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True Tears (anime)
Encyclopedia
True Tears is a Japanese anime
television series produced by P.A. Works
and directed by Junji Nishimura
. The anime aired in Japan on the TV Kanagawa television network between January 6, 2008 and March 30, 2008, containing thirteen episodes. The anime shares almost nothing in common with the visual novel of the same name
that preceded it, using an entirely different story with different characters, and a different art style. An Internet radio
show hosted by three voice actresses
from the anime was also produced to promote the anime. The anime has been released by Bandai Entertainment in an English subtitle-only box set. A Blu-ray box set released in Japan contained an extra three-minute epilogue.
shop Aiko's family owns, and she helps out at the shop too.
The opening video of the anime contains shots of the Tateyama mountain
range in Toyama Prefecture
, Japan, and is where the series is set. Incidentally, the animation studio which produced the anime, P.A. Works, is located in Jōhana, Toyama
, and places in the series are modeled after that town. However, the town in True Tears faces the sea, and in reality Jōhana is inland. The seaside was modeled after Himi, Toyama
, the shopping centered from Toyama, Toyama
, and Aiko's shop the fountain in the park were modeled from Takaoka, Toyama
. Furthermore, three surnames used in the series—Isurugi
, Kurobe
, and Takaoka
—are place names in Toyama Prefecture.
television series True Tears is directed by Junji Nishimura
and produced by P.A. Works
, Lantis
, and Bandai Visual
, with the animation and music produced by P.A. Works and Lantis respectively. The anime shares its title with the visual novel
True Tears
by La'cryma
, but uses an entirely different story with different characters, and a different art style. The series aired between January 6, 2008 and March 30, 2008 on TV Kanagawa in Japan, although a special preview of the first episode was shown on January 4, 2008 on BS11 Digital. The anime also aired at later dates on Chiba TV
, Kansai TV, Kids Station
, Tōkai TV
, TV Saitama, and BS11 Digital. Thirteen episodes aired on the aforementioned networks. A DVD compilation, containing the first episode of the anime, was released on March 25, 2008 in Japan.
The anime was licensed by Bandai Visual for English language
localization, but the release was delayed. After Bandai Visual USA folded into Bandai Entertainment, the True Tears anime will be released in a thirteen-episode subtitle-only box set. A Blu-ray Disc
box set to be released in Japan will contain an extra three-minute epilogue to the series to unveil the future of the main characters after the anime's conclusion.
Three pieces of theme music
are used for the anime; one opening theme, one ending theme, and one insert song. The opening theme is by Eufonius
, the ending theme is Aira Yūki
's , and the insert song, used in episode ten, is by Eufonius. A single for "Reflectier" was released on January 23, 2008, and a single for "Sekai no Namida" was released on February 6, 2008. The anime's original soundtrack was released on February 27, 2008 and an image song
album entitled Tears...for truth containing the insert song was released on April 16, 2008.
show called , hosted by Charradio, was broadcast between December 7, 2007 and December 28, 2007 containing four episodes. The following week, the show was transferred over to Beat Net Radio!, and began weekly broadcasts every Friday starting on January 4, 2008. It has three hosts — Ayahi Takagaki
, Kaori Nazuka
, and Yuka Iguchi
, who played Noe Isurugi, Hiromi Yuasa, and Aiko Endō in the anime respectively — and was produced by Bandai Visual
and Lantis
. There are three corners on the show, which is used mainly to promote the anime version. Makoto Ishii
, who played Shin'ichirō in the anime, appeared on the show as a guest for the seventh and eighth broadcasts, and the anime's director Junji Nishimura
was a guest for the ninth episode.
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....
television series produced by P.A. Works
P.A. Works
is a Japanese animation studio established on November 10, 2000 and is located in Nanto, Toyama, Japan. The company's president and founder Kenji Horikawa once worked for Tatsunoko Production, Production I.G, and Bee Train before forming P.A. Works in 2000...
and directed by Junji Nishimura
Junji Nishimura
is a male Japanese animation director and producer from Yobuko, Saga, Japan, though currently resides in Karatsu, Saga. After graduating from Meiji Gakuin University in 1980, Nishimura entered into the anime studio Nishiko Production...
