''HoiHoi-san'', full title , is a

manga 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 history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

Kunihiko Tanaka is a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He designed the characters for ''Xenogears'', '' Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht'' and ''Xenoblade Chronicles X'', as well as character concept design for the anime '' Key the Metal Ido ...

that spawned a

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

game and a ten-minute

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

(sold with first printing of manga

tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...

). In the year 20XX, insects have become immune to all

pesticide Pesticides are substances that are used to control pests. They include herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fungicides, and many others (see table). The most common of these are herbicides, which account for approximately 50% of all p ...

s. To combat the rising plague of

cockroach Cockroaches (or roaches) are insects belonging to the Order (biology), order Blattodea (Blattaria). About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known Pest (organism), pests. Modern cockro ...

es and other household pests, the tiny, doll-like extermination

gynoid A gynoid, or fembot, is a feminine humanoid robot. Gynoids appear widely in science fiction films and arts. As more realistic humanoid robot design becomes technologically possible, they are also emerging in real-life robot design. Just like an ...

s known as "Hoihoi-san" were created. They can hunt down insects and kill them with such miniaturized weapons as minuscule machine guns and tiny combat knives. They can also (and at the same time) be treated as dolls, by dressing them up in costumes and buying accessories for them. The main robot of the

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

wears a

maid A maid, housemaid, or maidservant is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era, domestic service was the second-largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids a ...

uniform and rabbit ears as accessories.

History

It started out as a

title serialized in Japanese language monthly magazine

Dengeki Daioh is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks) under the ''Dengeki'' brand. Many manga serialized in ''Dengeki Daioh'' were later published in ''tankōbon'' volumes under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Comi ...

published by MediaWorks, and later branched out to

as a game and then further into numerous other media channels. The setting is in year 20XX at a time when insects are immune to all

insecticides Insecticides are pesticides used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. The major use of insecticides is in agriculture, but they are also used in home and garden settings, in ...

, so Japanese

pharmaceutical Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

companies have had to come up with the next level in

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

extermination Extermination or exterminate may refer to: * Pest control, elimination of insects or vermin * Extermination (crime), the killing of human on a large scale * Genocide, at least one of five "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in par ...

: small but heavily

armed Armed (May, 1941–1964) was an American Thoroughbred gelding race horse who was the American Horse of the Year in 1947 and Champion Older Male Horse in both 1946 and 1947. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in ...

robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...

s. Hoihoi-san is the bug killing robot of the title, a 10.5 cm tall

doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...

like robot that comes with a wide range of weapons. With this character a new level has been attained in the girls-with-guns

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

: capable of an impressive rate of fire, handles a

sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...

equally well, is dressed up very cutely, complete with

bow tie The bow tie or dicky bow is a type of neckwear, distinguishable from a necktie because it does not drape down the shirt placket, but is tied just underneath a winged collar. A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot, which is also ...

s and booties and an expressionless face. The Hoihoi-san series of products

parodies A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satirical or ironic imitation. Often its subject is an original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, etc), but a parody can als ...

the

girls with guns Girls with guns is a subgenre of action films that portray a female protagonist engaged in shootouts. The genre typically involves Gun fu, gun-play, stunts and Martial arts film, martial arts action. Live-action The 1985 Hong Kong film ''Yes, M ...

genre, robot girls as companions and the

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, such as anime, manga, video games, computers or other highly enthusiastic hobbies. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. ...

Characters

Not all characters in the manga appear in the OVA. The ones in the OVA are indicated by the presence of the respective voice actor in the list below. ; : :A line of insect exterminating robots made by Mars Pharmaceuticals. The designation "ID-3" stands for Interceptor Doll (Version) 3. ; : :A lonely otaku whose only company is the Hoihoi-san that he dotes and spend his money on. ; : :Kimiko works in a

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

frequented by Aburatsubo-kun, selling bug killing robots and accessories. She wants a robot doll but cannot stomach the carnage. ; : :A friend of Kimiko-chan. ; : :The owner of the pharmacy. ; : Furuyashiki works at Mars Pharmaceuticals, proponent of odd Hoihoi-san upgrades. Suspended from work and subsequently resigned after photos of himself wearing Hoihoi-san style maid dress were posted to the internet. ; : Yazaki works for Furuyashiki-san. ; : :A line of insect extermination robots created by Kinryu. ; :The third interceptor Doll, developed by Furuyashiki in America after he resigned from Mars Pharmaceuticals. Includes special motorcycle that transforms into a set of large hands. Perceives Combat-san as its enemy. ; :The fourth interceptor Doll, not much is known about her yet besides the fact that her Kotobukiya model kit is slated for release in December 2014.

