Kamisama Minarai: Himitsu no Cocotama

Kamisama Minarai: Himitsu no Cocotama (Japanese: かみさまみならい ヒミツのここたま, Hepburn: Kamisama minarai Himitsu no Kokotama, "Apprentice Gods: Secretive Cocotama") is a fantasy comedy anime series produced by OLM, Inc., based on Cocotama House Series of toys created by Bandai.^[1] The series is directed by Norio Nitta and written by Michihiro Tsuchiya (Mirmo De Pon!, PriPara, Cross Game) with character designs by Shinobu Ookawa. The series began airing on all TXN stations in Japan on October 1, 2015, replacing Tamagotchi! on its initial timeslot.^[2][3] The series uses few elements from Shinto Animism, regarding the Cocotamas.

Story

Kokoro Yotsuba is a fifth-grader who is clumsy yet also takes good care of her things. Living alongside her brother, she once understand what her late grandmother said to her, regarding that "everything has a soul" and that things should be cherished with. One day, a strange egg was born from her colored pencil she cherished the most, revealing to as Luckytama, a Cocotama. However, he is been found by Kokoro after returning from school and for him to exist, he asks Kokoro to sign the "Contract of Secrets", on which she cannot reveal the secret of the Cocotamas to the world and also, must take care of each and one of them with great love and care. Now with Luckytama living with his new human friend, Kokoro must make sure she never reveal nor tell their secret while meeting other Cocotamas who befriends her.

Characters

Yotsuba Family

Kokoro Yotsuba (四葉 こころ, Yotsuba Kokoro)

Voiced by: Kaede Hondo^[4]

The main protagonist of the series, Kokoro is a 5th grade student who doesn't excel in sports, is often clumsy and is good on the Piano. But she is very caring about her belongings after her grandmother teaches her about "all items having a heart and soul". She has a little brother named Makoto and her father works as an architect and designer for a housing company. Kokoro is heavily involved with the Cocotamas after seeing Luckytama for the first time, and is bound to take care of him and the others that she encounters. She builds the Cocotama House, a house made from everyday objects for Luckytama. She also serves as the house's landlord and allows other Cocotamas to live in the Cocotama House under a house rental contract. She is shown to have a crush on Seitarou, somewhat ticklish and hates Bell Peppers as well as having a hard time keeping the secret of the Cocotamas to herself alone.

Makoto Yotsuba (四葉 まこと, Yotsuba Makoto)

Voiced by: Yuka Terasaki

Kokoro's younger brother. He is very rowdy and sometimes annoying, which sometimes annoys Kokoro.

Koichi Yotsuba (四葉 幸一, Yotsuba Kōichi)

Voiced by: Tomohiro Tsuboi

Kokoro's father and a renowned architect at a housing company.

Misato Yotsuba (四葉 美里, Yotsuba Misato)

Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa

Kokoro's mother and both a worker and owner of a knitting and fabric store in town.

Friends in School

Ayaka Otsuki (大槻 あやか, Ōtsuki Ayaka)

Voiced by: Noriko Shibasaki

One of Kokoro's two best friends in school, who is part of the Basketball Club. She excels in sports and usually very determined towards others, which Kokoro and Hina admires the most.

Hina Hoshino (星野 ひな, Hoshino Hina)

Voiced by: Haruka Mikami

Also one of Kokoro's friends in school. She is very friendly, shy and nice and likes rabbits, but doesn't excel well in sports which a problem due to tendency to fail. However she actually gets over those problems.

Kiyomi Nishina (仁科 清美, Nishina Kiyomi)

Voiced by: Michiyo Murase

One of Kokoro's classmates who is a fan of anything supernatural. She usually investigates paranormal situations in her school, which in turn to be caused by the Cocotama's carelessness actions. She is also shown to be tailing behind Kokoro as she tries to expose her secret.

