Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
| Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches | |
|
Cover of the first volume of Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo as published by Kodansha | |
| 山田くんと７人の魔女 (Yamada-kun to 7-nin no majo) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Romantic comedy, Supernatural |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Miki Yoshikawa |
| Published by | Kodansha |
| English publisher | |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Magazine |
| Original run | February 22, 2012 – present |
| Volumes | 22 |
| Television drama | |
| Directed by | Mamoru Hoshi, Masataka Takamaru |
| Produced by | Yukiko Yanagawa |
| Written by | Shin Ogawa |
| Music by | Toshihiko Sahashi |
| Network | Fuji Television |
| Original run | August 10, 2013 – September 28, 2013 |
| Episodes | 8 |
| Original animation DVD | |
| Directed by | Tomoki Takuno |
| Written by | Michiko Yokote |
| Music by | Masaru Yokoyama |
| Studio | Liden Films |
| Released | December 17, 2014 – May 15, 2015 |
| Runtime | 30 minutes |
| Episodes | 2 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Tomoki Takuno |
| Written by | Michiko Yokote |
| Music by | Masaru Yokoyama |
| Studio | Liden Films |
| Network | Tokyo MX, ytv, TVA, TVQ, TVh, RNC, BS11 |
| Original run | April 12, 2015 – June 28, 2015 |
| Episodes | 12 |
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches (Japanese: 山田くんと７人の魔女 Hepburn: Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo) is an ongoing manga series written and illustrated by Miki Yoshikawa.[1] The series has been published by Kodansha in their Weekly Shonen Magazine since February 22, 2012. The series has been licensed in Chinese by the Taiwanese publishing company Tong Li.[2] It was adapted into a live-action television drama which aired on FujiTV from August–September 2013.[3] On October 26, 2013, Crunchyroll announced a partnership with Kodansha where it would distribute chapters digitally to 170 countries.[4] The series has been licensed for North American release by Kodansha Comics USA, who will begin releasing the series in 2015.[5] As of March 2016, the series has been compiled into 22 volumes in Japan.
Conception and development
Manga author Miki Yoshikawa's previous work, Flunk Punk Rumble ran in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 2006-2011, with a total of 211 chapters.[6] Her editor suggested for her next project that she write a one-shot for Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine. She developed two stories: a prototype story for Yamada-kun and The Demon's Classroom. The second story was initially chosen, but became difficult to run because the main character was a grade school girl. The prototype Yamada story eventually became the first chapter for Yamada-kun.[7]
In the Natalie interview, Yoshikawa said that she had thought of the body swapping idea in the Yankee-kun days, and had researched some medical books on the differences between men and women, both physically and emotionally, but generally went with it because she liked the idea. "It just kind of came to me, but I was wondering how a guy finding himself in a girl’s body would react, and the reverse".[7] She treats a body-swapped character as an entirely different character.[8] At Anime Expo 2015, she said that she initially thought about gender swapping first but later rejected that as a potential magic power.[9]
When it was noted that the main characters for both of her works were delinquents, Yoshikawa replied that those types of characters came easily for her, as she grew up in the lower end of Tokyo. The characters and their names are not based on her friends so that they can act crazy.[7] At Anime Expo 2015, she said that the characters reflect different aspects of herself. She also said that the Yamada-kun characters go to a different school from the ones in Yankee-kun but that they live in adjacent neighborhoods.[9]
With regards to drawing, she tries to vary each kiss, but mostly uses the side angle to make sure it comes through. With regards to kisses between members of the same gender, she replied that wasn't intended to target any specific demographic but just "an inevitable outcome."[7] At the time of Anime Expo, she said she had five assistants. She does her drawing by hand in black-and-white, and uses the computer for the filling in colors. She spends about half of her time on story, and the other half on actual drawing.[9]
Plot
Ryū Yamada is known as a delinquent in his high school; he has been bored of classes after one year of attending school. One day, he accidentally falls from a flight of stairs onto Urara Shiraishi, the ace student of the school. Yamada wakes up to find that he has swapped bodies with her. The two try to reverse the change and discover that kissing triggers the body swap. On the suggestion of student council vice-president Toranosuke Miyamura, they revive the Supernatural Studies club. The supernatural-phenomenon-obsessed Miyabi Itō soon joins the club. The club encounters other "witches" with different powers that are activated with a kiss. A transfer student, Kentarō Tsubaki, becomes a part of the club after nearly causing a fire to the old schoolhouse. Upon discovering the identity of the seventh witch, Yamada supposedly has his memories of the witches erased, but it instead affects the witches and the students involved. While the student council tries to impede his progress, Yamada restores the memories of the witches with a kiss, and gathers the seven witches for a ceremony where he wishes for the powers to go away. He confesses his love to Urara and they become a couple.
