Mikagura School Suite

Mikagura School Suite

Light novel volume 1 cover
ミカグラ学園組曲
(Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku)
Genre Action
Light novel
Written by Last Note.
Illustrated by Akina
Published by Media Factory
Demographic Male
Imprint MF Bunko J
Original run July 25, 2013 – ongoing
Volumes 6
Manga
Written by Last Note.
Illustrated by Sayuki
Published by Media Factory
Demographic Shōjo
Magazine Monthly Comic Gene
Original run August 2013 – ongoing
Volumes 4
Anime television series
Directed by Tarō Iwasaki
Written by Masahiro Yokotani
Music by Yoshiaki Fujisawa
Studio Doga Kobo
Licensed by
Network TVA, AT-X, Tokyo MX, SUN, KBS, BS11
English network
Original run April 7, 2015 – ongoing
Episodes 12

Mikagura School Suite (ミカグラ学園組曲 Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku) is a Japanese light novel series written by Last Note., with illustrations by Akina. The novels are inspired by songs written by Last Note. which use Vocaloids for the vocals. Media Factory has published six volumes since July 2013. A manga adaptation by Sayuki began serialization in the August 2013 issue of Media Factory's Monthly Comic Gene magazine. An anime television series produced by Dogakobo and directed by Tarō Iwasaki began airing in Japan on April 7, 2015.

Plot

Eruna Ichinomiya is a third-year junior high school student who has not decided on which high school to attend, and spends her days skipping school and playing games at home. One day, Eruna's eyes are captivated by a photo of Seisa Mikagura in a pamphlet for Mikagura Private Academy, given to her by her cousin, Shigure Ninomiya. Feeling that it is fate, Eruna decides to attend Mikagura Academy. However, Eruna discovers that Mikagura Academy is a school where only cultural clubs exist, and that it has an intense battle system where students with special powers must fight each other as representatives of their own clubs.

Characters

Main characters

Eruna Ichinomiya (一宮 エルナ Ichinomiya Eruna)
Voiced by: Juri Kimura
Eruna is a somewhat dimwitted girl who has a romantic interest in girls and as a result spends much of her time playing dating simulation visual novels on her portable device. She enrolls into Mikagura Private Academy after her cousin Shigure recommends it to her, largely due to wanting to be able to meet Seisa whom she developed a strong interest in. Her abilities are "Toy Gun" (オモチャの銃 Omocha no Jū), which allows her to shoot a powerful laser from her fingertips, and "Toy Bayonet" (オモチャの銃剣 Omocha no Jūken), in addition to possessing incredible speed.
Seisa Mikagura (御神楽 星鎖 Mikagura Seisa)
Voiced by: Saori Ōnishi
Seisa is the representative of the Going-Home Club, and the granddaughter of Mikagura Academy's principal. Seisa is a second-year at school, and is a hikikomori. She was once a member of the Art Club, and was known to possess the strongest power in the school. The Going-Home Club is not actually registered in the school, and does not participate in battles. Her ability is known as "Killing Art" (キリングアート Kiringu Āto).
Otone Fujishiro (藤白 おとね Fujishiro Otone)
Voiced by: Ari Ozawa
Like Eruna, Otone is a first-year student who does not belong to any club. It seems that she is rarely seen within school premises. Her ability is "Anti-Complex" (アンチコンプレックス Anchi Konpurekkusu).
Himi Yasaka (八坂 ひみ Yasaka Himi)
Voiced by: Ayaka Suwa
Representative of the Calligraphy Club, Himi is a very small second-year, and has the appearance of a young child. She is extremely innocent, positive, and always has a smile on her face. Occasionally, she is the victims of Eruna's 'delusions.' Her ability is "Lovely Ink" (ラブリーインク Raburī Inku), which lets her form living ink attacks using a large calligraphy brush.
Shigure Ninomiya (二宮 シグレ Ninomiya Shigure)
Voiced by: Nobunaga Shimazaki
Shigure is a third-year who is the representative of the Manga Research Club, and is also Eruna's cousin. He is very attached to Eruna, and tries all sorts of ways to get closer to her, but he has not succeeded even once, and it seems that she is only avoiding him more and more. His ability is "Hero Time" (ヒーロータイム Hīrō Taimu).
Yūto Akama (赤間 遊兔 Akama Yūto)
Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae
Yūto is a second-year who is the representative of the Drama Club. He is always smiling, and he is adored by the Drama Club members, who are known for being like a large family. He is always carrying a scythe, which is actually just a prop. His ability is "Coup d'etat Faker" (クーデターフェイカー Kū detā Feikā), which lets him create illusions to fool his opponents.
Kyōma Kuzuryū (九頭龍 京摩 Kuzuryū Kyōma)
Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya
Kyōma is a third-year who is representative of the Art Club. His blunt attitude has caused most to fear him, but he can also be kind and is good at taking care of others; he also loves to drink milk. Both his face and uniform are always covered in paint. His ability is "Bullet Barrett" (パレットバレット Baretto Baretto).
Sadamatsu Minatogawa (湊川 貞松 Minatogawa Sadamatsu)
Voiced by: Makoto Furukawa
Sadamatsu is a second-year who is both the leader and representative of the Flower Arranging Club. He also seems to be spaced out, and shows no interest in anything. His ability is "Selfish Flower" (セルフィッシュフラワー Serufisshu Furawā), which lets him grow plants on his body.
Asuhi Imizu (射水 アスヒ Imizu Asuhi)
Voiced by: Ai Kakuma
Asuhi is a first-year who is part of the Astronomy Club. He came directly from Mikagura Academy's junior high school, and it is said that he may become the next representative. He has a very cute appearance which often causes him to be mistaken as a girl. His ability is "Shooting Star" (シューティングスター Shūtingu Sutā), which allows him shoot powerful stars from a telescope.
Bimii (ビミィ)
Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
Bimii is a mysterious winged creature, largely resembling a cat, who can only be seen by those eligible to attend Mikagura Academy and often ends his sentences with "ryui" (りゅい). Since his real name appears to be unpronounceable in human language, Eruna nicknames him "Bimii" after the word "bimyō" (微妙, lit. weird).

