Tona-Gura!

Tona-Gura!

(Right to Left) Top Row: Hatsune, Nina; Middle Row: Chihaya and Marie; Bottom Row: Yuuji, Kazuki
となグラ!
Genre Romantic comedy
Manga
Written by Hidetaka Kakei
Published by Jive
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Comic Rush
Original run December 7, 2004 – ongoing
Volumes 11
TV anime
Directed by Tatsuya Abe
Studio Daume
Network Various Japanese Broadcast Networks
Original run July 8, 2006 – September 30, 2006
Episodes 13 (List of episodes)
Anime and Manga Portal

Tona-Gura! (となグラ!?) is the title of a fictional Japanese comedy/romance story created by Hidetaka Kakei centering around four childhood friends and the romantic relationship between two of them.

Tona-Gura! originally began as a manga series and was released on December 7, 2004. The anime is based on this manga and was released July 8, 2006.

Contents

Plot

The Arisaka sisters (Hatsune and Kazuki) and the Kagura siblings (Yuuji and Marie) lived next door when they were smaller. So close that they could climb onto each other's verandas from the 2nd floor. They would always play together until one day the Kagura siblings had to move.

It's been 10 years and the Kagura siblings are moving back! Yuuji's turned into a pervert and Marie isn't the crybaby she used to be?!

Characters

Main

Kazuki Arisaka (有坂香月 Arisaka Kazuki?) Voiced by: Akemi Kanda
She is the first main protagonist of the story. Basically, she had an unrequited love for Yuuji Kagura when they were young. She's always dreamed that Yuuji would one day grow up to be a handsome, suave young man. When she finally meets him again ten years later she is disappointed to find that's he has become obnoxiously lewd and perverted, but over time realizes that even with all these faults she still has the same feelings for him as she did when she was younger. Kazuki is a skilled member of her school's swimming club. Her cooking skills leave much to be desired, however; although she can make her dishes look very good, she tends to add ingredients that end up turning innocuous food into culinary disasters capable of dropping the person eating it where they stand.
Yūji Kagura (神楽勇治 Kagura Yūji?) Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino
The second main protagonist of the story. Yūji was once a sweet innocent little boy who Kazuki Arisaka was in love with. He was somewhat lecherous when he was little, but Kazuki doesn't remember. That is until he left for 10 years only to come back as a naughty girl-chaser. He is constantly finding himself in situations where Kazuki is half-dressed, constantly has lewd fantasies, and sometimes ends up touching girls where he shouldn't be touching them. Despite this, it seems that he does have a nice, kind side, and actually values Kazuki's friendship; this being shown when he was helping her pick out a swimsuit, even though they might have been more revealing with each choice he was picking them as they were her favorite color. Throughout the story it is suggested that he is in love with Kazuki (though he might be unaware of it) as he appears to direct all of his perverted actions to her. Later in the story he chooses to become a professional Photographer and is working as an intern.

Arisaka Family

Hatsune Arisaka (有坂初音 Arisaka Hatsune?) Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara Like (V) 
Kazuki's older sister, who is constantly trying to get Kazuki and Yūji together and inadvertently (and intentionally) puts them both into embarrassing and lascivious situations. There are some indications that she considers the mishaps (and the arguments following them) funny. Hatsune is good at everything she does, from cooking to sports, and is extremely well-endowed. She likes to tease her sister by showing her how infatuated Yuuji is with her breasts. Hatsune frequently engages in cosplay around the house and can, from time to time, be quite frightening to the people around her. Unlike her younger sister and Marie, Hatsune is perfectly unafraid of insects - or anything else. Although it's implied that Hatsune's true weakness is worrying about her sister's health. When Kazuki fell ill with a cold, Hatsune became comically uncoordinated and unskillful every time she heard Kazuki sneeze. She occasionally (and sarcastically) appears to have an attraction to her younger sister.
Kazuki's Mother (香月のお母さん Kazuki no okāsan?) Voiced by: Eri Nakao
Kazuki's and Hatsune's mother.
Arisaka-san (有坂さん?) Voiced by: Kenta Miyake
Kazuki's and Hatsune's father, a professor of cultural anthropology.