Atsushi Watabe (渡部 篤志, Watabe Atsushi)

Voiced by: Yuka Nishigaki

Kate Hasegawa (長谷川 ケイト, Hasegawa Keito)

Voiced by: Kaede Yusa

Kaede Akikawa (秋川 かえで, Akikawa Kaede)

Voiced by: Natsuki Aikawa

Seitarou Ichinose (一之瀬 清太郎, Ichinose Seitarō)

Voiced by: Toshiya Hiruma

Masaru Miyamoto (宮本 勝, Miyamoto Masaru)

Voiced by: Rinne Okabe

Cocotamas

Cocotamas are small furry creatures born from regular objects whose owners have taken care of with good love and care. As they are gods, they wear part of the eggshell they hatched on as proof of being an apprentice god. They are also gifted with magic, but they are however inexperienced and sometimes make mistakes. Each Cocotama are bound to the "Contract of Secrets" (ヒミツのけいやく, Himitsu no Keiyaku) which sometimes serves as their birth certificate after a human chose to take care of them. Also, the contract has strict rules that applies to both Cocotamas and the human they're bound to. A human who signed a Cocotama's Contact has an indication on the Cocotama's ability to see eggs on the cheeks of the human bound to its contract, and that the human can interact with other Cocotamas without making them sign another Contract of Secrets. However, if a human broke the said agreement, the Cocotama would disappear and go back to the item they're born in and the human contractor would forget they exist. Cocotama means "Heartful Soul" in Japanese and the concept of the characters are based on the Tsukumogami.

Main Cocotamas

Luckytama (ラキたま, Rakitama)

Voiced by: Megumi Han^[4]

The secondary main protagonist, he is an Orange Cocotama born from Kokoro's Colored Pencil that she owned when she was 3, and is referred as the "Colored Pencil God". He is very, curious, happy-go-lucky and cheerful, though he can be mischievous and very stubborn sometimes. He shares a friendly bond with Kokoro after she discovered him for the first time, and is the first Cocotama to has his contract signed. Being an Apprentice God, his magic is based on luck and it's not as refined, often backfires when cast. His full title is "Lucky Lucky no Tamakoronosuke-no-Mikoto" (ラキラキのたまころの助のみこと, Raki raki no Tamakoronosuke no Mikoto) and his mark on his pants is a green Four-Leafed Clover.

Melory (メロリー, Merorī)

Voiced by: Aki Toyosaki^[4]

Melory is a Pink Cocotama born from Kokoro's Piano that she played when she was 3, and is referred as the "Piano Goddess". She is a very cheerful mood swinger, very outgoing and friendly but can be easily scared. She also sings out her discussions, often some that expresses her feelings while ending her sentences with "~nano". She looks over Luckytama as her friend and fellow Cocotama, though can sometimes argue. But then settled down and decided to live with him and Kokoro in the Cocotama House under a rental agreement. Like Luckytama, her magic is not as refined as his, but is based on music. Her full title is "Melo Melo-Rin Hime-no-Mikoto" (メロメロリン姫のみこと, Mero Mero-rin Hime no Mikoto) and her mark on her pants is a magenta heart.

Oshaki (おシャキ, Oshaki)

Voiced by: Yumi Kakazu^[4]

Oshaki is a Light Blue Cocotama born from one of the Encyclopedia Books Kokoro's father owns, and is referred as the "Book Goddess". Although very shy, she is quite smart, serious and very knowledgeable, sometimes lecturing the other Cocotamas herself. Despite all of this, she has a big ego and it can overwhelm her sometimes. In her debut, she is stuck inside the eggshell she's born with due to someone accidentally ripping off a page of the book she's born in. It took a while for Kokoro and the others to find out the culprit and repair the book, which now allows her to come out and interact with the others. She is shown to be bad at singing. Her magic is based on knowledge and with a high chance of success. Her full title is "Ooinaru Shaki-Shaki Shaberi-Nushi-no-Mikoto" (大いなるシャキシャキしゃべり主のみこと, Ōinaru Shaki Shaki Shaberi-nushi no Mikoto) and the mark on her pants is an yellow lightbulb.

Geracho (ゲラチョ, Geratcho)

Voiced by: Rikako Aikawa^[4]

Geracho is a Green Cocotama born from the Yotsuba's family's flat screen television, and is referred as the "Television God". Though very serious-headed and often impulsive, he has a knack on jokes which sometimes falls flat or came out unappealing. But also he can be stubborn on things. He is seriously competitive over Luckytama thinking that his jokes are better than him, in reality, Luckytama was very clumsy on his moves and he often laughs on his misfortune. His magic is based on laughter and like Luckytama, usually has low success or can affect everyone nearby. His full title is "Gera-Gera no Tsukkomi-no-Mikoto" (ゲラゲラのツッコミのみこと, Gera Gera no Tsukkomi no Mikoto) and the mark on his pants is a red smiling speech bubble.