. The anime aired in Japan on the TV Kanagawa television network between January 6, 2008 and March 30, 2008, containing thirteen episodes. The anime shares almost nothing in common with the visual novel of the same name
True Tears
is a Japanese visual novel developed by La'cryma, a collaboration between Broccoli, Circus, GameCrab and Rei Izumi, and was originally released on March 31, 2006 for the PC as a DVD in Japan rated for everyone, followed by a Hong Kong and Taiwanese release on March 31, 2007...
that preceded it, using an entirely different story with different characters, and a different art style. An Internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
show hosted by three voice actresses
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
from the anime was also produced to promote the anime. The anime has been released by Bandai Entertainment in an English subtitle-only box set. A Blu-ray box set released in Japan contained an extra three-minute epilogue.
Plot
True Tears revolves around a high school student named Shin'ichirō Nakagami with a high artistic ability. He lives with his mother, father, and fellow high school student Hiromi Yuasa who moved into his house after her father died. Her father had been a close friend of the family, so it was natural for Hiromi to come stay with the Nakagami family; one year has passed since she came to live in their home. Shin'ichirō has known Hiromi for years, but before he had always treasured her smile, though now she acts coldly when at home and he cannot bring up the nerve to talk with her either. When she is at school, Hiromi is popular, always smiles, and is talented in sports, but Shin'ichirō knows she must be hiding things inside her. At school, he meets a strange girl named Noe Isurugi who wishes him misfortune after Shin'ichirō teases her. After a bit of bad luck, he reconciles with Noe by crafting a chicken out of a tissue box, and he finds out from her that she "gave her tears away". Shin'ichirō also likes to spend time with his childhood friends Miyokichi Nobuse and Aiko Endō at the ImagawayakiImagawayaki
is a Japanese dessert often found at festivals, also eaten in Taiwan . It is made of batter in a special pan , and filled with sweet azuki bean paste, although it is becoming increasingly popular to use a wider variety of fillings such as vanilla custard, different fruit...
shop Aiko's family owns, and she helps out at the shop too.
The opening video of the anime contains shots of the Tateyama mountain
Mount Tate
is located in the southeastern area of Toyama Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the tallest peaks in the Hida Mountains at and, along with Mount Fuji and Mount Haku, it is one of Japan's . The climbing season for Mount Tate is from April until November. It was first climbed by Saeki no Ariyori...
range in Toyama Prefecture
Toyama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Toyama.Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity due to abundant water resources....
, Japan, and is where the series is set. Incidentally, the animation studio which produced the anime, P.A. Works, is located in Jōhana, Toyama
Johana, Toyama
Jōhana was a town located in Higashitonami District, Toyama, Japan.On November 1, 2004 Jōhana was merged with the towns of Fukuno and Inami, the villages of Inokuchi, Kamitaira, Taira and Toga, all from Higashitonami District, and the town of Fukumitsu, from Nishitonami District, to form the new...
, and places in the series are modeled after that town. However, the town in True Tears faces the sea, and in reality Jōhana is inland. The seaside was modeled after Himi, Toyama
Himi, Toyama
is a city located in Toyama, Japan.As of June 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 52,721, with 17,331 households and the population density of 228.80 persons per km². The total area is 230.47 km².The city was founded on August 1, 1952....
, the shopping centered from Toyama, Toyama
Toyama, Toyama
is the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about 200 km north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km northwest of Tokyo....
, and Aiko's shop the fountain in the park were modeled from Takaoka, Toyama
Takaoka, Toyama
is a city situated in the northwest of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, and is the central city of its Western District. Takaoka covers the 8th largest surface area in Toyama prefecture and has the second largest population after Toyama City...
. Furthermore, three surnames used in the series—Isurugi
Isurugi Station
is a train station in Oyabe, Toyama Prefecture, Japan.-Adjacent stations:...
, Kurobe
Kurobe, Toyama
is a city located in Toyama, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 42,612 and the density of 99.9 persons per km². The total area is 426.34 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1954...
