is a Japanese
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 by Yumi Unita. The plot follows thirty-year-old Daikichi as he becomes the guardian of Rin, the illegitimate six-year-old daughter of his grandfather. ''Bunny Drop'' was serialized in
Shodensha
is a Japanese publisher of mostly non-fiction magazines and books, though it has recently begun publishing light novels and manga, including magazines which contain both. Shodensha publishes magazines such as ''Feel Young'' (a josei all-manga ma ...
's monthly
''josei'' manga magazine ''
Feel Young
''Feel Young'' is a monthly josei manga magazine published by Shodensha in Japan. Manga artists whose stories have run in this magazine include Moyoco Anno, Mitsue Aoki, Mitsukazu Mihara, Kiriko Nananan, Mari Okazaki, Erica Sakurazawa, Ebine Yama ...
'' from October 2005 to April 2011. Its chapters were collected into nine ''
wide-ban'' volumes by Shodensha. The series has been licensed for English language release by
Yen Press
Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
.
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 ...
adaptation by
Production I.G
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise, founded on December 15, 1987, by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. The letters I and G derive from the names of the company founders: producer Mitsuhisa Ish ...
was broadcast in Japan between July and September 2011. A
live-action
Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...
film adaptation premiered in August 2011. A
spin-off series, titled ''Usagi Drop: Bangaihen'', was serialized in ''Feel Young'' from July 2011 to December 2011 and collected in one volume.
Plot
When 30-year-old Daikichi Kawachi returns home for his grandfather's funeral he learns about the existence of Rin Kaga, his grandfather's illegitimate six-year-old daughter by an unknown mother. The girl is an embarrassment to all his relatives and is treated like an outcast.
Annoyed by their attitudes, Daikichi decides to take care of Rin himself, even though he is single and has no experience in raising a child. As Rin becomes part of his life, Daikichi experiences the hardships of being a single parent. He is befriended by the single mother of Kouki Nitani, a young boy who Rin meets in
nursery school
A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...
, who gives him advice on raising Rin. After a year has passed, Daikichi acknowledges his sacrifices for Rin have been worth it. The first half of the series focuses on Daikichi's perspective and struggles raising Rin.
Ten years later, Rin is a high school student and the remainder of the series focuses on her trying to figure out how to deal with her feelings for Kouki, and her decision for a career. Rin discovers that she is not actually related to Daikichi by blood, and the series ends with Rin wanting to have a child with Daikichi.
The anime and live-action adaptations do not depict this revelation, and instead end before the time skip.
Characters
;
: Daikichi is a 30-year-old single man and the adoptive guardian of Rin.
With Rin living in his home, Daikichi quits smoking, cleans his house, and reluctantly cuts back on work hours. Despite his irresponsible life style, Daikichi is a very hard worker and considered the best in his department.
He is insecure about raising Rin, always asking his co-workers or Yukari for guidance.
Yumi Unita stated some events Daikichi faced when raising Rin were based on her personal experiences. It appears that he has romantic feelings for Yukari.
He is voiced by
Hiroshi Tsuchida
is a Japanese voice actor and live-action actor affiliated with 81 Produce. He frequently dubs character voices from English-speaking films into Japanese for the local market. He is known for his role as Grisha Jaeger in ''Attack on Titan'' (201 ...
in the Japanese dub of the anime, and portrayed by
Kenichi Matsuyama
is a Japanese actor. He is known for his affinity for strange character roles, and he is best known internationally for playing L in the 2006 films ''Death Note'', '' Death Note 2: The Last Name'' and '' L: Change the World'' in 2008, as well a ...
in the live action film.
;
: Rin is a six-year-old girl and thought to be the illegitimate daughter of Daikichi's grandfather, and manga artist .
Masako abandoned her for the sake of her career.
She is strongly independent and mature, often dealing with issues on her own.
Living with Daikichi, she develops a fondness of cooking for him.