Other characters

Nyamirin (にゃみりん)
Voiced by: Haruka Tomatsu
A third-year student who belongs to the Drama Club. She gave all the Drama Club members (except Yuto) animal inspired names.
Usamaru (うさ丸)
Voiced by: Daiki Yamashita
A freshman and member of the Drama Club. Often seen together with Tonkyun. He currently haven't awoken his ability
Tonkyun (トンきゅん)
Voiced by: Takuma Terashima
A freshman and member of the Drama Club who is often seen together with Usamaru. His ability is Ad-Lib Role which makes flames burst from his hands burning anything and everything around him. Every time he tries to say his real name is interrupted.
Kumano-san (熊野さん)
Voiced by: Yurika Kubo
A second-year student and member of the drama club who, like Himi, is very short.
Kurumi Narumi (鳴海クルミ Narumi Kurumi)
Voiced by: Ai Kayano
Eruna's teacher and Seisa's maid. Her serious and deadpan demeanor doesn't hide her dislike for Eruna's antics, but she can be soft to Seisa.
Meika Katai (花袋めいか Katai Meika)
Voiced by: Reina Ueda
A freshman member of the Calligraphy club. Katai is a shy girl and the first female friend Eruna made on the academy. Her ability is very similar to Himi's Lovely Ink but she can only summon one character at a time.

Media

Print media

Mikagura School Suite is a light novel series written by Last Note., with illustrations by Akina. Media Factory published the first volume on July 25, 2013; six volumes have been published as of March 25, 2015.[1][2]

A manga adaptation by Sayuki began serialization in the August 2013 issue of Media Factory's Monthly Comic Gene magazine. The first tankōbon volume was published on November 27, 2013; four volumes have been released as of March 27, 2015.[3][4]

Anime

An anime television series adaptation, produced by Dogakobo and directed by Tarō Iwasaki began airing in Japan on April 7, 2015. The series is written by Masahiro Yokotani and music is by Yoshiaki Fujisawa. Chief animation director Manamu Amazaki also designed the characters.[5] The opening theme is "Hōkago Kakumei" (放課後革命, "After School Revolution") and the ending theme is "Rakuen Fanfare" (楽園ファンファーレ Rakuen Fanfāre, "Paradise Fanfare"); both songs are performed by Hōkago Rakuenbu, a group composed of Juri Kimura, Saori Ōnishi and Ari Ozawa. Funimation licensed the anime series and is simulcasting it as it airs.[6]

