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 ...
by
Koge-Donbo
is a Japanese manga artist. Koge-Donbo* started her career soon after college as a doujinshi artist. She got the idea of a unique pen-name, Kobe-Donbo* from Akira Toriyama's pet cat. She made her first official US appearance at Otakon 2004 in ...
. It was serialized in the
shōnen manga
is an editorial category of Japanese comics targeting an audience of adolescent boys. It is, along with manga (targeting adolescent girls and young women), manga (targeting young adult and adult men), and manga (targeting adult women), ...
magazine ''
Dengeki Comic Gao!
, also known as ''Dengeki Gao!'' was a Japanese shōnen manga magazine that primarily contained manga and information about series featuring bishōjo characters. It was published from December 1992 to February 2008 by MediaWorks (publisher), Medi ...
'' between the October 1999 and August 2003 issues and was later collected into eight
tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
volumes. The eight volumes were localized for 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 ...
;
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatri ...
used Tokyopop's translations for distribution in Australasia. The plot follows Kotarou Higuchi who becomes acquainted with the angel Misha, and the demon Shia.
''Pita-Ten'' has spun off an anthology manga,
art book
Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects.
Overview
Artists' books have employed a ...
s, a
light novel
A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
series, and 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 ...
; the anime resulted in a
radio program
A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode.
Radio networ ...
and audio disc releases such as
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
s and
image 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 ...
s. Tokyopop's volumes of ''Pita-Ten'' ranked on ICv2's monthly top one-hundred selling graphic novels. English reviewers praised the plot and artwork, generally describing the series as cute.
Plot
Kotarou Higuchi is befriended by his neighbor Misha, an angel-in-training. He is later acquainted with Shia, a demon, who is urged by her forgotten memories to search for something. Kotarou continues his daily life until Shia absorbs his life energy and leaves town. Kotarou investigates and discovers Shia is his great-grandmother who is searching for his dying great-grandfather, Taro Higuchi. After the revelation, Shia regains her memories and mourns Taro's death before she also dies. Afterwards, Kotarou learns that Misha's test involves helping Kotarou find happiness; regardless of the result, the two will separate when the test's deadline is reached. Realizing Heaven's true intent, Kotarou asks Misha to rid him of his ability to see angels as he has to search for happiness himself; Misha passes the test and becomes the angel. The series ends with the two returning to their separate lives.
Characters
;
The heroine. Misha is an angel who was friends with Kotaroh. After Kotaroh's suicide, Heaven imprisons Misha and strips her of her status because she was an indirect cause of his death. In the present, Heaven frees Misha and gives her a chance to redeem herself by having Kotarou as her test. In the anime, Kotarou is not related to Misha's test and are neighbors by coincidence; she was voiced by
Yukari Tamura
is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Amuleto (formerly Arts Vision and I'm Enterprise). She debuted as a voice actress in 1997, releasing her debut single "Yūki o Kudasai" on March 26, 1997. Her role as Nanoha Takamachi in th ...
.
In 2002, Misha appeared in ''
Newtype
is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime (and to a lesser extent, tokusatsu, manga, Japanese science fiction, seiyuu, and video games). It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985, with i ...
''s poll in the favorite female character category.
;
The protagonist. Kotarou is a sixth grade elementary school student at Misaki Seiei Private Academy. At a very young age he lost his mother after she saved him from a speeding truck. Because of this and his father's work, Kotarou is alone most of the time resulting in his stoic and independent personality. Kotarou is able to see angels, demons, and spirits because he is a descendant of Shia. He later discovers he is the reincarnation of , his grand-uncle and Shia's son. Kotaroh's family were labeled as demons by the villager. Since Misha was Kotaroh's emotional support, he committed suicide when Misha was forced to return to heaven. Kotarou was initially in love with Shia which strains his friendship with Takashi. Eventually, his feelings shift towards Misha and is reinforced when Shia is revealed to be his great-grandmother. In the anime adaptation, Kotarou's relation to Kotaroh and Shia was removed; he was voiced by
Miyuki Sawashiro
is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator. She has played voice roles in a number of Japanese anime including ''Beelzebub'', Bishamon in ''Noragami'', Petit Charat/Puchiko in ''Di Gi Charat'', Mint in ''Galaxy Angel'', Sinon in '' Sword ...
.
