| Rizelmine | |
Cover of Rizelmine as released by Tokyopop in North America on August 9, 2005 |
|
| りぜるまいん (Rizerumain) |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Romantic comedy, Science fiction, Harem (genre), Love triangle |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Yukiru Sugisaki |
| Published by | Kadokawa Shoten |
| English publisher | Tokyopop |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Magazine | Monthly Ace Next |
| Original run | November 2001 – April 2002 |
| Volumes | 1 |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Yasuhiro Muramatsu |
| Written by | Naruhisa Arakawa |
| Music by | Toshihiko Sahashi |
| Studio | Madhouse, Imagin |
| Network | Kids Station |
| Original run | April 2, 2002 – December 21, 2002 |
| Episodes | 24 |
Rizelmine (りぜるまいん Rizerumain) is a manga series written and illustrated by Yukiru Sugisaki. The manga was originally serialized for six chapters in the Kadokawa Shoten magazine Ace Next from November 2001 to April 2002 with a single tankōbon collection released on March 22, 2002. The manga has was translated into English and published in the North America by Tokyopop on August 9, 2005. An anime adaptation co-produced by m.o.e, Imagin, and Madhouse aired on Japan's Kids Station in 2002, but has not been licensed in English. Rizelmine was split into two seasons, both containing 12 episodes each. The first season aired April 2, 2002 through June 18, 2002. The second season, titled Rizelmine II, aired October 5, 2002 through December 21, 2002.
Contents |
The storyline of Rizelmine centers on Tomonori Iwaki, a 15-year-old student who likes older women, including high school girls, college girls, and even female instructors.[1][2] Having just discovered that his teacher (upon whom he has nursed a massive crush) is engaged to be married, he comes home to find, much to his dismay, that he has been forced by "Power Of The State" to marry a 12-year-old girl named Rizel, who is the government's first creation in its experiments to genetically engineer a human.[2][3] Whatever resistance Iwaki's parents might put forth is immediately dissolved by promises of free HVAC, promotion, and government paid home loans, all instituted by "Power Of The State". Despite Tomonori's protests, Rizel and her three secret service guardians known only as Papa A, Papa B, and Papa C move briskly into Tomonori's house, and the stage is set.
Rizel's tears contain the same make up as nitroglycerin and as such are explosives which creates a need for constant repair in their house.[2][3] A running gag is that at the end of each episode, Tomonori calls Rizel an idiot, causing her to cry and thus cause an explosion. Rizel, with the help of her Papas, tries as hard as she can to win Tomonori's love. However, Tomonori is still in love with his teacher. Other characters creating an ever-tangled love web are Ryunosuke Hououin, who is in love with Rizel, and Kyoko Yachigusa, who is in love with Tomonori. Both try their best to prevent Rizel and Tomonori from getting close to each other. Later on Tomonori finds out that Rizel is the older woman he fell in love with when he was young but she was unable to grow after they met because she fell for him too, and she needed more than just the love from her "papas". When he learns this, Tomonori realizes that Rizel is his older woman.
