Kimagure Orange Road
きまぐれオレンジ☆ロード (Kimagure Orange Road)
Genre	shōnen romantic comedy
Manga
Authored by	Izumi Matsumoto
Publisher	Shueisha
Serialized in	Shonen Jump
Original run	1984 – 1987
No. of volumes	18
TV anime
Directed by	Osamu Kobayashi
Studio	Studio Pierrot
Network	Nippon Television
Original run	6 April 1987 – 7 March 1988
No. of episodes	48
OVA
Directed by
Studio	Studio Pierrot
No. of episodes	8
Released	1989
Runtime
Movie: I Want To Return To That Day
Directed by	Tomomi Mochizuki
Studio	Studio Pierrot
Released	8 October 1988
Runtime	68 min
Movie: Shin KOR: Summer's Beginning
Directed by	Kunihiko Yuyama
Studio	Studio Pierrot
Released	2 November 1996
Runtime	95 min

Kimagure Orange Road (きまぐれオレンジ☆ロード, Kimagure Orenji Rōdo^?) is a popular shōnen romantic comedy manga series from the late 1980s. Image File history File linksMetadata Kimagure_Orange_Road_OAV_DVD_Box_Set_cover. ... Saint Seiya (Knights of the Zodiac), a classic example of Shōnen Shōnen ) (sometimes transliterated as shounen or shonen, literally few years) is a Japanese word used in English to refer to anime and manga primarily intended for boys, although there can be crossover appeal to men and females... Romantic comedy films are a sub-genre of comedy films as well as of romance films. ... 2nd English edition of InuYasha Vol. ... Izumi Matsumoto (まつもと泉 Matsumoto Izumi, born October 13, 1958) is the nickname used by Kazuya Terashima, a manga-ka best known for Kimagure Orange Road. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_(bordered). ... Shueisha ) is a major publisher in Japan, headquartered in Tokyo. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_(bordered). ... Weekly Shonen Jump, issue 40 (Japanese version) Weekly Shonen Jump (週刊少年ジャンプ ShÅ«kan Shōnen Janpu), with a circulation of over 3 million, is one of the longest-running, weekly manga compilations in Japan. ... Tankōbon ) is the Japanese term for a compilation volume of a particular series (such as a manga or a novel series, magazine articles, essays, craft patterns, etc. ... Braun HF 1, Germany, 1958 Casio TV-470 pocket color television (RadioShack Pocketvision 25 in the US) Television is a telecommunication system for broadcasting and receiving moving pictures and sound over a distance. ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) Anime ) (IPA pronunciation: in Japanese, but typically or in English) is an abbreviation of the word animation. Outside Japan, the term most popularly refers to animation... Founded in 1979, Studio Pierrot (スタジオぴえろ) is a Japanese animation company. ... Nippon Television Tower (headquarters) in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan Nippon Television Network Corporation ) (TYO: 9404 ) is a television network in Shiodome area of Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan owned by the Yomiuri Shimbun. ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Original Video Animation (OVA) is an acronym used in Japan for anime titles that are released directly to retail sale, without prior showings on TV or in theaters. ... Founded in 1979, Studio Pierrot (スタジオぴえろ) is a Japanese animation company. ... Founded in 1979, Studio Pierrot (スタジオぴえろ) is a Japanese animation company. ... October 8 is the 281st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (282nd in leap years). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Founded in 1979, Studio Pierrot (スタジオぴえろ) is a Japanese animation company. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Saint Seiya (Knights of the Zodiac), a classic example of Shōnen Shōnen ) (sometimes transliterated as shounen or shonen, literally few years) is a Japanese word used in English to refer to anime and manga primarily intended for boys, although there can be crossover appeal to men and females... 2nd English edition of InuYasha Vol. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Written by Izumi Matsumoto, it was later adapted into an anime series with character designs by Akemi Takada. In the mid-1990s it was novelized as well. The series deals with a love triangle between the main character, an indecisive esper named Kyosuke Kasuga, Madoka Ayukawa, a mercurial girl with a tough past, and Hikaru Hiyama, Madoka's ditzy best friend. Kyosuke falls in love with Madoka, and Madoka wants to return those feelings, but cannot because of Hikaru's involvement with Kyosuke. Izumi Matsumoto (まつもと泉 Matsumoto Izumi, born October 13, 1958) is the nickname used by Kazuya Terashima, a manga-ka best known for Kimagure Orange Road. ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) Anime ) (IPA pronunciation: in Japanese, but typically or in English) is an abbreviation of the word animation. Outside Japan, the term most popularly refers to animation... Akemi Takada (高田　明美) Japanese artist and illustrator. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the very late 1980s and from 2000 and beyond. ... The term and concept esper has existed in the field of parapsychology, and in the mainstream of science fiction, for some time, since at least 1950. ...