, and Takaoka
Takaoka, Toyama
is a city situated in the northwest of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, and is the central city of its Western District. Takaoka covers the 8th largest surface area in Toyama prefecture and has the second largest population after Toyama City...
—are place names in Toyama Prefecture.
Characters
- Shin'ichirō is a male high school student who enjoys drawing, and even starts working on a picture bookPicture bookA picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. The images in picture books use a range of media such as oil paints, acrylics, watercolor and pencil.Two of the earliest books with something like the format picture books still retain now...
. He lives with his mother, father, and childhood friend Hiromi Yuasa. She used to smile around him, though does not anymore when at home. Shin'ichirō longs to see her smile again which he loved so much as a kid. He is living a relatively normal life until he meets a strange girl named Noe Isurugi who curses him with misfortune after he teases her a bit, though he reconciles with her soon after. Shin'ichirō is frustrated by not being able to see emotion from Hiromi, and other pressures from his family, such as a traditional Japanese dance he does not want to practice. However, he eventually gives in to practicing hard for the dance due to comments made by Noe. Shin'ichirō receives much confidence from Noe, and even goes out with her for a short time, but in the end he and Hiromi start a relationship.
- Noe Isurugi is an odd girl at Shin'ichirō's school. He first meets her up in a tree where she is picking silverberries for a chicken she named Raigomaru in a coop on a campus. Shin'ichirō ends up having to catch her as she jumps from the tree since she was stuck and could not get down on her own. She likes chickens, though would only feed one of them since she says "it could fly" while the other cannot. After the chicken gets killed by a raccoonRaccoon DogThe raccoon dog , also known as the magnut or tanuki, is a canid indigenous to east Asia. It is the only extant species in the genus Nyctereutes...
, Noe becomes saddened, but does not cry because she "gave away her tears". She later explains that after her grandmother died, she was unable to cry anymore due to her grandmother telling her that when she dies she will take Noe's tears away with her. Noe has an older brother, Jun, who is a basketball team captain at another high school. Noe is known to have a frank personality and speaks honestly to other people. She seems to be able to judge people's feelings to a certain extent.
- Hiromi is a girl Shin'ichirō's age and goes to the same high school as him. After her father died, she came to live with Shin'ichirō's family and has already been living with them for a year when the story begins. She has been in the same class as Shin'ichirō since elementary school, though despite being cheerful back then, she now acts cold when living at his home. In contrast, she normally smiles and is popular at school. She often helps out with Shin'ichirō's father's work as they are low on man power. She is a very good player on her school's girl's basketball team and is number six. It is clear that Hiromi has feelings for Shin'ichirō, but she decided to lock these feelings inside when she began living with Shin'ichirō. It is suggested that she hides these feelings because Shin'ichirō's mother told her, prior to the start of the story, that Shin'ichirō is her brother, which is later proven false.
- Aiko is a girl one year older than Shin'ichirō who attends a different school than he does. She is going out with his friend Miyokichi Nobuse, but instead has feelings for Shin'ichirō. Aiko continuously tries to get closer with Shin'ichirō, such as asking him to go shopping with her instead of Miyokichi, and when out with Miyokichi she does not have the same vigor as when she is just with Shin'ichirō. Aiko has known Shin'ichirō since they were kids, and was introduced to Miyokichi through Shin'ichirō. She helps out at her family's ImagawayakiImagawayakiis a Japanese dessert often found at festivals, also eaten in Taiwan . It is made of batter in a special pan , and filled with sweet azuki bean paste, although it is becoming increasingly popular to use a wider variety of fillings such as vanilla custard, different fruit...
shop named Imagawayaki Ai-chan. She is shorter than Shin'ichirō, and enjoys teasing him from time to time.
- Miyokichi is Shin'ichirō's good friend, and has known him since they were kids. They hang out together at school, and Miyokichi often brings up the fact that Shin'ichirō has an eye out for Hiromi when at school. Shin'ichirō introduced Miyokichi to Aiko which eventually led to Miyokichi asking out Aiko, and she agreed, though it is apparent that she agreed reluctantly. He did not seem to notice that Aiko has feelings for Shin'ichirō until she revealed it to him in a subtle way. In the end, Aiko wanted to start all over again with Miyokichi.