The Rizelmine manga was originally serialized in the Kadokawa Shoten magazine Monthly Ace Next beginning in its November 2001 issue and ending in its April 2002 issue.[5][6] All six chapters were compiled into a single tankōbon collection released on March 22, 2002.[7] The manga was translated into English and published in the North America by Tokyopop on August 9, 2005.[8] Tokyopop advertised the manga's cover with "From the creator of D.N.Angel!".[2]
The Rizelmine anime adaptation was co-produced by the studios m.o.e, Imagin, and Madhouse. It was broadcast on Japan's Kids Station in two separate seasons, both containing 12 episodes with 15-minute runtimes each.[3] The first season aired April 2, 2002 through June 18, 2002.[9] The second season, titled Rizelmine II, aired October 5, 2002 through December 21, 2002 as part of the channel's Anime Complex Night block.[10][11][12] Pony Canyon released a series of eight DVDs containing three episodes apiece.[13] The two seasons were released in box sets on September 15, 2010.[14][15] Streamed episodes were also made available on m.o.e.'s official website for the show.[16][17] No English version of the anime has been official released. However, the anime streaming website Crunchyroll has previously hosted fansubtitled episodes of the series.[18]
| EP# | Title | airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Suddenly! Young Wife!?" "Totsuzen! You Na Tsuma!?" (突然! 幼な妻!?) |
April 2, 2002[9] |
| 2 | "Monopoly! Adult's Time!?" "Dokusen! Otona No Jikan!?" (独占! 大人の時間!?) |
April 9, 2002[9] |
| 3 | "Go for it! Two People in a Futon!?" "Mezase! 2 Nin Deofuton In!?" (めざせ! 2人でおふとんイン!?) |
April 16, 2002[9] |
| 4 | "Bold! Embraced and Happy?" "Daitan! Daka Rete Happī!?" (大胆! 抱かれてハッピー!?) |
April 23, 2002[9] |
| 5 | "Yes We Did It! Together, We Came!?" "Yattane! Isshoni Itsu Chatta!?" (やったね! 一緒にイッちゃった!?) |
April 30, 2002[9] |
| 6 | "SOS! Dangerous After School!?" "S.O.S! Abunai Houkago!?" (S・O・S! あぶない放課後!?) |
May 7, 2002[9] |
| 7 | "Rival? Big Breasted High School Girl!" "Raibaru? Chichideka Joshikousei!" (ライバル? ちちでか女子高生!) |
May 14, 2002[9] |
| 8 | "By Force!? Five Seconds Before Uniting!" "Chikara Zuku!? Gattai Go Byou Mae!" (チカラずく!? 合体五秒前!) |
May 21, 2002[9] |
| 9 | "First Experience!? I Held Him!" "Shotaiken!? Atashiga Dai Chatta!" (初体験!? あたしが抱いちゃった!) |
May 28, 2002[9] |
| 10 | "Love Letter Panic! A Dilemma Of Love!?" "Raburetāpanikku! Koi No Ita Hasami!?" (ラブレターパニック! 恋の板挟み!?) |
June 4, 2002[9] |
| 11 | "It's Summer! It's The Beach! Aim For It, The Legendary Kiss!?" "Natsu Da! Umi Da! Mezase Densetsu No Kisu!?" (夏だ! 海だ! めざせ伝説のキス!?) |
June 11, 2002[9] |
| 12 | "The Door To Adulthood! First Time Reaching C!?" "Otona Heno Tobira! Hajimete No C!?" (オトナへの扉! 初めてのC!?) |
June 18, 2002[9] |
| 13 | "Hafuun Big Transformation by Adult Goods!?" "Hafūn ♥ Adarutoguzzu De Taihen Mi!?" (はふーん♥ アダルトグッズで大変身!?) |
October 5, 2002[10] |
| 14 | "I'll Put My Life On The Line! Uffun First Date" "Hi Kakemasu! Uffun Hatsu Dēto♥" (命かけます! うっふん初デート♥) |
October 12, 2002[10] |
| 15 | "Don't Die Danna-sama! Serious Power Dash!" "Shina Naide Danna Sama! Honki Pawā Nodasshu!" (死なないでダンナさま!! ほんきパワーのだっしゅ!) |
October 19, 2002[10] |
| 16 | "School Trip to the West... Suddenly a Double Date?!" "Shuugakuryokou, Nishi He... Miwaku No W Dēto!?" (修学旅行、西へ… 魅惑のWデート!?) |
October 26, 2002[10] |
| 17 | "School Trip to the West... A Double Charming Adultery?!" "huugakuryokou, Nishi He... Miwaku No W Furin!?" (修学旅行、西へ… 魅惑のW不倫!?) |
November 2, 2002[10] |
| 18 | "School Trip to the West... A Charming Battle Swapping?" "Shuugakuryokou, Nishi He... Miwaku No Batorusuwappingu!?" (修学旅行、西へ… 魅惑のバトルスワッピング!?) |
November 9, 2002[10] |