While the length of the series demands that certain elements are repeated, and a number of running gags abound, the series for the most part avoids falling into formula, and this has increased its popularity. The running gag is a popular hallmark of comic and serious forms of entertainment. ...

The series consist of 18 volumes of manga (when first printed), 48 TV anime episodes, 8 OVAs, 2 animated movies, and 3 novels published as Shin KOR (New Kimagure Orange Road). Translations of the manga and novels exist in several languages, including Chinese and French. The Shin KOR novels have not officially been translated into English although all three have fan translations at various websites. In the United States, the TV series, OVAs, and the first movie were licenced by AnimEigo, though these licenses ended in August 2006 due to the Region 2 DVD release for the TV series (Feb 23, 2007) and the OAV series (March 23, 2007). The second movie, based on first Shin KOR novel, is licensed by ADV Films. In addition, there is a five volume "cinema" radio drama set on compact disc. It has a slightly different storyline than the anime or manga, but more closely resembles the anime. It is put out by Victor Entertainment. Original Video Animation (OVA) is an acronym used in Japan for anime titles that are released directly to retail sale, without prior showings on TV or in theaters. ... AnimEigo is an American licensor and distributor, within the United States and Canada, of Japanese anime such as Urusei Yatsura, Oh My Goddess!, Vampire Princess Miyu, Gainaxs classic industry sendup Otaku no Video, the Bubblegum Crisis OVA series, and Kimagure Orange Road. ... ADV Films logo ADV Films is the home video publication arm of A.D. Vision based in Houston, Texas. ...

Characters

Kyosuke Kasuga (春日恭介, Kasuga Kyōsuke^?, voice: Toru Furuya)

Tohru Furuya (古谷 徹 Furuya Toru) is a veteran seiyuu who was born on July 31, 1953. ... Kasuga Kyosuke, Manga version This work is copyrighted. ... Kasuga Kyosuke, TV anime version This work is copyrighted. ... Kasuga Kyosuke, Shin KOR version This work is copyrighted. ...

Kyosuke is the man in the love triangle. He and his siblings are all espers. They are forbidden to use their powers, for fear or discovery - whenever they are seen using their powers in public, they must move - so they have moved many times. His sister Kurumi is usually the one caught using her powers in public. Kyosuke's esper powers include teleportation, telekinesis, and "time-slipping" while falling from heights such as stairs. Occasionally Kyōsuke can use his powers to temporarily amplify his speed and strength.

Kyosuke is a pretty gentle person and a bit of a goody-goody - when he sees Madoka smoking, he scolds her in a very nerdy way (and then uses his power to destroy her cigarette). His kindness seems to be the reason why he has a hard time telling Hikaru the truth: that he is not in love with her, but in love with Madoka instead. But his kindness turns out to be wishy-washy, and perhaps even cruel.

Madoka Ayukawa (鮎川まどか, Ayukawa Madoka^?, voice: Hiromi Tsuru)

The term and concept esper has existed in the field of parapsychology, and in the mainstream of science fiction, for some time, since at least 1950. ... The term and concept esper has existed in the field of parapsychology, and in the mainstream of science fiction, for some time, since at least 1950. ... Hiromi Tsuru Hiromi Tsuru (鶴 ひろみ Tsuru Hiromi; born on March 29, 1960) is a veteran voice actor (seiyū) who is best known for the following voice roles: Ukyo Kuonji in Ranma ½ Meryl Strife in Trigun Madoka Ayukawa in Kimagure Orange Road Bulma in Dragon Ball (all anime incarnations) Bra a. ... Ayukawa Madoka, Manga version This work is copyrighted. ... Ayukawa Madoka, TV anime version This work is copyrighted. ... Ayukawa Madoka, Shin KOR version This work is copyrighted. ...

The archetypical "kimagure" (whimsical) character, Madoka is secretly in love with Kyosuke, and is best friends with Hikaru Hiyama (who is also in love with Kyosuke). This character is alluring on several different levels.

When she first meets Kyosuke, she appears to be a pretty and sweet girl. But when Kyōsuke meets her at school, he is shocked to learn that Madoka is an unpopular loner at school, ignored by the girls and shunned by the boys. Madoka consoles herself by playing enchantingly sad songs on the saxophone.

