Pani Poni (Japanese: ぱにぽに), also known by the title of its anime adaptation, Pani Poni Dash! (ぱにぽにだっしゅ!, Pani Poni Dasshu!), is a Japanese manga series by Hekiru Hikawa that uses parody, frequently referencing Japanese and American pop-culture in many ways.[2][3][4] It mainly follows child prodigy Rebecca Miyamoto, an MIT graduate newly hired as a homeroom teacher at Peach Moon Academy, where she deals with the antics of the Class 1-C students during everyday school life. The manga was serialized in Square Enix's G Fantasy between the November 2000 and October 2011 issues, and the chapters are collected in 17 tankōbon volumes.

Pani Poni
Cover of the first manga volume featuring lead character Rebecca Miyamoto
ぱにぽに
GenreParody[1]
Manga
Written byHekiru Hikawa
Published bySquare Enix
MagazineMonthly GFantasy
DemographicShōnen
Original runNovember 2000October 2011
Volumes17
Anime television series
Pani Poni Dash!
Directed by
Produced byAtsushi Moriyama (King Records)
Written byKenichi Kanemaki
Music byKei Haneoka
StudioShaft
Licensed by
Original networkTV Tokyo, TVA, TVQ, TVO, TSC, TVh, AT-X, GBS
English network
Original run July 4, 2005 December 26, 2005
Episodes26 (List of episodes)
Original video animation
Directed by
  • Akiyuki Shinbo
  • Shin Oonuma[a]
Produced byAtsushi Moriyama
Written byKatsuhiko Takayama
Music byKei Haneoka
StudioShaft
ReleasedApril 15, 2009

A 26-episode anime television series adaptation aired in Japan on TV Tokyo between July 4 and December 26, 2005 with its title renamed as Pani Poni Dash!. The anime is licensed by Funimation in North America.[5] There have also been several drama CDs created based on the TV series and manga. A special OVA was released with a DVD box set containing the anime series on April 15, 2009 in Japan.[6]

Plot edit

Pani Poni Dash!'s central storyline revolves around Rebecca Miyamoto, a child prodigy homeroom teacher, and the antics of her class 1-C. The characters attend a high school called the Peach Moon Academy (桃月学園, Momotsuki Gakuen) where Rebecca has taken up a job as one of the teachers after being the youngest graduate at MIT and is being watched by space aliens who screw up the story every now and then. Though the story hardly strays from the focus of the four first-year classes labeled 1-A through 1-D, the mishaps that occur in them, the teacher's lounge, and on school trips also become sources of material for topical allusions regarding satire, anime, Internet, gaming, and popular culture.

Media edit

Manga edit

Pani Poni was serialized in the manga magazine G Fantasy published by Square Enix between the November 2000 and October 2011[7] issues. Seventeen volumes were released in Japan.[8][9] The translated versions of the manga are also released in Taiwan and South Korea, from Chingwin Publishing Group in Taipei and Haksan Culture Company in Seoul.

There are four spin-offs of original Pani Poni manga. Most of them features yonkoma style. TG Angel Gyaiko-chan (TG天使ジャイ子ちゃん, TG Tenshi Jaiko-chan) is currently serialized in Tech Gian (Enterbrain) from July 2001, and focuses on Hikaru Nikaido (class 1-A) as a heroine. Maro-Mayu (まろまゆ) was serialized in Dengeki Moeoh between March 2002 and June 2008. It featured Kurumi Momose (1-C) as a heroine and illustrated her part-time job on a cafe. Rei Tachibana (1-C) also took part in some episodes as Rei from the Chinese Restaurant (中華屋のレイちゃん, Chūkaya no Rei-chan). Momo-Gumi!! (桃組っ!!) was serialized in Ace Momogumi (Kadokawa Shoten) from June 2003 to December 2004, when the company discontinued the magazine. It described the fictional Japanese idol group named Momo-gumi!! that Yuna Kashiwagi (1-A) belongs to. The Alternative Cure Magical Girl Behoimi-chan (新感覚癒し系魔法少女ベホイミちゃん, Shin Kankaku Iyashikei Mahō Shōjo Behoimi-chan) is alternately serialized in G Fantasy with Pani Poni from August 2006. It shows how Behoimi (1-D) became a "real" magical girl, and fights against the invaders from other planets.

Drama CDs edit

Pani Poni has also created ten drama CDs based on the series, the first of which was released in Japan on February 27, 2004.[10] While the first seven preceded the anime, and thus were based on the manga version, the last three released have been based on the anime adaptation.

Anime edit

An anime television series adaptation titled Pani Poni Dash! aired in Japan between July 4 and December 26, 2005, and contained 26 episodes. King Records subsidiary Starchild has the video and music rights for the anime. A special OVA was released with a DVD box set containing the anime series, on April 15, 2009.[6] A Blu-ray box set of the series including the OVA was released in Japan on April 26, 2017.[11] The anime was licensed Funimation in North America (it was once licensed by ADV Films for $138,666 effective June 30, 2006;[12] however, through a fallout of ADV's license partner Sojitz/ARM Corporation, Pani Poni was transferred to Funimation), ADV Films in the United Kingdom, Mighty Media in Taiwan, and TVee.co.kr in South Korea. Funimation released a complete DVD box set on March 10, 2009.

