Punch Line
Punch Line | |
![]() Key visual | |
パンチライン | |
---|---|
Genre | Adventure,comedy,supernatural[1] |
Created by | |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Yutaka Uemura |
Written by | Kotaro Uchikoshi |
Music by | Tetsuya Komuro |
Studio | MAPPA |
Licensed by | |
Original network | Fuji TV(Noitamina) |
Original run | April 9, 2015–June 25, 2015 |
Episodes | 12 |
Manga | |
Punch Line Max | |
Written by | Kotaro Uchikoshi |
Illustrated by | Ginichi |
Published by | Kadokawa Corporation |
Magazine | Dengeki G's Comic |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | September 30, 2015–December 29, 2016 |
Volumes | 2 |
Other media | |
Punch Line(Japanese:パンチライン,Hepburn:Panchi Rain)is a Japaneseanimetelevision series directed by Yutaka Uemura and produced byMAPPAwith scripts byKotaro Uchikoshi,music byTetsuya Komuro,and character designs by Shōta Iwasaki. The series aired onFuji TV'sNoitaminablock between April 9, 2015, and June 25, 2015, and was simulcast byCrunchyroll.[note 1][2][3]The series is licensed inNorth AmericabySentai Filmworks.
Avideo game adaptationdeveloped by5pb.was released onPlayStation 4andPlayStation Vitain 2016 inJapan,and was released in May 2019 in North America andEurope.A manga, titledPunch Line Max,taking place after the anime series, was published byKadokawa CorporationinDengeki G's Comicfrom September 30, 2015, to December 29, 2016, and compiled in two volumes. It was illustrated by Ginichi, and based on an original idea by Uchikoshi.[4]
The title "Punch Line" is primarily intended as an oblique reference to the "punch line"of what happens if protagonist Yuta sees too many panties; humanity dies. As well as this, the title is read in Japanese akin to"panty line' and 'panchira', which ties into the series' central focus onpanties.The title was also picked to reference the anime's more comical and off-the-wall nature, compared to Uchikoshi's prior work.[5][6]
Plot
[edit]Yūta Iridatsu lives at the Korai House apartment complex with four girls: Mikatan Narugino, Ito Hikiotani, Meika Daihatsu, and Lovera Chichibu. One day, following a busjacking incident, Yūta finds himself ejected from his own body and becoming a spirit. Guided by the cat spirit Chiranosuke, Yūta must learn to master his spirit powers in order to protect his housemates from the various circumstances they find themselves in. However, if Yūta sees a girl's panties twice in a row within a short amount of time,Earthwill be destroyed by ameteor.
Characters
[edit]- Yūta Iridatsu(Y đạt du quá,Iridatsu Yūta)
- Voiced by:Marina Inoue
- The main protagonist. Yūta's soul was separated from his body following the bus hijacking incident. Yūta must search for Sacred Tome of Koraikan in order to return to his physical body. Whenever he sees a girl's panties, he gains a burst of strength known as Über-fy powers, but upon seeing panties twice in succession, Yūta gains too much stimulation and loses consciousness, which somehow results in a meteor destroying Earth, though he can go back in time to prevent that. He has a small amount of spiritual abilities, which increases upon 'levelling up', but can also perform more advanced abilities, such as possession, when there is cinnamon in the vicinity. In episode 7, it is revealed that Yūta was originally a boy namedPine(パイン,Pain)who ended up switching bodies with a girl named Chiyoko. As such, Yūta is biologically female, with his legal name being Yū Iridatsu(Y đạt du,Iridatsu Yū)."Yūta Iridatsu" is a pun on the phrase "astral projection"(U thể ly thoát,yūtai ridatsu).[5]
- Mikatan Narugino(Thành mộc dã みかたん,Narugino Mikatan)
- Voiced by:Sora Amamiya
- A member of the idol group "Seas May", who secretly fights crime as the magical girl Strange Juice. Whenever she is flustered or alone, she ends up speaking in theTsugaru dialectwhich she picked up in her early childhood. Similar to Yūta, she possesses Uber-fy powers for her crimefighting, but these have a strong side-effect on her body which requires constant medication. It is later revealed that she isChiyoko(ちよ tử),whose soul went out of the body Yūta possesses and into the body of Guriko.[7]When the characters in her name are read differently, her name is a pun on the phrase "ally of justice"(Chính nghĩa の vị phương,seigi no mikata).[5]
- Ito Hikiotani(Kéo đuôi cốc ái,Hikiotani Ito)
- Voiced by:Minako Kotobuki
- A NEET who spends most of her time playing online games and taking care of her pet Muhi, a bear cub. Her name is a pun on the term "HikiOtaNEET"(ヒキオタニート),a portmanteau ofhikikomori,otaku,andNEET.
- Meika Daihatsu(Đài sơ minh hương,Daihatsu Meika)
- Voiced by:Rie Kugimiya
- A robot who happens to be the landlady of the apartment all the characters are living in. She is also a genius inventor, and has unrivalled hacking skills. However, she has very poor physical reflexes. She speaks in theKansai dialect.Her name is a pun on the phrase "great inventor"(Đại phát minh gia,Daihatsumei-ka).[7]She is Pumpkin Chair.
- Lovera Chichibu(Trật phụ ラブラ,Chichibu Rabura)
- Voiced by:Haruka Tomatsu
- Agyaruwho works as an exorcist. Despite her profession, she does not believe in the existence of spirits. She can be temporarily possessed by Yūta when there is cinnamon in the vicinity. Her name is a pun on "chichi burabura"(Nhũ ブラブラ,lit. "breasts dangling" ).[7]
- Chiranosuke(チラ chi trợ,Chiranosuke)
- Voiced by:Yu-ri Yoshida
- A talking cat spirit who informs Yūta about spirit powers and serves as a guide to get him to save the world. In episode 12, it is revealed that Chiranosuke is a cat that Ito Hikiotani's friend from technical school gave to her. He/she is a chinchilla, which is a type of Persian Cat.