Her signature weapon in the anime is a guitar pick, which she wields like a shuriken. With it, she is able to beat five thugs at once while in her school uniform. In addition to having a "punk" past, Madoka turns out to be an incredible super-girl who excels at everything: gymnastics, wrestling, music, skateboarding, schoolwork ... all while she works part-time at a cafe called ABCB (pronounced "ahboo kahboo").

Her parents are professional musicians often touring outside Japan, so she lives alone in a large house. The story involves the eventual shedding of her tough exterior after she becomes Kyosuke's friend, as evidenced by her giving up cigarettes upon his advice. Kyosuke doesn't want to use his powers to win her love, though, because he thinks that would be cheating. Her given name refers to the moon.

Hikaru Hiyama (檜山ひかる, Hiyama Hikaru^?, voice: Eriko Hara)

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Eriko Hara ) is a Japanese voice actress, also known as a seiyu. ... Hiyama Hikaru, Manga version This work is copyrighted. ... Hiyama Hikaru, TV anime version This work is copyrighted. ... Hiyama Hikaru, Shin KOR version This work is copyrighted. ...

Hikaru is initially presented as being more unpleasant a brawler, and a tougher talker, than Madoka. By accidentally seeing Kyosuke using his powers, she falls for him and, besides always calling him by the English word, "Darling," reverts to a form of baby talk. She has unrequited love for Kyosuke. Her name refers to the brightness of the sun, and of a sparkling personality. Hikaru is a year younger than Ayukawa and Kyosuke.

Manami Kasuga (春日まなみ, Kasuga Manami^?, voice: Michie Tomizawa)

One of Kyosuke's younger sisters. Manami is very reserved. She is depicted as the homemaker of the house, cooking meals, vaccuming and doing laundry, but it is revealed in both the manga and anime that she has a wild side that occasionally needs release. Manami's esper powers include teleportation and telekinesis. Part of her reserved nature includes avoiding excessive use of The Power unless it's absolutely necessary. In the manga she is especially fond of Ayukawa and would like to see Kyosuke and her get together. However this important manga story never made it into the anime. As such the anime version shows no such preference.

Kurumi Kasuga (春日くるみ, Kasuga Kurumi^?, voice: Chieko Honda)

Manami's (fraternal) twin sister. Kurumi is very energetic and argumentative. She's also able to bring these qualities out in Manami as well. She is known to use idioms of her own creation, which can sometimes be misconstrued by others. Kurumi is the most comfortable with using her powers, often doing so without thinking about the consequences. Kurumi used The Power to run the 100-meter dash in 3 seconds at her old school. This incident was responsible for the Kasugas moving to the town where the series took place. Kurumi's other esper powers include teleportation and telekinesis.

In the manga Kurumi wants Kasuga to end up with Hikaru. But, again, this storyline never made it into the anime, and the anime Kurumi shows no such preference. Kurumi possesses the ability to hypnotize Kyosuke (and only Kyosuke). Although Kurumi appeared to learn this from a book, her actual ability is probably derived from The Power.

Master (マスター, Masutā^?, voice: Yuusaku Yara)

Proprietor of the ABCB cafe located on Orange Road and, consequently, Ayukawa's boss. Is one of the few characters who realizes how Ayukawa and Kasuga feel about each other. He does everything in his power to smooth relations between the two. In the manga he shuts down ABCB after it is discovered that Ayukawa was working there. (At the time of the story, Japanese high school students could not hold jobs). In the novels it is revealed that he bounced back by opening one of the first cybercafes in Tokyo.

Seiji Komatsu ((小松整司, Komatsu Seiji^?, voice: Keiichi Namba) & Kazuya Hatta (八田一也, Hatta Kazuya^?, voice: Naoki Tatsuta)

Kyosuke's two perverted friends. They're also potential boyfriends for the twins. But most likely the twins are using them as place-holders until someone better comes along. Kazuya Hatta is not to be confused with Kazuya Kasuga. Komatsu's first name has also been given as Masashi (most notably in the credits for "An Unexpected Situation").

Kazuya Kasuga (春日一弥, Kasuga Kazuya^?, voice: Chika Sakamoto)

Kyosuke's younger cousin, Kazuya looks like a younger version of Kyōsuke. On several occasions people have mistaken Kazuya for Kyosuke's son. Kazuya has The Power as well, but in the form of telepathy. In both the manga and the anime telepathy appears to be his only power. Kyosuke and Kazuya can swap bodies by banging their heads together. On several occasions they've done this intentionally.