Kagura Family

Marie Kagura (神楽まりえ Kagura Marie?) Voiced by: Erino Hazuki
Yuuji's younger sister. Kazuki described her as being a crybaby when she was younger. Now that she has grown up she isn't quite the crybaby she used to be. Now she can be found pelting her older brother with air guns hidden in her teddy bear Seiyū and her other puppets when her brother is acting vulgar. Though she shoots him without a moments hesitation, she does greatly care for her older brother and gets lonely without him suggesting she might have a brother complex, with stronger hints later as she becomes jealous of Yuuju's and Kazuki's growing relationship. Marie is mortally afraid of cats and insects. She is able to flee bugs yet is nearly paralyzed by the presence of cats, though they are drawn to her.
Kagura-san (神楽さん?) Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara
Marie's and Yūji's father. Told Marie to shoot her brother with paint balls every time he does something indecent. Apparently he is a hunter, although this is questionable. It has been stated in the anime that he is a press photographer as his day job, with a side job as treasure hunter. Marie and Yuuji note his treasure hunting job always felt more like his main occupation, as it caused the family to relocate time and again, whenever Kagura-san got bored with one site and started looking for the next.

School

Chihaya Suzuhara (鈴原ちはや Suzuhara Chihaya?) Voiced by: Misaki Sekiyama
Kazuki's friend who apparently likes to spy on people. She speaks with a Kansai dialect and is much more receptive to Yuuji's bawdy nature than Kazuki, claiming 'all boys are like that'. She also doesn't object to being the object of his attention and even goes so far as to give minor underwear displays. At one point she tells Kazuki if she didn't want Yūji, she would take him instead. She is just joking but it causes Kazuki to get depressed, especially seeing how well the two got along. Chihaya tells Kazuki that she was going to tell her that she wasn't interested in Yūji but that it would be a lie and encourages her to make up with Yūji before he was stolen away.
Nīna Isokawa (磯川ニーナ Isokawa Niina?) Voiced by: Ayumi Tsuji
Nīna is a blond-haired girl who goes to the same class as Marie. She has an American mother, a Japanese father, and a great deal of energy. She's very busty for her young age and is physically very active and extremely friendly, quickly attaching herself to Marie to the latter's initial displeasure. In the manga she has a crush on Yuji (who is torn between her being underage and her ample bust) and often refers to him as onii-chan.
Kōsuke Machida (町田洸介 Machida Kōsuke?) Voiced by: Shinji Kawada
President of Yūji's class.
Miu Serizawa (芹沢美宇 Serizawa Miu?) Voiced by: Shizuka Itō
Vice-president of Yūji's class. She uses any and all excuses to hit the class president. Even go so low as to hit him between the legs.

Manga

  1. December 7, 2004—ISBN 978-4861760549
  2. June 7, 2005—ISBN 978-4861761591
  3. January 7, 2006—ISBN 978-4861762666
  4. July 7, 2006—ISBN 978-4861763113
  5. January 7, 2007—ISBN 978-4861763649
  6. September 7, 2007—ISBN 978-4861764295
  7. March 15, 2008—ISBN 978-4861764981


