| Bunny Drop | |
Cover of Volume 1 as published by Shodensha |
|
| うさぎドロップ (Usagi Doroppu) |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Yumi Unita |
| Published by | Shodensha |
| English publisher | Yen Press (North America, UK) |
| Demographic | Josei |
| Magazine | Feel Young |
| Original run | October 2005 – April 2011 |
| Volumes | 9 |
| Manga | |
| Usagi Drop: Bangaihen | |
| Written by | Yumi Unita |
| Published by | Shodensha |
| Demographic | Josei |
| Magazine | Feel Young |
| Original run | June 2011 – December 2011 |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Kanta Kamei |
| Written by | Suguru Kishimoto |
| Music by | Suguru Matsutani |
| Studio | Production I.G |
| Network | Fuji TV |
| Original run | July 8, 2011 – September 16, 2011 |
| Episodes | 11 |
| Live-action film | |
| Usagi Drop | |
| Directed by | SABU |
| Written by | Tamio Hayashi |
| Music by | Takashi Mori |
| Released | August 20, 2011 |
| Runtime | 113 minutes |
Bunny Drop (うさぎドロップ Usagi Doroppu) is a Japanese josei manga series by Yumi Unita. The plot follows thirty-year old Daikichi as he becomes the guardian of Rin, the illegitimate six-year old daughter of his grandfather.
Bunny Drop was serialized in the monthly magazine Feel Young from October 2005 to April 2011. The chapters for this manga were also collected into nine wide-ban volumes, and released by Shodensha. The series has been licensed in English by Yen Press with four volumes released as of September 2011. An anime adaptation by Production I.G aired in Japan between July 8, 2011 and September 16, 2011. A live-action film adaptation of this manga premiered in Japan on August 20, 2011. A spin-off series of this manga by Unita, entitled Usagi Drop: Bangaihen, began serialization in the July 2011 issue of Feel Young.
Contents |
When 30-year-old Daikichi returns home for his grandfather's funeral he learns about the existence of Rin, his grandfather's illegitimate six-year-old daughter by an unknown mother. The girl is an embarrassment to all his relatives and is treated as an outcast. Annoyed by their attitude, Daikichi decides to take care of Rin himself, even though he is single and has no experience raising a child. As Rin becomes part of his life, Daikichi experiences the hardship of a single parent. He is befriended by the single mother of Kouki Nitani, a friend Rin meets in nursery school, who gives him advice on raising Rin. After a year has passed, Daikichi acknowledges his sacrifices for Rin has been worth it. The first half of the series focuses on Daikichi's perspective and struggles raising Rin. Ten years later, Rin is a high-school student and the remainder of the series focuses on her trying to figure out how to deal with her feelings for Kouki, and her decision for a career. Rin discovers that she has no family ties to Daikichi and the series ends with Rin planning to have a child with Daikichi.
Bunny Drop was written and illustrated by Yumi Unita.[14] The untitled chapters were serialized by Shodensha in the monthly josei magazine Feel Young between October 2005 and April 2011.[15] Part one, which is collected in the first four volumes, concluded in the April 2008 issue, with part two (which skips ahead ten years) beginning thereafter. The chapters were collected in nine wide-ban volumes,[16] the final volume released on July 8, 2011.
The series has been licensed in English by Yen Press and in French by Delcourt.[17][18]
In June 2010, production on a live-action film adaption of the manga was announced.[19] The film is being directed by Sabu and was released in Japanese theaters on August 20, 2011.[20]
An anime TV series adaptation of the manga produced by Production I.G aired on the noitaminA timeslot on Fuji TV between July 8, 2011 and September 16, 2011.[20][21] In addition, the series can be watched on Kansai TV (July 13 - September 21), Tokai TV (July 15 - September 23), TV Nishinippon (July 21 - September 22, every 2 weeks, 2 episodes per day, last 3 episodes on September 22), BS Fuji (August 7 - October 23) and Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting (October 10 - December).[22] The series was also simulcast by Crunchyroll and Anime News Network.[23][24] The series will be released on four Blu-ray Disc/DVD volumes between October 28, 2011 and January 27, 2012, each containing a bonus mini-episode.[25] Two theme music are planned for the series: one opening and one ending theme. The opening theme is "Sweet Drop" by Puffy AmiYumi and the ending theme is "High High High" by Kasarinchu.[26]
| No. | Title | Director | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "The Bellflower Girl" "Rindou no Onnanoko" (りんどうの女の子) |
Kanta Kamei | July 8, 2011[27] |
| After hearing that his grandfather, Souichi Kaga, has died, Daikichi Kawachi and his relatives gather at Souichi's home for the funeral. There, he meets a young girl named Rin, who is allegedly Souichi's illegitimate daughter. Following the funeral, the relatives refuse to take in the girl and opt to put her up for adoption. Daikichi, disgusted with their attitudes, decides to take Rin into his care. | |||
| 02 | "Pinky Swear" "Yubi Kiri Genman" (ゆび切りげんまん) |
Yoshiaki Kyougoku | July 15, 2011[28] |
| While shopping for clothes, Daikichi realizes he needs to register Rin for nursery school. With help from his cousin, Haruko Maeda, Daikichi finds a temporary nursery school to look after Rin while he goes to work. However, Daikichi ends up having to work overtime, causing him to be late in picking Rin up, though is forgiven. As the week carries on, Daikichi becomes concerned if the new schedule may start affecting his worklife, where he is keeping Rin a secret. | |||
