Ultra Maniac
Encyclopedia
is a manga
series written by Wataru Yoshizumi
. The romantic comedy
series features 8th grader Ayu Tateishi, a tennis club member, and her transfer student friend, Nina Sakura, who is actually a trainee witch from the magical kingdom. It premiered in Shueisha
's Ribon
manga magazine in February 2001 and ran until January 2004. It was also published in five collected volumes
by Shueisha
. Viz Media
licensed and released an English translation
of the series in North America
.
The series was adapted into a 20-minute anime OVA, released August 6, 2002. Later, it was also adapted into a 26-episode anime
television series. Both were produced by Ashi Productions
and Animax
. The anime series premiered on May 20, 2003 in Japan
on Animax
, and was later licensed for Region 1 distribution by Geneon Entertainment.
In order to see if Ayu is trustworthy, she starts to follow Ayu around and eventually decides she can trust Ayu. Nina reveals that she is actually from the Magic Kingdom and is a magic girl. Ayu, however, doesn't believe Nina and thinks she is a bit crazy at first. Ayu herself had always shunned the ideas of magic and fairy tales, even admitting she had never read Harry Potter
, so having someone tell her they are a witch truly isn't something she can easily accept. After several mishaps with her magic, Nina proves she is a magic girl, and a failure who is coming to Earth as her last chance to prove that she can get things right. These first mishaps and the fact that Nina has shared her secret with Ayu, Nina attaches herself to Ayu as a friend and does everything she can to help Ayu with getting the attention of the boy she loves. As their adventures continue many friends from the magical kingdom come and visit Nina to the chagrin of Ayu.
The anime adaptation has a very different plot starting after Ayu and Nina have first met.
Instead of coming as a witch failure who is trying to prove herself to be more than she is said to be, Nina has come to earth to find the five "Holy Stones". She tells Ayu that whoever collects all five will qualify to marry the prince of the Magic Kingdom. Nina's childhood friend Maya is also on earth from the start, competing with Nina to find the stones.Though Nina does collect them all first she learns that the prince and Maya are truly in love with one another, so Nina gives up the stones and her dream allowing Maya and the prince to be with one another.
, with new chapters appearing monthly until its conclusion in the January 2004 issue. It was also published in five collected volumes
by Shueisha
.
Viz Media
licensed Ultra Maniac for an English-language release in North America. The series was released from July 5, 2005 to March 7, 2006.
, who have broadcast the series exclusively across Japan, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and other regions, dubbing and broadcasting the series into English and other languages. It has been licensed for North America
n distribution by Geneon Entertainment, who have released the series across the region via a 7-volume DVD release, the first of which was released on April 4, 2005 and the last of which was released on April 18, 2006. When it was first aired on SPE(Sony Pictures Entertainment) owned Animax (specifically in South Asia (India)) the show had a different opening music/theme which was shorter, vibrant and the opening video was also slightly altered. This music is supposed to be a studio production only (Library Music) and has not been used since. The ending credits had an instrumental version of Kagami no Naka. All the re-airings of the show have had the original Japanese theme song. The Animax Opening music/theme is only available on video sharing sites like Youtube and Veoh, uploaded by fans, since no official video was released by SPE.
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 by Wataru Yoshizumi
Wataru Yoshizumi
is a Japanese manga artist. She was born as on June 18, 1963 in Tokyo, Japan. She graduated with a degree in economics from Hitotsubashi University....
. The romantic comedy
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
series features 8th grader Ayu Tateishi, a tennis club member, and her transfer student friend, Nina Sakura, who is actually a trainee witch from the magical kingdom. It premiered in Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's Ribon
Ribon
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...
manga magazine in February 2001 and ran until January 2004. It was also published in five collected volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
. Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
licensed and released an English translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
of the series in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
The series was adapted into a 20-minute anime OVA, released August 6, 2002. Later, it was also adapted into a 26-episode 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....
television series. Both were produced by Ashi Productions
Ashi Productions
is a Japanese anime studio, located in Suginami, Tokyo, Japan, known for its four magical-girl anime, especially Magical Princess Minky Momo. It was established by Toshihiko Sato and other artists on December 24, 1975 as...
and Animax
Animax
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...
