The appeal and evaluation of "Tona Gura!": A must-read review for anime fans

Tona Gura! - Tona Gura! - Reviews and Recommendations

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

comics

■ Broadcast period

July 9, 2006 - October 1, 2006
tvk / July 8, 2006 to September 30, 2006 (Episodes 1 to 13) Every Saturday 24:30 to 25:00
Chiba TV July 9, 2006 to October 1, 2006 (Episodes 1 to 13) Every Sunday 23:30 to 24:00
Teletama July 9, 2006 to October 1, 2006 (1st to 13th episodes) Every Sunday 25:00 to 25:30

■Broadcasting station

TVK, UHF

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 13

■Original Story

Hidetaka Kakei (Monthly Comic Rush, Jive)

■ Director

Abe Tatsuya

■ Production

・Animation Production: Domu ・Production: First Love Balcony Club

■Works

© Hidetaka Kakei, JIVE/First Love Balcony Lovers Club

■ Story

Yuuji, who was always with him when they were young, has returned to the house next door for the first time in ten years. Kazuki was expecting that Yuuji, who had changed since his innocent childhood and now in his teenage years, would grow into a cool young man, but when he returned he had become a boy who loved sex, much more than he had expected.
Kazuki can't be honest with Yuuji, who is forceful but expresses his love straightforwardly. They start living next door to each other and get into trouble with their classmates.

■Cast

・Kazuki Arisaka/Akemi Kanda/Yuji Kagura/Hiroyuki Yoshino/Marie Kagura/Erino Hazuki/Hatsune Arisaka/Sayaka Ohara/Chihaya Suzuhara/Misaki Sekiyama/Nina Isokawa/Ayumi Tsuji/Kosuke Machida/Shinji Kawada/Miu Serizawa/Shizuka Ito

■ Main staff

・Original work / Kakei Hidetaka・Director, composition / Abe Tatsuya・Character design, chief animation director / Ochi Shinji・Prop design / Watanabe Yoshihiro・Concept design work / Abe Tatsuya・Advisor / Nishimura Satoshi・Art director / Watanabe Michie・Color design / Fujikawa Kosuke・Director of photography / Tanabe Katsuji・Editing / Tanaka Kouji・Music / Kikutani Tomoki・Sound director / Aketagawa Jin・Sound production / Magic Capsule・Music production / Starchild Records・Producers / Sakiyama Takahiro, Yamanaka Takahiro・Animation producers / Anzai Takeshi, Nishioka Daisuke・Animation production / Domu・Production / First Love's Balcony Lovers Club

■ Main Characters

・Kazuki Arisaka／

The second daughter of the Arisaka family.
First year high school student
The B-cup heroine of this story.
She is Yuuji's childhood friend and is in love with him.
She's a noisy, sulky girl who has a hard time being honest.
I don't like bugs and naughty boys.
I'm a bad cook.
I've always had the habit of hugging people while sleeping.

・Kagura Yuji/

The eldest son of the Kagura family.
A childhood friend of Kazuki, a first year high school student.
Unlike 10 years ago, it's now lewd.
A boy with no principles who is a huge nuisance.
She's a good cook and loves martial arts.
Perhaps influenced by his father, who is a photographer, he loves taking photos.

・Kagura Marie／

Yuji's younger sister.
3rd year junior high school student.
A military geek and a bit of an unfriendly girl.
In order to punish his older brother (or for self-defense?), he owns a teddy bear with a paint bullet gun attached to it.
However, he is not good at using knives.
She often keeps an eye on Yuuji together with Hatsune... is she actually a brocon?
She also has a girly side in that she doesn't like bugs.

・Hatsune Arisaka／

The eldest daughter of the Arisaka family.
Second year high school student
She has an H cup, tops her grade, and has excellent athletic ability.
She has talent in the humanities, is a good cook, and is a domestic character who is popular with the ladies.
Although she often behaves in a perverted manner and can get out of control, she is more than kind to Yuuji as she watches over Katsuki and Yuuji, and can even be overly spoiled.
I love messing with my sister (siscon?)
He's a perfect man with no weaknesses,
I hate being seen as an adult.