Media

Game

The game, released 27 November 2003, is a

third-person shooter Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot 'em ...

game where the main aim is to complete levels defeating hordes of various kinds of insects, all while avoiding

collateral damage "Collateral damage" is a term for any incidental and undesired death, injury or other damage inflicted, especially on civilians, as the result of an activity. Originally coined to describe military operations, it is now also used in non-milit ...

to furniture and other household items. Completing a level gives the player credits with which one can buy upgrades for the Hoihoi-san, ranging from the useful like

missile A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...

packs, ammunition and weapons upgrade but also less useful items like new clothing and new voices. In the game the

muzzle blast A muzzle blast is an explosive shockwave created at the muzzle of a firearm during shooting. Before a projectile leaves the gun barrel, it obturates the bore and "plugs up" the pressurized gaseous products of the propellant combustion behind ...

is about the size of the robot, which combined with an impressive

rate of fire Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. This can be influenced by several factors, including operator training level, mechanical limitations, ammunition availability, and weapon condition. In m ...

makes for a definite statement in the girls-with-guns genre. A modicum of style, finesse and Japanese tradition is retained b
featuring
a

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

in the weapons selection. The game allows the player to use both a katana and a machine gun at the same time. If the player acquires all Hoihoi-san accessories, the backdrop turns pink on returning home.

Manga

A series of single page

were serialised in the seinen manga magazine ''

''. The manga centered around the life of Aburatsubo-kun and his Hoihoi-san in Kyoto. The manga follows up in the bizarreness with lines such as: * "The spare ammunition kit is sold out, huh? I suppose I'll just buy her a pair of gloves." * While a life sized Hoihoi-san is levelling Aburatsubo-kun's flat, on the telephone: "It's on a rampage? I know that already!!" A spinoff manga titled ''Ichigeki Sacchu!! HoiHoi-san Legacy'' by

started serialization in the seinen manga magazine '' Dengeki Black Maoh'' on 19 September 2007.

Anime

The manga and the

Original Video Animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

were part of a special edition package. The anime itself is only about 10 minutes long, and maintains the unusual humor by combining massive gunplay with squeaky booties. Unlike the manga, the anime is centered around Kimiko Dewa, who abhors the nightly carnage by her insect killing robots. She would rather they were more like pets and made her own costumes.

Doll

An articulated doll was produced, in a limited edition, that in the spirit of the rest of the venture features numerous weapons and shields. Due to laws in Japan the doll does not fire live ammunition, neither from the machine gun, nor from the missile launcher, so the company regretted lack of insecticidal effect. The dress can still be customised.

Dress demo

To complete it all a demo was made in

Adobe Flash Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash and FutureSplash) is a mostly discontinuedAlthough it is discontinued by Adobe Inc., for the Chinese market it is developed by Zhongcheng and for the international enterprise market it is developed by Ha ...

that can be used to demonstrate numerous Hoihoi-san outfits.

Licensing

While the game was published officially in Japan only and neither OVA nor manga were officially translated, the owners have guarded this intellectual property with unusual intensity. An unlicensed scanlator received a C&D letter in behalf of MediaWorks, the Japanese publisher of the title. In 2007, Infinity Studios released an official English language version of the first manga.

Allusions

* A number of background images were made and one of them shows Hoihoi-san falling backwards while firing guns, one in each hand, in a pose and rate of fire that is very similar to that of Trinity in ''

The Matrix Reloaded ''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the sequel to ''The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, L ...

'' shown in the trailer. * Combat-san's model number, RRX-7.8, is probably a parody of the original ''

Mobile Suit Gundam , also retrospectively known as ''First Gundam'', ''Gundam 0079'' or simply ''Gundam '79'', is a Japanese anime television series produced by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Na ...

''s RX-78. * The name "HoiHoi" is a reference to "Hoy Hoy Trap-A-Roach" product, a baited sticky trap for roaches. The name "Combat" is a reference to the roach-killing gel product by the same name. * The cover of the anime parodies ''

Gunslinger Girl ''Gunslinger Girl'' (stylized in small caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yu Aida. It was serialized in '' Dengeki Daioh'' magazine from May 2002 to September 2012. Its chapters were collected in 15 ''tankōbon'' v ...

'' (particularly volume 1).

References

External links

''Hoihoi-san'' game
by Konami
Official site for the Hoihoi-san manga and anime
(Archived)
Infinity Studios Manga Release
(Archived) * {{Daume 2003 video games 2004 anime OVAs 2004 manga 2007 manga ASCII Media Works manga Kadokawa Corporation franchises Comedy anime and manga Dengeki Comics Dengeki Daioh Fictional gynoids Japan-exclusive video games Konami games Mecha anime and manga PlayStation 2 games PlayStation 2-only games Seinen manga Third-person shooters Video games developed in Japan