The appeal and evaluation of "Potemayo": New possibilities for magical girls

The appeal and evaluation of Potemayo - Potemayo -

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

comics

■ Broadcast period

July 7, 2007 - September 22, 2007
TOKYO MX July 6, 2007 to September 21, 2007 (Episodes 1 to 12) Every Friday 25:30 to 26:00
Chiba TV July 7, 2007 to September 22, 2007 (Episodes 1 to 12) Every Saturday 25:35 to 26:05
tvk July 7, 2007 to September 22, 2007 (Episodes 1 to 12) Every Saturday 26:30 to 27:00
AT-X August 23, 2007 to November 8, 2007 (Episodes 1 to 12) Every Thursday 9:30 to 10:00

■Broadcasting station

UHF, AT-X

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 24

■Original Story

Haruka Okataya

■ Director

Takashi Ikebata

■ Production

・Animation production: JCSTAFF

■Works

©Haruka Mikataya/Potemayo Production Committee

■ Story

Moriyama Sunao is a taciturn middle school student who loves bread. A mysterious creature named Potemayo suddenly appears in his refrigerator. Potemayo is a strange character with a two-headed body and black cat ears and a tail, but somehow ends up living with Sunao. Furthermore, her fluffy, soft touch, appearance, and cute, warm behavior make her popular at Sunao's school. And then, just like Potemayo, another mysterious creature named Guchuko appears in the Moriyama refrigerator. Guchuko is violent and shy, and for some reason, she sees Potemayo as a rival! Sunao's daily life, surrounded by eccentric classmates, becomes more and more lively and interesting, even though he doesn't understand why...

■Explanation

A quiet and reserved junior high school student, Moriyama Sunao, begins living with a mysterious life form called "Potemayo" that appears from his refrigerator. Furthermore, a violent and shy "Guchuko" also appears from the refrigerator. His peaceful student life suddenly turns into chaos. *Quoted from the JCSTAFF official website

■Cast

・Potemayo/Hanazawa Kana・Guchuko/Tsuji Ayumi・Moriyama Sunao/Kitamura Eri・Natsu Mikan/Kawasumi Ayako・Takamisakari Kyo/Kaida Yuko・Kasugano Nene/Kugimiya Rie・Kirihara Mudou/Tokita Hikaru・Hatsushiba Kaoru/Kondo Takayuki・Natsu Kanezumi/Okamoto Nobuhiko・Narration/Inoue Kikuko

■ Main staff

・Original work: Haruka Migataya・Director: Takashi Ikebata・Series composition, scriptwriter: Yuta Ikemi・Character design, chief animation director: Ryoichi Oki・Art director: Shichiro Kobayashi・Color design: Tomomi Ando・Director of photography: Yoshio Okouchi・Editor: Kentaro Tsubone・Sound director: Jin Aketagawa・Music producer: Yoshiyuki Ito・Music: Tomoki Kikutani・Producers: Toyota Todoroki, Goichi Nonaka, Yuka Sakurai, Yuji Matsukura, Tetsuro Satomi・Animation producer: Masahiro Tabetani・Animation production: JCSTAFF
Produced by Potemayo Production Committee (Bandai Visual, Futabasha, Lantis, JCSTAFF)

■ Main Characters

・Potemayo A mysterious creature found in the Moriyama family refrigerator. It has cat ears and a black tail, and often has a chick on its head. It can barely speak, but can read people's minds. Sunao gave it the name "Potemayo" after the name of a sweet bun.
A mysterious creature that appeared from the Moriyama family refrigerator, chasing Potemayo. It cuts things in half with a sickle and repairs them with duct tape. Its favorite food is the "guchu balls" (truffles) that Kyo makes, and when Kyo saw it, he named it "Guchuko".
Moriyama Sunao is a cool, unfazed middle school boy. He lives almost entirely alone without a mother, but he has a passionate father.
Natsumikan: A classmate who has an honest crush on Natsumikan. She is good at being alone and her intense delusions are triggered by the slightest thing. Her family runs a greengrocer's.
Takamisakari is a friend of Kyo Mikan. She is good at cooking and baking, and has the sense to call truffles "guchutama."
・Kasugano Nene is Mikan's friend. She is the daughter of a very wealthy family, but is more of a cool queen?
Kirihara Mudo is a classmate of Sunao. He has a strong "moe" for Potemayo and wants to get in touch with her somehow.

■Subtitle

・1st episode/Pote 1 "Potemayo"/Pote 2 "Attack! Mysterious creatures!!" (2007/07/06)
・2nd episode/Pote 3 "My Beloved Child"/Pote 4 "Sunday" (2007/07/13)
・3rd episode/Pote 5 "Christmas Miracle"/Pote 6 "It's New Year's Eve, Suddenly" (2007/07/20)
・4th episode/Pote 7 "February means Setsubun"/Pote 8 "Kusame no Asa (2007/07/27)
・5th / Pote 9 "Spring sleep is so deep I don't even notice the dawn" / Pote 10 "Spring storm" (2007/08/03)
・6th/Pote 11 "A wonderful life"/Pote 12 "Summer means pools" (2007/08/10)
・7th/Pote 13 "At the end of summer"/Pote 14 "On the night of the festival" (2007/08/17)
・8th/Pote 15 "Shopping"/Pote 16 "WINTER HAS COME" (2007/08/24)
9th / Pote 17 "Fluffy Winter" / Pote 18 "My Home" / Pote 19 "Super Spa" (2007/08/31)
・10th/Pote 20 "Rain in Minazuki"/Pote 21 "When the leaves are young" (2007/09/07)
・11th/Pote 22 "Feelings of the Buds"/Pote 23 "About Mom" ​​(2007/09/14)
・12th/Pote24 "Flowers" 2007/09/21)