Rin begins to wrestle with her feelings when Kouki starts wanting to have a deeper relationship with her. Rin comes to realize that she loves Daikichi, but is hesitant to pursue a relationship because they are related. Near the end of the series, however, Rin learns that Daikichi was not her biological father and only adopted her. After this she opts to stay with Daikichi for life and marry him. Her child self is voiced by Ayu Matsuura in the Japanese dub of the anime, and portrayed by
Mana Ashida
is a Japanese actress, '' talent'' and singer. Ashida's first appearance was in Asahi Broadcasting Corporation's ''ABC Short Movie 2'', though she rose to prominence after acting in the television drama ''Mother''. She became the youngest lead s ...
in the live-action film.
;
: Kouki is a boy Rin befriended in her daycare. He is an immature brat, but has grown fond of Rin as they are both raised by a single parent.
When they are teenagers, Kouki desires to pursue a deeper relationship with Rin. Kouki later realizes that Rin loves Daikichi and works to help her confess her feelings to him, consistently acting for her best interest despite himself. His child self is voiced by Noa Sakai in the Japanese dub of the anime, and portrayed by Ruiki Satō in the live-action film.
;
: Yukari is an attractive 32-year-old
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
d (
widow
A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died.
Terminology
The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...
ed in the live action film) woman who is Kouki's mother.
She gives guidance to Daikichi Kawachi on raising Rin. In the live action film it is said that her husband died in a car accident, which is shown when her son Kouki and Rin went to visit both of their fathers graves at the cemetery. Yukari is voiced by
Sayaka Ohara
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Haikyō. Her major roles include Alicia Florence in ''Aria'', Milly Ashford in ''Code Geass'', Erza Scarlet in ''Fairy Tail'', Irisviel in the '' Fate/Zero'' and ''Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya'' s ...
in the Japanese dub of the anime, and portrayed by
Karina in the live-action film.
Media
Manga
''Bunny Drop'' was written and illustrated by Yumi Unita. The untitled chapters were serialized by
Shodensha
is a Japanese publisher of mostly non-fiction magazines and books, though it has recently begun publishing light novels and manga, including magazines which contain both. Shodensha publishes magazines such as ''Feel Young'' (a josei all-manga ma ...
in the monthly ''
josei
, also known as and its abbreviation , is an editorial category of Japanese comics that emerged in the 1980s. In a strict sense, ''josei'' refers to manga marketed to an audience of adult women, contrasting ''shōjo'' manga, which is marke ...
'' magazine ''
Feel Young
''Feel Young'' is a monthly josei manga magazine published by Shodensha in Japan. Manga artists whose stories have run in this magazine include Moyoco Anno, Mitsue Aoki, Mitsukazu Mihara, Kiriko Nananan, Mari Okazaki, Erica Sakurazawa, Ebine Yama ...
'' between October 2005 and April 2011. Part one, which is collected in the first four volumes, concluded in the April 2008 issue, with part two (which skips ahead ten years) beginning thereafter. The chapters were collected in nine ''
wide-ban'' volumes,
the final volume released on July 8, 2011.
A spin-off series, also by Unita, entitled ''Usagi Drop: Bangaihen'' was serialized in Feel Young from July 2011 to December 2011 and collected in one volume.
The series has been licensed in English by
Yen Press
Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
and in French by
Delcourt.
Yen Press has published the nine volumes as of August 20, 2013, and the ''Usagi Drop: Bangaihen'' volume was released on April 22, 2014 as the tenth and final volume.
Live-action film
In June 2010, production on a live-action film adaption of the manga was announced. The film was directed by
Sabu and was released in Japanese theaters on August 20, 2011.
Anime
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 adaptation of the manga produced by
Production I.G
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise, founded on December 15, 1987, by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. The letters I and G derive from the names of the company founders: producer Mitsuhisa Ish ...
aired on the
noitaminA
is a Japanese Block programming, programming block on Fuji TV devoted to anime, originally broadcast every Thursday late night/Friday morning from 00:45 to 1:15. It was launched with the intention of expanding the target audience beyond the typic ...
timeslot on
Fuji TV
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...
between July 7, 2011 and September 15, 2011.