He is recruited to the new student council where he learns that he still has his witch copying power, but that there are more witches. Although the student council tries to shield each other from the powers while discovering and allying with the witches, they find themselves facing opposition from students controlled by the Japanese chess club, which has male students with new kinds of witch powers. The student council receives a vote of no confidence and must face a recall election. In the process of infiltrating the Japanese chess club, Yamada learns of a witch who was connected to his past. He works a deal with childhood friend-turned-rival Ushio where he wishes for his memories to return; in exchange, Ushio would take seventh witch Nancy's ability. When the Japanese chess club continues to manipulate the campaign, Yamada uses his copied seventh witch power to erase the recent events, but Ushio beats him to the punch and they are both forgotten by the students. Yamada returns to the Supernatural Studies club as the school has to deal with new witches following the new school year.
Media
Manga
The manga is written and illustrated by Miki Yoshikawa and serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine. The first chapter was published in 2012's 12th issue, released on February 22, 2012.[10] The series is also released in tankōbon volumes, the first of which was published on June 15, 2012,[11] and the latest, volume 22, on March 17, 2016.[12] On October 26, 2013, Crunchyroll announced a partnership with Kodansha where it would distribute chapters digitally to 170 countries using a new service called Crunchyroll Manga. This includes an English translated version.[4] The series is licensed for a North American release by Kodansha Comics USA, who began releasing the series in 2015.[5] In July 2015, Yoshikawa attended Anime Expo as a guest of honor where she promoted her series.[13][14]
Television drama
A live-action drama began airing on August 10, 2013 on Saturdays on FujiTV at 11:10pm.[15] It stars Yusuke Yamamoto as the title character Ryū Yamada, and Mariya Nishiuchi as Urara Shiraishi.[3] Its theme song is "Time Machine Nante Iranai" by former AKB48 headliner Atsuko Maeda. She described the song as "cheerful and fun" and hopes it will liven up the show.[16] Sponsors include Samsung, which included the show's characters in their related commercials broadcast at the time.
Drama episode list
The average rating for the series was 6.3%.[17]
| No. | Title | Director | Original airdate[17] | Rating[17] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Turnover" "Irekawari" (イレカワリ) | Mamoru Hoshi | August 10, 2013 | 6.9% |
| Ryū Yamada has a hard time at school, with lousy grades and being bored. He notices model student Urara Shiraishi as she climbs the stairs. He walks past her, but then slips and crashes into her. When he wakes up, he finds himself in her body! Yamada goes through the rest of the day as a girl, and discovers that Urara has been a victim of bullying, which he remedies. The two try to change back and discover that it was not the collision that causes the body swap but a kiss. Later on, Yamada has to pass a midterm, so he swaps with Shiraishi again, just in time for the girls' P.E. class. As Yamada (as Shiraishi) undresses, a stalker takes a picture, so he follows him and beats down the stalkers. Toranosuke Miyamura, the student council vice president, discovers the two's secret and revives the Supernatural Studies Club. | ||||
| 2 | "Tricot" "Toriko" (トリコ) | Mamoru Hoshi | August 17, 2013 | 7.3% |
| When he receives a kiss from vice-president Nene Odagiri, Yamada discovers that he has not swapped bodies. He and Miyamura try to confirm this by kissing when Miyabi Itō arrives, much to their embarrassment. The guys explain that it is an initiation for the club, so Ito surprisingly kisses Yamada. Later Miyamura and Ito find themselves idolizing and fawning over Yamada. Ito takes Yamada to a closed-off room, but they learn from Odagiri who is with Ushio Igarashi that there is a captivation power that is the cause of this. Back at their club room they experiment and learn that Yamada has the ability to copy the power. Igarashi arrives and asks for Yamada's help to kiss Odagiri as she has fallen in love with Yamada. | ||||