・Chihaya Suzuhara/

He is a first-year high school student and is best friends with Kazuki, who he went to the same junior high school with.
He speaks Kansai dialect.
He likes martial arts and gets along well with Yuji.
Surprisingly, she seems to like Yuuji.
Unlike Katsuki, he is immune to dirty talk.

・Isokawa Nina/

Third year junior high school student
Maybe it's because she's a half-D cup, but despite being well developed she seems extremely defenseless.
Moreover, she is proactive in getting physical contact with him! She doesn't dislike Japanese boys, but she feels that they are a little lacking. Is it because of this that she likes the aggressive Yuuji?

■Subtitle

・Episode 1: 30cm Unrequited Love (2006/07/08)
Episode 2: Tsuntsun Kazuki and the Seductive Apron (2006/07/15)
Episode 3: Yuji is surprised by Kazuki (2006/07/22)
Episode 4: Meow (゜ω゜) Haha (2006/07/29)
Episode 5: I'm gonna do it!! (2006/08/05)
Episode 6: Princess Carry? (2006/08/12)
・Episode 7: Strongest☆Invincible My Sister (2006/08/19)
Episode 8: Kazuki x Hatsune Swimming Showdown! (2006/08/26)
Episode 9: Jealousy? (2006/09/02)
Episode 10: Bikinis? Everyone gather! (2006/09/09)
Episode 11: Yukata, Fireworks, and Broken Thongs (2006/09/16)
Episode 12: A letter to Yuji and memories from ten years ago (2006/09/23)
Episode 13: Balcony and Paper Airplane (2006/09/30)

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・DRAMATIC☆GIRLY
Lyrics by Saori Kodama; Composition by Tomoki Kikutani; Arrangement by Tomoki Kikutani; Singers by Akemi Kanda, Sayaka Ohara, Erino Hazuki, Misaki Sekiyama, and Ayumi Tsuji

・ED1
・From the desire to meet you ~Placid time~
Lyrics: Mika Watanabe; Composition: Daisuke Nakajima; Arrangement: Eiji Kawai; Singers: Akemi Kanda, Sayaka Ohara

・ED2
・Oh My Darling・Lyrics/Ritsuko Miyajima・Composition/Ritsuko Miyajima・Arrangement/Kaoru Okubo・Singer/Akemi Kanda

Tona Gura! - Tona Gura! - Detailed Review

"Tona Gura!" is a TV anime series that aired in 2006 and is based on the manga of the same name by Hidetaka Kakei. This work is a youthful love comedy that depicts the reunion and growth of childhood friends, and depicts the troubles and love affairs between neighbors in a humorous way. Below, we will explain in detail the appeal and features of the work, as well as recommended points.

The appeal of the story

The story of "Tona Gra!" begins with the reunion of childhood friends Yuuji and Katsuki. The two used to play together as children, but when they meet again for the first time in 10 years, Yuuji has grown into a bold and horny boy. Meanwhile, Katsuki is confused by the changes in Yuuji, but still has feelings for him. This gap is the main attraction of the story.

The story revolves around troubles involving both families and classmates. In particular, Yuuji's forceful expressions of love and Kazuki's tsundere attitude provide plenty of comedy elements to entertain viewers. In addition, many unique characters, such as Yuuji's younger sister Marie and Kazuki's older sister Hatsune, appear and add color to the story.

Character Appeal

The main character, Kazuki Arisaka, is a typical tsundere character. Her struggles and growth as she is unable to express her feelings for Yuuji honestly resonate with viewers. Also, the fact that she is Yuuji's childhood friend is an important element in portraying the relationship between the two characters in depth.

Kagura Yuji is characterized by his lewd personality, which has changed dramatically since 10 years ago. However, he is also portrayed as a good cook and a fan of martial arts, making him more than just a naughty character, but a man of many other charms. While Yuji's actions are at the center of the story and cause a lot of trouble, the process of him deepening his relationship with Katsuki is a highlight of the story.