Kirarise (キラリス, Kirarisu)

Voiced by: Ryōka Yuzuki^[4]

Kirarise is a Mauve Cocotama born from Misato's treasured lipstick given to her by Koichi, and is referred as the "Lipstick Goddess". She is shown to be a very mature female who sometimes admires her own looks, and likes to flirts around with the guys, especially Luckytama and Geracho. Thought she can be very mean and berates others due to their personalities, she sometimes learns from it often helping them. Kirarise is shown to be good on both fashion and makeovers and that Melory looks up to her while Oshaki usually disagrees due to her overall personality and her way with flirting with the guys. Her magic is related to fashion and sometimes wasn't successful unless told the right timing. Her full title is "Kira-Kira no Love-Love no Lipstick-no-Mikoto" (キラキラのラブラブのルップスティックのみこと, Kira Kira no Rabu Rabu no Rippusutikku no Mikoto) and the mark in her pants is a pair of yellow Sparkles.

Mogutan (モグタン)

Voiced by: Michiyo Murase^[4]

Mogutan is a large Yellow Cocotama born from a fork that belonged and used by the Yotsuba Family, and is referred as the "Fork God". Thought very timid and easy going, he is very headstrong and also food-driven to the point of actually preferring to eat than doing anything else. He also has a huge appetite and an iron stomach as he can devour the whole Yotsuba Family's food supply in one night and is not affected by Kirarise's charms. He can also sense food from his tail and instinct, in which proven to be a disadvantage to the entire group. Other than that, he is also shown to have a soft spot on everyone and sometimes acts as a chef for the group. Mogutan's magic is based around on food, with its success rate varies from time to time. His full title is "Mogu Mogu no Pekorita-no-Mikoto" (モグモグのペコリータのみこと, Mogu Mogu no Pekorīta no Mikoto) and the mark on his pants is a purple Chef's Hat.

Sarine (サリーヌ, Sarīnu) and Parine (パリーヌ, Parīnu)

Voiced by: Ayumi Fujimura (Sarine) and Yuri Shiratori (Parine)

Appearing in Episode 14, Sarine and Parine are twin Cocotamas both born from the Rinse-in Shampoo Bottle the Yotsubas use and they were referred to as the "Shampoo Gods". Both twins had different personalities, with the female Sarine being the active, optimistic and always happy-go-lucky one and the male Parine being more laid back, timid and remorseful, which makes Sarine to go and motivate him. Also both wins are equally helpful and loving in certain situations including playing with others, but has a tendency to go berserk when they got dirty by mistake. Their magic is related to rejuvenation, as they can use it to rejuvenate people's spirits when taking a bath. Sarine's full title is "Sapari Awa-Awa Arai-no-Mikoto" (さっぱりアワアワあらいのみこと, Sappari Awa Awa Arai no Mikoto) and Parine's full title is "Sapari Shiya-Shiya Arai-no-Mikoto" (さっぱりシヤシヤあらいのみこと, Sappari Shiya Shiya Arai no Mikoto) and the mark on their pants is a light blue water drop, with Sarine having a sparkle in the center while Parine has a heart on the center. Both their names are based on the word "Sappari".

Mishil (ミシル, Mishiru)

Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa

Appearing in Episode 15, Mishil is a Red Cocotama born from the Yotsuba Family's mailbox and is referred as the "Mail Goddess". She is very shy but also childish in personality as well as being very spoiled and mysterious. Mishil is also very manipulative and likes to sneak around Kokoro's room, usually wanting to live in the Cocotama House and be its Queen. But sometimes she cries a lot when she doesn't get what she want, or got busted. When in disguise, she refers herself as "346" to spy on the group and search for their weaknesses, but is shown to hate Bell Peppers too. But in the end, she redeemed herself and wished to live with Luckytama and the others. Her full title is "Miru Miru no Shiru Shiru no Scoop get-no-Mikoto" (ミルミルのシルシルのスクープゲットのみこと, Miru Miru no Shiru Shiru no Sukūpu Getto no Mikoto) and the mark on her pants is a green mail envelope.

