Hen (manga)

Hen
Volume #1 manga cover.
変
Genre	Romance, Yuri, Yaoi
Manga
Written by	Hiroya Oku
Published by	Shueisha
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Weekly Young Jump
Original run	1988 – 1992
Volumes	13
Manga
Written by	Hiroya Oku
Published by	Shueisha
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Weekly Young Jump
Original run	1992 – 1997
Volumes	8
Television drama
Directed by	Mitsunori Morita Miki Nemoto
Original network	TV Asahi
Original run	April 1996 – June 29, 1996
Episodes	13
Original video animation
Directed by	Daiji Suzuki
Studio	Group TAC
Licensed by	NA Central Park Media
Released	March 21, 1997
Episodes	2

Hen (変^?) is a seinen manga which was the first work created by manga artist Hiroya Oku, who is best known for Gantz. There are two separate series of Hen, but they share the same setting, and characters from the first series appear in the second.

In 1997, the "Chizuru & Azumi" chapter was turned into a two episode anime OVA series. It was released in North America by Central Park Media under the title Strange Love. This release was marketed as a hentai anime, but the original manga is seinen. Hiroya Oku did not approve of this OVA, because in the anime there is not a lesbian love relationship between Azumi and Chizuru just a friendship. Still, the anime follows the manga fairly closely through chapter 17, and Chizuru, while not normally a lesbian, is clearly infatuated with Azumi. As said Naoko Takahashi, the OVA's writer, this choice of censure was intended by Group TAC, the animation studio where the anime was drawn.

In 1996, Hen was turned into a live action television series. The first half starred Shinsuke Aoki as Suzuki, actress Aiko Sato as Sato, and Shigaya Kazuma as Hiroya Oku. The second half starred Asami Jo as Chizuru and Miho Kiuchi as Azumi. The VHS release had more explicit sex scenes than the broadcast version. The TV version was released on Region 2 DVD in November 2006.