Akane Kasuga (春日あかね, Kasuga Akane^?, voice: Naoko Matsui)

The older sister of Kazuya, and the same age as her cousin Kyosuke. Akane can use The Power to make people see illusions. She has only been seen using this power to make herself appear as different people; it is unknown if she can create other types of illusions. The illusions appear to be both aural and visual. This power works only on the person it is directed towards, so is probably a mixture of telepathy and hypnosis (elements of The Power which have been demonstrated in other members of the Kasuga family.)

In the anime Akane has the same powers that Kasuga and the twins have, in addition to her illusion power. However, this is not true in the manga.

Akane is considered by many to be a lesbian, for her apparent obsession with Ayukawa and other female characters. Izumi Matsumoto has gone on record as saying that Akane's feelings towards other women are misinterpreted, and are nothing more than innocent hero worship. However, this is very difficult to accept for some readers of the manga, who consider Akane's feelings to be unambiguous.

Akane's appearance in the manga and anime are quite different. In the manga she looks like a cross between Kurumi and Manami. In the anime her hair is shorter and darker, her face is more stark, and she has violet eyes. Akane only appeared in two of the OVAs, and never in the series. She appeared considerably more often in the manga, almost being a regular.

Yusaku Hino

Initially appeared early in the series as a potential rival of Kyosuke for Hikaru's affections, having harbored feelings for her since childhood. He asked her to marry him one day and she jokingly said she would if he became stronger and self assured. This sent him on the path of practicing karate for years. He views Kyosuke as a womanizer on top of being a rival for Hikaru's love. Unfortunately for his romantic situation, nothing really is resolved as he becomes incresingly marginalized until Matsumoto "forgets" him completely by the end of the series.

Sayurai

Sayurai only appeared in the manga. Sayurai's sole purpose in life is to break men's hearts: a job she's quite good at. In the past, Sayurai was deeply hurt by her boyfriend's callous dismissal of her. After the break-up, she decided to take her anger out on the entire male gender.

She is unable to seduce Kyosuke, and consquently becomes obsessed with him. She is the only character, aside from Master, who realizes how Kyōsuke and Madoka feel about each other. This makes her pivotal in the manga, as she is the one who tells Hikaru about it, forcing the events that occur at the end of the manga. Oddly enough, Sayurai's revelation to Hikaru was accidental (she assumed Hikaru already knew). Sayurai appeared to feel genuine remorse during the fallout.

Hiromi

Hiromi only appeared in the manga. She was Kyosuke's classmate in his previous school, and transferred to Kōryō about halfway through the manga's run. Neither the reader or Kyosuke is sure if Hiromi knows about The Power. Hiromi is fond of telling a story about Kyosuke's antics at the previous school which involves him floating in the river clutching a statue of Colonel Sanders.

Ushiko and Umao

Ushiko and Umao are a pair of characters that serve as one of the primary running gags of the television series. They are a pair of lovers that appear in a single scene in most every episode, always saying the same romantic lines to one another. Their appearance typically coincides with a chaotic event involving Kyosuke or other primary characters, sometimes in the most ludicrous places. In the movie Kimagure Orange Road: I Want to Return to that Day, their appearance is limited to Umao, who appears on television holding a crying baby and begging for Ushiko to return to him.

Ushiko and Umao's names are references to farm animals. "Ushi" is the Japanese word for "cow," and "uma" means "horse."

Michie Tomizawa (富沢 美智恵 Tomizawa Michie, previously 富澤 ç¾Žæ™ºæ±Ÿ Tomizawa Michie, born October 20, 1961) is a veteran seiyÅ« who was born in Nagano. ... Honda Chieko (本多知恵子) is a seiyu who was born on March 28, 1963 in Tokyo and raised in Nagano. ... YÅ«saku Yara , born 1948-03-15) is a Japanese voice actor who works for Aoni Production. ... An Internet cafe or cybercafe is a place where one can use a computer with Internet access for a fee, usually per hour or minute; sometimes one can have unmetered access with a pass for a day or month, etc. ... Keiichi Nanba ) is a veteran seiyÅ« who was born on August 26, 1957 in Gōtsu, Shimane. ... Image:Naoki tatsuta. ... Chika Sakamoto (坂本 千夏 Sakamoto Chika, alternatively translated as Sakamoto Chinatsu, born August 17, 1959) is a seiyu and J-pop singer who was born in Tokyo Notable voice roles Kentaro Ichinose in Maison Ikkoku Kazuya in Kimagure Orange Road Nuriko in Fushigi Yugi Yaten Kou(Sailor Starhealer... Matsui Naoko(松井 菜桜子) is a Japanese voice actress(seiyu), born on April 4, 1961 in Hokkaido. ... A lesbian is a female who is exclusively emotionally, sexually, romantically and/or aesthetically attracted to other females. ... Utena and Anthy from Revolutionary Girl Utena, a popular shōjo-ai couple. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Harland David Sanders, better known as Colonel Sanders (September 9, 1890 – December 16, 1980) was the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). ...