;
Shia is a demon with the appearance of a frail feminine girl. Because of her nature, she needs to absorb life energy while in the human world to survive. Before the start of the series, an amnesiac Shia lived in the human world as , an adopted daughter of a merchant. She married and gave birth to Kotarou's granduncle and grandmother. Due to her demonic nature, Shia was forced to return to hell to restore her health; her demon memories overwrite her memories as Shima. Due to Taro's ailing health, Shia returns to the human world and subconsciously searches for him. She regains her memories as Shima when Kotarou reveals her past to her, and attends Taro's funeral; ignoring her demonic nature to feed, Shia dies shortly after. In the anime, Shia has no relation to the Higuchi family and travels to the human world to complete her demon apprenticeship. Shia's good nature causes her to fail and her existence is annulled; at the end of the series, Misha brings Shia back to life as a human. She was voiced by
Yukana Nogami
, who goes by her mononymous stage name , is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Sigma Seven. Her major roles include Azuki in ''Azuki-chan'', Yuri Tanima in '' Wedding Peach'', Meiling Li in ''Cardcaptor Sakura'', Tessa in ...
.
;
Takashi is Kotarou's friend and classmate. He secretly works hard to maintain his public image as a prodigy. He loves Koboshi but moves onto Shia when he learns Koboshi loves Kotarou. His family's financial difficulties forces him to abandon his dreams of enrolling in a high quality school. In the anime, Takashi's feelings and home life is never explored; he was voiced by
Mitsuki Saiga
is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Ken Production. Her major roles include Tsukasa in ''.hack'', Maria Ross in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'', Rossiu Adai in ''Gurren Lagann'', MakubeX in ''GetBackers'', Wolfram von Bielefeld in ...
.
;
Koboshi Uematsu is Kotarou's friend and classmate. She harbors a crush on him and confesses her feelings later in the series. After she is rejected, Koboshi changes her outlook on life and strives to improve herself to make Kotarou regret his decision. In the anime, her confession does not occur; she was voiced by
Rie Kugimiya
is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is best known for her voice performances in anime, which include Alphonse Elric in the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' series, Kiana in ''Honkai Impact 3rd'', Kagura in ''Gin Tama'', and Happy in ''Fairy Tail ...
.
;Other characters
* is Kotarou's classmate. He strives to better himself in order to become a dignified head of the Mitarai family. In the anime, Hiroshi's story remains the same, and he was voiced by
Motoko Kumai
is a Japanese voice actress employed by 81 Produce. She played Takao Kinomiya in ''Beyblade'' and Syaoran Li in ''Cardcaptor Sakura''. From December 21, 2006 to October 2007, she had a hiatus from her career due to an illness requiring medical tr ...
.
[Ending credits from ]
* is Hiroshi's younger sister. She admires her brother and attacks anyone who insults him. She develops a crush on Takashi which prioritizes her admiration for her brother. In the anime, Kaoru's story remains the same and she was voiced by
Sakura Nogawa
is a Japanese voice actress and singer. In August 2013, she took a break from voice acting and singing due to poor health and returned a year later. In February 2017, she announced that she had already changed the agency of Office Anemone.
Filmo ...
.
* is a demon who accompanies Shia and encourages her to act like a demon. He disguises himself as a black cat in public. While in cat form, he is named by Misha and is credited by that name in the manga and anime. Klaus is voiced by
Yumi Touma
is the Japanese term for a bow. As used in English, refers more specifically to traditional Japanese asymmetrical bows, and includes the longer and the shorter used in the practice of and , or Japanese archery.
The was an important weap ...
.
* is Misha's older sister and an angel. She is strict, formal, and often berates Misha for her laid back personality. She was voiced by
Akemi Okamura
is a Japanese voice actress and narrator. She performed a song in the NHK program ''Minna no Uta'' and currently voices Nami in ''One Piece''.
Filmography
Television animation
;1992
*'' Calimero'' (Priscilla)
*''Hime-chan's Ribbon'' (Yumiko)
...
.
[Ending credits from ]
* is Kotarou's maternal cousin. Since her mother's death, Shino has been cared for by her and Kotarou's great-grandfather. Like Kotarou, she can see angels, demons and spirits. She moves in with Kotarou later in the series. In the anime, Shino's story remains the same, and she was voiced by
Taeko Kawata
is a freelance Japanese voice actress best known for voicing Amy Rose from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. While working at a confectionery shop after graduating from Jissen Commercial High School, she attended a voice acting school in the ...
.
[Ending credits from ]
Release
''Pita-Ten'' is a
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
Koge-Donbo
is a Japanese manga artist. Koge-Donbo* started her career soon after college as a doujinshi artist. She got the idea of a unique pen-name, Kobe-Donbo* from Akira Toriyama's pet cat. She made her first official US appearance at Otakon 2004 in ...