Toho
is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...
,
Fuji TV
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...
,
SMEJ
, often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...
,
Dentsu
Dentsu Inc. ( ja, 株式会社電通 ''Kabushiki-gaisha Dentsū'' or 電通 ''Dentsū'' for short) is a Japanese international advertising and public relations joint stock company headquartered in Tokyo. Dentsu is currently the largest adverti ...
and
Shodensha
is a Japanese publisher of mostly non-fiction magazines and books, though it has recently begun publishing light novels and manga, including magazines which contain both. Shodensha publishes magazines such as ''Feel Young'' (a josei all-manga ma ...
were also involved in the production of the series. In addition, the series could be watched on Kansai TV (July 13 – September 21), Tokai TV (July 15 – September 23), TV Nishinippon (July 21 – September 22, every two weeks, two episodes per day, last three episodes on September 22), BS Fuji (August 7 – October 23) and Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting (October 10 - December). The series was also simulcast by
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...
and
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
. The series was released on four Blu-ray Disc/DVD volumes between October 28, 2011 and January 27, 2012, each containing a bonus mini-episode. The opening theme is "Sweet Drop" by
Puffy AmiYumi
is a Japanese pop rock duo formed in Tokyo in 1995, consisting of singers Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura. In the United States, they adopted the name Puffy AmiYumi to avoid legal naming conflicts with Sean Combs, who also performed under the name ...
whilst the ending theme is "High High High" by Kasarinchu. The anime has been licensed by
NIS America
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was founded in 1991 and has developed several role-playing video games, most notably the ''Disgaea'' and ''Marl Kingdom'' series. Its mascot is the penguin-like ''Disgaea'' character ...
who released the series on Blu-ray and DVD combo pack including an artbook and extras on August 7, 2012.
Episode list
;Bonus episodes
Appearances in other media
Rin and Daikichi appear in a
downloadable content
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
pack for the
PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...
game ''
Touch My Katamari
''Touch My Katamari'', known in Japan as , is a video game in the ''Katamari'' series. It was developed by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation Vita and was released as a launch game in Japan on December 17, 2011 and in Europe and North Ameri ...
'', which was released in Japan on May 24, 2012.
Reception
About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...
's Deb Aoki praised the first volume for its "heartfelt drama and slice-of-life comedy", uncluttered artwork, storytelling, and the relationship between Daikichi and Rin. She notes that the artwork is a bit plain and simple.
Danielle Leigh's also praised the art and the parent and child pair, calling the relationship moving and amusing. Comicsworthreading.com's Johanna Carlson commended the realism of Daikichi's character, as if he were an actual Japanese single father. She rated the first volume as one of the best manga of 2010. Carlson expressed appreciation for the small moments where Daikichi learns what it is to be a parent and states the series is unique to the manga market. The manga was a candidate for the 2011
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
in the
Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia category.
See also
*''
Sukimasuki'' — Another manga series by the same author.
References
External links
''Bunny Drop''at
Shodensha
is a Japanese publisher of mostly non-fiction magazines and books, though it has recently begun publishing light novels and manga, including magazines which contain both. Shodensha publishes magazines such as ''Feel Young'' (a josei all-manga ma ...
''Bunny Drop''at
NIS America
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was founded in 1991 and has developed several role-playing video games, most notably the ''Disgaea'' and ''Marl Kingdom'' series. Its mascot is the penguin-like ''Disgaea'' character ...
''Usagi Drop''official anime website
''Bunny Drop'' at
Yen Press
Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
*
{{Taku Kishimoto
Anime series based on manga
2011 Japanese television series debuts
2011 Japanese television series endings
Comedy-drama anime and manga
Coming-of-age anime and manga
Josei manga
Noitamina
Production I.G
Shodensha franchises
Shodensha manga
Slice of life anime and manga
Yen Press titles