Anime

Episodes

# Title Original airdate
1 "A 30 cm Unrequited Love"
"30senchi no kataomoi" (30センチの片思い) 		 July 8, 2006
Kazuki is looking forward to the return of her old friends and neighbours, only to be shocked and dismayed when she sees what they've become in the years since they were last together. 
2 "Aloof Kazuki And The Apron Of Temptation"
"Tsuntsun Kazuki to Yūwaku epuron" (ツンツン香月と誘惑エプロン) 		 July 15, 2006
With the parents of both households stuck on a South American island for an indeterminate time, they ask their children to take care of each other. Kazuki refuses to admit the dirty-minded Yuuji into the home, unless he manages to spend the whole day without doing anything indecent, so they have a competition. 
3 "Smart Yuuji And Startled Kazuki"
"Kiritto Yūji ni dokkiri Kazuki" (キリッと勇治にドッキリ香月) 		 July 22, 2006
It's the first day at Kazuki's school for both Yuuji and Marie. While Marie is stuck in the same class with the hyperactive and overly friendly Nina, Yuuji manages to gain quite a crowd of girls by putting on his handsome face. Kazuki becomes jealous and sad when she sees Yuuji's popularity, leaving him at school when she goes home. To her surprise, this nets her a complaint from Yuuji, who wanted to walk home with her, not his adoring new classmates. 
4 "Nya~"
"Nya~" (にゃあ〜) 		 July 29, 2006
Nina, who considers Marie a good friend, pursues her relentlessly without realizing that this is causing the introverted Marie considerable distress. Only when Nina saves Marie from her worst fear and is set straight by Yuuji does she begin to understand Marie and lay the basis for a relationship that is not as one-sided. 
5 "Let's Break Up!!"
"Zekko surukara!!" (ゼッコーするからっ!!) 		 August 5, 2006
Kazuki experiences jealousy and insecurity when it turns out Chihaya and Yuuji share common interests and are becoming close friends. A visit by Chihaya to Kazuki's home turns sour when Yuuji holds a photo shoot and Kazuki feels like a fifth wheel, causing her to lash out in anger at both him and Chihaya, causing Yuuji to respond in kind and leaving their friendship apparently in shambles, to Chihaya's dismay. 
6 "Hugging Princess?"
"Ohimesama dakko?" (お姫様だっこ?) 		 August 12, 2006
After Kazuki's and Yuuji's break up they both feel depressed and Chihaya takes it upon herself get them back together. 
7 "Strongest☆Invincible My Sister"
"Saikyō☆Muteki mai sisutā" (最強☆無敵マイシスター) 		 August 19, 2006
After yet another pervert attack by Yuuji in the morning with some help by Hatsune, Marie decides she will find out Hatsune's weakness so that she will not be able to stop her from punishing her brother. But it seems that Hatsune doesn't have a weakness. Later Kazuki finds out that Hatsune has a fever and collapsed. Kazuki thinks it is because she overworked herself in taking care of her and the household, so she decides to take care of Hatsune and the household so that her sister can get well and do what ever would make her happy. 
8 "Kazuki x Hatsune Swimming Showdown"
"Kazuki x Hatsune suiei taiketsu" (香月×初音水泳対決!) 		 August 26, 2006
Kazuki breaks her sister's record in swimming, which gets her a challenge from her sister for the upcoming swimming competition. Throughout the episode Hatsune attempts to discourage Kazuki by mentally inflicting damage to Kazuki, although Hatsune's reason for this is because she wants Kazuki to take this seriously. As the episode comes to close the question still remains, 'Who will win the serious race between the loving sisters?'. 
9 "Maybe, Jealousy?"
"Moshikashite, yakimochi?" (もしかして、ヤキモチ?) 		 September 2, 2006
Yuuji gets told that Kazuki was popular among guys in middle school and was proposed to by many, but refused all for an unknown love of hers. Yuuji thinks it's the new teacher, who she and Chihaya know, which causes him to start feeling jealous. 
10 "It's A Bikini? Let's gather!"
"BIKINI dayo? Zenin shugo" (ビキニだよ?全員集合) 		 September 9, 2006
The Teacher decides to take the group to the beach, where Kazuki uses a double standard to blame Yuuji for mistakes, when they could have easily been blamed on the teacher. Things between Yuuji and Kazuki worsen, as Kazuki keep putting Yuuji down and keeps comparing him with the teacher. 
11 "Yukata, Fireworks and A Broken Sandal Strap"
"Yukata to hanabi to kireta hanao" (浴衣と花火と切れた鼻緒) 		 September 16, 2006
The group goes to a festival, where another occurrence happens between Yuuji, Kazuki and the teacher. Is the calm after the storm coming soon or not? 
12 "A Letter To Yuuji And Memories From Ten Years Ago"
"Yūji e no tegami to jūnen mae no kioku" (勇治への手紙と十年前の記憶) 		 September 23, 2006
Yuuji stops his raunchy and perverted action towards all women. But doing this caused him to act depressed and tired, while Yuuji's friends try to figure out why he's doing this, Kazuki figures that it may be because of her that Yuuji became like this. Although originally Kazuki liked the 'old' Yuuji back, she remembers that the 'old' Yuuji is more similar to the present Yuuji. So Kazuki tries to remember what she wrote to Yuuji in the letter 10 years ago and finally comes to a conclusion. 
13 "The Veranda and a Paper Plane"
"VERANDA to kami hikōki" (ベランダと紙ひこーき) 		 September 30, 2006
Yuuji has to move again. After finding out what Yuuji was really like in the past - and what she herself was like back then - what will Kazuki do? 

Theme songs

References

External links