. It was serialized in ''
Dengeki Comic Gao!
, also known as ''Dengeki Gao!'' was a Japanese shōnen manga magazine that primarily contained manga and information about series featuring bishōjo characters. It was published from December 1992 to February 2008 by MediaWorks (publisher), Medi ...
'' between the October 1999 and August 2003 issues. The individual chapters were then collected and released in eight ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes under MediaWorks'
Dengeki Comics
is a manga publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks) and is aimed at a male audience. Aside from the main Dengeki Comics label, there is the related Dengeki Comics EX label, which ...
imprint
Imprint or imprinting may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series
* "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror''
* ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film
...
between April 10, 2000 and September 27, 2003.
The manga was localized in English for 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 ...
and released the eight volumes between January 13, 2004 and March 8, 2005.
Tokyopop released a special boxset containing the first four volumes on November 10, 2005.
In 2011, Tokyopop's North American division was closed down and their licenses to manga franchises were revoked.
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatri ...
licensed Tokyopop's translations for distribution in Australasia.
The series has also been localized in other languages such as French, German, and Mandrain.
An anthology series entitled was published by MediaWorks between March 27 and September 27, 2002. The fan books were licensed and released in English by Tokyopop between November 8, 2005 and July 7, 2006.
Volume list
Adaptations
Books and publications
Three
light novel
A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
s, written by Yukari Ochiai, were published by MediaWorks under their
Dengeki Bunko
is a publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks). It was established in June 1993 with the publication of '' Hyōryū Densetsu Crystania'' volume one, and is a light novel imprint a ...
imprint between April 15, 2002 and February 25, 2003.
Koge-Donbo provided the cover illustrations and Rina Yamaguchi drew the illustrations used in the novels. The novels were localized for North America by
Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as we ...
, which released the first two volumes in March and July 2008.
An
art book
Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects.
Overview
Artists' books have employed a ...
titled was published MediaWorks on February 27, 2002. Two art books for the anime adaptation titled were published by MediaWorks between August 25 and November 15, 2002. An art book titled was published by MediaWorks on December 22, 2003. Tokyopop localized ''Koge-Donbo Illustration Collection: Pita-Ten'' on May 9, 2006.
Anime series
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 ...
based on the manga was produced by
Television Osaka
is a television station affiliated with the TX Network in Osaka, Japan. The mascot character is "Takoru-kun" (たこるくん).
History
Television Osaka, Inc. was founded in 1981 as part of the reorganization of Tokyo Channel 12 Ltd (now TV To ...
, Yomiko Advertising, Pita Group, and animated by
Madhouse.
[Opening credits from ] The series premiered on
TX Network
TX Network (TXN) is a commercial television network in Japan owned by Nikkei, Inc. The "TX" is taken from the callsign of its flagship station, TV Tokyo. It is also known as TV Tokyo Network.
History
Tokyo Channel 12 almost went into ban ...
between April 7 and September 29, 2002.
It was also broadcast on
Higashinippon Broadcasting
, also known as KHB, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with the ANN. Their headquarters are located in Miyagi Prefecture.
History
*October 1, 1975: It was set up as Miyagi Prefecture's fourth broadcasting station.
*June 18, 2006: Their ...
,
Hiroshima Home Television
, a.k.a. is a television station in Hiroshima. It is a network station of ANN. It is broadcast in Hiroshima Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a po ...
,
Nagano Broadcasting Systems
, also known as NBS, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with the Fuji News Network and Fuji Network System. Their headquarters are located in Nagano Prefecture.
Headquarters
* 131-7 Okada-machi Nagano-city, NAGANO 380-8633 JAPAN
* Tel ...
,
Kumamoto Asahi Broadcasting
, also known as KAB, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with the All-Nippon News Network, ANN. Their headquarters are located in Kumamoto Prefecture.
History
Pre-launch
In the 1980s, following the Ministry of Post's (currently Ministry ...
,
The Niigata Television Network 21,
Ishikawa TV
Ishikawa TV Co., Ltd.(石川テレビ放送株式会社, Ishikawa Terebi Hōsō Kabushiki Gaisha), also known as ITC, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with the Fuji News Network and Fuji Network System. Their headquarters are located in I ...
, Nara Television,
Biwako Broadcasting
, is a fee-free commercial terrestrial television station serving Shiga Prefecture of Japan.
It is a member of the Japanese Association of Independent Television Stations (JAITS).
Popular name Independent UHF Station (UHF).
Offices
*The hea ...