| 3 | "Telepathy" "Terepashī" (テレパシー) | Masataka Takamaru | August 24, 2013 | 5.2% |
| At supplementary class, Yamada meets Meiko Ōtsuka, a bespectacled girl who draws manga, and determines that she is a witch when she kisses him and does not swap bodies. Yamada shares the power with Miyamura and Ito, and discovers it is telepathy. They can hear Otsuka's thoughts as well as that of her dog, who is a pomeranian that's been styled to look like a shiba inu. Otsuka tells the gang she wants to pass the math exam so she can follow her father's footsteps in becoming a doctor, but Yamada learns she really wants to become a manga artist. The club agrees to help, but during the test, Yamada gets really sick from some cookies Otsuka baked and ruins their chances. Yamada interrupts Otsuka's meeting with her mother at an academic counseling session so that Otsuka can reveal her true aspirations. | ||||
| 4 | "Trauma" "Torauma" (トラウマ) | Mamoru Hoshi | August 31, 2013 | 5.7% |
| Yamada tries to kiss Noa Takigawa but is rejected. They learn that she is a former child actor. They tail her and her associates, but are unable to discover anything. When the council receives reports involving students being pelted with paint balloons, Yamada tries to tail Noa as she may be the next victim. After he kicks off a balloon, he and the club capture Noa's three associates. Noa kisses Yamada, who learns that her power is to discover someone's past trauma. While resolving Noa's issues with her past, Yamada realizes he should reconcile with Ushio regarding their broken friendship. | ||||
| 5 | "Miraitoushi" (ミライトウシ) | Masataka Takamaru | September 7, 2013 | 6.9% |
| Yamada quickly learns that Maria Takayama is a witch whose power is to see a glimpse someone's future when she kisses someone. He and the club go on a summer beach trip, but Yamada has beach cleaning duties there. Maria explains her situation to Yamada and friends but when she accidentally kisses him, she and Yamada get a vision of Shiraishi lying prone on the floor at the bottom of some stairs with a pool of blood, so Yamada rushes everyone home. They try to prevent the accident from happening, but the vision does not change, and more things begin to fall into place. | ||||
| 6 | "Invisible Man" "Tōmei ningen" (トウメイ人間) | Mamoru Hoshi | September 14, 2013 | 6.3% |
| Yamada learns of a "witch killer", that is, someone who can take away a witch's power. He tries to get further information from the student council president Haruma Yamazaki, but his secretary, Mikoto Asuka captures and ties Yamada up. He learns that Asuka is a witch who becomes invisible to whomever she kisses. Shiraishi and Itō talk with Asuka and learn about her background: that she does not like being stared at by guys, so she learns martial arts. Meanwhile, Miyamura distracts Yamazaki so that Yamada can check the office for the notebook. When student council exec Isobe arrives, Yamada swaps places with him. They learn that Yamazaki likes Asuka because she is willing to do anything for him. When told this, Asuka sneaks a kiss on Yamazaki but they discover she does not turn invisible to him, which makes him the witch killer. After an inadvertent kiss by Sarushima, Yamada gets a vision where Shiraishi sadly follows Isobe; he freaks out when he realizes he is in love with her. | ||||
| 7 | "Memory Operation" "Kiokusousa" (キオクソウサ) | Masataka Takamaru | September 21, 2013 | 6.6% |
| Ito and Shiraishi come across an embarrassing picture on Miyamura's phone. Ito suspects that he is a double agent. Yamazaki reveals that he will select his successor by whoever can bring him the seventh witch. Yamada and Shiraishi try a body swap to get information from Miyamura but it does not work as he can easily see through it. Miyamura later reveals the truth behind his participation in the club: his sister Leona had her memories erased by the seventh witch, who happens to be a girl that Shiriashi encounters Rika Saionji. Rika explains that she and Leona used to be friends and discovered the notebooks concerning the witches, but when she kisses Leona, she makes her forget. She agrees to help the club, and reveals the ripped page from the volume. Yamada and the gang learn that there is a ritual when all seven witches are gathered, but the data is in the final volume, which is mysteriously delivered to their club, swiped from the president's desk. | ||||
| 8 | "Witch sealed" "Majo fūin" (魔女封印) | Mamoru Hoshi | September 28, 2013 | 5.5% |
| Yamada and the club try to gather the seven witch girls in order to conduct the ritual that will grant them a wish. At first, only half of the girls agree to do it, but the others eventually join. During the actual ritual, Saionji feels chilly and wishes for panties, but that becomes the final wish, and that they won't have another chance until the next year. They come up with an idea: Yamada can get the witch killing power by kissing the president, and cancel all the powers. However when he kisses Saionji, he will forget everything concerning the witches. He decides to do it anyway. Shiraishi feels sad that he does not remember but realizes she loves him so she confesses to him. He ignores her but she follows him and they fall down the stairs. Yamada begins to remember and finds Shiraishi and they kiss. | ||||
Anime
An animated promotional video (PV) was released by Liden Films on August 26, 2013.[18] The video was directed by Seiki Takuno. Ryu Yamada was voiced by Ryōta Ōsaka, and Urara Shiraishi was voiced by Saori Hayami.Ch. 74 interview In June 2014, Liden Films launched a website with news that it would be producing an original anime DVD (OAD).[19] The OAD has two installments: the first was released on December 17, 2014 bundled with the manga volume 15, and the second is bundled with volume 17 for May 15, 2015. They were advertised as featuring all seven witches as well as hot springs scenes.[20]
In November 2014, Liden films announced plans to produce a TV series with the voice characters to reprise their roles from the OAD project. The director is Tomoki Takuno, who did IDOLM@STER: XENOGLOSSIA, Love Live! School Idol Project, and the assistant director is Fumiaki Usui. The series writer is Michiko Yokote, and the chief animation director and character designer is Eriko Iida. Sound is being directed by Yota Tsuruoka and music composed by Masaru Yokoyama.[20]
A 12-episode anime adaptation produced by Liden Films and directed by Tomoki Takuno aired in Japan between April 12 and June 28, 2015. The opening theme song is "Kuchizuke Diamond" (くちづけDiamond) by WEAVER and the ending theme song is "CANDY MAGIC" by みみめめMIMI.
OAD
| No. | Title | Original airdate[20] |
|---|---|---|
| OAD 1 | "Second Coming of the Suzaku Fest: A Hot Springs Resort! Everyone Gather Up!" "Mō hitotsu no Suzaku-sai onsen gasshukuda yo! ? Zen'in shūgō!" (もうひとつの朱雀祭 温泉合宿だよ!? 全員集合ッ!) | December 17, 2014 |
| OAD 2 | "Another of the Suzaku Festival: Sing! Dance! Supernatural Studies Club!" "Mō hitotsu no Suzaku-sai utae! Odore! Chōjō genshō kenkyū-bu!" (もうひとつの朱雀祭 歌え！踊れ！超常現象研究部！) | May 15, 2015 |
Anime episode list
| No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "I've Turned Into Her" "Aitsu ni nattenja nee ka!" (アイツになってんじゃねーかぁぁッ!) | April 12, 2015 |
| 2 | "Kiss Me, Okay" "Ore to kisu-shina" (俺とキスしな) | April 19, 2015 |
| 3 | "Will You Accept? Or Won't You?" "Ukeru? Soretomo Ukenai?" (受ける？それとも受けない？) | April 26, 2015 |
| 4 | "It Looks Like I've Fallen For Yamada!" "Yamada no koto ga suki ni natta mitai!" (山田のことが好きになったみたい！) | May 3, 2015 |