■ Related works

・Potemayo Bonus OVA

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・One-way Catchball ・Lyrics by Susumu Kashiwamori ・Music by Susumu Kashiwamori ・Singer by MOSAIC.WAV

・ED1
・Utatane・Lyrics: Chata・Composition: Akane・Arrangement: LittleLittle
・Song by Chata

The appeal and evaluation of Potemayo - Potemayo -

"Potemayo" is a TV anime series that aired in 2007 and is based on the manga of the same name by Mikataya Haruka. The story is about a quiet junior high school student named Moriyama Sunao who encounters a mysterious creature called "Potemayo" that suddenly appears from his refrigerator, and his daily life changes dramatically after that. Below, we will explain in detail the appeal and reviews of "Potemayo".

The appeal of the story

The story of "Potemayo" is very unique and fascinating as a slice-of-life comedy. The main character, Moriyama Sunao, is a quiet middle school student who loves bread, and he meets a mysterious creature called "Potemayo" that suddenly appears from the refrigerator in his house. Potemayo is a mysterious character with two heads and black cat ears and a tail, who can barely speak but can read people's minds. The setting itself is very unique and attracts the interest of the viewer.

In addition, another mysterious creature named "Guchuko" appears in the show, who also appears from the refrigerator like Potemayo. Guchuko is a violent and shy character who for some reason sees Potemayo as a rival. The comedy woven by these two characters not only makes the viewer laugh, but also makes Sunao's daily life more lively and entertaining.

Sunao's classmates are also unique, with a variety of characters appearing, including Natsumikan, Kyo, Nene, and Mudo. One of the highlights of the series is seeing Sunao's growth and change through her interactions with them. In particular, there are many scenes that highlight the individual personalities of each character, such as her love affair with Natsumikan and Mudo's "moe" for Potemayo, which will entertain viewers.

Character Appeal

Each character in "Potemayo" is extremely charming and leaves a strong impression on viewers. In particular, the characters of Potemayo and Guchuko have captured the hearts of viewers. Potemayo's soft, fluffy texture and appearance, and her adorable, warm mannerisms are soothing to look at. Meanwhile, Guchuko's ferociousness and shy personality strongly enhance the comedic elements.

The main character, Moriyama Sunao, is a cool, taciturn character, but his gradual transformation through his interactions with Potemayo and Guchuko is charming. Each character also has a distinctive personality, such as Natsumikan's delusional tendencies, Kyo's love of cooking, Nene's cool queen-like nature, and Mudo's "moe" for Potemayo. The everyday scenes of these characters bring laughter and emotion to the viewers.

Animation quality

The animation of "Potemayo" is produced by JCSTAFF and maintains a very high quality. Character design is by Ryoichi Oki, and the adorable designs of Potemayo and Guchuko capture the hearts of viewers. In addition, the beautiful backgrounds and colors by art director Shichiro Kobayashi and color designer Tomomi Ando also enhance the charm of the work.

Furthermore, the careful direction of the director of photography, Yoshio Okochi, and the editor, Kentaro Tsubone, are also not to be missed. In particular, the camerawork and editing in the comedy scenes maximize the effect of making the audience laugh. The sound effects by the sound director, Jin Aketagawa, are also an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the work.

The appeal of music

The music of "Potemayo" is also an important element that enhances the charm of the work. The opening theme "One Way Catchball" is a light-hearted song by MOSAIC.WAV that lifts the mood of the viewers. The ending theme "Utatane" is a gentle song by Chata that soothes the viewers. These songs are perfect for the atmosphere of the work and will remain in the viewers' hearts.

The background music by Tomoki Kikutani also plays an important role in enhancing the atmosphere of the work. In particular, the light-hearted background music in the comedy scenes and the gentle background music in the touching scenes have the effect of bringing out the emotions of the viewer.

Ratings and Recommendations

"Potemayo" has received extremely high praise as a slice-of-life comedy. Viewers have commented that "the characters Potemayo and Guchuko are so cute and soothing," "it's fun to watch Sunao's growth and changes," and "each character's personality is distinct and interesting." The quality of the animation and music has also been highly praised, making it an overall satisfying work.

The first reason I recommend this work is that the characters Potemayo and Guchuko are very charming. Their comedy scenes not only make viewers laugh, but also have a healing effect on the heart. In addition, the growth and change of Sunao, and the scenes where the individuality of each character stands out are full of highlights that will entertain the viewers.

Furthermore, the high quality of the animation and music is a factor that increases the satisfaction of the viewers. In particular, the careful animation by JCSTAFF and the attractive music by MOSAIC.WAV and Chata are important elements that enhance the appeal of the work.

"Potemayo" is a work that I would especially recommend to those who like slice-of-life comedies and those who like cute characters. It is also recommended for those who want to enjoy the growth and change of Sunao and scenes that highlight the individuality of each character. Please give it a watch.