Pani Poni Dash!

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Pani Poni Dash!
ぱにぽにだっしゅ!
(Pani Poni Dasshu!)
Genre Satire
Manga: Pani Poni
Author Hekiru Hikawa
Publisher Flag of Japan Square Enix
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine G Fantasy
Original run November 2000
Volumes 10
TV anime
Director Akiyuki Shinbo
Studio Flag of Japan GANSIS, Shaft
Licensor Flag of the United States ADV Films

Flag of the Republic of China Mighty Media

Flag of South Korea TVee.co.kr
Network Flag of Japan TV Tokyo
Original run July 3, 2005 – December 25, 2005
Episodes 26

Pani Poni Dash! (ぱにぽにだっしゅ! Pani Poni Dasshu!?) is a Japanese series that utilizes parody, frequently referencing Japanese and American pop-culture in many ways. It features several first year students and their teachers in a school in Japan, though the main focus is on class 1-C.

Pani Poni Dash!, originally titled Pani Poni, first began as a manga series by Japanese mangaka Hekiru Hikawa which was first serialized in the Japanese manga magazine G Fantasy, published by Square Enix, in November 2000. Currently, there have been nine separate volumes released. Later, the series was adapted into a television anime series which aired in Japan on TV Tokyo between July 3, 2005 and December 25, 2005. The anime has since been licensed in the United States by ADV Films, though the manga remains unlicensed. There have also been several drama CDs created based on the series.

Each episode features numerous parodies and references to popular culture. Some examples include The Exorcist, Gundam, Super Mario Bros., and Little Black Sambo. While much of the humor can be understood by all audiences, the series contains many jokes and references to Japanese culture and language, making the series a bit cryptic to foreign viewers. Japanese Internet culture, such as on the infamous Japanese message board 2ch, is another pillar of Pani Poni Dash!'s humour, with many references to Japanese emoticons. At some stages in the series a character's facial features will be replaced by these emoticons.

Each episode is almost entirely standalone and only loosely connected to the central plot. Most of the jokes in the series rely on satire, established character behaviour, Japanese Internet and anime culture, or non sequitur comments and actions (especially by Ichijo). Another characteristic of Pani Poni Dash! is that the name of each episode is based on an adage or proverb that applies to the episode in some way. Much like other 26-episode anime, Pani Poni Dash! features different opening sequences, with both new art and new music, but unlike other shows, the endings are chosen at random, shuffling from episode to episode with different seiyū from the series singing the themes.

Contents

[edit] Plot

See also: List of Pani Poni Dash! characters

Pani Poni Dash!'s central storyline revolves around Rebecca Miyamoto, class 1-C's child prodigy homeroom teacher, and the antics of class 1-C. The characters attend a high school called the Peach Moon Academy (桃月学園 Momotsuki Gakuen?) where Rebecca has taken up a job as one of the teachers after being the youngest graduate at M.I.T. and is being watched by Aliens that are in space and screw up the story every now and then. Though the story never strays from the focus of the four first year classes labeled 1-A through 1-D, the mishaps that occur in them, the teacher's lounge, and on school trips also become sources of material for topical allusions regarding satire, anime, Internet, gaming, and popular culture.

[edit] Media

[edit] Manga

[edit] Pani Poni

The manga version of the series, simply titled Pani Poni was first serialized in the manga magazine G Fantasy published by Square Enix, in November 2000. Currently, ten volumes have been released in Japan. The translated versions of the manga are also released in Taiwan and South Korea, from Chingwin Publishing Group in Taipei and Haksanpub in Seoul.

[edit] Spin-offs

Maro-Mayu (まろまゆ?), TG Angel Jaiko-chan (TG天使ジャイ子ちゃん TG Tenshi Jaiko-chan?), and The Alternative Cure Magical Girl Behoimi-chan (新感覚癒し系魔法少女ベホイミちゃん Shin Kankaku Iyashikei Mahō Shōjo Behoimi-chan?) are currently serialized in Dengeki Moeoh, Tech Gian(Enterbrain) and G Fantasy as the spin-offs from the original Pani Poni manga. Though Momo-Gumi!! (桃組っ!!?) in Ace Momogumi(Kadokawa Shoten) was another spin-off, the last chapter was published in 2004 as the company discontinued the magazine.

[edit] Drama CDs

Pani Poni has also created ten drama CDs based on the series, the first of which was released in Japan on February 27, 2004. While the first seven came before the anime, and thus were based on the manga version, the last three released have been based on the anime adaptation.

[edit] Anime

See also: List of Pani Poni Dash! episodes

The Pani Poni Dash! anime aired in Japan between July 3, 2005 and December 25, 2005 and contained 26 episodes in total. The anime has since been licensed by United States based company ADV Films in the US and the United Kingdom, Banciao City based company Mighty Media in Taiwan, and Seoul based TVee.co.kr in South Korea. King Records subsidiary Starchild has the video and music rights for the anime.

[edit] External links