Straytama Trio

Tokumaru (とくまる, Tokumaru)

Voiced by: Yuka Terasaki

Yurano (ユラノ, Yurano)

Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi

Mukitetsu (ムキテツ, Mukitetsu)

Voiced by: Tomohiro Tsuboi

Other Cocotamas

Tama-Sennin (たま仙人, Tama sennin)

Voiced by: Tomohiro Tsuboi

Tama-Sennin is the leader of the Cocotamas and the most oldest ever lived, who is born from a flute. He is colored gray with a long beard, wears a loincloth and wields a wooden staff. He is shown to be strict but caring, usually looking after the main group from a distance to see if they're doing good with Kokoro. It is also shown that he's very experienced in magic as he's a high-ranking Cocotama.

Bannosuke (バン之介, Bannosuke)

Voiced by: Makoto Tsumura

Appearing in Episode 11, he is a brown Cocotama who is born from an old amusement machine in the Candy Store. He makes his residence in the store where Kokoro frequently stops by to buy sweets. Shown to be good on economics and money, he is also resourceful and worries about the owner of the shop due to competition.

Others

Mineko Kiteyama (北山 峰子, Kitayama Mineko)

Voiced by: Rikako Aikawa

Kokoro's homeroom teacher in school.

Amanda (アマンダ)

Voiced by: Ryōka Yuzuki

The pet cat owned by the Yotsubas. Despite her innocent looks, she can be very hateful to the Cocotamas as Kokoro shifted her focus to them which makes her jealous. Later in the series, she showed some remorse over them and helped the Cocotamas in any situations they're facing in, finally understanding them.

Production

The series and toy line were both simultaneously unveiled at the 2015 Tokyo Toy Fair on June 18, 2015, and scheduled for an October release. The business partners for the series were also present at the unveiling, including Bandai President and CEO Kazunori Ueno, TV Tokyo's Anime Bureau member Yukio Kawasaki, OLM Representative Toshiaki Okuno, Lantis's Yoshie Terunari, Bandai's Hiroshi Kawata, and Narabe Ayumi of Kodansha.^[5] The series and toy line is planned to be a multimedia franchise aimed at girls, revealing the series' concept of "cherishing things you care for" relating to the title and theme. Kodansha confirmed in a press release that the series would be included in a future issue of Tanoshī Yōchien, and that the toys would be released in September.^[6]

Media

Merchandise

The Cocotama House Series (ここたまハウスシリーズ, Kokotama hausu shirīzu), on which the anime is based on was released on September 19, 2015, with its first set including a small Luckytama figure and a decorative dollhouse. The toy line focuses on decorating its own dollhouse and expanding it with other sets, which can be connected to the main dollhouse itself. The figures were also released the same month, in which each Cocotama figure can be placed inside its plastic egg shell and opened by "cracking" the egg to reveal the figure. Bandai also planned for other sets in the series in the following months. As well with other Bandai-related franchises, the series will expand in other merchandise such as stationery, plush toys and novelty items.

Anime

An anime adaptation of the series is produced by OLM and began airing on October 1, 2015, replacing Tamagotchi! Tama Tomo Daishū GO! on its initial timeslot. The opening song is titled "Coro Coro Cocotama!" (ころころここたま!, Korokoro kokotama!, "Rolling Cocotama!") by Erika and the ending theme is titled "Kokon Poipoi Cocotama!" (ここんぽいぽいここったま!, Kokon Poipoi Kokottama!) by Aki Toyosaki featuring Megumi Han, Yumi Kakazu, Ryoka Yuzuki, Rikako Aikawa and Michiyo Murase. The series's music is composed by Ryosuke Nakanishi (Sakura Trick, High School DxD, Kuroko's Basketball).

TV Tokyo officially streams the series in Japan as part of the Ani.TV Lineup on October 8, 2015.^[7] Bandai Channel also starts streaming the series in Japan as well in the video site Nico Nico Douga and in NTT DoCoMo's video streaming service Docomo Anime Store.

Episode list

References

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Official anime website (TV Tokyo) (Japanese)
• Kamisama Minarai: Himitsu no Cocotama (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia