The Salty Koharu Has a Soft Spot for Me (塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い, Shiotaiō no Satō-san ga Ore ni Dake Amai; lit. 'The Salt-God Satō-san Is Only Sweet To Me!') is a Japanese light novel series written by Kazami Sawatari and illustrated by Achiki. The series was serialized as a web novel posted on the website Shōsetsuka ni Narō from June 2019 to March 2021, before being picked up for publication by Shogakukan under their Gagaga Bunko imprint in December 2019. Twelve volumes and a short story volume have been published as of March 2026. A manga adaptation illustrated by Kaya Tetsuyama began serialization on the MangaOne and Ura Sunday services in May 2020, and has been compiled into ten tankōbon volumes as of March 2026. An anime television series adaptation produced by Tezuka Productions is set to premiere in October 2026.

Plot

The series follows Sōta Oshio, a second year high school student and a part-time worker at his family's cafe. One day, he saves his classmate Koharu Satō after other customers make advances on her. Sōta and Koharu, both having feelings for each other, form a relationship.

Characters

Sōta Oshio (押尾 颯太, Oshio Sōta)
Voiced by: Arthur Lounsbery (audiobook, voice comic),[2] Hiiro Ishibashi (anime)[1]
Sōta is a second-year high school student who works part-time at his family's cafe. He posts pictures of the cafe on social media, where the cafe's account has over 5,000 followers. Koharu has feelings for him, but he does not realize it. His mother died when he was young, and he was raised by his father.
Koharu Satō (佐藤 こはる, Satō Koharu)
Voiced by: Nene Hieda (audiobook, voice comic),[2] Miku Itō (anime)[1]
Sōta's classmate and his first love, Koharu is nicknamed "Salt-God Satō-san" due to her cold personality. She befriends Sōta after seeing his social media pictures, which interest her as her own photography skills are poor. It is revealed that she has had feelings for him since the entrance exams.
Ren Misono (三園 蓮, Misono Ren)
Voiced by: Yūki Yonai (audiobook, voice comic),[2] Chiaki Kobayashi (anime)[3]
Ren is Sōta's best friend who is popular among women despite his rough personality. He often gives him advice of various qualities.
Rinka Sudō (須藤 凛香, Sudō Rinka)
Voiced by: Himari Mochida (audiobook, voice comic),[2] Miyu Tomita (anime)[3]
Rinka is Koharu's cousin in junior high school who cares about her very much. She is worried about Koharu and her relationship with Sōta due to Koharu previously lacking romantic relationships.
Shizuku Misono (三園 雫, Misono Shizuku)
Voiced by: Kanna Yanagida (audiobook, voice comic),[2] Yoshino Aoyama (anime)[3]
Mayo Nezu (根津 麻世, Nezu Mayo)
Voiced by: Yui Otagiri (audiobook, voice comic),[2] Hisako Kanemoto (anime)[3]
Seizaemon Oshio (押尾 清左衛門, Oshio Seizaemon)
Voiced by: Hayato Fujii (audiobook, voice comic),[2] Yasunori Matsumoto (anime)[3]
Madoka Murasaki (村崎 円花, Murasaki Madoka)
Voiced by: Rei Sonoda (audiobook),[4] Yuki Wakai (anime)[3]

Media

Light novel

The light novel is written by Kazami Sawatari and illustrated by Achiki and was originally posted as a web novel on the website Shōsetsuka ni Narō on June 19, 2019, under the title Shiotaiō no Satō-san, Kono Mae Nanpa kara Tasukete kara Nanka Ore ni dake Mechakucha Amakunai? (塩対応の佐藤さん、この前ナンパから助けてからなんか俺にだけメチャクチャ甘くない？). Sawatari later removed the series from the website on March 7, 2021, due to a lack of time for working on it as well as it diverging from the published version.[5] Shogakukan later picked up the series for publication under their Gagaga Bunko imprint beginning on December 18, 2019.[6] Eleven volumes and a short story volume have been published as of March 2026.[7] An audiobook of the first volume has also been released.[2]

