Nichijou
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese comedy
manga
by . The manga began serialization in the December 2006 issue of Kadokawa Shoten
's manga magazine Shōnen Ace
, and was also serialized in Comptiq
between the March 2007 and July 2008 issues. An anime
adaptation by Kyoto Animation
aired in Japan between April and September 2011. A PlayStation Portable
game by Vridge and Kadokawa Games was released in July 2011.
series written and illustrated by Keiichi Arawi. Originally, the manga was meant to be a short, stand-alone series which was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten
's Shōnen Ace
magazine between the May and October 2006 issues. Starting with the December 2006 issue, the manga began regular serialization in Shōnen Ace, and was also serialized in Kadokawa's Comptiq
magazine between the March 2007 and July 2008 issues. The first tankōbon
volume was released in Japan on July 26, 2007; as of October 2011, seven volumes have been published. The manga uses a combination of normal comic format and four-panel
comic strip
s. Bandai Entertainment will release the manga.
television series produced by Kyoto Animation
and directed by Tatsuya Ishihara
aired in Japan on Chiba TV from April 3 to September 25, 2011 and was also simulcasted by Crunchyroll
under the name My Ordinary Life. Prior to the airing of the anime series, an original video animation
episode, titled "Nichijou Episode 0", shipped with the sixth manga volume on March 12, 2011. Bandai Entertainment has licensed the anime.
(episodes 1–6, 8–13) by Hyadain (episodes 14–16, 18-23, 25)
Ending themes
Insert songs: by Miyuki Nakajima
(episode 19)
video game titled developed by Vridge and published by Kadokawa Shoten
was released on July 28, 2011.
Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network
reviewed the first seven episodes and gave it a B, calling the anime a "slice-of-life comedy with a penchant for lunacy and a taste for huggable cuteness; a rare chance to see talented animators fully indulging their love of the art."
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
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...
by . The manga began serialization in the December 2006 issue of Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
's manga magazine Shōnen Ace
Shonen Ace
is a monthly shōnen manga magazine in Japan published by Kadokawa Shoten, started in 1994. Unlike the big shōnen weeklies with circulation figures in the millions, Ace is aimed at a less mainstream audience, and has a particular emphasis on anime tie-ins...
, and was also serialized in Comptiq
Comptiq
is a Japanese computer game magazine, first published in 1983, by Kadokawa Shoten. The name "Comptiq" came from combining the words "computer" and "boutique". Originally a PC magazine, its focus shifted from computers to computer games. As of September 2003, it has been known as a "MediaMix Game...
between the March 2007 and July 2008 issues. An 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....
adaptation by Kyoto Animation
Kyoto Animation
, abbreviated , is a Japanese animation studio located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1981, became a limited company in 1985 and then became a corporation in 1999. Presided by Hideaki Hatta, the company is affiliated with noted studio Sunrise and is also parent to the studio...
aired in Japan between April and September 2011. A PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
game by Vridge and Kadokawa Games was released in July 2011.
Plot
The series follows the lives of a group of high school students and their school. Various oddities and absurdities abound, such as a robotic girl made by a scientist who is an eight-year-old girl, a boy who rides a goat to school with his butler, a girl who can procure various guns out of thin air, a cat that can speak and a principal who has wrestled a deer. Despite its bizarre settings and characters, the students still lead normal lives.Main characters
- Yūko is an energetic high school girl with short brown hair. One of her negative sides is that she is often too lazy to do her own homework and always copies from either Mio or Mai. She knows that Nano is a robot, but never tells anybody about it. While generally easygoing, her mood will instantly change if someone calls her an idiot repeatedly. Her nickname is .
- Mio is bright and cheerful girl sporting light blue hair and pigtails held by two small wooden cubes. She has a crush on Kōjirō. She is more 'normal' in contrast to her friend Yūko and often has to humor her to make her happy. She is also a talented manga artist who will occasionally draw dubious pictures of Kōjirō in her notebooks particularly yaoiYaoiIn careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by...
.
- Mai is a rather quiet girl who is very intelligent. She is seen to be multi-talented, excelling at using projectiles, fishing, wood carving and arm wrestling. In contrast to her looks she has a rather eccentric sense of humor, often frustrating her friends with her pranks. She has two pet dogs who also share their master's sense of humor.
- Nano is a robotic schoolgirl that was built by the Professor. She often worries about keeping her identity as a robot from other people, despite the fact everyone already knows about it due to the noticeable wind-up key exposed on her back. Her limbs will sometimes fall apart, revealing dubious items that the Professor has installed without her noticing, ranging from bean firing weapons to Swiss rolls. She's the Professor's caretaker and also takes care of all the house chores.
- The Professor is an eight-year-old genius scientist who created Nano, often making various adjustments to her without her noticing but refusing to remove the obvious wind-up key from her back on the grounds that it is cute. Despite her intellect, she still acts like any child of her age. Her favorite animal is the shark. She does not go to school—apparently because she has already graduated—and instead spends her days playing around in the house. Her name is never mentioned, but her family name is apparently Shinonome.
