Natsu no Arashi!

Natsu no Arashi!
Cover of Natsu no Arashi! volume 1
夏のあらし!
Genre	Romantic comedy, supernatural
Manga
Written by	Jin Kobayashi
Published by	Square Enix
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Monthly Gangan Wing Monthly Gangan Joker
Original run	August 25, 2006 – September 22, 2010
Volumes	8
TV anime
Directed by	Akiyuki Shinbo
Studio	Shaft
Network	TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TV Hokkaido, TV Setouchi, TVQ Kyūshū
Original run	April 5, 2009 – June 29, 2009
Episodes	13
TV anime
Natsu no Arashi! Akinai-chū
Directed by	Akiyuki Shinbo
Studio	Shaft
Network	TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TV Hokkaido, TV Setouchi, TVQ Kyūshū
Original run	October 4, 2009 – December 27, 2009
Episodes	13
Anime and Manga Portal

Natsu no Arashi! (夏のあらし!^?, lit. Summer Storm!) is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Jin Kobayashi, who is known for his previous work School Rumble. The manga started serialization in Square Enix's Gangan Wing shōnen manga magazine on August 25, 2006, and seven bound volumes have been released in Japan as of March 2010. Natsu no Arashi! was also adapted into two anime television series by Shaft under the direction of Akiyuki Shinbo and broadcast in Japan from April 5, 2009 to December 27, 2009.

Plot

Thirteen-year-old Yasaka is a boy staying at his grandfather's house during his summer vacation. One day he entered a store and met Arashi, a beautiful sixteen-year old girl working there. After trying to protect her from a man who claims to have been hired by her family to take her back by force, Yasaka ran away with her and now she stays at his grandpa's place with him. It didn't take much time for Yasaka to figure out that his new friend is far from an ordinary girl, as she possesses mysterious powers. The plot thickens when he finds a sixty-year-old picture of Arashi and another girl named Kaja, and to the surprise of all Kaja suddenly appears, and just like Arashi, her appearance hasn't changed at all since then.

Two other characters introduced so far are the place's owner, a woman whose name is still unrevealed and rumored to be a high level con artist, and Jun Kamigamo, a student of Yasaka's age who he met at the store, and works there with him since then. Despite being a girl, she keeps dressing and addressing herself as a boy to the other characters. So far only Kaja and Arashi know her secret.

Characters

Hajime Yasaka (八坂 一, Yasaka Hajime^?)

Voiced by: Yūko Sanpei

The main male protagonist. A 13 year-old boy who is spending his summer vacation in his grandfather's house. When he met Arashi from the first time, he established a connection with her when he touched her hand, and since then the duo gained the power to travel back and forth in time. He is infatuated with Arashi's beauty and kindness, but is afraid to convey his feelings to her. And is a friend of Jun.

Sayoko Arashiyama (嵐山 小夜子, Arashiyama Sayoko^?, Arashi for short)

Voiced by: Ryōko Shiraishi

The main female protagonist. Despite still looking like a beautiful sixteen years-old girl, Arashi is in fact a ghost who lived during World War II times. Since then her mission had been traveling back in time to rescue those in her community from air-raids by American warplanes. However, to travel back to the past, she must do it accompanied by a living person from the present with whom she made a "connection". Her relationship with Hajime is a bit more complicated than it seems.

In the second season it's revealed that Arashi's first love was a time-tripping Hajime.

Kaja Bergmann (カヤ バーグマン, Kaya Bāguman^?)

Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka

Another ghost from Arashi's time and her best friend. She was an exchange student from Germany who studied at her school. Her polite and cool demeanor opposes to Arashi's lively and carefree personality. She possesses the same time traveling powers as her, but she can only make a connection with a living girl due to her shyness around boys.

Her favorite dessert is ice cream.

Jun Kamigamo (上賀茂 潤, Kamigamo Jun^?)

Voiced by: Chiaki Omigawa

She is Hajime's friend that has made a connection with Kaja and jumps through time with her. Hajime misunderstands that she is a guy. In the 2 season Jun starts to have feeling for Hajime.

In the first season Her secret was revaled in episode 5.

She used to have long hair which showed in the anime and she has great acting skills.

Sayaka (さやか, Sayaka^?)

Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame

A con artist who owns the cafe in which Hajime, Arashi and the other girls work. She seems to have a crush on Yamashiro.

Hideo Murata (村田 英雄, Murata Hideo^?)

Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto

A private investigator. He is the son of a man Arashi saved from certain death by preventing him from fishing in the river, on a day when an air-raid struck the area.