, TV Wakayama, and
Nankai Broadcasting
, also known as RNB, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with Nippon News Network (NNN). Their headquarters are located in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture.
Network
* TV: Nippon News Network (NNN)
* RADIO: Japan Radio Network (JRN), National ...
.
Bandai Visual
was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America.
Most of the anime and ...
collected the series into nine VHS and DVD mediums and released them between June 25, 2002 and April 25, 2003.
A DVD box was released on December 22, 2011.
The opening and ending themes had special editions
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
with the anime's art on the cover.
AnimeNation
AnimeNation was an American business that included RentAnime.com, a discussion forum, anime industry news, and a column called "Ask John." It was previously a retailer of anime and manga products until 2014 and an anime licensing and distributio ...
entered negotiations to localize the series for North America but withdrew due to licensing fees.
In July 2015,
Right Stuf Inc.
Right Stuf Inc. (formerly known as The Right Stuf International Inc.) is an American video publisher and distributor of video programming that specializes in Asian entertainment (anime and live action films). The company since 2022 is owned by ...
's Nozomi Entertainment announced an English subtitled release for North America.
Several soundtracks were released based on the anime. volume 1 and 2 were released on July and October 2002 respectively.
is an
image 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 ...
released on January 22, 2003.
Radio programming
A
radio programming
Radio programming is the process of organising a schedule of radio content for commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting by radio stations.
History
The original inventors of radio, from Guglielmo Marconi's time on, expected it to be use ...
titled was produced to promote the anime adaptations for ''Pita-Ten'' and ''
Galaxy Angel
is a ''bishōjo'' science fiction, sci-fi metaseries composed of anime, manga and dating sim video games. It was created by Broccoli (company), Broccoli in July 2000, when it launched a multi-platformed project called ''Project G.A.'' ...
''. It was produced by
Bandai Visual
was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America.
Most of the anime and ...
,
Broccoli
Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large flowering head, stalk and small associated leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Broccoli is cl ...
,
Lantis, and
Madhouse and was broadcast on
Radio Osaka
is an AM radio station of National Radio Network (NRN) in Osaka, Japan, and it is known as "Radio Osaka (ラジオ大阪 ''Rajio Ōsaka'')". It is also a company of Sankei Shimbun Group in Fujisankei Communications Group. Radio Osaka starte ...
,
Nippon Cultural Broadcasting
is a Japanese radio station in Tokyo which broadcasts to the Kanto area. It is one of the two flagship radio stations of National Radio Network (NRN) (the other station is ) and is a member of the Fujisankei Communications Group.
History
The ...
, and
Tokai Radio.
The show is hosted by
Yukari Tamura
is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Amuleto (formerly Arts Vision and I'm Enterprise). She debuted as a voice actress in 1997, releasing her debut single "Yūki o Kudasai" on March 26, 1997. Her role as Nanoha Takamachi in th ...
, Misha's voice actress, and
Ryōko Shintani
is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Kanazawa, Ishikawa.Doi, Hitoshi.Shintani Ryouko. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 30, 2010Archivedby WebCite July 31, 2010.Nakagami, Yoshikattsu; Yoshida, Moichi; Onitsuka, Kanako; Nishimoto, Keiko. "Voice Actr ...
, the voice actress of ''Galaxy Angel''s
Milfeulle Sakuraba.
''Pita Pita Angel'' was broadcast beginning April 4, 2002.
On October 10, 2002, the show's title was changed to .
The broadcast concluded on March 27, 2003.
Reception
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 ...
's localized volume four and up appeared on ICv2's monthly top one-hundred selling graphic novels.
Mania.com's first impression of the manga was "cute, but not special" but retracted his opinion after Shia's introduction as she invoked fascination from the reviewer;
the reviewer praised Shia's past for its direction and dark tone.
Mania also praised the art, noting the transitions between scenes of "beautiful tenderness" and humor, and lauded the author for their detail in expressing emotions through facial expressions and body pose.
AnimeFringe.com called the series fun and cute and expressed positive opinions on the culminating plot.
The first three DVD volumes of the anime appeared on
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
's charts.
THEMAnime.org reviewed the anime; they criticized the premise for being excessively cute but noted the improving plot and praised the ending.
Notes and references
;Notes
;References
;Primary references
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
{{Madhouse, state=collapsed
1999 manga
2002 anime television series debuts
2002 Japanese novels
Dengeki Bunko
Kadokawa Dwango franchises
Dengeki Comic Gao!
Fantasy anime and manga
Light novels
Madhouse (company)
Seven Seas Entertainment titles
Shōnen manga
Tokyopop titles