eri had bought her book.

Izumi Hashima (Izumi)

doujin artist

Tomoya Aki's junior, two school years younger, who got into games and anime thanks to him and draws Little Love Rhapsody doujinshi. Her book sold out at Summer Comiket with Tomoya's help, and Iori later told her that the popular artist Kashiwagi Eri had lined up to buy it herself.

• Doujinshi activity

  Draws Little Love Rhapsody doujinshi as the circle Fancy Wave; last year was her first event.

• Origin of interest

  Tomoya gave her Little Love Rhapsody 2 and a console for her birthday, which opened up games and anime for her.

• Last-minute rewrite

  Scrapped finished pages for a new idea the day before the deadline, so the last part of her book was left in rough sketches.

• Tomoya Aki (Mentor, Colleague, Affinity)

  Calls him her senpai and credits him with the hobby that made her happy; at Summer Comiket he helped sell out her book.

• Eriri Sawamura (Other, Neutral)

  Knows of Eriri only by reputation; they have never really talked.

• Iori Hashima (Family, Neutral)

  Her older brother, who told her that Kashiwagi Eri had bought her book.

• Megumi Kato (Other, Affinity)

  Took Megumi for Tomoya's girlfriend at first, and accepted her offer to mind the booth so she could buy other circles' books.

Eriri Sawamura (Eriri)

student · illustrator · circle member

Tomoya Aki's childhood friend and blessing software's illustrator, who secretly draws popular adult doujinshi as Kashiwagi Eri. When Tomoya led her out of her family's fireworks party, she called his promotion of Izumi a betrayal, and after he said Izumi's book excited him more, she vowed to become his number one and refused to apologize until then.

• Pen name

  Draws popular adult doujinshi as Kashiwagi Eri and keeps it secret at school.

• Circle commitment

  Turned down rouge en rouge and swore off other events and guest work until Winter Comiket.

• Eight years ago

  Says she had no choice when she drifted away from Tomoya eight years ago, and that she cried over having to ignore him at school.

• Vow

  Vowed to become Tomoya's number one as a creator and refuses to apologize until then.

• Tomoya Aki (Colleague, Friend, Mixed)

  Childhood friend and circle leader; outside their old school she called his promotion of Izumi a betrayal, and vowed to become his number one before she will apologize.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka (Colleague, Mixed)

  Senior and fellow circle member she trades barbs with at every turn.

• Megumi Kato (Colleague, Neutral)

  Drew the circle cut's heroine on Megumi's figure, assuring her she had reproduced her model's body perfectly.

• Iori Hashima (Other, Hostility)

  Turned down his offer to join rouge en rouge, calling him a hustler who uses up creators.

• Izumi Hashima (Other, Mixed)

  Secretly lined up to buy Izumi's book and felt outdone by the excitement Tomoya showed for it.

Megumi Kato (Megumi)

student · classmate · main heroine · circle member

Tomoya Aki's classmate and the model for blessing software's main heroine. When Tomoya was in trouble after his fight with Eriri, she called Utaha and suggested he play the heroine instead of the hero, and the new circle name was teased as 'Megumi Soft'.

• The girl on the hill

  Thanked Tomoya for picking up her white beret over spring break; she was the girl he had taken for his destined encounter.

• Calling Utaha

  Called Utaha when Tomoya was in trouble after his fight with Eriri.

• Circle name

  Reminded Tomoya to think of a circle name; he chose blessing software, which was teased as 'Megumi Soft'.

• Tomoya Aki (Colleague, Friend, Affinity)

  Classmate and circle leader; she stayed by him after his fight with Eriri and called Utaha for help.

• Eriri Sawamura (Colleague, Neutral)

  Her figure was used for Eriri's circle cut, which worried her because the girl looked unclothed.

• Keiichi Kato (Family, Affinity)

  Her cousin, with whom she went out to dinner.

• Izumi Hashima (Other, Affinity)

  Offered to mind the booth so Izumi could buy other circles' books, and praised her book.

Tomoya Aki (Tomoya)

student · otaku · circle leader

A second-year otaku who leads the game circle, now named blessing software, aiming for Winter Comiket. Following Utaha's plan he led Eriri out of her family's fireworks party and, outside their old school, poured out eight years of resentment over her abandoning him; they did not make up, but Eriri vowed to become his number one.

• Core ambition

  Wants to turn the girl he met on a hill in spring, his classmate Megumi, into a heroine who moves players.

• Game project

  Leads the circle as producer and director, with Eriri on art and Utaha on the scenario, and works part-time to fund the game.

• Sales push

  Hung a large poster of Izumi's unfinished page and sold out her 100 copies, convinced she truly wanted readers.

• Resentment toward Eriri

  Has never forgiven Eriri for pretending to quit being an otaku eight years ago and leaving him for new friends.

• Eriri Sawamura (Colleague, Friend, Mixed)

  Childhood friend and illustrator; outside their old school they aired eight years of grievances, and she vowed to become his number one before she will apologize.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka (Colleague, Affinity)

  Senior writer who came within fifteen minutes when Megumi said he was in trouble, and planned the fireworks-night operation to win Eriri back.

• Megumi Kato (Colleague, Friend, Affinity)

  Classmate and heroine model who called Utaha when he was in trouble; the circle name blessing software was teased as 'Megumi Soft'.

• Izumi Hashima (Mentor, Colleague, Affinity)

  Junior whose talent stunned him; he helped sell out her book at Summer Comiket.

