Muteki Kanban Musume - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

is a manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

series by Jun Sadogawa, and a televised anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

series based on it and directed by Nobuo Tomizawa. The English edition of the manga is referred to as Noodle Fighter Miki, while the anime is referred to as Ramen Fighter Miki. The manga series ended in 2006 after a 17 volume run, though it is continued in Muteki Kanban Musume N (for "Napalm

Napalm

Napalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...

"), and ended after a 5 volume run.

Plot synopsis

Both the anime and the manga are comedies detailing the adventures of Miki Onimaru, a teenage girl recently turned-twenty, whose mother runs a Chinese ramen

Ramen

is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as , , kamaboko, green onions, and occasionally corn...

restaurant. Miki works as the delivery girl for the shop, but frequently gets into trouble due to her boisterous, active personality. Much of the humor of the series derives from the characters' over-the-top behavior and it contains parodies of other anime styles, such as those concerning fighting and rivalry.

Characters

Miki is the new delivery girl for the Onimaru family ramen shop (usually shortened to just Onimaru). Though 20 years old, she still pretty much has the mind and maturity of a 12 year old child, with a corresponding energy and fiercely competitive personality that makes her stand out. She is often seen to start fights and competitions; her physical strength is admirable and her fighting style is frantic and unpredictable. Violent as she may be, Miki is a caring and kind-hearted girl who is keen to help anyone in need. This sweet-gentleness comes to the forefront when she is drunk, turning her from a crude tomboy to the very portrait of an ideal Japanese-Lady (or Yamato Nadeshiko

Yamato Nadeshiko

is a Japanese term meaning "personification of an idealized Japanese woman", "ideal" in the historical context of the patriarchal, traditional culture of Japan...

Megumi is Miki's long-time rival and the delivery girl for the bakery

Bakery

A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...

directly across the street from Onimaru. As they attended the same grades in school, one can assume she is also 20. Like Miki, she is committed to being the best, but often falls short to the other girl's antics. Megumi specializes in throwing sharpened bamboo skewers (in the manner of darts

Darts

Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...

); she learned to do this by training with an elementary school teacher who tossed bits of chalk at his students who fell asleep. While Megumi often claims to be ruthlessly bullied by Miki, her own behavior is by no means innocent, and she often sets traps for Onimaru. When push comes to shove, however, she can still be fundamentally kind-hearted like Miki, particularly when it comes to matters of helping children in need. And just as Miki becomes a lady-amongst-ladies when drunk, Megumi becomes the definition of a crude and violent tomboy when in a similar state.(or more like a yakuza)

Makiko is much more practical and down-to-earth than Miki. As Miki's mother, she genuinely cares about the girl, but can be quite harsh, and often loses her temper, slapping Miki around. This violence, however, is very unrealistic. It is once shown during a flashback, she was once actually quite beautiful; the stress of raising such an exasperating daughter like Miki was no doubt the cause of her current obesity. As she has Miki deliver ramen, Makiko's mantra is "Deliveries are about speed!" When she is drunk, she turns to be a drunken kung fu master.

Akihiko is the owner of the grocery store

Grocery store

A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...

next door to Onimaru. He spends a good amount of his free time at the ramen shop, hanging out with Miki's mother. He views his friends' goings-on with bemusement, but he accepts that that's the way she is. Ohta is a huge fan of Super Space Battle Team Star Rangers. He is also a skilled graffiti

Graffiti

Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....

artist. He often takes some physical punishment at random times. When he was little he was often bullied by his classmates, such as forced to confess to a girl he doesn't like at all.

He has just returned to the town after spending four years at college. He has a considerable grudge against Miki because she used to bully him, despite being younger than him. Kankuro is a case study

Case study

A case study is an intensive analysis of an individual unit stressing developmental factors in relation to context. The case study is common in social sciences and life sciences. Case studies may be descriptive or explanatory. The latter type is used to explore causation in order to find...

(however comic) of the effects of abuse: despite being a 24 year old college graduate, his heart is forever unable to grow up and move on unless he destroys the traumatic past that is Miki. Kankuro is somewhat thickheaded, and often fails to take Miki's resourcefulness into account when he schemes against her. He almost always adds "nya" at the end of his sentences. He is poor and does odd jobs in order to support himself. What adds to Kankuro's hate towards Miki is the fact that Miki can never remember his name.

She is a teacher at the local high school. She is greatly feared by students, because of her creepy appearance and the air of depression around her. She dislikes her job because of the pressure she puts on students even though she cares about their futures. The show makes visual references to Sadako Yamamura when Miki, Akihiko, and Megumi first meet her. Ramen puts Tomoka in another mood and she cheers up and becomes incredibly cute when she eats it. Such is the beauty of her appearance in this state that drop-out delinquents fall in love at first sight, and diligently return to school just to see her adorable smile every day. Megumi doesn't know Tomoka's true identity, and believes she is a vengeful ghost

Ghost

In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...

. It is also shown that she can climb up walls like a gekko

Gekko

Gekko is a genus of colorful and diverse Southeast Asian geckos commonly known as true geckos or calling geckos. Although species such as the Tokay Gecko are very widespread and common, some species in the same genus have a very small range and are considered rare or endangered.-External links:* ...

, causing many people to mistake her for a vengeful ghost. Tomoka is poor as shown in the episode when Megumi first encounters her, she was up on a tree picking peaches for dinner. Also, in one episode you see her room which was really empty and the fact that she traded a plushie for ramen.

He is a vicious dog that lives in town (though fears Makiko), and Miki's strongest non-human opponent. He is very strong as shown when he was able to act as a mount. Miki seems to understand its growls and barks, and thus she says it claims to bite people for the sake of world peace

World peace

World Peace is an ideal of freedom, peace, and happiness among and within all nations and/or people. World peace is an idea of planetary non-violence by which nations willingly cooperate, either voluntarily or by virtue of a system of governance that prevents warfare. The term is sometimes used to...

. Later on he becomes friends with Kankuro. He also appears in the every episode's ending titles.

Toshiyuki's young owner, she is not threatened by the dog, who acts harmless around her.

Super Space Battle Team Star Rangers

A children's television action show in the world of Muteki Kanban Musume. It is along the lines of Power Rangers
Power Rangers
Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes...

or Super Sentai
Super Sentai
The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...

(most likely parodying Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, which incidentally was known in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

as Star Rangers). There are five members of the team: Red Star, Pink Star, Yellow Star, Blue Star, and Black Star.

Hell's Bunny

The Star Rangers' most nefarious and strongest foe. Depicted as an attractive woman in a long dress and partial rabbit costume, she wields a large wooden mallet and displays excellent attack skills.

Pink Star

A friend of Hell's Bunny in real life. Before meeting Miki, she was not used to using too much force, probably due to a lack of confidence. Her attack, Star Light Knee had the power of a person's poke. Later she gained confidence due to Miki and used more strength in her knee attack.

Music

Opening theme

"Wild Spice" by Masami Okui
Masami Okui
is a Rock/Pop/Anison singer who was born in Itami, Hyōgo, Japan. She began her professional musical career at age 21 as a concert backup singer.From almost the very beginning of her career, Masami has sung themes for anime TV and movies...

Ending theme

"Muteki na smile (無敵なsmile; Invincible smile)" by Naozumi Takahashi
Naozumi Takahashi
is a Japanese voice actor.He released the two popular singles Soshite Omae ni Deaeta Dake De and Muteki na Smile. Naozumi's single Ashita No Kioku was used as an opening theme for Black Hood Brothers.- Anime :* Bunta Marui in The Prince of Tennis...

Episodes

#	Title	Original air date