Pani Poni

Infobox animanga/Header
ja_name = ぱにぽに


genre = SatireInfobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Hekiru Hikawa
publisher = flagicon|Japan Square Enix
publisher_other = flagicon|ROC Chingwin Publishing Group
flagicon|KOR Haksan Culture Company
demographic = Shōnen
magazine = G Fantasy
first = November 2000
last =
volumes = 10Infobox animanga/Anime
title = Pani Poni Dash!
director = Akiyuki Shinbo
studio = flagicon|Japan GANSIS, Shaft
licensor = flagicon|USA flagicon|Canada Funimation
flagicon|ROC Mighty Media
flagicon|KOR TVee.co.kr
network = flagicon|Japan TV Tokyo
network_en = flagicon|USA flagicon|Canada Anime Network flagicon|United Kingdom Propeller TV
network_other = flagicon|ROC Cartoon Network flagicon|Philippines Hero TV
first = July 3 2005
last = December 25 2005
episodes = 26
episode_list = List of Pani Poni Dash! episodes#Episode list

Nihongo|"Pani Poni"|ぱにぽに|, also known as through its anime adaptation Nihongo|"Pani Poni Dash!"|ぱにぽにだっしゅ!|Pani Poni Dasshu!, is a Japanese series that utilizes parody, frequently referencing Japanese and American pop-culture in many ways. It features several first year students and their teachers in a school in Japan, though the main focus is on class 1-C.

"Pani Poni" first began as a manga series by Japanese mangaka Hekiru Hikawa which was first serialized in the Japanese manga magazine "G Fantasy", published by Square Enix, in November 2000. Currently, there have been ten separate volumes released. Later, the series was adapted into a TV anime series which aired in Japan on TV Tokyo between July 3 2005 and December 25 2005 with its title renamed as "Pani Poni Dash!". The anime has since been licensed in the United States by ADV Films, though the manga remains unlicensed. In 2008, the anime became one of over thirty ADV titles transferred to Funimation Entertainment. [citeweb|url= http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-04/funimation-picks-up-over-30-former-ad-vision-titles|title=Funimation Picks Up Over 30 Former AD Vision Titles|publisher=Anime News Network|date=2008-07-04|accessdate=2008-07-06] There have also been several drama CDs created based on the TV series and manga.

Each episode features numerous parodies and references to popular culture. Some examples include "The Exorcist", "Gundam", "Super Mario Bros.", and Little Black Sambo. While much of the humor can be understood by all audiences, the series contains many jokes and references to Japanese culture and language, making the series a bit cryptic to foreign viewers. Japanese Internet culture, such as on the infamous Japanese message board 2ch, is another pillar of "Pani Poni Dash!"'s humor, with many references to Japanese emoticons. At some stages in the series a character's facial features will be replaced by these emoticons.

Each episode is almost entirely standalone and only loosely connected to the central plot. Most of the jokes in the series rely on satire, established character behavior, Japanese Internet and anime culture, or non sequitur comments and actions (especially by Ichijo). Another characteristic of "Pani Poni Dash!" is that the name of each episode is based on an adage or proverb that applies to the episode in some way. Much like other 26-episode anime, "Pani Poni Dash!" features different opening sequences, with both new art and new music, but unlike other shows, the endings are chosen at random, shuffling from episode to episode with different seiyū from the series singing the themes.

Plot

"Pani Poni Dash!"'s central storyline revolves around Rebecca Miyamoto, class 1-C's child prodigy homeroom teacher, and the antics of class 1-C. The characters attend a high school called the Nihongo|"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 M.I.T. and is being watched by Aliens that are in space and screw up the story every now and then. Though the story never 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

Manga

"Pani Poni" was first serialized in the manga magazine "G Fantasy" published by Square Enix, in November 2000. Currently, ten volumes have been released in Japan. 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. Nihongo|"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. Nihongo|"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 Nihongo|"Rei from the Chinese Restaurant"|中華屋のレイちゃん|Chūkaya no Rei-chan. Nihongo|"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. Nihongo|"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

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

Anime

The "Pani Poni Dash!" anime aired in Japan between July 3 2005 and December 25 2005 and contained 26 episodes in total. The anime has since been licensed by United States based company ADV Films in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom, Banciao City based company Mighty Media in Taiwan, and Seoul based TVee.co.kr in South Korea. King Records subsidiary Starchild has the video and music rights for the anime.

Music

;Opening themes
#Nihongo|"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 and DVD episodes 1-8, 25; 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)
#Nihongo|"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)
#Nihongo|"Shōjo 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
#Nihongo|"Girlppi"|ガールッピ|Gāruppi by Peach Moon Academy Class 1-A&B (in TV and DVD episodes 1-7, 9-12)
#Nihongo|"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)
#Nihongo|"Faraway Dream"|遙かな夢|Haruka na yume by Rebecca Miyamoto (in TV and DVD episodes 13, 25)
#Nihongo|"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)
#Nihongo|"Snow, Moon, and Flower"|雪月花|Setsugekka by Rebecca Miyamoto (in TV and DVD episode 24)
#Nihongo|"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

"Pani Poni Dash" has two internet radio shows titled Nihongo|"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 Nihongo|"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.

References

External links

*jp icon [http://www.paniponi-dash.com/ Official website]
*jp icon [http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/paniponi/ Official website (TV Tokyo)]
*jp icon [http://www.square-enix.co.jp/magazine/gfantasy/story/paniponi/ Official website (Square Enix)]
*jp icon [http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~hekky/ Official site of original writer (comics)]
*ann anime|id=5556