Pani Poni
| Pani Poni | |
|---|---|
| File:Paniponieyecatch.jpg | |
| Created by | Hekiru Hikawa |
| Starring | Ai Nonaka, Chiwa Saitō, Fumiko Orikasa, Satsuki Yukino |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 23 minutes per episode |
| Original release | |
| Network | TV Tokyo (Japan) |
| Release | July 3, 2005 – December 26, 2005 |
Pani Poni Dash! (ぱにぽにだっしゅ!) is an TV anime series released in Japan, currently unlicensed in the USA. It is based on the manga series Pani Poni by Hekiru Hikawa.
Much of Pani Poni Dash!'s humour relies on numerous parodies and references to other manga or TV shows, including everything from The Exorcist, to Gundam to Super Mario Bros, much of which needs to be freeze-framed to catch. There are also many jokes and references about the Japanese culture and language, and the series can be quite unfriendly to foreign viewers. Japanese internet culture, such as on the infamous Japanese message board 2chan is another pillar of Pani Poni Dash!'s humour, with many references to Japanese emoticons. At stages in the series a character's facial features will be replaced by these emoticons.
Main Characters (Class 1-C)
Rebecca "Becky" Miyamoto
Rebecca Miyamoto is the homeroom teacher of class 1-C and mathematics teacher. She was born to an American father and a Japanese mother. Rebecca enrolled at M.I.T. at the age of nine and graduated at ten with a triple major. She then entered Momotsuki Academy at age eleven as a teacher. Normally lethargic and halfhearted, she dons a cool face to keep her genius reputation. However, when confronted with a frightening or uncomfortable situation, she immediately reverts to her childish state, weeping uncontrollably. Extremely popular and a confidant to the students.
Himeko Katagiri
Himeko Katagiri is a wastefully energetic girl who often shouts "maho!" ("マホ!", a meaning-less word) while speaking. She frequently annoys the other students in her class with her antics and inability to carry a straight train of thought. Her "ahoge" (the lock of hair on her head) contains a mysterious power that gives Himeko her limitless energy. Himeko's catchphrase is saying that a particular thing is "Omega", (i.e. "Omega kawaii!" (meaning "Omega cute!")). Himeko possesses the ability to eat as much as she pleases without ever getting fat. Out of all of the girls, Himeko is by far Becky's biggest fan, much to Becky's chagrin.
Rei Tachibana
Rei Tachibana is a girl with a heart as cold as ice. Rei is the mature one of the girls. Threatening bodily harm is Rei's way of enforcing order in the classroom, Himeko being her usual target. She's the one to put Becky in her place when she gets out of hand and also the one to lure Becky out from behind the curtain with candy after she's put the fear of God into her. Rei has the second highest GPA in the entire school, and works 4 days per week at a Chinese restaurant.
Ichijo
Ichijo is class 1-C's mysterious class representative, who's frequently shown drinking green tea. Her activities are normally limited to standing up, sitting down, and announcing that she's "The class representative, Ichijo". She is always calm about everything, but is prone to erratic behavior. In later episodes she often does the seemingly impossible without ever saying more than a word or two about it. She has a sister who is just as mysterious and who relies on drawing on a sketchpad to communicate (she is too young to converse).
Miyako Uehara
Miyako Uehara is known as a "study-bug", a name that she detests. Miyako is nearly always studying. She also has a very large and very shiny forehead which gets more extreme with each episode. It starts off with a simple sheen in the first episode, in the 2nd episode becomes a blinding flash and by the 3rd episode other are actually able to style their hair in the reflection on her forehead. In a later episode, her forehead becomes so bright that the other characters are forced to don welding masks to to be able to look at her. Possesses ESP.
Kurumi Momose
Kurumi Momose is girl who is above average in appearance, athletics, and academics, but who nonetheless suffers from being called plain. If there's even a hint that somebody has called her plain, she goes off to sulk in the rabbit cage with Mesousa. Kurumi is a very fast sprinter, and also played varsity basketball. She is the sister of Shu Momose of class 1-A who is known for his cooking skills.
Sayaka Suzuki (Rokugou)
Sayaka Suzuki, also known as "Rokugou" (meaning "#6"), is a good girl who often gets taken advantage of because of her kindness. Igurashi-sensei of class 1-A gave her the nickname Rokugou because the was the sixth girl in the school to bear the name Suzuki. Rebecca's nickame for Sayaka is "Oversized Ribbon". Sayaka's catchphrase is saying that something is "-of the year", (i.e. "Teacher of the year").
Mesousa
Mesousa is a parody of the "cute mascot" type characters often seen in anime, with one huge difference. Mesousa has a severe case of depression. His lack of fingers make everyday tasks almost impossible, deepening his depression. Practically useless in every way, Mesousa serves as the slapstick of the series, being blown up in one episode and having his legs broken in another, all without complaint. Mesousa is not Becky's pet, but rather, her companion.
Support Characters
Shu Momose
Shu Momose is in class 1-A, and the brother of Kurumi Momose. Shu is laid-back, and a skilled cook. However, even he cannot resist calling Kurumi "plain" from time to time. He helps his irresponsible (and often drunk) homeroom teacher, Miyuki Igarashi, take care of class 1-A.
Suzune Shiratori
Suzune Shiratori of class 1-B is a tall, athletic girl, and the best friend of Otome Akiyama. Suzune's favorite hobby is to put Otome in a hold and press on a spot on her head, saying that this will keep Otome, who is very sensitive about her short stature, from growing taller. When she is angry or annoyed her hand mysteriously becomes larger and she lets loose a "chop".
Otome Akiyama
Otome Akiyama is very athletic, and especially known for her track and field abilities. Her short height becomes a running joke in the series but Suzune is the one that teases her about it most of the time. She has a very foul mouth and is often disrespectful to her superiors, especially the gym teacher.
External links
- Summary of Pani Poni Dash! by Anime News Network
- Official website
- Official website (TV Tokyo)
- Official website (Square-Enix)
- Official site of original writer (comics)
- Paniponi Wiki - Summary site of animation and original comic written by fan. (used Wiki system)