| 19 | "Adult's C, What Happened To The Baby Wife?" "Otona No C♥ You Na Tsuma Ni Nani Ga Oko Taka!?" (オトナのC♥ 幼な妻に何が起こったか!?) |
November 16, 2002[10] |
| 20 | "Young Skins Touching!? Our First First Night!" "Fureau Yawahada!? Hafuhafuhatsu Hatsu Yoru!" (ふれあう柔肌!? はふはふはつ初夜!) |
November 23, 2002[10] |
| 21 | "As Passion Takes Us!! Love Is Everything!" "Yokubou No Omomuku Mamani!! Ai Kososubete!" (欲望の赴くままに!! 愛こそすべて!) |
November 30, 2002[10] |
| 22 | "A Change In Attitude!! You Do It And It's All Over!?" "Taido Hyouhen!! Yacchattarasoremadeyo!?" (態度豹変!! やっちゃったらそれまでよ!?) |
December 7, 2002[10] |
| 23 | "A Touch-And-Go Situation!! Hafun Bishōjo's Melee" "Isshokusokuhatsu!! Hafu~n Bishoujo Dai Ransen♥" (一触即発!! はふ～ん美少女台乱戦♥) |
December 14, 2002[10] |
| 24 | "Do It For The First Time Let's Start!" "Hajime ♥♥♥ Masho!" (はじめ♥♥♥ましょ!) |
December 21, 2002[10] |
The opening theme, "Hajimete Shimasho" (はじめて♡しましょ, lit. "It's Done for the First Time"), and the closing themes, "Honki Pawaa no Dasshu!" (ほんきパワーのだっしゅ!, lit. "Serious Power Dash!") and "Danna Samahe" (ダンナさまへ♡, lit. "To My Husband"), were all performed by Rie Kugimiya. A CD single featuring the opening and the first ending was released by Pony Canyon on April 17, 2002.[13][19]
Rizelmine was ranked number 87 on a list of comic sales estimates by Diamond Comic Distributors, selling around 1,165 copies in the United States in July 2005.[20] The manga was nominated for "Best One-Shot" of 2005 by the readers of AnimeOnDVD.com.[21] Critical reviews for Rizelmine have been very mixed. Eduardo M. Chavez of Mania.com gave a somewhat positive review of the manga. He opined that Sugisaki's art style and character designs in Rizelmine have evolved since her earliest work, such as The Candidate for Goddess. However, he felt she still has difficulty setting up action scenes, with panels that are "far too active" with "characters and SFX jumping in and out" despite the story already being so highly paced.[1] The reviewer compared the relationship of the two protagonists to that of Urusei Yatsura, an older motif that he felt Sugisaki made very derivative. Chavez concluded that Rizelmine "does have enough of its own style for it to stand on its own", with half of the chapters consisting of filler, bookended by the opening with character introductions and the ending with some background information.[1] Craig Johnson of Manga Life highly recommended Rizelmine, finding it to be largely entertaining and funny, and desiring more than just one volume.[22] In contrast, Carlo Santos, a writer for the Anime News Network (ANN), stated that readers should avoid Rizelmine at all costs. Although he thought the artwork was "cute", he was mortified by the way the storyline presented its running jokes. This includes Tomonori's physical and verbal abuse of Rizel and the latter's "somewhat sneaky (and disturbing) fanservice".[2]
According to Japanese television ratings information, Rizelmine was the eighth most viewed show for the month of May 2002.[23] Like the manga version, the anime adaptation has received mixed reviews. ANN's Allen Divers appreciated Rizelmine for its animation quality and humor, confessing it to be "an easygoing fun little romp" despite its lack of advancing narrative and its similarity to Urusei Yatsura.[24][25] Carlos Ross of THEM Anime Reviews lambastes nearly every aspect of the television series aside from its animation. Like Santos, Ross was disturbed by the fanservice and even took offense to its slapstick approach to domestic abuse.[26] John Oppliger, a writer for AnimeNation, found Rizelmine to be "too cute to appeal to mainstream consumers, and too cliché and sappy to attract a significant audience of hardcore American anime fans".[27]