• Iori Hashima (Friend, Mixed)

  Former best friend turned rival; he still went to Iori on the last day of Comiket to ask for help in bringing Eriri back.

Utaha Kasumigaoka (Utaha)

student · writer · circle member

A third-year senior who secretly writes best-selling light novels as Kasumi Utako and is blessing software's scenario writer. Called by Megumi, she read Eriri's hurt as losing both her pride as a creator and her place as childhood friend, and planned the fireworks-night operation modeled on Little Love Rhapsody.

• Pen name

  Publishes best-selling light novels as Kasumi Utako; Tomoya is a devoted fan.

• Game role

  Writes the scenario for Tomoya's dating game.

• Reconciliation plan

  Based the plan to win Eriri back on Little Love Rhapsody's fireworks event, timed for the party at Eriri's home.

• Tomoya Aki (Colleague, Mentor, Affinity)

  Came within fifteen minutes when Megumi said he was in trouble, and coached him on winning Eriri back.

• Eriri Sawamura (Colleague, Mixed)

  Sparring rival, yet the one who saw that Eriri felt robbed of everything; mocked her as a dreamy maiden at heart.

• Megumi Kato (Colleague, Neutral)

  Wrote her lines and coached her performance as the heroine.

World Memo

• Tomoya's game circle

  Otaku Tomoya Aki leads the doujin circle blessing software, which is making a dating game with his classmate Megumi Kato as the model for its main heroine. Eriri Sawamura handles the art and Utaha Kasumigaoka the scenario, and the goal is to finish in December and release it at Winter Comiket. Tomoya covers the production costs with part-time jobs.

• Eriri and Utaha's secret identities

  Tomoya's childhood friend Eriri Sawamura is the popular adult doujin artist Kashiwagi Eri, and his third-year senior Utaha Kasumigaoka is the popular light novelist Kasumi Utako. Both keep these identities hidden at school.

• Comiket and doujin circles

  Comiket is a huge event held in summer and winter where doujin circles sell their own doujinshi and doujin games at booths. It runs for three days, and each circle is assigned one of them; at Summer Comiket, Eriri's circle was placed on the final day and Izumi's on the second.

• Circle entry cutoff

  Participating circles enter the hall ahead of the general queue with circle tickets, but circle entry closes at a set time on the morning of the event.

• Large sellers versus small exhibitors

  There is an enormous gap in sales between major sellers and small exhibitors, and small exhibitors often struggle to sell alone and may carry unsold books home.

• The game's route structure

  Utaha Kasumigaoka's original plot centered on the heroine Meguri, bound by a past-life bond. After reworking it overnight with Tomoya Aki in Wago City, the game now pairs the past-life story route with an everyday-romance route.

• The Hashima siblings' circles

  Izumi Hashima got into games and anime after Tomoya gave her Little Love Rhapsody 2 and a console for her birthday, and she now publishes doujinshi of the game through her circle Fancy Wave. Her brother Iori Hashima runs the major doujin circle rouge en rouge, which is looking for an illustrator for a game project similar to Tomoya's.

Clue Board

• Disputed childhood promise (Episode 1)

  A flashback presents a childhood promise that Tomoya would found a game company and hire Eriri as its artist; Eriri disputes that such an implausibly specific promise ever happened.

• An 'impossible' December schedule (Episode 4)

  Tomoya Aki plans to finish the game in December and debut it at Winter Comiket, but Eriri Sawamura protests that the schedule is impossible alongside her art club and her own circle. Tomoya must also raise the production costs, several hundred thousand to a million yen, alone through part-time work, so whether the schedule can hold is still unknown.

• Iori's concealment from Izumi (Episode 7)

  Tomoya suggests Iori hides his activities from Izumi out of shame. Iori does not confirm or deny the accusation, leaving the matter open.

• How Iori knows (Episode 7)

  Iori Hashima knows that Eriri Sawamura is the doujin artist Kashiwagi Eri, a secret she keeps at school, and he also knows about Tomoya's game project and its creative lineup. How he found out has not been revealed.

• Why Eriri turned away eight years ago (Episode 9)

  Tomoya accuses Eriri of pretending to quit being an otaku eight years ago and leaving him for new friends. Eriri insists she had no choice and says she cried over having to ignore him at school, but she has not said what forced her.

• Doubtful sprained ankle (Episode 9)

  Tomoya questions whether Eriri's claimed sprained ankle is genuine, while Eriri treats helping her as his responsibility for taking her away; the question is left open.

Season Summary

Season 1 — Season 1

Episodes 1–9

Tomoya Aki, a devoted otaku, is making a dating game for Winter Comiket modeled on his unremarkable classmate Megumi Kato, the girl he met on a hill in spring, with his childhood friend Eriri Sawamura, secretly the doujin artist Kashiwagi Eri, on art and senior Utaha Kasumigaoka, the light novelist Kasumi Utako, on the scenario. A night in Wago City spent reworking the plot with Utaha set the game's direction.

Before Summer Comiket, Tomoya's estranged friend Iori Hashima tries to lure Eriri to his circle rouge en rouge, but she pledges herself to Tomoya's circle. At Comiket, Tomoya sells out the book of Iori's sister Izumi, a junior he once got into games, and Eriri, who secretly bought it, demands in tears to know whether her work matters as much to him. Following Utaha's plan, Tomoya leads Eriri out of her family's fireworks-night party, and outside their old school they air eight years of grievances. Neither apologizes, but Eriri vows to become his number one, and the circle is named blessing software.

Music Releases

• Kimiiro Signal (OP)
• Colorful. (ED)