Yayoi Fushimi (伏見 やよゐ, Fushimi Yayoi^?)

Voiced by: Ai Nonaka

Just like her friend Kanako, she is another ghost who died during the war and an acquaintance of Arashi and Kaja, her ethereal body has been weakening through time. Due to a horrifying accident, she's half-paralyzed and can't walk without wheelchair. Her paralysis is more to psychological condition. However, she was healed when she went back to the past and met Kanako again for the first time. Her personality is the polar opposite of Kanako, especially her naiveness that worries Kanako greatly.

In the second season she connects with both Hajime and Yamashiro's dog Josephine and Sayaka.

Kanako Yamazaki (山崎 加奈子, Yamazaki Kanako^?)

Voiced by: Yui Horie

Just like Yayoi, her ethereal body weakened and she resorted to steal Arashi's energy to replace her and her friend's, until she figured out that only by making a connection with a living human, her energy would be restored. She and Yayoi are best friends and spent their ghost-living in a run-down mansion. She is very protective and deeply cared of Yayoi's well-being, up to the point where she does not hesitant to hurt somebody for her sake. She is "connected" with Hideo. She looked tough, rude, and unlikeable at first. This is because she had gone through a lot of hardships since childhood and loathes rich girls such as Kaja, Arashi, and Yayoi. Her encounter with Yayoi changed her perspective and she became able to open up herself.

Takeshi Yamashiro (山代 武士, Yamashiro Takeshi^?)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita

A young man who Arashi saved when he was a child and Hajime's main target of jealousy, as he is always in good terms with her.

Shioya (塩谷, Shioya^?)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita

A regular at the 'Natsu no Arashi' cafe who always asks for salt, but never gets it till the end of the second season.

Kazuo Sogoru (十五流 一夫, Sogoru Kazuo^?)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita

Yōko Himekawa (姫川 ようこ, Himekawa Youko^?)

Voiced by: Saki Nakajima

Jun's modeling friend. She pretends to be Jun's girlfriend to get a laugh, and then pretends that Jun is cheating on her as to amuse herself even further.

Kyōko Kamigamo (上賀茂 京子, Kamigamo Kyouko^?)

Voiced by: Michiko Neya

Jun's older sister (she's a model too).

Yoshimi Anamori (穴守 好実, Anamori Yoshimi^?)

Voiced by: Yū Kobayashi

She's a manga artist who, on her first visit to Seven, tries to kiss Yayoi and Arashi. It's revealed that she's actually looking for models and has to 'experience' the scene in order to draw it correctly.

Umeyashiki (梅屋敷, Umeyashiki^?)

Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu

Media

Manga

Anime

On November 2008, an anime adaption of Natsu no Arashi! was announced.^[1] The anime series was directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, Katsuhiko Takayama oversaw the script, the character design was done by Kazuhiro Ota and was produced by Shaft.^[2] The series was broadcast from April 5, 2009, it had a total of 13 episodes.^[2][3]

Four pieces of theme music are used during the first season—one opening theme, one closing theme and two special closing themes for episodes six and eleven. The opening theme is "Atashi dake ni kakete" (あたしだけにかけて^?) by Omokage Lucky Hole and the closing theme is "Kirari Futari" (キラリフタリ^?) by Ryōko Shiraishi. For episode six, the closing theme is "Hitonatsu no Keiken" (ひと夏の経験^?) by Ryōko Shiraishi and the closing theme for episode 11 is "Kassai" (喝采^?) by Yui Horie.

A second season, called Natsu no Arashi! Akinai-chū (夏のあらし! 春夏冬中^?, lit. Summer Storm! Open for Business) was announced on June 2009.^[4] Two pieces of theme music were are used during its broadcast. The opening theme is "Oyasumi Paradox" (おやすみパラドックス^?) by Etsuko Yakushimaru and the closing theme is "Otome no Junjo" (乙女の順序^?) by Ryōko Shiraishi, Kaori Nazuka, Ai Nonaka and Yui Horie

Both seasons were simulcasted to English language audiences by the video streaming website Crunchyroll.^[5][6]

