| Omamori Himari | |
Cover of the first volume of Omamori Himari as published by Fujimi Shobo featuring Himari Noihara |
|
| おまもりひまり | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action, Supernatural, Romantic comedy, Harem |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Milan Matra |
| Published by | Fujimi Shobo (Magazine) Kadokawa Shoten (tankōbon) |
| English publisher | Yen Press |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Magazine | Monthly Dragon Age |
| Original run | May 8, 2006 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 9 (8 + Bonus volume) |
| Light novel | |
| Written by | Kougetsu Mikazuki |
| Illustrated by | Milan Matra |
| Published by | Fujimi Shobo (Magazine) Kadokawa Shoten (bunkobon) |
| Demographic | Male |
| Imprint | Fujimi Fantasia Bunko |
| Magazine | Dragon Magazine |
| Original run | July 19, 2008 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 4 |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Shinji Ushiro |
| Produced by | Seiichi Hachiya |
| Written by | Katsumi Hasegawa |
| Music by | Yukari Hashimoto |
| Studio | Zexcs |
| Network | TV Saitama, Chiba TV, Tokyo MX, TV Aichi, NTV, TV Kanagawa, TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting, Sun Television |
| Original run | January 6, 2010 – March 24, 2010 |
| Episodes | 12 |
| Manga | |
| Omamori Himari: Book of the Gaiden | |
| Written by | Milan Matra |
| Illustrated by | Nikubanare |
| Published by | Fujimi Shobo (Magazine) Kadokawa Shoten (tankōbon) |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Magazine | Monthly Dragon Age |
| Published | September 9, 2011 |
Omamori Himari (おまもりひまり, "Protective Charm Himari"), often abbreviated as OmaHima (おまひま), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Milan Matra. The manga began serialization in the May 2006 issue of Fujimi Shobo's manga magazine Monthly Dragon Age, and the first tankōbon was released by Kadokawa Shoten on February 7, 2007. A four-panel spinoff ran in Monthly Dragon Age from November 2009 to November 2010, and a 12-episode anime adaptation produced by Zexcs aired in Japan between January and March 2010. The manga is licensed in North America by Yen Press, and released the first volume on October 26, 2010. In Japanese culture, an omamori is an amulet worn as either a good luck charm or to ward off evil spirits, in reference to the title character's role in the story as a bodyguard.
Contents |
Seven years ago, Yuto Amakawa's parents died in a car accident, leaving him alone without a single relative, the only item left of his family being a strange and mysterious amulet given to him by his late grandmother. Ever since then, his childhood friend Rinko Kuzaki (and her parents[1]) has cooked and taken care of him. His life takes a drastic turn on his 16th birthday when he meets Himari, a cat spirit samurai girl. Himari reveals to him that some of his ancestors were part of the twelve Demon Slayer families that have been slaying demons since the feudal era. She has sworn an oath to protect Yuto from the demons that are out to kill him, but Yuto's allergy to cats makes it somewhat difficult to deal with.
Later on, Yuto encounters various girls who take a liking to him: Shizuku, a mizuchi in the form of a small child; Lizlet, a tsukumogami in the form of a busty tea-serving maid; and Kuesu, another Demon Slayer who is revealed to be Yuto's fiancé and an object of Yuto's lost past.
As the series progresses, Yuto and the group encounter some powerful ayakashi, with some of them being allies, and Yuto eventually makes a life-changing decision to fight for his belief of coexistence between human and ayakashi.
