Bokura ga ita

(僕等がいた Bokura ga Ita?) is an on-going Japanese romance manga by Yuki Obata, centering around the high school life of freshman girl, Nanami Takahashi. It has been serialized in Betsucomi since 2002. The series went on hiatus in early 2008, but resumed publication in June 2009. The series is licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media. It was adapted into a 26-episode television anime series which aired from July 3 to December 25, 2006.

Characters:

Nanami "Nana" Takahashi (高橋 七美 Takahashi Nanami?), the series protagonist, is a high school girl who falls in love with the popular Motoharu Yano. They struggle with issues of trusting one another as the shadow of Yano's dead girlfriend, who was with another guy at the time she died, looms over them. In the manga, eventually Yano's inability to let go and her inability to focus on the future rather than the past lead to their breaking up. She eventually begins dating Take, but is unable to forget Yano completely. When Take proposes, she rejects him, then begins searching for Yano after meeting one of his coworkers and learning where he is. In the anime adaptation, she is voiced by Nozomi Sasaki.

Motoharu Yano (矢野 元晴 Yano Motoharu?) is a popular high school boy whose girlfriend was killed in a car crash while out with another guy. He has a hard time trusting Nanami, and displays jealousy and possessiveness, to the point of physically abusing her. As the series progresses, he wrestles with his feelings for his dead girlfriend versus those for the living Nanami, whom he even calls "Nana-chan" at times. Yano moves to Tokyo with his mom, but after half a year he stops contacting Nanami, effectively breaking up with her. Eventually it is revealed that his mother killed herself, after which he disappeared. He reappears four years later, living with Yamamoto but still remembering Nanami. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Hiroshi Yazaki.

Masafumi "Take" Takeuchi (竹内 匡史 Takeuchi Masafumi?) is Yano's close friend and becomes a friend and confidant for Nanami after she begins dating Yano. As the series progresses, he finds himself falling in love with her, leaving him unsure how to proceed. When Yano breaks up with Nanami, they begin dating. He eventually proposes, but she turns him down. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Takuji Kawakubo.

Yuri Yamamoto (山本 有里 Yamamoto Yuri?) is the younger sister of Nana, Yano's late girlfriend. She had a crush on Yano even while he was dating her sister. A week after Nana's death, Yano had sex with her. She originally believed he was simply using her, but later suspects he was pitying her. After Yano begins dating Nanami, she becomes an obstacle for their relationship as Yano continues displaying some closeness with her. In the anime adaptation, she is voiced by Erina Nakayama.