- Sakamoto is a black cat which wears a scarf created by the Professor which allows him to speak. As in cat yearsCat yearsThe life expectancy of a cat is typically 12-15 years. However, a cat kept indoors may live to at least 21 years. This compares to a world average for humans of 67.2 years. A one-year-old cat may be compared to a 15-year-old-human. This proportion narrows as the cat gets older so that when the cat...
he is 20 years old—older than both Nano and the Professor—he speaks in a condescending tone towards them and tries to act like the adult of the house, though to his shame he occasionally succumbs to his cat-like habits. His original name was Taisho and was once Ms. Nakamura's pet cat.
Teachers
- A young, constantly flustered and easily frightened teacher. She tries to enforce the school rules, but is typically unable to accomplish much.
- A male teacher who has romantic feelings for Izumi but is unable to tell her as he thinks too much and is shy to admit it.
- The bald Principal at the school where the story is set. While known for his old jokes and puns, unknown to most, he is a talented wrestler.
- A science teacher who is fixated on Nano's robotic nature. She constantly schemes to capture Nano for study, but her machinations invariably backfire.
Students
- A rich flamboyant high school boy who acts like an aristocrat when in reality his family are just farmers. He likes to ride his goat to school and is often seen with his butler.
- A peach haired high school girl who generally acts as a tsukkomi towards Kōjirō whenever he does anything to annoy her. Misato, however, does this by shooting him with various guns and heavy weaponry that come out of nowhereMagic satchelMagic satchel is a term often used in reference to computer role-playing games. It refers to the use of a character's inventory in the game, which can often contain more items than is physically possible for the character to carry without any visible means to hold or transport them.A similar...
, which he miraculously survives despite being injured. In reality Misato has feelings for Kōjirō, but due to her tsundereTsundereis a Japanese character development process that describes a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time. The word is derived from the terms , meaning to turn away in disgust, and meaning to become 'lovey dovey'...
attitude, she constantly denies her feelings or shoots Kōjirō if he annoys her.
- A student with a natural mohawk which he detests. Tsuyoshi wants to be scientist in the future and thus doesn't believe in the supernatural.
- A girl with a large ribbon on her head. She unfortunately sometimes runs into crazy individuals much to her confusion. She likes to read manga.
- A brown-haired boy who is the president of the go-soccer club. His rich father is the president of Daiku Industries.
- A quiet girl who is a member of the go-soccer club.
- Izumi's younger brother who joins the go-soccer club.
- A boy with a large black afro.
- Misato's classmate who has a ponytail. Her real name is unknown.
- Misato's classmate. Ends her sentences with "fe". Her real name is unknown.
- Misato's younger sister and a kendo student.
Other characters
- Mio's easy going older sister who goes to college. She likes to wear costumes and often plays pranks on others. She is also Misato and Mihoshi's senior in kendoKendo, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
, a sport she is naturally talented at.
Manga
Nichijou began as a mangaManga
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 written and illustrated by Keiichi Arawi. Originally, the manga was meant to be a short, stand-alone series which was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
's Shōnen Ace
Shonen Ace
is a monthly shōnen manga magazine in Japan published by Kadokawa Shoten, started in 1994. Unlike the big shōnen weeklies with circulation figures in the millions, Ace is aimed at a less mainstream audience, and has a particular emphasis on anime tie-ins...
magazine between the May and October 2006 issues. Starting with the December 2006 issue, the manga began regular serialization in Shōnen Ace, and was also serialized in Kadokawa's Comptiq
Comptiq
is a Japanese computer game magazine, first published in 1983, by Kadokawa Shoten. The name "Comptiq" came from combining the words "computer" and "boutique". Originally a PC magazine, its focus shifted from computers to computer games. As of September 2003, it has been known as a "MediaMix Game...
magazine between the March 2007 and July 2008 issues. The first tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volume was released in Japan on July 26, 2007; as of October 2011, seven volumes have been published. The manga uses a combination of normal comic format and four-panel
Yonkoma
thumb|right|150px|Traditional Yonkoma layout, a comic-strip format, generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
s. Bandai Entertainment will release the manga.
Anime
A 26-episode animeAnime
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....
television series produced by Kyoto Animation
Kyoto Animation
, abbreviated , is a Japanese animation studio located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1981, became a limited company in 1985 and then became a corporation in 1999. Presided by Hideaki Hatta, the company is affiliated with noted studio Sunrise and is also parent to the studio...
and directed by Tatsuya Ishihara
Tatsuya Ishihara
is a Japanese anime director from Maizuru, Kyoto working for the Japanese animation studio Kyoto Animation.-Series directed:*Air Series Director*Aka-chan to Boku*Clannad *Fushigi Yuugi...
aired in Japan on Chiba TV from April 3 to September 25, 2011 and was also simulcasted by Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American website and international online community focused on streaming East Asian media including anime, manga, drama, music, electronic entertainment, and auto racing content...
under the name My Ordinary Life. Prior to the airing of the anime series, an original video animation
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
episode, titled "Nichijou Episode 0", shipped with the sixth manga volume on March 12, 2011. Bandai Entertainment has licensed the anime.