Omamori Himari began serialization in the May 2006 issue of Fujimi Shobo's manga magazine Monthly Dragon Age. The first tankōbon was released on February 1, 2007 by Kadokawa Shoten under their Dragon Jr. imprint, and sold eight volumes as of April 9, 2011. An official guidebook to the series (sold as Volume 0) was released by Kadokawa Shoten on October 24, 2009.[2] The manga is licensed in North America by Yen Press, and released the first volume on October 26, 2010,[3] with a total of five volumes available as of November 22, 2011.[4] The manga is also licensed in Taiwan by one of Kadokawa Shoten's subsidiary companies, Kadokawa Media.[5]
A four-panel spinoff illuratrated by Nikubanare called Omamori Himari: Himari no Opanchu (おまもりひまり 緋鞠のおぱんちゅ) began serialization in the November 2009 issue of Monthly Dragon Age, and ended in the November 2010 issue.[6] A compilation called Omamori Himari 1/4: Himari's 4-Koma Anthology (おまもりひまり1/4 緋鞠の4こまあんそろじぃ Omamori Himari 1/4: Himari no Yonkoma Ansorojyi) was released by Kadokawa Shoten on April 9, 2010.[7]
A bonus two-part side story, called Omamori Himari: Book of the Gaiden (おまもりひまり 外伝の書), also illustrated by Nikubanare, was released by Kadokawa Shoten on September 9, 2011. The stories were serialized in the May 2011 and June 2011 issues of Monthly Dragon Age.[8]
A light novel adaptation written by Kougetsu Mikazuki and illustrated by Matra began serialization in the July 2008 issue of Fujimi Shobo's Dragon Magazine. The first volume was released by Fujimi Shobo on July 19, 2008 under their Fujimi Fantasia Bunko imprint,[9] with a total of four volumes available as of January 20, 2010.[10] The light novels consists of side stories that differ from the manga's plot, and introduces new novel-exclusive characters.
An internet radio show promoting the anime called OmaHima☆HR (おまひま☆HR, "OmaHima Starring Himari and Rinko") aired on Animate and ran 13 episodes from November 12, 2009 to April 30, 2010.[11] The show was hosted by Ami Koshimizu and Iori Nomizu, the voices of Himari and Rinko, respectively, and guest voices from the anime series appeared for each radio episode. The theme song used is "love and peace" by Koshimizu. A CD containing all 13 episodes was released on August 13, 2010.[12]
A 12-episode anime adaptation produced by Zexcs and directed by Shinji Ushiro aired on TV Saitama and Chiba TV from January 6 to March 24, 2010, with subsequent broadcasts on Tokyo MX, TV Aichi, NTV, TV Kanagawa, TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting, and Sun Television.[13] Six DVD compilation volumes were released by Kadokawa Pictures between March 26 and August 28, 2010.[14] English-subtitled simulcasts were provided by Crunchyroll on its video portal.[15] A Blu-ray box set will be released on January 27, 2012.[16]
The opening theme for the series is "Oshichau zo!!" (押しちゃうぞっ!!) by AyaRuka, consisting of singers Aya Sakamoto and Ruka Kawada. The ending theme is "BEAM my BEAM" by Himarinko L. Shizukuesu (ひまりんこ・L・しずくえす), consisting of the main female cast. From episodes seven through eleven, the seventh episode version was sung by Ami Koshimizu; the eighth episode version was sung by Iori Nomizu; the ninth episode version was sung by Kei Shindo; the tenth episode version was sung by Asuka Ōgame; and the eleventh episode version was sung by Yuki Matsuoka. The ending theme for episode 12 is "Sakamichi no Hate" (坂道の果て, "At the End of the Hill") by Yuto Amakawa (Daisuke Hirakawa). The CD singles of "Oshichau zo!!" and "BEAM my BEAM" were released on February 24, 2010 by Columbia Music Entertainment.[17][18]
In Japan, the fourth volume of Omamori Himari reached #29 on the Tohan charts between November 11 and November 17, 2008.[19] Volume 5 reached #15 on the Tohan charts between April 7 and April 13, 2009,[20] and #27 between January 11–17, 2010.[21] Volume 7 reached #16 on the Oricon charts between August 2 and August 8, 2010,[22] and #22 between August 9 and August 15, 2010.[23] Volume 8 reached #19 on the Oricon charts between April 4 and April 10, 2011,[24] and #30 between April 11 and April 17, 2011.[25]
In North America, the third volume of Omamori Himari made The New York Times Manga Best Seller List, reaching #7 between April 24 and April 30, 2011 on its first week of sales.[26][27] Volume 5 of Omamori Himari made The New York Times Manga Best Seller List at #8 between November 22 and November 26, 2011, also on its first week of sales.[28]