Season one episode list

#	Title	Original airdate
01	"Playback Part 2" "Pureibakku Part2" (プレイバックPart2)	April 5, 2009
02	"Girl A" "Shōjo A" (少女A)	April 12, 2009
03	"Wanting to Protect" "Mamotte Agetai" (守ってあげたい)	April 19, 2009
04	"Full of Memories" "Omoide ga Ippai" (想い出がいっぱい)	April 26, 2009
05	"Secret Flower Garden" "himitsu no hanazono" (秘密の花園)	May 3, 2009
06	"Falling In Love" "Koi ni Ochite" (恋におちて)	May 10, 2009
07	"An Outsider's Relation" "Tanin no Kankei" (他人の関係)	May 17, 2009
08	"Suit Yourself" "katte ni shiyagare" (勝手にしやがれ)	May 24, 2009
09	"Hero - Now's the Time for You to Become a Hero!" "Hero - Hīrō ni naru toki, sore wa ima" (HERO(ヒーローになる時、それは今))	May 31, 2009
10	"Stranger" "Ihoujin" (異邦人)	June 7, 2009
11	"The World Exist For the Sake of Two" "Sekai wa Futari no Tame ni" (世界は二人のために)	June 14, 2009
12	"Entrust Yourself to the Flow of Time" "Toki no Nagare ni Mi o Makase" (時の流れに身をまかせ)	June 21, 2009
13	"Playback Part 1" "Pureibakku Part1" (プレイバックPart1)	June 28, 2009

Season two episode list

#	Title	Original airdate
01	"Summer Vacation" "natsuyasumi" (夏休み)	October 4, 2009
02	"Gal and Do" "gyarandou" (ギャランドゥ)	October 11, 2009
03	"The Time Traveling Girl" "Toki o Kakeru Shōjo" (時をかける少女)	October 18, 2009
04	"Light Blue Rain" "mizuiro no ame" (みずいろの雨)	October 25, 2009
05	"Can't Stop the Romance" "Romantic ga tomaranai" (Romanticが止まらない)	November 1, 2009
06	"Jagged Heart Lullaby" "gizagiza hāto no komoriuta" (ギザギザハートの子守唄)	November 8, 2009
07	"Amagigoe" "amagigoe" (天城越え)	November 15, 2009
08	"Computer Granny" "konpyūtā obaachan" (コンピューターおばあちゃん)	November 22, 2009
09	"Lonely Tropical Fish" "samishii nettaigyo" (淋しい熱帯魚)	November 29, 2009
10	"Showa Blues" "shouwa burūsu" (昭和ブルース)	December 6, 2009
11	"High School Lullaby" "haisukūru rarabai" (ハイスクールララバイ)	December 13, 2009
12	"Radarman" "rēdāman" (レーダーマン)	December 20, 2009
13	"You guys are Kiwi, Papaya, and Mango" "kimi-tachi kiui. papaia. mangō da ne." (君たちキウイ・パパイア・マンゴーだね。)	December 27, 2009

Reception

King Records's Starchild division has offered to pay Amazon gift certificates to bloggers at the unofficial Neko to Negima! to Seiyū-san anime blog site for their reviews of Natsu no Arashi!'s anime series.^[7]

References

1. ^ "Jin Kobayashi's Natsu no Arashi to be Animated in 2009". Anime News Network. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-11-23/jin-kobayashi-natsu-no-arashi-to-be-animated-in-2009. Retrieved November 23, 2008. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Natsu no Arashi! anime official website" (in Japanese). http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/natsunoarashi/. Retrieved March 2, 2009. 
3. ^ "Description of the opening theme" (in Japanese). http://www.neowing.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KICM-3191. Retrieved March 2, 2009. 
4. ^ "Natsu no Arashi! Anime Gets 2nd Season Green-Lit (Updated)". Anime News Network. June 29, 2009. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-06-29/natsu-no-arashi-anime-gets-2nd-season-green-lit. Retrieved January 14, 2011. 
5. ^ "Crunchyroll to Simulcast Natsu no Arashi on April 5". Anime News Network. April 5, 2009. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-05/crunchyroll-to-simulcast-natsu-no-arashi-on-april-5. Retrieved January 14, 2011. 
6. ^ "Crunchyroll Adds Natsu no Arashi 2 TV Anime Sequel". Anime News Network. September 30, 2009. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-09-30/crunchyroll-adds-natsu-no-arashi-2-tv-anime-sequel. Retrieved January 14, 2011. 
7. ^ "Blogger Reportedly to Be Paid for Posting about Natsu no Arashi". Anime News Network. March 29, 2009. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-03-29/blogger-reportedly-to-be-paid-for-posting-about-natsu-no-arashi. Retrieved June 1, 2009. 

External links

• Manga official website (Japanese)
• Anime official website (Japanese)
• Natsu no Arashi! (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• TV Tokyo website (Japanese)