Theme songs
Opening themes by HyadainKenichi Maeyamada
is a Japanese composer and musician. His primary work is composing anime theme songs and for J-pop musicians. He contracts through SUPALOVE, a Japanese record label. Under the pseudonym , he has released a number of anime and video game music remixes, as well as original songs...
(episodes 1–6, 8–13) by Hyadain (episodes 14–16, 18-23, 25)
Ending themes
| Ending themes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Title | Source | Performer |
| 1, 3–5 | "Zzz" | Original song | Sayaka Sasaki |
| 2, 10–13 | "Zzz (Bossa Nova Version)" | ||
| 7–9 | "Zzz (Acappella Version)" | ||
| 14 | Folk music (A cover of the song by Akai Tori, 1971) |
||
| 15 | Chorus of elementary school students (The 41st NHK NHK NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.... All-Japan School Music Competition in 1974, a set piece of part of the elementary school) |
Nano (Shizuka Furuya) Professor (Hiromi Konno) Sakamoto (Minoru Shiraishi) |
|
| 16 | Chorus of junior high school students (publication in 1987) |
Sayaka Sasaki | |
| 17 | Chorus of elementary and junior high school students (A cover of the song by Young 101 in NHK TV program "Stage 101", 1972) |
Yukko (Mariko Honda) Mio (Mai Aizawa) Mai (Misuzu Togashi) |
|
| 18 | Folk music (A cover of the song by The New Christy Minstrels, 1963) |
Sayaka Sasaki | |
| 19 | Chorus of junior high school students | Mr.Takasaki (Tetsu Inada) Ms.Sakurai (Mami Kosuge) Ms.Nakamura (Kaoru Mizuhara) Makoto Sakurai (Takahiro Hikami) Yuria Sekiguchi (Ai Hirosaka) Annaka (Kaori Sadohara) Ogi (Ryōta Takeuchi) |
|
| 20 | Folk music (A cover of the song by Osamu Kitayama & Kazuhiko Kato Kazuhiko Kato (musician) , nicknamed , was a Japanese record producer, songwriter, and singer. He sometimes used the spelling of "Kazuhiko Katoh".As a member of the Folk Crusaders, Kato launched his recording career in the mid 1960s... , 1971) |
Sayaka Sasaki | |
| 21 | Graduation song (publication in 1965) |
Sasahara (Yoshihisa Kawahara) Misato (Chika Horikawa) Nakanojō (Kazutomi Yamamoto) Weboshi (Yōko Tamaoki) Fecchan (Yumi Higuchi) |
|
| 22 | Graduation song (The Ministry of Education's published collection of songs for elementary school students in 1884) |
Sayaka Sasaki | |
| 23 | Chorus of elementary school students (The 37th NHK All-Japan School Music Competition in 1970, a set piece of part of the elementary school) |
Professor (Hiromi Konno) Mai (Misuzu Togashi) |
|
| 24 | Chorus of elementary school students (A cover of the song by Miyako Yamada with Tokyo Broadcasting Children's Chorus Group NHK Tokyo Children's Choir NHK Tokyo Children's Choir , or NHK Tokyo Children's Chorus, is the children's choir attached to the Tokyo Broadcasting Station of the NHK - Japan Broadcasting Corporation radio-TV network... in NHK TV and radio program Minna no Uta Minna no Uta , literally Everyone's Songs, is a five minute NHK TV and radio program broadcasting several times daily since 1961. The program is generally used as filler at the end of regular television programs... , 1975) |
Sayaka Sasaki | |
| 25 | "Let's search for Tomorrow" | Chorus of junior high school students (publication in 1989) |
Yukko (Mariko Honda) Mio (Mai Aizawa) Mai (Misuzu Togashi) |
| 26 | Graduation song (publication in 1991) |
Yukko (Mariko Honda) Mio (Mai Aizawa) Mai (Misuzu Togashi) Nano (Shizuka Furuya) Professor (Hiromi Konno) Sakamoto (Minoru Shiraishi) |
Insert songs: by Miyuki Nakajima
Miyuki Nakajima
is a Japanese vocalist, guitarist, lyricist, composer and radio personality. As a principal Japanese female veteran singer-songwriter she is often compared to Yumi Matsutoya, she has released 37 studio albums, 40 singles, 2 live albums and multiple compilations to date, and whose sales have been...
(episode 19)
Video game
A PlayStation PortablePlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
video game titled developed by Vridge and published by Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
was released on July 28, 2011.
Reception
The Nichijou anime has reportedly had low BD and DVD sales, and did not come close to meeting the break even line according to animation director Shunji Suzuki. The first DVD volume sold 924 copies in its first week of sales, while the second and fourth BD volumes sold over 2,000 copies each in their first week.Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
reviewed the first seven episodes and gave it a B, calling the anime a "slice-of-life comedy with a penchant for lunacy and a taste for huggable cuteness; a rare chance to see talented animators fully indulging their love of the art."
External links
- Official website
- Nichijou: Uchuujin official website
- Keiichi Arawi's blog
- My Ordinary Life at CrunchyrollCrunchyrollCrunchyroll is an American website and international online community focused on streaming East Asian media including anime, manga, drama, music, electronic entertainment, and auto racing content...