Saikano: The Last Love Song on This Little Planet. is a manga, anime, and OVA series by Shin Takahashi, creator of Iihito and Kimi no Kakera. Saikano was originally serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits magazine. A live-action movie adaptation was released in Japan on January 28, 2006 with Aki Maeda starring as Chise. The Saikano manga and anime series has been licensed and is being distributed by Viz Media in English in North America. The anime series is distributed in the UK by Manga Entertainment. Although the city is not mentioned by name in the series, many of the locations used in Saikano can by all probability be found in Otaru-shi, west of Sapporo. The train station, "Hell Hill", the Asahi Observation Hill, the view over the harbor, and the school all have similar looking counterparts in the city of Otaru.

Kazuki, a Japanese high school student, is dragged into the world of fan comics along with his friend Mizuki by the scheming Taishi. Taishi soon convinces Kazuki to draw his own fan comic, but Mizuki, who hates the large crowds and long lines of comic book conventions, fiercely opposes the idea. As Kazuki's obsession with finishing his comic in time for the next convention threatens his schoolwork and his relationships, he becomes estranged from Mizuki.