The episode names are based on adages and proverbs. Each episode is only loosely connected to the central plot. Many of the jokes in the series rely on satire, established character behavior, Japanese Internet and anime culture such as emoticons (At some points in the series, a character's face is replaced by an emoticon.), or non sequitur comments and actions (especially by Ichijo). The series also contains numerous parodies and references to popular culture,[1] which include Planet of the Apes,[13] Star Trek,[14] The Exorcist, Gundam, Devilman, Super Mario Bros.,[1] Little Black Sambo, Usagi Yojimbo, Doctor Who and the Cthulhu Mythos.

Music edit

Opening themes
  1. "Yellow Vacation" (黄色いバカンス, Kiiroi bakansu) by Peach Moon Academy Class 1-C (feat. Himeko in TV episodes 2–9, 14, DVD episodes 1–8, 25 and OVA; feat. Rei in TV episodes 11, 13, 16; feat. Kurumi in TV episode 17 and DVD episode 15; feat. Rokugō in TV episodes 19, 22)
  2. "Roulette☆Roulette " (ルーレット☆ルーレット, Rūretto☆Rūretto) by Peach Moon Academy Class 1-C (feat. Ichijo in TV episodes 10, 12, 15, 18 and DVD episodes 9-14, 16)
  3. "Girl Q" (少女Q, Shōjo kyū) by Peach Moon Academy Class 1-C (feat. Miyako in TV episodes 20–21, 23 and DVD episodes 17–23; feat. Rokugō in TV episode 24 and DVD episode 24)
Ending themes
  1. "Girlppi" (ガールッピ, Gāruppi) by Peach Moon Academy Class 1-A&B (in TV and DVD episodes 1–7, 9-12)
  2. "Healing-type Magical Girl Behoimi" (癒し系魔法少女ベホイミ, Iyashikei mahō shōjo behoimi) by Behoimi (in TV and DVD episodes 8)
  3. "Faraway Dream" (遙かな夢, Haruka na yume) by Rebecca Miyamoto (in TV and DVD episodes 13, 25)
  4. "Moonlight Love" (ムーンライト・ラブ, Mūnraito rabu) by Peach Moon Academy Class 1-D (in TV and DVD episodes 14-23 and OVA)
  5. "Snow, Moon, and Flower" (雪月花, Setsugekka) by Rebecca Miyamoto (in TV and DVD episode 24)
  6. "Yellow Vacation" (黄色いバカンス, Kiiroi bakansu) by Peach Moon Academy Class 1-C (feat. Himeko in TV and DVD episode 26)

Internet radio shows edit

Pani Poni Dash has two internet radio shows titled The Alternative Curing Labo of Magical Girl Behoimi (魔法少女ベホイミの「新感覚☆癒し研究室」, Mahō Shōjo Behoimi no Shinkankaku Iyashi Kenkyūshitsu) and Pani Radi Dash! (ぱにらじだっしゅ!, Pani Raji Dasshu!). The first one was aired from November 2005 to February 2006, while the latter one was aired from December 2005 to September 2006, both on Animate TV. The shows were hosted by Mai Kadowaki and Chiwa Saito who played Behoimi (1-D) and Rebecca "Becky" Miyamoto in the anime respectively.

While the latter one was remixed as "DJCD"s, the former has never been officially released.

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b Credited as Series Director (シリーズディレクター, Shirīzu Direkutā).

References edit

General
  • Koyama, Tomohisa; et al. (November 2007). "Paniponi Dash!". Newtype. 5 (11): 52–53. ISSN 1541-4817.
Specific
  1. ^ a b c Jones, Tim. "Pani Poni Dash". THEM Anime Reviews. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  2. ^ Taguchi, Kōji (2005). How to Pass the Momotsuki High School (in Japanese) (1st ed.). Tokyo: Square Enix. ISBN 4-7575-1383-6.
  3. ^ Taguchi, Kōji (2005). The Pattern of Pani Poni Dash! Examination Questions (in Japanese) (1st ed.). Tokyo: Square Enix. ISBN 4-7575-1571-5.
  4. ^ Taguchi, Kouji (2006). You Come to Be Able to Use Pani Poni Dash Today If This Book is Read (in Japanese) (1st ed.). Tokyo: Square Enix. ISBN 4-7575-1664-9.
  5. ^ "Funimation Picks Up Over 30 Former AD Vision Titles". Anime News Network. 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  6. ^ a b "Pani Poni Dash release information". Shaft. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  7. ^ 最新号紹介 (in Japanese). Monthly GFantasy. Archived from the original on September 20, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  8. ^ ぱにぽに1 (in Japanese). ASIN 4757505221.
  9. ^ ぱにぽに17 (in Japanese). ASIN 4757533543.
  10. ^ "月刊「ぱにぽに」ドラマCD 3月号" (in Japanese). Neowing. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  11. ^ "Pani Poni Manga Gets 'Revival' With Special Edition Chapter". Anime News Network. April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  12. ^ "ADV Court Documents Reveal Amounts Paid for 29 Anime Titles". Anime News Network. January 30, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  13. ^ Pinchuk, Tom (November 6, 2012). "PaniPoni Dash #1 - Special review". animevice.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013.
  14. ^ Campbell, Scott (2007-10-17). "Paniponi Dash! Vol.6: Chaos cum laude advanced review". Activeanime.com.

External links edit