| 03 | "Daikichi's Decision" "Daikichi no Kimeta Koto" (ダイキチの決めたこと) |
Rokou Ogiwara | July 22, 2011[28] |
| As Daikichi wonders how to juggle his worklife around taking care of Rin, he takes her to his parents house. As Daikichi looks through Souichi's house for clues on Rin's mother, he finds an out-of-place modem. When he asks Rin about it, she talks about a maid named Masako Yoshii, who was listed in Rin's health booklet. As Rin wets the bed again last night, Daikichi understands her fear of death and reassures her. The next day, Daikichi requests a transfer at his job to better fit his time around Rin. | |||
| 04 | "Letter" "Tegami" (てがみ) |
Susumu Mitsunaka | July 29, 2011[28] |
| At nursery, Rin makes friends with a boy named Kouki Kitani, with Daikichi later meeting his single mother, Yukari. Daikichi's workmates hold a farewell party for him, which he brings Rin along to. After enrolling Rin into elementary school, Daikichi looks through her health record and manages to find Souichi's will, containing Masako's contact details. After buying Rin a desk, Daikichi decides to call Masako. | |||
| 05 | "Daikichi Should Stay Daikichi" "Daikichi wa Daikichi de Ii" (ダイキチはダイキチでいい) |
Yoshitaka Koyama | August 5, 2011[28] |
| Daikichi arranges a meeting with Masako, who explains she gave up Rin due to her demanding work as a manga artist. She suggests that Rin should use Daikichi's family name to avoid subjigation by her classmates. Daikichi runs this past Rin, who states that she wants to keep her surname, which he obliges. | |||
| 06 | "My Tree" "Watashi no Ki" (わたしの木) |
Yoshikazu Ui | August 12, 2011[29] |
| To commemorate her entrance into elementary school, Daikichi and Rin plant a loquat plant in their garden. Later, Rin wonders if there was a tree planted for her birth, so Daikichi goes to ask Masako about it, who reveals a tree was planted at Souichi's place. He finds the tree, a fragrant olive tree just like the one that was planted for his birth, and brings it back to his place. | |||
| 07 | "Secretly Leaving Home" "Naisho de Iede" (ないしょで家出) |
Susumu Mitsunaka | August 19, 2011[29] |
| Daikichi's cousin, Haruko Maeda, appears on his doorstep alongside her daughter, Reina, saying she has run away from home following troubles dealing with her husband's family. As Reina enjoys spending time with Rin, Haruko laments her bottled up feelings to Daikichi. After spending a few nights at Daikichi's place, Haruko's husband comes to pick them up, with Haruko saying she plans to keep at it. | |||
| 08 | "Grandpa's Precious Thing" "Ojīchan no Daiji" (おじいちゃんのだいじ) |
Ryutaro Sakaguchi | August 26, 2011[29] |
| On a hot summer day, Daikichi and Rin go to visit Souichi's grave. There, Daikichi notices that Masako has been to visit, so he goes to find Masako and tell her that Rin is there, offering a chance to look at her secretly. Afterwards, Daikichi and Rin go to see Souichi's house, now owned by his uncle, where they find the yard has been replaced with gravel. After returning home to celebrate Rin's birthday, they go to a summer festival. | |||
| 09 | "A Typhoon Came" "Tai-fū ga Kita!" (たいふうがきた!) |
Yoshikazu Ui | September 2, 2011[29] |
| As the town receives a typhoon alert, Daikichi contemplates investing in some insurance while Rin keeps control of Kouki during class. As the storm settles in, Yukari and Kouki stay over with Daikichi and Rin for dinner. | |||
| 10 | "Stomach Flu" "Onaka no Kaze" (おなかのかぜ) |
Yoshitaka Koyama | September 9, 2011[29] |
| After Daikichi goes to an exhibition at Rin's school where he meets some other fathers, he discovers that Rin has stomach flu. With Rin refusing to eat or drink and her fever rising, Daikichi becomes worried, but Yukari manages to help him out. After Rin eventually recovers from her fever, Daikichi learns Yukari has come down with a cold. | |||
| 11 | "The First Step" "Hajime no Ippo" (はじめの一歩) |
Yoshikazu Ui | September 16, 2011[30] |
| Daikichi helps look after Kouki while Yukari recovers from her cold. Later, Rin practises for a skipping rope contest, with Daikichi joining in so he can lose some weight. After the contest, Daikichi takes Rin to see his parents, where one of Rin's wobbly teeth comes out. Daikichi also talks with his sister, reminding himself about the words of wisdom given to him by Yukari and his adult friends. On the way home, Daikichi reflects on the past year he has spent with Rin. | |||
| No. | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5 | "Leaf Aquarium" "Happa no Suizokukan" (はっぱの水族館) |
October 28, 2011 |
| Rin takes an interest in making fishes out of leaves. | ||
| 3.5 | "Dear Santa" "Santa-san E" (サンタさんへ) |
November 25, 2011 |
| Daikichi and Rin prepare for Christmas | ||
| 6.5 | "Full Blossom in the Skies" "Osora ni Mankai" (お空にまんかい) |
December 16, 2011 |
| 8.5 | "The Road Home" "Kaeri Michi" (かえり道) |
January 27, 2012 |
About.com's Deb Aoki praised the first volume for its "heartfelt drama and slice-of-life comedy", uncluttered artwork, storytelling, and the relationship between Daikichi and Rin. She notes that the artwork is a bit plain and simple.[31] Danielle Leigh's also praised the art and the parent and child pair, calling the relationship moving and amusing.[32] Comicsworthreading.com's Johanna Carlson commended Daikichi's character to be realistic as if he were an actual Japanese single father. She rated the first volume as one of the best manga of 2010.[33] Carlson expressed appreciation for the small moments where Daikichi learns what it is to be a parent and states the series is unique to the manga market.[34] The manga is a candidate for the 2011 Eisner Award in the Best U.S. Edition of International Material-Asia category.[35]
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