Ask John: How are To Heart and Comic Party Related?

Question:
Could you explain the difference between To Heart and Comic Party? Both anime seem to share the same characters, but also seem to be completely separate series. I haven’t watched either (yet), but wanted to know if there was a connection before seeing the wrong one first.

Answer:
To Heart and Comic Party are somewhat related, but probably not in the way you’re thinking. There is no direct continuity between the two series. To Heart originated as an adult PC game from Japanese developer Leaf, released in Japan in 1997. Two years later, Leaf followed the phenomenal success of To Heart by releasing Comic Party, another adult only PC adventure game that became a massive success, spawning an all-ages friendly port on the Dreamcast. The To Heart anime aired on Japanese television in 1999. Comic Party aired in 2001, an entirely unrelated show that just happened to include parody references to To Heart and other famous anime titles.

To Heart is a simple, straightforward story about nice Japanese teenagers attending high school together. Comic Party is a story about Japanese high school students that draw their own doujinshi and attend manga and anime conventions. Naturally, as fans of manga and anime, the Comic Party characters are familiar with lots of famous anime series, and the Comic Party anime TV series is filled with in-jokes and references to other famous anime, including To Heart. However, it’s not necessary at all to be familiar with one series to watch and enjoy the other.

Right Stuf International has licensed the Comic Party anime for North American release. The To Heart TV series has not been announced for official English language release.