- Tomoyo is Hiromi's friend whom she often hangs out with and fellow member of the girl's basketball team. She is sure that Hiromi likes Shin'ichirō, but Hiromi constantly denies it. When Hiromi is troubled by something, Tomoyo worries about her.
- He is Shin'ichirō's father and was good friends with Hiromi's father. After Hiromi's father died, he took her in. Unlike his wife, he respects his son's privacy and lets him do as he wishes, saying that "Shin'ichirō is Shin'ichirō". Furthermore, he considers Hiromi to be a member of the family and does not treat her badly like his wife.
- She is Shin'ichirō's mother; she likes to do what she thinks is best for her son, and tries to look after him. She has been known to read his mail if she deems necessary and often bugs him about things at school, or if his jacket smells. She takes favor over Shin'ichirō and does not consider Hiromi her child. She often shows hostile attitudes to Hiromi, and this has made her distant from her son. Eventually, she reconciles with Hiromi and tells her that she made up the story about Hiromi being her husband's child.
- Jun is Noe's older brother. He is the captain of the basketball team at his school and is number four in his team. He is shown to have more feelings for Noe than just a normal sibling's relationship. He asks Shin'ichirō to ask Noe out, but Shin'ichirō merely gets annoyed at him. However, when Shin'ichirō requests that Jun go out with Hiromi in return for going out with his sister Noe, he agrees immediately. He does not hold any feelings for Hiromi, and is merely acting to make Noe happy.
- Rumi is the captain of the girl's basketball team that Hiromi and Tomoyo play on.
Production
The animatedAnime
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 True Tears is directed by Junji Nishimura
Junji Nishimura
is a male Japanese animation director and producer from Yobuko, Saga, Japan, though currently resides in Karatsu, Saga. After graduating from Meiji Gakuin University in 1980, Nishimura entered into the anime studio Nishiko Production...
and produced by P.A. Works
P.A. Works
is a Japanese animation studio established on November 10, 2000 and is located in Nanto, Toyama, Japan. The company's president and founder Kenji Horikawa once worked for Tatsunoko Production, Production I.G, and Bee Train before forming P.A. Works in 2000...
, Lantis
Lantis (company)
is a Japanese company that specializes as a music publisher label for Japanese musicians, anime soundtracks and video game soundtracks. It was established on November 26, 1999, and in May 2006, it was bought by, and became a subsidiary of, Bandai Visual...
, and Bandai Visual
Bandai Visual
, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...
, with the animation and music produced by P.A. Works and Lantis respectively. The anime shares its title with the visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
True Tears
True Tears
is a Japanese visual novel developed by La'cryma, a collaboration between Broccoli, Circus, GameCrab and Rei Izumi, and was originally released on March 31, 2006 for the PC as a DVD in Japan rated for everyone, followed by a Hong Kong and Taiwanese release on March 31, 2007...
by La'cryma
La'cryma
La'cryma is a Japanese based video game developer that specializes in the development of visual novels. La'cryma was at first created as a collaboration between visual novel studios Broccoli, Circus, GameCrab, and Japanese illustrator Rei Izumi to develop the visual novel title True Tears...
, but uses an entirely different story with different characters, and a different art style. The series aired between January 6, 2008 and March 30, 2008 on TV Kanagawa in Japan, although a special preview of the first episode was shown on January 4, 2008 on BS11 Digital. The anime also aired at later dates on Chiba TV
Chiba TV
, doing business as , is a Japanese commercial terrestrial television broadcasting company headquartered at 11-25 Miyako-chō 1-chōme, Chūō-ku, Chiba serving Chiba Prefecture but spill-over is received in the neibouring prefectures. It is a member of the Japanese Association of Independent...
