manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series written and illustrated by
Yū Minamoto
is a Japanese manga artist best known for her manga '' Samurai Harem: Asu no Yoichi'' which has been serialized in ''Monthly Shōnen Champion'' since 2006. Minamoto was formerly assistant to Hekiru Hikawa.
Works
* (2006, Akita Shoten); Engli ...
. It was serialized in ''
Monthly Shōnen Champion
is a Japanese manga anthology. It is published by Akita Shoten since March 1970.
Manga artists and series
*Daijiro Morohoshi
**''Mudmen''
*Hideo Azuma
**'' Chibi Mama-chan''
**'' Kakuto Family''
**'' Yadorigi-kun''
*Hideyuki Yonehara
**'' Choco ...
'' from October 2006 to March 2011. The manga is licensed and released in Chinese by
Sharp Point Press
Sharp Point Press () is a Taiwanese publisher of manga and music. It was founded in July 1982.
History
*1982 - Company established. Mainly publishes military and models related books.
*1985 - Started publishing annual Zodiac fortune telling handb ...
. The manga was formerly licensed in North America by
Tokyopop
Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licensed J ...
as ''Samurai Harem: Asu no Yoichi!''.
It has been adapted into an
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television series by
AIC AIC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Alice in Chains, American rock band
* Alice in Chains: AIC 23, a 2013 mockumentary
* Anime International Company, a Japanese animation studio
* Art Institute of Chicago, an art museum in Chicago
Busin ...
and was broadcast in Japan on TBS between January 8, 2009 and March 26, 2009.
Plot
After learning martial arts in the mountains for 17 years under his father's teachings, Yoichi Karasuma's father orders Yoichi to continue his training to strengthen his spirit with the Ikaruga family in the city, as he has nothing left to teach him (but really because Yoichi has become stronger and far more skilled than him). The current assistant head of the ''Ukiha
Divine Wind
, officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to ...
Style Swordplay'' school of martial arts in the city, Ibuki Ikaruga, and her siblings gradually accept Yoichi as a
freeloader
{{Short pages monitor On February 26, 2010, Section23 Films announced that Sentai Filmworks had licensed the series for home video in North America and it was later released on DVD, on May 11, 2010.
The anime ran for 12 episodes.
The series used two pieces of theme music. by
Meg Rock
is a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer and musician.
Biography
Megumi Hinata began learning to play the piano at the age of four, and said she first became interested in music in the latter half of elementary school, which she spent in the Un ...
was used for the opening theme, while "Life and proud" by
Aki Misato
is a female Japanese J-pop singer from Saitama, Japan. Most of her songs are theme songs for anime and video games. She made her debut in 2004 with her first single Kimi ga Sora Datta (君が空だった), which was featured as the ending theme ...
was the series' ending theme.
Internet radio show
An Internet radio show to promote the anime series called was streamed online every Friday and aired 42 episodes until September 25, 2009 hosted by Lantis website. It had two hosts — Nobuhiko Okamoto and Rina Satō who played the voices of Yoichi Karasuma and Ibuki Irukaga respectively in the anime series.
Soundtracks
On January 21, 2009, Geneon released a single for ''Asu no Yoichi!''s opening theme, by
Meg Rock
is a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer and musician.
Biography
Megumi Hinata began learning to play the piano at the age of four, and said she first became interested in music in the latter half of elementary school, which she spent in the Un ...
. On February 4, 2009, Geneon released a single for ''Asu no Yoichi!''s ending theme, "Life and proud" by
Aki Misato
is a female Japanese J-pop singer from Saitama, Japan. Most of her songs are theme songs for anime and video games. She made her debut in 2004 with her first single Kimi ga Sora Datta (君が空だった), which was featured as the ending theme ...
character song
An image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album (often called an image album or character album) for an anime, game, ''dorama'', manga, or commercial product that is sometimes sung by the voice actor or actor of a character ...
CDs for ''Asu no Yoichi!''. The first two CDs were composed by Miki Fujisue and released on February 25, 2009. The first CD, character song for Ibuki Ikaruga, is sung by
Rina Sato Rina or RINA may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People and fictional characters
* Rina (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Kento Rina, Indian politician
* Mahfuza Rahman Rina, Bangladeshi politician
* Tongam Rina (born 1979), Indian journ ...
. The second CD, character song for Ayame Ikaruga, is sung by Haruka Tomatsu. On March 25, 2009, Geneon released the last two character CDs, both composed by
Masumi Ito Masumi is a unisex Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese hurdler
* Masuumi Juma, a Japanese voice actor
*Masumi Aya, a Japanese hammer thrower
* Masumi Fuchise, a Japanese racewalker
* Masumi Hayashi (disambiguation ...
. The third character CD, character song for Chihaya Ikaruga, is sung by Yukari Tamura. The fourth and final CD, character song for Kagome Ikaruga, is sung by Kana Hanazawa.
Reception
The eighth volume of ''Asu no Yoichi!'' was ranked 26th on the Tohan charts between 9th and 15 December 2008. The tenth volume of ''Asu no Yoichi!'' was ranked 12th on the Tohan charts between July 6–12, 2009. The eleventh volume of ''Asu no Yoichi!'' was ranked 30th on the Tohan charts between November 2–8, 2009. Coolstreak Comics' Leroy Douresseaux commends the manga by saying, "While it offers plenty of cleavage and panty shots, ''Samurai Harem'' is more than just a fanservice manga. It’s also an energetic romantic comedy, made all the nicer by the fact that each of the four sisters has a distinct personality". A later review by Douresseaux comments that the manga "mostly avoids the martial aspects of having samurai and ninja populating a manga series. So far, this series avoids the action, but does have plenty of comedy." Comics Worth Reading's Ed Sizemore criticises the manga's "focusing on the pubic region of girls and women" and "sound effect coming from the girl’s genitalia" as "shameless in its tastelessness" as well as "disturbing". Pop Culture Shock's Ken Haley criticises the manga's art as "bland" but concedes the point that "it does a good job at depicting scantily clad underage girls in compromising positions."
The third DVD of ''Asu no Yoichi!'' was listed on the Oricon charts between May 18 and 24, 2009. THEM Anime Review's Tim Jones likens Yoichi and Ibuki with
Tom
Tom or TOM may refer to:
* Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name)
Characters
* Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head''
* Tom Beck, a character ...
and
Jerry
Jerry may refer to:
Animals
* Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National
* Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...
respectively from ''
Tom and Jerry
''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...
'' "where Tom ''always'' lost against Jerry". Jones compares Yoichi's love rival, Ryo Washizu, as "a mishmash of Kuno and Ryoga from '' Ranma ½''". He's part Ryoga in that he wants to trump Yoichi even if it means training himself to the bone, and part Kuno in that he's an idiot when it comes to women (especially around Ibuki, who he constantly fantasizes of, as well as worries that she'll hate him for something inane that happens to him)." Jones criticises the art with "often drab, uncreative scenery, and the animation is only adequate save for a few fight sequences". He also comments that "the character designs are cute, but the Ikaruga sisters' hair and outfits (save Ayame's) look ridiculous." He also criticises the background music as "entirely forgettable", and the "opening & closing songs won't be staying in your head anytime soon".