Episode list

No. Title Original air date
1 "Youthful Prelude"
"Seishun Pureryūdo" (青春プレリュード) 		April 7, 2015
As Eruna Ichinomiya, a somewhat perverted schoolgirl, is pressured into choosing a high school, her cousin, Shigure Ninomiya, recommends his school, Mikagura Private Academy. Taking an interest in the principal's granddaughter, Seisa Mikagura, Eruna decides to take the entrance exam, which she passes by being able to see the school's feline teacher, who she names Bimii. At the start of her new school life, Eruna learns about the school's system, in which students are required to join one of the school's clubs, using points earned by battles against other clubs to improve their state of living. Stuck with the poorest living conditions due to not yet being in a club, Eruna attempts to join Himi Yasaka's Calligraphy Club, but is rejected due to her poor art skills. A few days later, however, Eruna is approached by Seisa herself, who invites her to join her Going-Home Club on a trial period on the condition that she act as the club's representative in a battle taking place the next week. 
2 "After School Stride"
"Hōkago Sutoraido" (放課後ストライド) 		April 14, 2015
After learning about how students can use special abilities during club battles, in which student's must destroy all three of their opponent's crystals, Eruna pays a visit to each of the different clubs, learning about the various abilities the representatives have. However, Eruna struggles to come up with her own special ability by the time of her match, in which she must battle against Himi. As Eruna quickly finds herself on the defensive and goes into hiding, she comes across a sealed room and briefly sees a mysterious woman, who tells her that she has already possesses a power inside her. When she regains her senses, Eruna discovers she now possesses super speed and a finger laser ability called "Toy Gun", which she uses to destroy all of Himi's crystals in one go and win the match. 
3 "Not Quite a Heroine"
"Hiroin Miman" (ヒロイン未満) 		April 21, 2015
After learning about an upcoming rookie tournament for new students, Eruna reports her victory to Seisa, who claims that she only won because Himi held back and challenges her to a practise match with her club membership on the line. Prior to her match against Seisa, Eruna observes a practise match between the Astronomy Club's Asuhi Imizu and the Drama Club's Yūto Akama, with Yūto winning with a single strike. The match between Eruna and Seisa soon begins, with Eruna attempting to destroy Seisa's crystals whilst she is dozing off. However, Eruna's Toy Gun fails to activate and she is overwhelmed by Seisa's "Killing Art" ability, getting kicked out of the Going-Home Club as a result. Bimii, after informing Eruna that she needs to build more experience to use her ability properly, suggests that she form a club of her own, using the rookie tournament to attract potential members. Admiring her determination, Seisa lets Eruna bring her sleeping bag into her mansion. 
4 "Lazy Coup D'état"
"Mukiryoku Kūdetā" (無気力クーデター) 		April 28, 2015
With Eruna still struggling to use her Toy Gun properly, the drama club decide to put on an after-school beginner's class in the run up to the rookie tournament. As Eruna learns she will be facing against the Calligraphy Club's Meika Katai in her first rookie match, Yūto is feeling down as Asuhi reminds him of his younger brother, who was seperated from him when their parents divorced, leaving him all alone. However, he is cheered up when Eruna and the other drama club members hold a party to mark the end of the beginner class. The next day, as Eruna faces off against Meika, her excitement from enjoying the duel allows to once again use her Toy Gun and win the match. 
5 "School Fantasia"
"Gakuen Fantajia" (学園ファンタジア) 

References

  1. ↑ ミカグラ学園組曲1　放課後ストライド [Mikagura School Suite 1 After School Stride] (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  2. ↑ ミカグラ学園組曲6 [Mikagura School Suite 6] (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  3. ↑ ミカグラ学園組曲 1 [Mikagura School Suite 1] (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  4. ↑ ミカグラ学園組曲 4 [Mikagura School Suite 4] (in Japanese). Media Factory. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Mikagura School Suite Anime's Promo Previews Theme Song". Anime News Network. March 19, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Funimation Adds Mikagura School Suite Anime". Anime News Network. April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.

External links