Oruchuban Ebichu
Encyclopedia
is a manga
series by Risa Itō
that was published by Futabasha Publishers. It later became an anime
produced by Gainax
, but animated by Group TAC
. It first aired as six eight-minute episodes in 1999 as one third of the show Modern Love's Silliness
. Ebichu is very adult in nature, and its explicit violence
, innuendo
, and sex
scenes could only be shown on DirecTV Japan. The uncut version of the series is only found on DVD. The show is done in a simplistic art style, and its sexual content is played for laughs rather than for fanservice
.
, a single 28-year-old (this is her age in the original manga series while she is 25-year-old in the anime series) who doles out cynical commentary and the occasional beating on the rodent. Ebichu tends to take this in stride with endless praise and compliments. Such abuse is usually caused by Ebichu's almost disturbing lack of tact or propriety, which often embarrasses her master in front of other people. Ebichu often attempts to correct OL's bad decisions, such as her berating of OL's obnoxious and untrustworthy boyfriend Ebichu nicknamed Kaishounachi (worthless man).
, the seiyū
for the character of Misato Katsuragi
would read the Ebichu manga in between takes and laugh at the humor. She would show others what she was reading and eventually it was decided that the series was worth animating. As a result, Kotono was selected to voice the title character of housekeeping hamster Ebichu.
Also, in Neon Genesis Evangelion, the character Misato drinks cans of Ebisu-brand beer. In one episode, though, the beer cans are labeled "Ebichu Ichiban" across the top with a small picture of a hamster with one white ear and one brown ear (as Ebichu), although the colorations are the wrong way around. (The brown ear is on the right on the beer, but Ebichu's brown ear is on the left.)
Ebichu is sometimes joked by fans to be the complete polar opposite of Hamtaro
, a popular children's anime featuring a hamster in more wholesome adventures.
An Ebichu plush toy was available in UFO catchers and can be found on eBay
.
The opening theme of the series is performed by Kotono Mitsuishi. The ending theme, shared with the other shows in the Modern Love's Silliness block is by Minami Karasuyama 6th Street Production.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series by Risa Itō
Risa Ito
, also romanized as Risa Itou, is a Japanese manga artist. She won the 2005 Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo for Oi Pītan!! and the 2006 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Short Story Award for One Woman, Two Cats, Oi Piitan!!, and Onna no Mado. Her manga Oruchuban Ebichu was adapted by Gainax as an anime...
that was published by Futabasha Publishers. It later became an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
produced by Gainax
Gainax
is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as Gunbuster, The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which have gone on to critical acclaim and commercial success, as well as for their association with...
, but animated by Group TAC
Group TAC
Group TAC was a Japanese animation and computer graphics studio located in Shibuya, Tokyo, and founded in 1968. They have worked on movies, videos, TV shows, and commercials, and have contributed to all stages of the process, including planning, production, sound effects, and so on...
. It first aired as six eight-minute episodes in 1999 as one third of the show Modern Love's Silliness
Modern Love's Silliness
was an anime anthology series produced by Gainax, but animated by Group TAC. The series consisted of three love and relationship-related comedy segments aimed at women:* Ebichu Minds the House...
. Ebichu is very adult in nature, and its explicit violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
, innuendo
Innuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
, and sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
scenes could only be shown on DirecTV Japan. The uncut version of the series is only found on DVD. The show is done in a simplistic art style, and its sexual content is played for laughs rather than for fanservice
Fan service
, fanservice, or , is a term originating from anime and manga fandom for material in a series which is intentionally added to please the audience. It is about "servicing" the fan - giving the fans "exactly what they want"...
.
Plot
Most episodes follow Ebichu, a talking hamster devoted to her oft-indifferent owner, who is only identified as OL ("Office Lady")Office lady
An office lady, often abbreviated OL , is a female office worker in Japan who performs generally pink collar tasks such as serving tea and secretarial or clerical work. Like many unmarried Japanese, OLs often live with their parents well into early adulthood...
, a single 28-year-old (this is her age in the original manga series while she is 25-year-old in the anime series) who doles out cynical commentary and the occasional beating on the rodent. Ebichu tends to take this in stride with endless praise and compliments. Such abuse is usually caused by Ebichu's almost disturbing lack of tact or propriety, which often embarrasses her master in front of other people. Ebichu often attempts to correct OL's bad decisions, such as her berating of OL's obnoxious and untrustworthy boyfriend Ebichu nicknamed Kaishounachi (worthless man).
Characters
- A hamster who looks after her owner's house. She often lacks tact and embarrasses her owner, often getting punished as a result. During nighttime, she leads the secret alter-ego Ebichuman who goes around giving people sex advice.
- Ebichu's owner who smokes, drinks, and constantly beats on Ebichu.
- OL's boyfriend who is constantly cheating on her, but is easily forgiven.
- A soft spoken man who seems to have garnered a sexual attraction towards Ebichu, often trying to get his girlfriend to partake in his fetish.
Development
The origin of the anime came about during voice recording sessions for Neon Genesis Evangelion. Kotono MitsuishiKotono Mitsuishi
is a prolific Japanese voice actor from Tokyo. As a young girl, Mitsuishi lived in Nagareyama, Chiba. Mitsuishi graduated from high school in 1986, and entered the Katsuta Voice Actor's Academy. While attending the academy, she began working part time as an elevator girl in the Sunshine 60 building...
, the seiyū
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
for the character of Misato Katsuragi
Misato Katsuragi
is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise created by Hideaki Anno. She is the operations director at Nerv, initially with the rank of captain; she is later promoted to major. In Rebuild of Evangelion Misato's rank is lieutenant colonel...
would read the Ebichu manga in between takes and laugh at the humor. She would show others what she was reading and eventually it was decided that the series was worth animating. As a result, Kotono was selected to voice the title character of housekeeping hamster Ebichu.
Also, in Neon Genesis Evangelion, the character Misato drinks cans of Ebisu-brand beer. In one episode, though, the beer cans are labeled "Ebichu Ichiban" across the top with a small picture of a hamster with one white ear and one brown ear (as Ebichu), although the colorations are the wrong way around. (The brown ear is on the right on the beer, but Ebichu's brown ear is on the left.)
Ebichu is sometimes joked by fans to be the complete polar opposite of Hamtaro
Hamtaro
is a Japanese anime series. The main character is a hamster named Hamtaro who has a variety of adventures with other hamsters, called "Ham-Hams" . The show is based on a manga series by Ritsuko Kawai, Hamtaro Gets Lost and Other Stories, and Jealous Hamtaro and Other Stories...
, a popular children's anime featuring a hamster in more wholesome adventures.
An Ebichu plush toy was available in UFO catchers and can be found on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
.
The opening theme of the series is performed by Kotono Mitsuishi. The ending theme, shared with the other shows in the Modern Love's Silliness block is by Minami Karasuyama 6th Street Production.