- Ryūto Teraoka(Chùa cương long đều,Teraoka Ryūto)
- Voiced by:Kenji Akabane
- The leader of the QMay terrorist organisation. He is later revealed to beGuriko(ぐり tử),whose soul currently possesses Yūta's original body.
- Chihaya Tomoda(Hữu điền ngàn sớm,Tomoda Chihaya)
- Voiced by: Jun Oosuka
- Ito's homeroom teacher, who has a deranged admiration for Ito. Merging with Q-May's spirit, Tomoda becomes a masked soldier, referred to the residents as "Turtle Man"(Quy nam,Kame Otoko),and is able to use Über-fy powers.
- Kenji Miyazawa(Cung trạch hiền trị,Miyazawa Kenji)
- Voiced by: Marina Inoue
- A costumed vigilante who shows up out of nowhere and possesses the same Uber-fy powers as Yūta. It is later revealed that this is another version of Yūta, who goes back in time from a previous time loop and possesses his present day body whenever the plan to save the world fails, eventually becoming an identity the present Yūta assumes when he goes back in time.
- Akina Iridatsu(Y đạt thu nại,Iridatsu Akina)
- Voiced by:Mariko Honda
- Yūta's foster sister, who found him after he had switched into Chiyoko's body. She is the one who sends Yūta the Kenji Miyazawa costume.
Media
[edit]Anime
[edit]Punch Linewas first announced on November 24, 2014.[8]The series is directed by Yutaka Uemura atMAPPAand written byKotaro Uchikoshiwith character design by Shōta Iwasaki and music composed byTetsuya Komuro.The series aired onFuji TV'sNoitaminaprogramming block between April 9, 2015, and June 25, 2015, and was simulcast byCrunchyroll.The opening theme is "Punch Line!" byShokotanandDenpagumiwhile the ending theme is "Honey Honey Honey"(Mật mật mật)byAyumiKurikaMaki.The series is licensed in North America bySentai Filmworks.
The story was originally conceived under the plot idea of "a ghost who cannot see panties to avoid killing humanity". Uchikoshi explains, "Humanity dies" is like the satirical answer a girl might give you if you asked what'd happen if a boy saw their panties. The concept for the story [of Punch Line] essentially started out as a means to set up that whole joke. "This central theme was inspired, and centered around, the anime trope of sexual arousal being expressed bynosebleeds:"Nosebleeds in anime is used to comically indicate that blood is rushing to the head, that you're so excited it's hurting you. In Punch Line the joke is that this is taken to the extreme, as the protagonist's excitement doesn't just cause a nosebleed, it causes the apocalypse". While writing the story, Uchikoshi incorporated elements familiar to him in his prior works, particularlyZero Escape.Uchikoshi wanted the title of the series to reference both its comical nature, and the central meaning behind its conception. Uchikoshi and Uemura eventually settled on the name "Punch Line", due its similarity to the term "panchira'.[6][5]
Video game
[edit]APunch Linevideo game was developed and published by5pb.for thePlayStation 4andPlayStation Vitain 2016 in Japan,[9][10]and was published by PQube in 2018 in North America and Europe.[11]The game plays as avisual noveladventure game,and expands on the story of the anime, adding new alternative endings.[11][12]Uchikoshi and Komuro reprise their roles from the anime as writer and composer, respectively, along with the series' voice cast.[12]
Notes
[edit]- ^Technically it premiered on April 10, but the timeslot for Punchline is listed as April 9, 2015, at 24:55.
References
[edit]- ^"Punch Line".Sentai Filmworks. May 30, 2018.
- ^"Noitamina announces Punch Line original anime".Anime News Network.RetrievedNovember 27,2014.
- ^"Crunchyroll to Stream Noitamina's Punch Line Anime".Anime News Network.April 2, 2015.RetrievedApril 5,2015.
- ^"Punch Line TV Anime Gets Manga This Fall".Anime News Network.August 8, 2015.RetrievedAugust 8,2015.
- ^abcdノイタミナアニメ『パンチライン』ゲーム bản phát biểu! アニメ&ゲーム chế tác の きっかけを, đánh càng cương quá lang thị に độc chiếm インタビュー ( trước biên )(Interview with scriptwriter) (in Japanese). famitsu. March 15, 2015.RetrievedApril 16,2015.
- ^ab"“パンチライン” ノイタミナで xuân から truyền, âm lặc は phòng nhỏ triết thay ".アニメ! アニメ!(in Japanese). November 27, 2014.RetrievedMay 21,2021.
- ^abc"Official website for punchline"(in Japanese). Aniplex.RetrievedApril 16,2015.
- ^"Noitamina Announces Punch Line Original Anime".July 10, 2023.
- ^"パンチライン まとめ [Vita]".Famitsu(in Japanese).Enterbrain.Archivedfrom the original on August 13, 2016.RetrievedApril 12,2018.
- ^"パンチライン まとめ [PS4]".Famitsu(in Japanese).Enterbrain.Archivedfrom the original on September 15, 2016.RetrievedApril 12,2018.
- ^abRomano, Sal (April 12, 2018)."Punch Line game coming west this summer [Update]".Gematsu.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2018.RetrievedApril 12,2018.
External links
[edit]- Official website(in Japanese)
- Punch Line(anime) atAnime News Network's encyclopedia
- 2015 anime television series debuts
- Manga series
- 2015 manga
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