| 5 | "You Mustn't Kiss Her, Okay?" "Kisu Shicha Dame yo?" (キスしちゃダメよ？) | May 10, 2015 |
| 6 | "Respond!" "Ōtō seyo !" (応答せよっ！) | May 17, 2015 |
| 7 | "Anything but Tempura!" "Tenpura dake wa yamete kure!" (天ぷらだけはやめてくれぇ！) | May 24, 2015 |
| 8 | "You're So Annoying" "Chō Uzain'dakedo" (超ウザイんだけど) | May 31, 2015 |
| 9 | "I'll Definitely Change the Future" "Kanarazu Mirai wo Kaete" (必ず未来を変えて) | June 7, 2015 |
| 10 | "Please Go Out With Me" "Ore to tsukiatte kudasai" (俺と付き合ってください) | June 14, 2015 |
| 11 | "What did you do with Shiraishi" "Anata wa Shiroishi de nani o shimashita" (あなたは白石で何をしました) | June 21, 2015 |
| 12 | "I Love You, Shiraishi!" "Ore wa Shiraishi ga sukida!" (俺は白石が好きだ！) | June 28, 2015 |
Works cited
- ^ "Ch." is shortened form for chapter and refers to a chapter number of the Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches manga by Miki Yoshikawa. Original Japanese version published by Kodansha. English version published by Crunchyroll Manga.
- 山田くんと７人の魔女 ― スポニチ (Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches) drama, 2013, 8 episodes. (Japanese)
References
- ↑ 山田くんと７人の魔女 (in Japanese). Kodansha Web. August 21, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- ↑ "Tong Li's Chinese catalog" (in Chinese). Retrieved August 22, 2013.
- 1 2 "Fuji Television Network, Inc". Fujitv.co.jp. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- 1 2 Macias, Patrick (2013-10-26). "Crunchyroll to Digitally Distribute Kodansha Manga". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
- 1 2 "Kodansha Announces "Let's Dance a Waltz" and "Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches"". Crunchyroll. 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
- ↑ ヤンキー君とメガネちゃん ：マンガ連載が最終回へ 成宮寛貴＆仲里依紗でドラマ化 (in Japanese). Mantan Web. May 11, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 "コミックナタリー - [Power Push] 「山田くんと7人の魔女」吉河美希インタビュー (1/4)" (in Japanese). Natalie.mu. 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2013-10-02. Lay summary – Mahouxscans.wordpress.com (2013-02-03).
- ↑ Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo chapter 72 bonus interview
- 1 2 3 "Miki Yoshikawa Interview: Anime Expo 2015". Reddit. July 5, 2015.
- ↑ 「ヤンメガ」吉河の新作は問題児と才女の入れ替わりもの (in Japanese). Natalie.mu. February 22, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
- ↑ 山田くんと７人の魔女（１） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
- ↑ 山田くんと７人の魔女（２２） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ↑ "Crunchyroll, Anime Expo to Host Yamada-Kun & the 7 Witches Creator Miki Yoshikawa". Anime News Network. June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
- ↑ DesignFluxx, LLC. "Miki Yoshikawa - Anime Expo®". Anime Expo®. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ↑ "Fuji TV ｢ 山田くんと７人の魔女 ｣" (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2013.
- ↑ "前田敦子：AKB48卒業後初シングルがドラマ「山田くんと7人の魔女」主題歌に - MANTANWEB（まんたんウェブ）" (in Japanese). Mantan-web.jp. 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2013-09-25. Lay summary – Tokyohive (2013-08-06).
- 1 2 3 "山田くんと７人の魔女 ― スポニチ Sponichi Annex 芸能". Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). Sponichi. 2013-09-30. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ↑ "Liden Films Animates Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo Anime Promotional Video - News". Anime News Network. 2013-08-26. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
- ↑ Green, Scott (June 12, 2014). "VIDEO: "Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches" Anime Revealed". Crunchyroll.
- 1 2 3 "Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches Manga Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. 2014-11-29.
External links
- Official anime website (Japanese)
- Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches at Crunchyroll Manga (subscription required)
- Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
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