Translation History

Manga

Official

There is no official translation of the Kimagure Orange Road manga in the English world.

Unofficial

Every episode of the manga was translated early in the 1990s by a group of anime fans. The translations are still available as a series of text files. More recently, scanslations also exist for all 18 volumes, including the original abbreviated ending (prompted by the manga's cancellation) along with the expanded wideban one.

See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the very late 1980s and from 2000 and beyond. ... Scanlation, sometimes referred to as scanslation, is a term used for manga which has been scanned and translated by fans from its native language (usually Japanese or Korean) to another language, commonly English, French or Spanish. ... Tankōbon ) is the Japanese term for a compilation volume of a particular series (such as a manga or a novel series), as opposed to a magazine or a complete works series which often contain multiple titles. ...

Anime

Official

With the exception of the second movie and the original pilot, the entirety of the Kimagure Orange canon was subtitled by AnimEigo and released on both LD and DVD. However, these translations were not legally available outside of North America. Animeigo's license for the Kimagure Orange Road TV series and OVAs expired in July and August 2006 respectively.

AD Vision translated the second movie. The second movie remains the only piece of Kimagure Orange Road that has been dubbed into English.

In the UK, only the OVAs and first movie were released on video tape by MVM Films and subsequently attained the somewhat dubious distinction of being the worst-selling anime title ever in the UK. (Clements & McCarthy 2001:359)

Unofficial

The Arctic Animation fansub group translated the entire TV series in the early 1990s. The original Jump pilot episode from 1985 also exists as a fansub encoded from VHS format.

AnimEigo is an American licensor and distributor, within the United States and Canada, of Japanese anime such as Urusei Yatsura, Oh My Goddess!, Vampire Princess Miyu, Gainaxs classic industry sendup Otaku no Video, the Bubblegum Crisis OVA series, and Kimagure Orange Road. ... LD can mean: Liberal democracy The laserdisc video format, which looks like a huge compact disc Learning-disabled Legislative district The Lilian day, a version of the Julian day, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, a form of debate. ... This article is becoming very long. ... A.D. Vision is a Houston, Texas based international multimedia entertainment company, active in home video production and distribution, broadcast television, theatrical film distribution, merchandising, original productions, magazine and comic book publishing and is the largest anime company in North America. ... MVM Films is a British distributor of Japanese animation. ...

Trivia

• The cat Jingoro gets his name from the Edo-period wood sculptor Hidari Jingorou, who is thought to have carved the famous Sleeping Cat sculpture at the Nikko Toshogu.
• Narumi Kakinouchi, one of the creators of Vampire Princess Miyu, did design work on the anime, as well as the opening and ending credits for episodes 1-8.
• The manga was ended by cancellation. As such, Izumi had less than a volume to conclude the story. He was able to expand the ending when the series came out in wideban format.

Edo (Japanese: 江戸, literally: bay-door, estuary, pronounced //), once also spelled Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo. ... Torii and pagoda at entrance to Toshogu Nikko Toshogu (日光東照宮: Nikkō Tōshōgū) is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa line of shoguns in Japan. ... Miyu and Larva, the two main characters from Vampire Princess Miyu. ... // Miyu, Larva and Shiina from the TV series. ... Tankōbon ) is the Japanese term for a compilation volume of a particular series (such as a manga or a novel series), as opposed to a magazine or a complete works series which often contain multiple titles. ...

References

• Clements, J. & McCarthy, H. (2001). The Anime Encyclopedia, Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 1-880656-64-7

Jonathan Clements Jonathan Clements (1971- ) is a British writer and translator. ...

External links

• (Japanese) Official Kimagure Orange Road Website: Information on R2 Releases
• (English) AnimEigo: Former US distributor of KOR TV series, OVA, and original KOR movie
• (English) ADV Kimagure Orange Road page
• (English) KOR Mailing List
• (English) Rob's Super Kimagure Orange Road Page: a fan site with comprehensive information on KOR
• (English) Peter Payne's Orange Road page: Peter Payne is the translator of the first two KOR novels
• (English) The Kimagure Orange Road RPG: A tongue-in-cheek paper-and-dice RPG
• (English) An amateur translation of the third novel: Musician Chris Reed's translation of the third novel
• (Japanese) Studio Pierrot's Japanese website with information on the names and personalities of most of the characters: