Moyashimon

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture


caption = "Moyashimon" logo.
ja_name = もやしもん
ja_name_trans = Moyashimon
genre = Comedy, EducationalInfobox animanga/Manga
author = Masayuki Ishikawa
publisher = flagicon|Japan Kodansha
publisher_en = flagicon|US Del Rey Manga
demographic = Seinen
magazine = flagicon|Japan Evening
first = August 2004
last = ongoing
volumes = 6Infobox animanga/Anime
director = Yūichirō Yano
writer = Natsuko Takahashi
studio = Shirogumi, Telecom Animation Film
network = flagicon|Japan Fuji TV (noitamina)
first = October 12 2007
last = December 21 2007
episodes = 11nihongo|"Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture"|もやしもん|Moyashimon is a Japanese manga series created by Masayuki Ishikawa. It has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen magazine "Evening" since August 2004. It won the 2008 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for Grand Prize and the 2008 Kodansha Manga Award for general manga.cite web | url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-05-13/32nd-annual-kodansha-manga-awards-announced | title=32nd Annual Kodansha Manga Awards Announced | publisher=Anime News Network | date=2008-05-13 | accessdate=2008-05-14] Del Rey Manga licensed the manga and will be releasing it in English in North America. An anime television series adaptation, animated by Shirogumi and Telecom Animation Film, aired between October 12 2007 and December 21 2007 on Fuji TV's noitamina programming block containing eleven episodes. The series follows Tadayasu Sawaki, a first-year college student at an agricultural university, who has a unique ability to see and communicate with bacteria and other micro-organisms.

Plot

"Moyashimon" follows the life of Tadayasu Sawaki, a first-year college student at an agricultural university, who has the unique ability to see and communicate with micro-organisms and bacteria. Additionally, these organisms look much different to him, and much larger, than what can be see under a microscope by normal people. This ability has brought him a bit of fame as when he entered the university, Tadayasu discovered that one of the professors there, Keizō Itsuki, already knew about his gift via Tadayasu's grandfather. Professor Itsuki's coworker Haruka Hasegawa has trouble believing what Tadayasu claims at first, but later comes to accept it. Tadayasu enters the university with his good friend Kei Yūki whose family runs a sake brewery. The Department of Agriculture building on the school's campus is a near identical replica of the real life University of Coimbra in Portugal. The flag at the top of the clock tower also has the same color scheme as the Portuguese flag.

Characters

;nihongo|Tadayasu Souemon Sawaki|沢木 惣右衛門 直保|Sawaki Souemon Tadayasu:anime voices|Daisuke Sakaguchi:Tadayasu Souemon Sawaki is the main protagonist of "Moyashimon" and attends an agricultural university in Tokyo as a freshman. His middle name is the "yagō" of his family home; it is usually omitted, and he is called "Tadayasu Sawaki". He is a childhood friend of Kei Yūki and his parents run Nihongo|a supplier of yeast starters|種麹屋|tane-kōji-ya. He is able to see and communicate with bacteria and other micro-organisms.

;nihongo|Kei Yūki|結城 蛍|Yūki Kei:anime voices|Mitsuki Saiga:Kei is a childhood friend of Sawaki and a freshmen like him. His parents run a sake brewery. It is revealed near the end of the series, after a brief disappearance by Kei from the main plot, that Kei is gender dysphoric, and that he has stronger feelings for Sawaki than initially let on.

;nihongo|Keizō Itsuki|樹 慶蔵|Itsuki Keizō:anime voices|Tomomichi Nishimura:Keizō Itsuki is a professor at the university and an acquaintance of Sawaki's family who knows of his ability. His age is a mystery, but there are reports of his works back to World War II.

;nihongo|Haruka Hasegawa|長谷川 遥|Hasegawa Haruka:anime voices|Sayaka Ohara:Haruka Hasegawa is a postgraduate student. She wears a lab coat over skimpy, bondage-style clothing. She is a violent, somewhat sadistic woman from a wealthy, over-protective family. Her family arranged a marriage for her to a much older looking man. However, she does not have to marry the man until she is finished university. This is the main reason why she decided to stay there until she receives her doctorate. Hasegawa is not very good at communicating with people, and her harsh personality is used to mask this handicap. She has known Itsuki since she was in middle school.

;nihongo|Hazuki Oikawa|及川 葉月|Oikawa Hazuki:anime voices|Akemi Kanda:Hazuki Oikawa is a freshman at the same agricultural university like Sawaki and Kei. She is a compulsive neat freak and always carries disinfectant tissues and antibacterial spray with her.

;nihongo|Kaoru Misato|美里 薫|Misato Kaoru:anime voices|Katsuyuki Konishi:Kaoru Misato is a sophomore who tries to use his knowledge of bacteria to earn easy money, who becomes friends with Sawaki. He speaks in the Kansai dialect. He shares a run-down, dirty dorm room with his best friend, Kawahama.

;nihongo|Takuma Kawahama|川浜 拓馬|Kawahama Takuma:anime voices|Noriaki Sugiyama:Takuma Kawahama is a short, overweight sophomore and Misato's best friend.

;nihongo|Aoi Mutō|武藤 葵|Mutō Aoi:anime voices|Mamiko Noto:Possessing the unofficial title of "Miss Agriculture" due to her beauty, Mutō is also an assistant to Itsuki and Hasegawa. She is also president of the UFO club, which she joined to escape reality.

Micro-organisms

Media

Manga

"Moyashimon" began as a manga series written and illustrated by Masayuki Ishikawa which started serialization in Kodansha's seinen magazine "Evening" in August 2004. It began serialization as Nihongo|"Tales of an Agricultural University"|農大物語|Nōdai Monogatari, but was changed in the second chapter to Nihongo|"Moyashimon: Tales of an Agricultural University"|農大物語もやしもん|Nōdai Monogatari Moyashimon, then simply "Moyashimon", before gaining the English subtitle "Tales of Agriculture". As of February 22 2008, six bound volumes have been published in Japan. Del Rey Manga licensed the manga in September 2008, and will be releasing it in English in North America. [citeweb|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-09-27/del-rey-gets-moyashimon-amefurashi-maid-war-chronicles| title=Del Rey Gets "Moyashimon", "Amefurashi", "Maid War Chronicles"|publisher=Anime News Network|date=2008-09-27| accessdate=2008-09-27]

It was written on the first volume's obi strip that the volume was printed on 100% recycled paper, and the ink was derived from soybeans. Volume one contained chapters one through eleven, and volume two contained chapters twelve through twenty-three. Starting with volume three, which contained chapters twenty-four through thirty-seven, two versions of the volumes started to be printed with each release. Volume three had a regular edition, and a customized edition which not only had different cover art, but also slightly different contents. The fourth volume, which contained chapters thirty-eight through forty-eight, was sold in regular and limited editions, the latter of which came with six mobile phone charms of the bacteria. The fifth volume, which contained chapters forty-nine through sixty, was sold in regular and customized editions, the latter of which also came with phone charms. The sixth volume was sold in a regular edition and a limited edition which comes with a 40 cm (15.75") long figure of "A. oryzae". Each volume also contains omake material.

Anime

An anime adaptation aired between October 11 2007 and December 20 2007, containing eleven episodes. The series was animated by Shirogumi and Telecom Animation Film, and produced by Asmik Ace Entertainment, Kodansha, Shirogumi, SKY Perfect Well Think, Sony Music Entertainment, Dentsu and Fuji TV. Two pieces of theme music are used for the series; one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme is nihongo|"Curriculum"|カリキュラム|Kurikyuramu by Sarasa Ifu, and the ending theme is "Rocket" by Polysics. The opening theme was directed by noted film director Takashi Yamazaki. The anime's original soundtrack was released on November 28 2007.

Episodes

References

External links

* [http://www.kamosuzo.tv/top.html "Moyashimon" official website] jp icon
* [http://www.telecom-anime.com/moyashimon/ Telecom Animation Film's official "Moyashimon" website] jp icon
*ann manga|8063