Shugo Chara!
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| Shugo Chara! | |||
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 Amu, her three Character Guardians, and Amu's three Character Transformations. |
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| しゅごキャラ! (Guardian Character!) |
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| Genre | Comedy, Magical girl, Romance | ||
| Manga | |||
| Author | Peach-Pit | ||
| Publisher |  Kodansha |
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| Demographic | Shōjo | ||
| Magazine | Nakayoshi |
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| Original run | January 3, 2006 – ongoing | ||
| Volumes | 6 | ||
| TV anime | |||
| Director | Kenji Yasuda | ||
| Studio | Satelight | ||
| Network | TV Tokyo |
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| Original run | October 6, 2007 – ongoing | ||
| Episodes | 51 | ||
Shugo Chara! (しゅごキャラ! Shugo Kyara!?) is a Japanese shōjo manga created by the manga author duo Peach-Pit. The story is about an elementary school girl named Amu Hinamori whose "cool and spicy" exterior belies her introverted personality. But when Amu wishes for the courage to be reborn as her "would-be self", she is surprised to find three colorful eggs the next morning, which give birth to three Guardian Characters: Ran, Miki, and Su. It is serialized in the magazine Nakayoshi and published by Kodansha in Japan. Del Rey has licensed the English language rights and has released the first volume on March 27, 2007.[1] It won the 2008 Kodansha Manga Award for best children's manga.[2]
In addition to the regular volumes, the series is being released in limited editions in Japan, each of which include different cover art from the regular editions, metallic foil sleeves, and a set of postcards featuring Amu in various outfits and poses following the color theme of the dust jackets.[3] Shugo Chara! has also been adapted into a 51 episode anime television series of the same title produced by Satelight under the direction of Kenji Yasuda and debuted on October 6, 2007 on TV Tokyo.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Amu Hinamori is a student at Seiyo Elementary, where she has a reputation for being "cool and spicy"; however, her real personality is that of an extremely shy and easily intimidated girl. One night Amu makes a wish that she would have the courage to be reborn as her "would-be" self. The next morning Amu finds three brightly colored eggs—red, blue, and green—in her bed. Each egg eventually hatches into a Guardian Character: Ran, Miki, and Su. Guardian Characters are angel-like beings that aid a person into becoming their "would-be" selves and fulfill the person's dreams. The Guardian Characters accomplish this by giving encouragement and advice, but they can also temporarily change a person's personality and abilities. With the Guardian Characters, Amu's life becomes much more complex as she now struggles to deal with her new personalities and the Seiyo Elementary Guardians—a student council group where each member has their own Guardian Character—who recruits Amu to search for and seal the X eggs and X Characters, which are the corrupted forms of people's dreams.
[edit] Characters
- Amu Hinamori (日奈森 亜夢 Hinamori Amu?)
- Amu Hinamori, the series protagonist, is a student of Seiyo Elementary. Amu's classmates see her as a cool and stylish girl, but Amu is actually extremely shy and timid. Part of the reason for this misunderstanding is the trendy punk clothing her mother buys for her as well as the way in which she expresses her shyness and avoids doing new things. However, when Amu wishes for the courage to be reborn as her "would-be self", three colorful eggs appear the next morning, which later give birth to Amu's three Guardian Characters: Ran, Miki, and Su.
- Voiced by: Kanae Itō
[edit] Amu's Guardian Characters
- Ran (ラン?)
- The first Guardian Character to be born, Ran is an athletic and honest character. Her hair is tied in a side pony tail. She has a pink sun visor, a red themed cheerleader outfit, and wears a heart shaped hair clip. During Character Change, Amu gains increased athletic abilities. Little wings appear at her wrists and ankles, which allows her to jump high and fly. Amu becomes "Amulet Heart" on Character Transformation with Ran. As Amulet Heart, Amu can use a baton for attack and pom-poms for defense. Ran's catch phrase is, "Hop, Step, Jump", (Hoppu, Suteppu, Jānpu).
- Voiced by: Kana Asumi
- Miki (ミキ?)
- Miki is the Guardian Character with an artistic flair and a cool, quiet character. Her hairstyle is a short bob cut. She wears a pair of half-cut pants, a sky blue beret with a spade on it, and a blue themed outfit. Miki has shown an interest in Character Guardians Kiseki, Daichi, and Yoru, frequently saying that they are "cool". During Character Change, Amu gains an increased artistic talent. Amu becomes "Amulet Spade" on Character Transformation with Miki. As Amulet Spade, Amu is capable of targeting multiple opponents with her paintbrush. Miki's catch phrase is, "Draw, Drew, Drawn", (Dorō, Dorū, Dorōn).
- Voiced by: Nanae Katō
- Su (スゥ?)
- Su is the Guardian Character skilled in cooking and other domestic chores, but is prone to silly mistakes. She has short hair with the sides grown long, curling inwards. She wears a bandanna on her head with a clover shaped hair clip and a green themed maid outfit. Amu gains an improvement in her cooking and sewing skills during Character Change. Amu becomes "Amulet Clover" on Character Transformation with Su. As Amulet Clover, she has the ability to clean or repair any object, even when the parts are incomplete. Su's catch phrase is "Chip, Syrup, Whip cream", (Chippu, Shiroppu, Hoīppu).
- Voiced by: Aki Toyosaki
- Dia (ダイヤ Daiya?)
- Diamond (true name unknown), is Amu's fourth Guardian Character, with a musical flair. She became an X Egg, and then hatched as an X Character after Utau finds her egg. Since Amu did not know Dia's real name, Amu just calls the Guardian Character "Dia", a shorter form of "Diamond". When Amu convinces Dia that she can change, the 'X-mark' is lifted and a Character Transformation sparks as the two become "Amulet Diamond". Afterward, Dia goes back into her egg to slumber until Amu "shines again".
[edit] Supporting characters
- Tadase Hotori (辺里 唯世 Hotori Tadase?)
- Tadase Hotori is a kind-hearted and mature boy the same year as Amu and serves as the K-Chair (King's Chair). Amu's develops a crush on Tadase soon after she transfers in. Whenever he is called "Prince," his character changes into an egotistical king who seeks world domination. Like Amu, he is actually a shy person and is not good at public speaker, instead he Character Changes with Kiseki. Because of this, he wished to become another, stronger character, much like Amu. His love interest happens to be, strangely, Amulet Heart, Amu's Character Transformation with Ran, but it later becomes Amu herself. Tadase has known Ikuto since childhood.
- Ikuto Tsukiyomi (月詠 幾斗 Tsukiyomi Ikuto?)
- Ikuto Tsukiyomi is a high school student who is also employed, along with his younger sister, with the Easter Company in order to find the Embryo. As an employee of Easter Company, Ikuto is suppose to be Amu's and the Guardians' enemy. However, he is frequently helping Amu instead. When Ikuto was asked why he bothers Amu so much, he replies that he is interested in her. On Character Change with Yoru, he grows cat ears, a cat tail, and when he enters a fight, a cat's paw extends from his hand. His Character Transformation is known as "Black Lynx" where he uses a claw-like glove and wears a leather 2-piece with boots. Ikuto has known Tadase since childhood.
[edit] Anime adaptation
In 2007, Shugo Chara! was adapted into an anime television series of the same title. The television series is produced by Satelight under the direction of Kenji Yasuda and was first broadcast on the Japanese network, TV Tokyo. Expected to consist of fifty-one episodes, the first episode, "Shugo Chara Born!" (しゅごキャラ誕生! Shugo Kyara Tanjō!?), aired on October 6, 2007 and the series continues to air today. The episodes are rebroadcast by five other networks within a few days after the initial broadcast on TV Tokyo.[4]
Five pieces of theme music by the J-music band Buono! are used for the episodes; two opening themes and three closing themes. The opening theme for the first twenty-six episodes is "Egg of the Heart" (こころのたまご Kokoro no Tamago?); episode twenty-seven on, "Liking Everybody" (みんなだいすき Minna Daisuki?). The closing theme for the first twelve episodes is "True Self" (ホントのじぶん Honto no Jibun?); episodes thirteen to twenty-six, "Renai ♥ Rider" (恋愛♥ライダー Ren'ai ♥ Raidā?); episode twenty-seven on, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!".[4]
[edit] Video game
Konami have released a video game based on the manga exclusive for Nintendo DS, titled Shugo Chara! Three Eggs and the Joker in Love! (しゅごキャラ!3つのたまごと恋するジョーカー Shugo Kyara! Mittsu no Tamago to Koisuru Jyōkā?). It was released in Japan on March 13, 2008.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Shugo Chara! (manga). Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ 32nd Annual Kodansha Manga Awards Announced. Anime News Network (2008-05-13). Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
- ^ Shugo Chara! anime adaptation announcement (Japanese). Retrieved on 2007-06-27.
- ^ a b c Shugo Chara! (TV). Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
- ^ Shugo Chara! Nintendo DS release (Japanese). Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
[edit] External links
- Anime official website (Japanese)
- TV Tokyo Shugo Chara! website (Japanese)
- Shugo Chara! (part of Peach-Pit official website) (Japanese)
