The appeal and evaluation of Hyakko Extra: A deep review

Hyakko Extra - The charm of school life woven by unique characters

■Overview of the work

"Hyakko Extra" is an OVA based on the manga by Kato Haruaki. It was released on October 8, 2009, and was included on a DVD bundled with the limited edition of the fifth volume of the manga. It was only sold at Toranoana, Animate, and Amazon. This work depicts the daily lives of the unique students of Class 6, Year 1, of the private high school division of Kamizono Academy, and although it lasts for 10 minutes, it unfolds a dense story.

■ Story

Kamizono Private Academy is known as a mammoth school offering integrated elementary, junior high and high school education. Among them, the students in Class 6, Year 1, of the high school division, are all full of unique characters with plenty of personality. The story revolves around the main character, Kamijoyama Torako, and her fun-filled school life with her friends. The daily lives of a variety of characters, including the troublemaker Torako, the super-strong and hungry girl Saotome Suzume, and the ordinary girl Nonomura Ayumi, will keep viewers entertained.

■ Characters

Kageyama Torako is a troublemaker who acts on instinct and inspiration. She also has a weak side when it comes to love. Iizuka Tatsuhime is the daughter of a large company president, and hangs around with Torako and her friends, playing the role of the straight man who draws the short straw. Saotome Suzume is a girl who talks little, acts unpredictably, and is hungry and strong. She has been friends with Torako since middle school. Nonomura Ayumi is a very ordinary girl who always gets into trouble, but is very popular with the boys. Kazamatsuri Touma is a girl who enjoys reading and spends all her time in the library, and often fights with Torako. Ando Nene is the class representative with a strong personality who openly declares that she is bisexual. Makunouchi Ushio is a girl who likes punk clothes and looks like a delinquent, but denies it herself. Kobayashi Koma is the eldest daughter of a large family who is good at getting by in the world. She always carries a camera and never misses a photo opportunity. Suzugazaki Chie is the promising young talent of the robotics lab who dreams of working for the large company "E-lectra" and is the creator of Mecha Torako. Tsubomi Inori is a girl who has few friends due to her gloomy personality and creepy appearance, but she is actually beautiful when she dresses up. Ooba Minato is tall and has an excellent figure, but she has a childish personality and is a bit of a crybaby.

■ Production staff

The director is Michio Fukuda, the original story is by Haruaki Kato, the executive producer is Seiji Takakura, the planners are Atsushi Iwasaki, Kenichi Komori, Yosuke Ozawa, and Masashi Yamamoto, the composition and script are by Yoshihiko Tomizawa, the character designer and chief animation director are Keiko Ota and Tetsuya Ishikawa, the concept designer is Koichi, the color designer is Yumi Asano, the art director is Studio Biho, the art director is Megumi Kato, the cinematographers are Seiichi Morishita and Katsutoshi Oi, the editor is Tomoko Watanabe, the sound director is Hiroyuki Hayase, the sound effects are Kentaro Washio and Fizz Sound, the recording studio is Tabak, the sound engineer is Erina Watanabe, the AE is Satoru Matsuda, the sound production is Sun Onkyo and Katsuya Hirai, the casting office is Ai Isogawa, the general music producer is Tsunku♂, the music is by Tsunku♂ and Ko Yuasa The cast includes Ichi, Takanashi Koji, Mizutani Hiromi, and Fujisawa Takeshi, music production is by TNX and Lantis, music cooperation is by TV Tokyo Music, supervisors are Haga Masamitsu and Ikukata Shindo, program managers are Asaga Sadao (TV Tokyo) and Kyotani Tomomi (TV Tokyo), program promotion is by Aoki Yosuke (TV Tokyo), promotional cooperation is by Tsuruoka Shinya and Fukushima Yusuke, planning cooperation is by Celsys, Ikeshima Yukio, Komachitani Satoshi, Bandai Tomo, Tashiro Michiya, Yamamoto Shuji, Kawabata Motoo, Kawabata Issei, producers are Nakamura Akiko, Nitta Tatsuhiro, Kawamura Jin, and Iki Shogo, assistant producers are Azami Jun, Okada Akihiko, and Kameyama Atsushi, animation producer is Miyoshi Masahiko, animation production is by Nippon Animation, and production is by the Hyakko Production Committee.

■Cast

The role of Torako Kamijoyama will be played by Fumiko Orikasa, the role of Ryuhime Iizuka will be played by Michiko Neya, the role of Suzume Saotome will be played by Yurika Ochiai, the role of Ayumi Nonomura will be played by Aya Hirano, the role of Touma Kazemari will be played by Houko Kuwashima, the role of Minato Ooba will be played by Asuka Nakase, the role of Ushio Makunouchi will be played by Yuko Kaida, the role of Chie Suzugasaki will be played by Yui Horie, the role of Koko An Fujiko will be played by Masayo Fujita, the role of Kobayashi Koma will be played by Hiroko Igarashi, the role of Inori Tsubomi will be played by Satomi Sato, the role of Yanagi Kyogoku will be played by Atsushi Kosaka, the role of Shishimaru Sengoku will be played by Taka The cast includes Hashi Kenji, Ogawa Mana as Nikaido Hikatsugi, Goto Yuuki as Yagi-chan, Sato Satomi as Morioka, Fujita Masayo as Makimura, Igarashi Hiroko as Sakai, Terase Kyoko as Ono Toshiko, Miyazaki Hiromu as the uncle, Ichiki Mitsuhiro as Kamijoyamagitsune, Kasahara Hiroko as Kamijoyama Oniyuri, Fujiwara Keiji as Kasakana Ichiro, Watanabe Misa as Segawa-sensei, Nojima Yuji as Ushio's brother and Chafurin as Nishizono Taiga.

■ Evaluation and impressions

"Hyakko Extra" is a short but fascinating work with a dense story and unique characters. In particular, the daily lives of the characters, centered around Kamijoyama Torako, are full of humor and friendship. The school life of various characters, such as the troublemaker Torako, the super-strong and hungry girl Suzume, and the ordinary girl Ayumi, will keep viewers entertained. Also not to be missed are the skillful direction and storytelling by director Fukuda Michio and screenwriter Tomizawa Yoshihiko. The music by Tsunku♂ also adds to the atmosphere of the work.

■ Related works

"Hyakko Extra" was produced as a spin-off of "Hyakko", a TV anime also based on a manga by Kato Haruaki, which aired in 2008. This work also depicts the school life of unique characters, and can be enjoyed together with "Hyakko Extra".

■ Recommendation points

"Hyakko Extra" is a work that depicts the school life of unique characters. In particular, the humorous daily lives of the characters, centered around Kamijoyama Torako, are enjoyable for viewers. Also, don't miss the short but dense story and skillful direction. The music by Tsunku♂ also adds to the atmosphere of the work. "Hyakko Extra" is a work recommended for those who want to enjoy the school life of unique characters.