No. Japanese release date Japanese ISBN
1December 18, 2019[6]978-4-09-451823-8
2April 17, 2020[8]978-4-09-451838-2
3September 18, 2020[9]978-4-09-451865-8
4February 18, 2021[10]978-4-09-451883-2
5August 19, 2021[11]978-4-09-453019-3
6March 18, 2022[12]978-4-09-453057-5
6.5June 17, 2022[13]978-4-09-453071-1
7April 18, 2023[14]978-4-09-453121-3
8October 18, 2023[15]978-4-09-453152-7
9May 20, 2024[16]978-4-09-453190-9
10December 18, 2024[17]978-4-09-453222-7
11August 20, 2025[18]978-4-09-453255-5
12March 18, 2026[7]978-4-09-453280-7

Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Kaya Tetsuyama began serialization on the MangaONE and Ura Sunday services on May 15, 2020.[19] It has been compiled into ten tankōbon volumes as of March 2026.[20] A voiced comic video featuring the same cast as the audiobook was posted on YouTube on August 16, 2021.[21]

The manga's chapters are published in English by Comikey.[22]

No. Japanese release date Japanese ISBN
1September 18, 2020[23]978-4-09-850249-3
2February 19, 2021[24]978-4-09-850458-9
3August 18, 2021[25]978-4-09-850673-6
4March 18, 2022[26]978-4-09-851032-0
5October 12, 2022[27]978-4-09-851334-5
6April 18, 2023[28]978-4-09-852013-8
7October 12, 2023[29]978-4-09-852868-4
8April 18, 2024[30]978-4-09-853210-0
9November 12, 2024[31]978-4-09-853702-0
10March 18, 2026[32]978-4-09-854471-4

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on March 18, 2026. The series will be produced by Tezuka Productions and directed by Fumihiro Yoshimura, with Takashi Aoshima handling series composition, Daisuke Okushima designing the characters, and Shun Narita composing the music.[1] It is set to premiere in October 2026.[3]

Reception

The obi in the eighth volume of the manga reported that it had collectively sold over 1.2 million copies both physically and digitally. The light novel was nominated in four categories at the 2019 Ranobe News Online Awards.[33] The manga adaptation was one of two winners of the Men's Comic Prize at the 2022 Digital Comic Awards.[34]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Cayanan, Joanna (March 18, 2026). "Shio Taiō no Satō-san ga Ore ni Dake Amai Light Novels Get TV Anime (Updated)". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 オーディオブック第２２弾好評配信中！！！ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mateo, Alex (June 26, 2026). "The Salty Koharu Has a Soft Spot for Me Anime's Promo Video Reveals Cast, October Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  4. ↑ オーディオブック第６２弾好評配信中！！！ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  5. ↑ @sawatari_kazami (March 7, 2021). 【おしらせ】 このたび、WEB連載版『塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い』を、小説家になろう様から取り下げさせていただくこととしました。 (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved April 11, 2025 – via Twitter.
  6. 1 2 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  7. 1 2 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い １２ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  8. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い ２ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  9. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い ３ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  10. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い ４ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  11. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い ５ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  12. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い ６ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  13. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い ６．５ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  14. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い ７ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  15. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い ８ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  16. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い ９ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  17. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い １０ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  18. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い １１ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  19. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い＠comic. Ura Sunday (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  20. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い＠ｃｏｍｉｃの既刊一覧 |【試し読みあり】 – 小学館コミック (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  21. ↑ 「塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い」ボイスコミック. YouTube (in Japanese). Google, Inc. August 16, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2025.[user-generated source]
  22. ↑ "The Salty Koharu Has a Soft Spot for Me". Comikey. Comikey Media. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  23. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い＠ｃｏｍｉｃ １ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  24. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い＠ｃｏｍｉｃ ２ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  25. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い＠ｃｏｍｉｃ ３ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  26. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い＠ｃｏｍｉｃ ４ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  27. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い＠ｃｏｍｉｃ ５ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  28. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い＠ｃｏｍｉｃ ６ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  29. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い＠ｃｏｍｉｃ ７ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  30. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い＠ｃｏｍｉｃ ８ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  31. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い＠ｃｏｍｉｃ ９ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  32. ↑ 塩対応の佐藤さんが俺にだけ甘い＠ｃｏｍｉｃ １０ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  33. ↑ ラノベニュースオンラインアワード2019年12月刊の投票アンケート結果を発表. LN News (in Japanese). February 5, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  34. ↑ 『みんなが選ぶ!!電子コミック大賞2022』大賞・各部門賞を発表 史上最多200万票超の一般読者投票により決定した電子コミック大賞は「只野工業高校の日常」(集英社). PR Times (in Japanese). January 19, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salty_Koharu_Has_a_Soft_Spot_for_Me