, Kansai TV, Kids Station
Kids Station
Kids Station is a Japanese children's television channel showing animation and other cartoon material. Kids Station also airs some anime aimed at adults during the night, such as Narutaru, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Genshiken, Kujibiki Unbalance and "Rosario + Vampire". It is broadcast on...
, Tōkai TV
Tokai Television Broadcasting
Tokai Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd. is a TV station affiliated with Fuji News Network and Fuji Network System , serving in Aichi Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, and Mie Prefecture, Japan.-Offices:*the Headquarters - 14-27, Higashi-Sakura Itchome, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture,...
, TV Saitama, and BS11 Digital. Thirteen episodes aired on the aforementioned networks. A DVD compilation, containing the first episode of the anime, was released on March 25, 2008 in Japan.
The anime was licensed by Bandai Visual for English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
localization, but the release was delayed. After Bandai Visual USA folded into Bandai Entertainment, the True Tears anime will be released in a thirteen-episode subtitle-only box set. A Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
box set to be released in Japan will contain an extra three-minute epilogue to the series to unveil the future of the main characters after the anime's conclusion.
Three pieces of theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
are used for the anime; one opening theme, one ending theme, and one insert song. The opening theme is by Eufonius
Eufonius
Eufonius is a Japanese progressive rock music group which debuted on October 11, 2003 with the release of their first album Eufonius which was also an independent release. The band has produced songs for various anime and video games, such as Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl, Himawari!, Noein, True...
, the ending theme is Aira Yūki
Aira Yuki
is a female Japanese singer attached to record label Lantis and belongs to the Space Craft Group agency. She began her career in 2007 and since then has primarily sung songs that were used for theme music in anime. She has put out seven singles and released her debut album Reflection on July 2,...
's , and the insert song, used in episode ten, is by Eufonius. A single for "Reflectier" was released on January 23, 2008, and a single for "Sekai no Namida" was released on February 6, 2008. The anime's original soundtrack was released on February 27, 2008 and an image song
Image song
An image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album for an anime, game or dorama that is usually sung by the seiyū or actor of a character, in character...
album entitled Tears...for truth containing the insert song was released on April 16, 2008.
Internet radio show
An Internet radioInternet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
show called , hosted by Charradio, was broadcast between December 7, 2007 and December 28, 2007 containing four episodes. The following week, the show was transferred over to Beat Net Radio!, and began weekly broadcasts every Friday starting on January 4, 2008. It has three hosts — Ayahi Takagaki
Ayahi Takagaki
is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She had her first major voice acting roles in 2007, voicing Jasmine in Deltora Quest and Lucia Nahashi in Venus Versus Virus....
, Kaori Nazuka
Kaori Nazuka
is a freelance voice actress and singer. She is a graduate of the Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music. She also announced that she got married in February 2011.-TV anime:1999:*Ojarumaru...
, and Yuka Iguchi
Yuka Iguchi
is a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo, Japan. She is affiliated with Office Osawa.-Anime:*Bakemonogatari *Bokurano *Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai *C³ *Canvas 2...
, who played Noe Isurugi, Hiromi Yuasa, and Aiko Endō in the anime respectively — and was produced by Bandai Visual
Bandai Visual
, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...
and Lantis
Lantis (company)
is a Japanese company that specializes as a music publisher label for Japanese musicians, anime soundtracks and video game soundtracks. It was established on November 26, 1999, and in May 2006, it was bought by, and became a subsidiary of, Bandai Visual...
. There are three corners on the show, which is used mainly to promote the anime version. Makoto Ishii
Makoto Ishii
is a male Japanese voice actor from Chiba Prefecture. He is currently affiliated with Mausu Promotion.-Television animation:*Black Jack *Fafner in the Azure *Futakoi...
, who played Shin'ichirō in the anime, appeared on the show as a guest for the seventh and eighth broadcasts, and the anime's director Junji Nishimura
Junji Nishimura
is a male Japanese animation director and producer from Yobuko, Saga, Japan, though currently resides in Karatsu, Saga. After graduating from Meiji Gakuin University in 1980, Nishimura entered into the anime studio Nishiko Production...
was a guest for the ninth episode.