Sketchbook (manga)
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 series written and illustrated by Totan Kobako
Totan Kobako
is the pen name of a Japanese manga creator from Fukuoka, Japan. Kobako is notable for the creation of Sketchbook which was adapted into a 13 episodes anime series by the studio Hal Film Maker and broadcast on TV Tokyo. The author’s gender is currently undisclosed.-External links:...

. First serialized in the April 2002 issue of Comic Blade
Comic Blade
is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Mag Garden. It was first published in February 2002 and is sold on the thirtieth of each month. The manga series are published in tankōbon under the imprint.-Serialized manga:...

, the individual chapters are collected and published by Mag Garden
Mag Garden
is a Japanese publishing company that focuses on manga-related publications and is also involved in the development of anime and live-action adaptations. It was founded on June 5, 2001 by Yoshihiro Hosaka along with former manga artists of Enix...

. Chapters have also appeared in Comic Blade Masamune
Comic Blade Masamune
was a bi-monthly Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Mag Garden that contains manga and information about those series. It began in December 2002 and ceased publication on June 15, 2007, to be revamped as a new magazine called Comic Blade Avarus....

. An anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 adaptation, under the title Sketchbook ~full color's~, aired in Japan between October 2 and December 25, 2007. The story revolves around a group of high school students, mostly female, in the art club at their high school. The main character is a young, shy and quiet girl named Sora Kajiwara who goes through life at her own pace.

Plot

Sketchbook begins with Sora Kajiwara joining the art club of her unnamed Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...

 high school, and goes on to chronicle her subsequent experiences and those of her fellow club members.

Freshmen

The protagonist of the series, a girl with a playful spirit and an observant nature. Her undiminished, childlike ludic
Ludic
Ludic derives from Latin ludus, "play," and is an adjective meaning "playful." The term is used in philosophy to describe play as an act of self-definition; in literary studies, the term may apply to works written in the spirit of festival.-Homo ludens:...

 inclinations are in evidence throughout the series and tend to drive her actions. The world is her toybox; she rarely encounters an object she doesn't want to experiment with. Her active, somewhat impractical imagination envisions a multitude of bizarre scenarios, leading her to often absurd assumptions and conclusions. She is particularly fond of cats, befriending and naming various neighborhood strays, of tea, always keeping a flask-full handy, and of drawing, which induces her to join her school's art club, thus commencing the events of Sketchbook.

Sora is extremely quiet, rarely speaking in the anime, while in the manga it is not clear whether she ever speaks at all. She is easily frightened, and even mildly startling events can send her into hiding. On more than one occasion she flees from her close friend, Asō, because her hairstyle is unfamiliar. Among the things she has admitted or been shown to find scary are bowling balls, high voltage towers, gym instructors, escalators, security cameras, frozen pike, passing trains, Daichi Negishi, and a balloon-seller in a cat costume.

Sora has long, straight hair, reaching about to her waist. Its color is uncertain: in different illustrations, it has appeared in various shades of blue, green, purple, and grey; in the strip it is not distinguishable from black; in the animation, it is a light blue-grey. When not in her school uniform, which comprises a white dress shirt, tie, double-breasted blue blazer and ankle-length skirt, she usually wears a light collared shirt over a dark undershirt, with knee-length trousers. When out on a walk or hike she accouters herself with a wide-brimmed straw hat, backpack, umbrella, tea flask, and sketchbook. She will also occasionally wear a watch on her left wrist.


A Hakata-ben speaker with twin ponytails and reddish-purple hair. She has the fairly unique hobby of making hand-puppets (which resemble the Muppets of Fraggle Rock
Fraggle Rock
Fraggle Rock is a children's live action puppet television program series created by Jim Henson. The central characters were a set of "Muppet" creatures called Fraggles. The show ran from January 10, 1983, to March 30, 1987, on CBC Television in Canada, ITV in the UK, HBO in the United States,...

) and conducting conversations among them; they serve alternatively as diversion, study tools, and gloves. There are five, all siblings, named Kerokichi, Ranran, Michael, Robert, and Tom-Tom. Asō joins the art club together with Kajiwara, whom she meets on the way to the club room; the two remain good friends afterward. Her best friend appears to be Hazuki, without whom she is rarely seen. While generally a very thoughtful and pragmatic person, Asō can occasionally let her boisterousness get the better of her.


Hazuki is a parsimonious blond-haired girl and the third freshman to join the art club. Her extreme frugality, coupled with her perfectionist, Type-A personality, can turn everyday errands into protracted ordeals and even the simplest transaction into an onerous travail. Even her approach to art is largely determined by economic considerations. Despite these tendencies, she is probably the most overall well-adjusted, level-headed, and dependable of the major characters. She is also extremely polite and very caring toward animals. Hazuki lives alone. She regularly appears in the strip by herself, the only character other than Kajiwara to do so.


A transfer student from Canada. Kate is already fluent, albeit prone to sometimes outlandish mistakes, in Japanese before coming to the art club. Perhaps indicative of her accent, much of her speech is rendered in katakana
Katakana
is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...

. She seems fascinated by the Japanese language and writing system and by the workings of language in general, constantly pointing out oddities and questioning rough spots. Why she came to Japan is never mentioned.

Upperclassmen

A dark-haired girl of diminutive stature. Kuga's perpetually expressionless face and bizarre behavior suggest a morose, perhaps sinister character, but rather than depressed, withdrawn, or morbid, she is in fact playful, mischievous, and jocular (and occasionally morbid). The author
Totan Kobako
is the pen name of a Japanese manga creator from Fukuoka, Japan. Kobako is notable for the creation of Sketchbook which was adapted into a 13 episodes anime series by the studio Hal Film Maker and broadcast on TV Tokyo. The author’s gender is currently undisclosed.-External links:...

 suggests that her eccentricity is actually an affectation, designed to help her communicate with others. Asō and Kuga sometimes ride the train together in the manga.


An outburst-prone second-year student who is one of two males in the art club. Even minor annoyances can provoke him to fits of rage, shouting and throwing whatever object happens to be handy. Despite his temper, Negishi is generally a fairly pleasant individual. He is also the preferred target of the inveterate goofball and prankster Kamiya Asaka. He and Kajiwara seem to be fairly close, although she is frightened of him.


Juju is tall, plays guitar, and is terrified of caterpillars. She once thought that dinosaurs breathed fire. She is drawn so that her eyes appear to be perpetually closed, and her general inattentiveness to her surroundings seems to corroborate this possibility.


The Suzukaze Combo is a pair of second-year students who usually appear together and who evidently view life as one long comedy routine. They seem to be aware of their status as comic strip characters, and often address the audience directly
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...

, although it has alternatively been suggested that they're just talking to thin air. Their considerable arsenal of jokes, tricks, and gags was at least partially honed under the tutelage of Asakura Soyogi. The "Suzukaze" nickname derives from an alternate reading of the characters for "Ryō" and "Fū".



An inquisitive but easy-going girl with keen biological interests. Kurihara's knowledge of this field is literally encyclopedic, in the sense that it is only limited by what appears in scientific encyclopedias. She identifies and interacts with a variety of plant and animal life, sharing some of their unique characteristics with other club members and with the audience. Her resourcefulness and adaptability have drawn great admiration from Kajiwara. Classmate and best friend of Juju.


A dangerously imaginative troublemaker with pink hair and a ponytail. In contrast to the other club members, Kamiya's artwork is featured frequently and is a major facet of her character. Her creations usually can only marginally be called art, and are often inspired by puns; among them: a plush screwdriver, a kangaroo costume, a fanning machine, a kiwifruit kiwi, a Maneki Neko
Maneki Neko
The is a common Japanese sculpture, often made of ceramic, which is believed to bring good luck to the owner. The sculpture depicts a cat beckoning with an upright paw, and is usually displayed—many times at the entrance—in shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, and other businesses...

 beckoning with both paws, and a t-shirt with a hanger attached. She is physically strong. Identified as the "art club's trump card".


A second-year student who rarely shows up to art club. Ōba has unkempt hair and long bangs which hang over and conceal her face (and obstruct her vision). These factors contribute to her apparent anonymity and forgettability, as other members of the art club often fail to recognize her, both facetiously and otherwise.


The art club's president, a senior. He is referred to as simply "President"; his actual name is used so infrequently that newer club members not only forget what it is, but forget that he has one at all. He is the most normal and level-headed character of them all, remaining calm and collected at all times. He is also a responsible student and can speak English.

Teachers

The exceedingly immature art teacher in charge of the club. Unmotivated, unambitious, and uninterested in society's expectations of her, Kasugano plays ball in the art room, cooks food and watches television in the preparation room, tends to forget what year it is, and keeps a pet chicken named Pī-chan. In contrast to her reckless personality, her driving is very slow and deliberate.


A friend of Kasugano's, and a fellow art teacher at the high school. Asakura is a talented magician and has demonstrated the capacity to perform extraordinary feats of skill. She at some point served as a mentor to the Suzukaze Combo, who address her as "master" and continue to augment their repertoire of tricks and gags by emulating her. Whereas Kasugano's exact age is never given, Asakura is identified as being 24 years old.

People

Sora's 13 year old younger brother. He is very caring towards his sister, although he can sometimes become exasperated with her behavior.


Twenty-year old cousin of Asō, and like her, a Hakata-ben speaker. Ueno was a member of the art club, but has graduated. Usually to be found fishing, or occasionally at home in the high school jersey he still wears.


Another former art club member, Shibata was Ueno's classmate and is evidently still in contact with him. She is good friends with Kuga, whom she meets on a return visit to the art club. Shibata is the only character to wear glasses
Meganekko
is a Japanese word which translates to "glasses girl"....

.


Asaka's elder sister, the cook among the three Kamiya siblings. Not fond of tomatoes or competition.


The 23-year old elder brother of Asaka and Sekka. While never a member of the art club, he knows Kasugano; he also met Kate and Kajiwara in an art supply store. On a visit to the high school for a parent-teacher conference, he demonstrates himself to be as forgetful and absent-minded as his goofy youngest sister.


Kajiwara's friend and classmate. She has shown an inclination towards music and a disinclination towards scholastic pursuits. Remains in the "go-home club" (the term for students not involved in any after-school activities) despite Kasugano's recruitment efforts.


Another of Kajiwara's classmates. Like Kei, she is in the "go-home club"; also like her, she evinces great sympathetic regard for her friend Sora. Unlike her, she is an excellent student.


An unnamed, recurring character who first appears in chapter 1. Outside of his work, he has been spotted purchasing a halogen heater.


A waitress who introduces herself to Kajiwara, Asō, and Hazuki in the final episode of the animation, after brief appearances in episode 1, 4, and 12. She also appears in the strip, but is not named.


Daichi's little sister, a character originally one featured in the anime, but was later introduced into the manga as well. Her habit of carrying a camera to capture scenery and objects of interest is contrasted with Kajiwara's similar practice with the eponymous sketchbook. Though a middle-schooler, she is often assumed to be in elementary school—something of a sore spot.

Cats

A Hakata-ben speaking calico cat who functions as the protagonist among the cat characters. Mike is noted for her mean glare and rough demeanor, but has a surprisingly weak, cute cry that belies these traits. Her name derives from the Japanese term for a calico cat.


A dark-eyed female, named for the sound of her cry. She has an affected manner of speech, adding "-nya" to the end of each sentence. Initially unable to climb to high places, but seems to have overcome this. Is bilingual, and thus able to communicate with the foreign cat Buchi.


Mike's son, with white and gray fur and thin gray stripes on his back and cheeks. Temporarily a house-cat, but appears to have returned to being a stray. Appears during the anthropomorphic episodes, but remains incapable of speech.


Though terrified of humans, Shamu is an extremely tough, powerful cat, strong enough to single-handedly defeat the three-cat alliance of Mike, Hā, and Grey. He is not a stray, but an owned cat, and wears a collar.


Named for his white color. Very affectionate towards humans, and as a result, frequently stepped on.


Possessing a preternaturally large head, with its features bunched far too close to the center, Kuma is a cat whose species identity is often called into question. He has an overbearing personality and an arrogant manner of speaking, exemplified by his use of the first-person pronoun wagahai. His wish to become a house cat is eventually fulfilled when he is taken in by the Kamiya family. His character contrasts sharply with that of his real-life model, a cute and quiet cat.


Friendly, well-mannered pet cat belonging to Kuga Kokage. Unlike the above-listed cats, has no real-life model. His name means "hot water bottle".


Kate's pet, a grey and white Persian cat
Persian cat
The Persian is a longhaired breed of cat characterized by its round face and shortened muzzle. Its name refers to Persia, the former name of Iran, where similar cats are found. Recognized by the cat fancy since the late 19th century, it was developed first by the English, and then mainly by...

. As a foreigner, Buchi speaks a different language from the native cats ("cat-English") and is only able to communicate with the bilingual Hā.


Another calico cat named Mike, called Nise ("Imitation") by the original Mike. She resembles Mike, but is far cuter. Kajiwara christens her "Mike II".


A one-eared tabby cat, named for the sound of his cry. The author, Kobako, met Woo's real-life counterpart in a park.


A third calico - Mike III. Note that the pronunciation is similar to the English word bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...

 rather than bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...

.


Mike IV.


A cat whom Kajiwara attempts to name first "Hā", then "Shiro", before being informed that she has already assigned these names to other cats. Her brother then suggests "Odd" (as in "odd-eyed cat
Odd-eyed cat
An odd-eyed cat is a cat with one blue eye and one green, yellow or brown eye. It is a feline form of complete heterochromia, a condition which occurs in some other animals...

") but Sora mishears this as "Jaodd".

Other animals

Kasugano's long-suffering pet chicken. Utilized by her as a hat and as a pillow; occasionally threatened to be utilized as food.


A large, black dog kept by Asō. A lazy, disobedient, and short-sighted animal.


A small dog who attaches himself to Daichi and is reluctantly taken in by him.


Asakura's pet dove, whom she often uses in her magic tricks.


Kurihara's pet rat.


Kurihara has several pet gobies. And they're all called "Yocchan".


A fictional cat with a long body and very small limbs who serves as the mascot character for a bank. Hazuki is enamored with him; her affection for him seems to outweigh even her legendary stinginess, as she will seek out items featuring his likeness even if they are not otherwise useful to her. Appears to have a female counterpart.

Manga

Written and illustrated by Totan Kobako
Totan Kobako
is the pen name of a Japanese manga creator from Fukuoka, Japan. Kobako is notable for the creation of Sketchbook which was adapted into a 13 episodes anime series by the studio Hal Film Maker and broadcast on TV Tokyo. The author’s gender is currently undisclosed.-External links:...

, Sketchbook is a four-panel
Yonkoma
thumb|right|150px|Traditional Yonkoma layout, a comic-strip format, generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom...

 comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....

 manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 series first serialized in Mag Garden
Mag Garden
is a Japanese publishing company that focuses on manga-related publications and is also involved in the development of anime and live-action adaptations. It was founded on June 5, 2001 by Yoshihiro Hosaka along with former manga artists of Enix...

's Comic Blade
Comic Blade
is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Mag Garden. It was first published in February 2002 and is sold on the thirtieth of each month. The manga series are published in tankōbon under the imprint.-Serialized manga:...

magazine starting with the April 2002 issue. The manga has made additional appearances in another manga magazine published by Mag Garden named Comic Blade Masamune
Comic Blade Masamune
was a bi-monthly Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Mag Garden that contains manga and information about those series. It began in December 2002 and ceased publication on June 15, 2007, to be revamped as a new magazine called Comic Blade Avarus....

. An additional volume, Sketchbook Shucchōban, was published on January 10, 2006 as a collection of bonus material which initially appeared in Comic Blade Masamune. The manga is published in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

 in Chinese by Tong Li Publishing.

Volume list

Anime

An anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 series adaptation, under the title Sketchbook ~full color's~, is produced by the animation studio
Animation studio
An animation studio is a company producing animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales or rentals of the media produced...

 Hal Film Maker
Hal Film Maker
is a Japanese animation studio founded in August 1993.-Anime produced: is a Japanese animation studio founded in August 1993.-Anime produced: is a Japanese animation studio founded in August 1993.-Anime produced:(Please note that this list only includes original productions or co-productions...

 and directed by Yoshimasa Hiraike
Yoshimasa Hiraike
-Anime involved in:*Aria The Natural: Screenplay, Storyboard , Episode Director *Excel Saga: Episode Director *Kaleido Star: Director , Assistant director*Pretear: Episode Director...

. The series aired 13 episodes in Japan between October 2 and December 25, 2007 on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...

. Four pieces of theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...

 are used for the episodes; two opening themes and two ending themes. The first opening theme is by Natsumi Kiyoura which is used for most of the episodes, and the second opening theme used only for episode 12 is by Natsumi Kiyoura. The first ending theme is by Yui Makino
Yui Makino
is a Japanese voice actor, actress, singer and pianist. She is best known for her work in the anime Tsubasa Chronicle and Aria. She can speak basic English. She is well known as a nice, caring, polite and a down-to-earth person, according to her fans. Her fans sometimes call her "Yucchi",...

 which is used for the first 12 episodes, and the second ending theme used for episode 13 is by Kana Hanazawa
Kana Hanazawa
a voice actress represented by Office Osawa talent agency. She is notable for voice acting leading roles for a number of anime television shows and other anime-related media in Japan.-Anime voice roles:Leading roles in bold2003...

, Asuka Nakase
Asuka Nakase
is a Japanese voice actress from Hidaka District, Wakayama. She is affiliated with Production Tanc.-Television animation:*Avatar: The Last Airbender *I"s Pure *Joshikōsei Girl's High...

, and Yui Makino. Other music used in the series is by Ken Muramatsu.

Episode list


>
# Title Original air date

Further reading


External links

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