Kagura Marie is memorable for her unique character setting of being a military geek. Her comical appearances of watching over her brother Yuji and holding a teddy bear with a paint bullet gun inside give us a glimpse of her bro-con side. She also has a girlish side, being afraid of bugs, making her a very multifaceted character.

Hatsune Arisaka is portrayed as the perfect older sister. She has many talents, including top grades in her grade, athletic ability, and cooking skills. However, she also has a side to her that enjoys naughty behavior and teasing her younger sister, giving her a human touch amid her perfection. Hatsune's presence plays an important role in supporting the relationship between Katsuki and Yuuji.

Chihaya Suzuhara appears as Kazuki's best friend. She speaks in Kansai dialect, has a bright personality, and they both share a love of martial arts, which is why she becomes good friends with Yuuji. While Chihaya's presence supports Kazuki's growth, it also affects his relationship with Yuuji.

Isokawa Nina is unique in that she is half-Japanese. Her well-developed and defenseless personality are comical, and her proactive reactions to Yuji's actions are memorable. Nina's presence adds an exotic element to the story, entertaining the viewers.

Animation and performance

The animation for "Tonagura!" is produced by Dome, with character design and general animation direction by Shinji Ochi. The character designs capture the atmosphere of the original work well, with Kazuki and Yuji's facial expressions changing in particular, visually expressing the movements of their emotions. The prop designs and concept design work are also meticulous, making for a highly visually appealing production.

In terms of direction, director Abe Tatsuya emphasizes the comedic elements while carefully depicting the characters' feelings. In particular, in the scenes depicting the relationship between Kazuki and Yuji, the sense of distance between the two and the changes in their expressions are depicted in detail, encouraging the viewer to empathize with them. In addition, the subtitles for each episode are humorous, and you can feel the effort put into making the story more enjoyable.

Music and theme song

The music is by Tomoki Kikutani, and many of the theme songs are also composed by him. The opening theme "DRAMATIC☆GIRLY" is written by Saori Kodama, composed and arranged by Tomoki Kikutani, and sung by five people: Akemi Kanda, Sayaka Ohara, Erino Hazuki, Misaki Sekiyama, and Ayumi Tsuji. This song expresses the bright and fun atmosphere of the story well, and has the effect of raising the excitement of the viewer.

There are two ending themes. "Aitai Kimochi Kara ~Placid Time~" is a duet by Kanda Akemi and Ohara Sayaka, with lyrics by Watanabe Mika, music by Nakajima Daisuke, and arrangement by Kawai Eiji. This song features a gentle melody that symbolizes the relationship between Katsuki and Yuji, and enhances the emotional scenes of the story. The other ending theme, "Oh My Darling", is written and composed by Miyajima Ritsuko, arranged by Okubo Kaoru, and sung by Kanda Akemi. This song has an impressive sad melody that reflects Katsuki's feelings, and it builds up emotions towards the end of the story.

Recommended points

"Tona Gura!" is a very enjoyable youth romantic comedy. In particular, the story of childhood friends reuniting and growing up resonates with many viewers. In addition, the troubles and love affairs woven by the unique characters provide plenty of comedy elements to entertain viewers.

The animation and direction are of high quality, and the character and prop designs are well-thought-out. The music and theme song also express the atmosphere of the story well, enhancing the emotions of the viewer. In particular, in the scenes depicting the relationship between Kazuki and Yuji, the subtle changes in their expressions and the sense of distance between them are carefully depicted, encouraging the viewer to empathize with the characters.

This work is recommended for those who like youth romantic comedies and those who like unique characters. It is also recommended for those who want to empathize with a story depicting the reunion and growth of childhood friends. Furthermore, it is a work that can be enjoyed by those who are particular about animation and music.

"Tonagura!" was released in 2006, but it continues to be loved by many fans even today. Its appeal is wide-ranging, including the story, characters, animation, and music. Please watch this work and experience its charm.