. The anime series premiered on May 20, 2003 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on Animax
Animax
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...
, and was later licensed for Region 1 distribution by Geneon Entertainment.
Plot
Ayu Tateishi is a well-adjusted 7th grader, until the fateful day when she finds a dejected looking Nina Sakura outside of the school. Nina explains that she lost something very dear to her earlier that day. Ayu offers to help Nina look for her lost item, but Nina seems reluctant to say what the item is that she lost, and runs off. On her way home Ayu finds what seems to be a mini-computer underneath the bench she knew Nina to be at earlier that day. After returning the item to Nina, Nina struggles to decide whether to let Ayu in on the 'big secret' she keeps.In order to see if Ayu is trustworthy, she starts to follow Ayu around and eventually decides she can trust Ayu. Nina reveals that she is actually from the Magic Kingdom and is a magic girl. Ayu, however, doesn't believe Nina and thinks she is a bit crazy at first. Ayu herself had always shunned the ideas of magic and fairy tales, even admitting she had never read Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
, so having someone tell her they are a witch truly isn't something she can easily accept. After several mishaps with her magic, Nina proves she is a magic girl, and a failure who is coming to Earth as her last chance to prove that she can get things right. These first mishaps and the fact that Nina has shared her secret with Ayu, Nina attaches herself to Ayu as a friend and does everything she can to help Ayu with getting the attention of the boy she loves. As their adventures continue many friends from the magical kingdom come and visit Nina to the chagrin of Ayu.
The anime adaptation has a very different plot starting after Ayu and Nina have first met.
Instead of coming as a witch failure who is trying to prove herself to be more than she is said to be, Nina has come to earth to find the five "Holy Stones". She tells Ayu that whoever collects all five will qualify to marry the prince of the Magic Kingdom. Nina's childhood friend Maya is also on earth from the start, competing with Nina to find the stones.Though Nina does collect them all first she learns that the prince and Maya are truly in love with one another, so Nina gives up the stones and her dream allowing Maya and the prince to be with one another.
Characters
- One of the female protagonists of the story, Ayu constantly tries to stay calm and keep her cool about everything. This is quite a facade for her to keep up, because the only reason she wants to be "cool" is because Tetsushi Kaji (her crush-later on her boyfriend-, and the star of the school baseball team) told her once that he liked how cool she was about everything. (He said this because when given a pop quiz she was the only one in the class who didn't freak out but she was actually just tired.) However, after she met Nina, she was everything but cool and calm. She is the president of the girl's tennis club and one of the most popular girls in the school, and she works hard on keeping up her "cool, calm and collected" reputation.
- Nina Sakura is a second female protagonist in the story Ultra Maniac. Her first scene is when Ayu Tateishi finds her crying because she lost a small, pink "box". Later, when Ayu finds and returns to box to Nina Sakura, Nina realizes that she has found a perfect person to reveal her strange secret to. She later reveals it to Hiroki Tsujiai who also becomes her boyfriend in the manga. She is often seen in the anime trying to help Ayu with her love life. She'll do absolutely anything to ensure that her friends are happy, even if it means suffering a little grief herself. Nina is very peppy and perky, and she loves sweets. She also enjoys manga.
- In the anime, the last of the five holy stones was unleashed when she and Tsujiai were reaching to each other in the dark zone.
- Considered an idol by the girls in his school, Kaji appears to be cool and always has a nice smile, but that's just his outer shell. In reality Kaji is a normal person who doesn't even like being an idol. He only acts like Prince Charming because Ayu unwittingly stated once that she liked him that way. (Ayu acted "cool" for the same reason). He later explains to Nina that he's being "the nice guy" because of Ayu and that he worked hard for the title. Nina has a crush on Tetsushi during the second book, but she forgets her original feelings for him when she sees how happy Ayu is to be with him. In the 2nd volume, Kaji finally dates Ayu.
- Kaji's best friend, who is often seen together with him. He is the head of the boys' tennis club. He is a fan of many manga and has similar taste with Nina. He is very steadfast and has a good sense of self-worth. Hiroki is in love with Nina. He and Nina start to go out with each other mid-way through the series. They continue to date until the end of the series.
- Coming from the Magic Kingdom, Yuta and Nina are childhood friends. He is adept enough with magic that he doesn't need a computer to cast spells like Nina does, and teases her about that frequently. He has a kind heart. At first, Yuta appears to show affection for Ayu, but, as Ayu later discovers, he is actually crazy about Nina. In the last episode of the anime, Yuta appears to have some feelings for Luna, but in the manga, he falls in love and goes out with Sayaka till the very end.
- Nina's pet cat, Rio (called 'Leo' in the English translation of the manga) can change into the form of a little boy, with a magic candy. In the anime, all he has to do is a flip and he becomes human. In the anime, he starts to like Ayu's dog, Tamako.
- One of the candidates to be the princesses of the Magic Kingdom and Nina's childhood friend, Maya has a pet chameleon named Lulu. Her hobby is black magic. At the beginning of the story, Maya had a strong rivalry with Nina but in episode 26, the rivalry ends. Maya has a crush on the prince, who loved her since the time from their childhood when they danced together and she saved him, and later marries him to become princess of the Magic Kingdom. She does not appear in the manga, but in the epilogue chapter she is mentioned as the roommate of Nina in Eltoria.
- A beautiful girl at school, who is known as an "ice doll" because she is frosty towards all of her classmates. She is interested in dating Yuta, but has a secret agenda. Sayaka is revealed to be half-witch on her deceased mother's side. She taught herself magic, and as she grew up on Earth, Yuta and Nina could not detect that Sayaka had magic powers. Due to bad experiences when she revealed her powers to friends in the past, she is envious of Nina who has so many magical and non-magical friends. Near the end, she admits her feelings for Yuta, and they get together for real. She is a manga-exclusive character.
- Another character exclusive to the anime. He is the Committee Chairman at Ayu and Nina's school. The first time around, Jun accidentally sees Nina use magic. He instantly becomes determined to expose her as a witch and is constantly trying to take pictures of her. In time he relents.
- A manga only character, Yuta's older sister comes to school to teach and flirt with the teachers. She takes Nina and Ayu to bars and tends to get them in trouble. In the final chapter she is dating her crush.
Manga
Ultra Maniac premiered in the February 2002 issue of RibonRibon
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...
, with new chapters appearing monthly until its conclusion in the January 2004 issue. It was also published in five collected volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
.
Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
licensed Ultra Maniac for an English-language release in North America. The series was released from July 5, 2005 to March 7, 2006.
Volume list
Anime
The Ultra Maniac series was produced by the anime television network, AnimaxAnimax
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...
, who have broadcast the series exclusively across Japan, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and other regions, dubbing and broadcasting the series into English and other languages. It has been licensed for North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n distribution by Geneon Entertainment, who have released the series across the region via a 7-volume DVD release, the first of which was released on April 4, 2005 and the last of which was released on April 18, 2006. When it was first aired on SPE(Sony Pictures Entertainment) owned Animax (specifically in South Asia (India)) the show had a different opening music/theme which was shorter, vibrant and the opening video was also slightly altered. This music is supposed to be a studio production only (Library Music) and has not been used since. The ending credits had an instrumental version of Kagami no Naka. All the re-airings of the show have had the original Japanese theme song. The Animax Opening music/theme is only available on video sharing sites like Youtube and Veoh, uploaded by fans, since no official video was released by SPE.