The appeal and reputation of Hipira-kun: A new standard for children's animation

Hipira-kun - A fantasy adventure set in the world of vampires

Overview

"Hypira-kun" is a TV anime series based on a picture book created by world-renowned video creator Katsuhiro Otomo and animation art leader Shinji Kimura. Set in the mysterious world of "Salta" inhabited by vampires, the series depicts the adventures of a mischievous boy named Hipira and his friends in fantasy. It was broadcast on NHK-BS2's BS Winter Vacation Anime Special 2009 slot from December 21st to 25th, 2009, with a total of 10 episodes, each 6 minutes long, but with a dense story.

■ Story

Hipira, a mischievous boy who lives in the mysterious world of vampires, "Salta," is busy with pranks and adventures every day. One day, he hears from his school friend Elena that a strange light is coming from the elder's house, so he goes to check it out with his friend, the fairy Soul. The adventure of Hipira and his friends begins to find out what was happening at the elder's house.

■Explanation

"Hipira-kun" is based on a picture book created for children by two masters, Katsuhiro Otomo and Shinji Kimura. As soon as it began serialization in a picture book magazine, it became a hot topic among mothers of a generation who grew up with anime characters, and this "picture book for children" from "Otomo of the world" has attracted a lot of attention from all over the world, and an English version has already been published and has received high praise.

The anime version faithfully reproduces the worldview of the original work, while the beauty of the visual expression and the clever storytelling make it a work that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. In particular, the unique atmosphere of the vampire world "Salta" and the individuality of the characters are depicted with beautiful visuals by director Shinji Kimura.

■Cast

A gorgeous cast of voice actors has been assembled, including Yumiko Kobayashi as Hipira and Sayaka Ohara as Soul-kun. The performances that make the most of the individuality of each character enhance the story even more.

• Hipira/Yumiko Kobayashi
• Soul-kun/Sayaka Ohara
• Chorou/Bin Shimada
• Gheorghe/Chihiro Suzuki
• Delcha/Chiyako Shibahara
• Elena/Ayumi Fujimura
• Teacher Malena/Mari Yokoo
• Rose / Fumiko Orikasa
• Frog Prince/Wataru Takagi
• Zombie / Motoki Yoshimoto
• Goblin/Ayumi Fujimura
• Vacuum/Yoji Ueda
• Sand/Kentaro Ito
• Rock/Motoki Yoshimoto
• Sarah / Sachiko Kojima
• Yanis/Sayaka Ohara

■ Main staff

The film is directed by Kimura Shinji, based on the original work "Hipira-kun", with story by Otomo Katsuhiro and illustrations by Kimura Shinji. The CGI director is Sato Kodai, the sound director is Momose Keiichi, the sound editors are Sato Hidekuni and Sakaguchi Yoshihiro, the executive producer is Eguchi Masamichi, the producers are Mukaiichi Motoki and Tsuchiya Yasumasa, and the music is by Cornish. It is produced by Sunrise and produced by Bandai Visual and Sunrise.

■ Main Characters

Hipira is a vampire boy who loves mischief and adventure, and is not good at flying, but is practicing. Soul-kun is an imperfect fairy created by Chorō from a human soul, and if he had legs he could become a proper fairy. Chorō is the elder of the town of Salta, and is in charge of all things in the town, but he tends to run after his own selfish interests. Gheorghe is a classmate of Hipira, and a slightly mean vampire. He acts tough, but he's actually a mama's boy. Delcha is a slightly chubby vampire who loves macarons, and is a timid classmate of Hipira. Elena is a girl vampire with twin tails, who is quite well-informed and treats Hipira like a child. Malena-sensei is a teacher at Hipira's school, and is shrouded in mystery. Rose is a wild rose fairy who acts like an idol and is good at fake crying, and her beauty relies heavily on makeup. The Frog Prince is a former prince who was turned into a frog by an evil witch, and his personality is incompatible with the Hipiras. The Zombies are vampire zombies who live in graves and drag any prey they make eye contact with into the grave. The Goblins are baby goblins born from meteorites and have the ferocity to eat anything. The Vacuum is a cleaner who comes to collect the Goblins, and as the name suggests, has the best suction power in the world. Sand is an underground person searching for a replacement for the "Shining Stone" that illuminates the underground, and has a special move called Sand Explosion. Dart is an elusive underground person, and his special move is Mud Hell. Rock is a kind underground person who can only speak underground language, but Soul can understand him. Sarah is a magician girl who is very cute but very evil. Yanis is a typical class representative type of glasses-wearing vampire, and is easily persuaded by cute girls.

■Subtitle

The subtitles for each episode are as follows:

• #1/The appearance of Hipira-kun
• #2/The Birth of Soul-kun
• #3: Cock-a-doodle-doo
• #4/The Wild Rose Fairy
• #5/The Frog Prince
• #6/School is fun
• #7/The Last Day of Salta?
• #8/New Friends
• #9/The Underground World
• #10/Witch Sketch

■ Related works

"Hipira-kun" has the following related works:

• Hipira-kun Online Distribution Version
• Hipira-kun Unaired episode
• Pop-up Anime!! Hipira-kun

■ Evaluation and recommendation

"Hipira-kun" is a short but dense story and beautiful visuals that can be enjoyed by both children and adults. In particular, the unique atmosphere of the vampire world "Salta" and the personalities of the characters are depicted with beautiful visuals by director Kimura Shinji. Also, the ingenious storytelling of Otomo Katsuhiro is not to be missed.

This film is perfect for the whole family to watch together. Kids will be thrilled by the adventures of Hipira and Soul-kun, while adults will be impressed by the creative talents of Katsuhiro Otomo and Shinji Kimura. What's more, the voice actors' performances are superb, bringing out the individuality of each character and enhancing the story even more.

"Hypira-kun" is a short but dense story and beautiful visuals that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. In particular, the unique atmosphere of the vampire world "Salta" and the individuality of the characters are depicted with beautiful visuals by director Kimura Shinji. Also, the ingenuity of Otomo Katsuhiro's storytelling is not to be missed. This film is perfect for watching with the whole family. Children will be excited by the adventures of Hipira and Soul-kun, and adults will be impressed by the creative talents of Otomo Katsuhiro and Kimura Shinji. In addition, the voice actors' performances that make the most of the individuality of each character are superb, further enhancing the story.

■ Further information and recommendations

"Hypira-kun" is an adventure fantasy set in the vampire world of "Salta". The main character, Hipira, is a mischievous and adventurous vampire boy who goes on various adventures with his friend Soul-kun. The story begins with an investigation into a strange light coming from the elder's house, and the adventures of Hipira and his friends begin.

The appeal of this work lies in its visual beauty and clever storytelling. Director Kimura Shinji's beautiful visuals perfectly recreate the unique atmosphere of the vampire world of "Salta," while Katsuhiro Otomo's storytelling is cleverly designed to be enjoyed by both children and adults.

Furthermore, the voice actors' performances are superb, making the most of the individuality of each character, further enhancing the story. In particular, the performances of Yumiko Kobayashi as Hipira and Sayaka Ohara as Soul-kun bring out the charm of their characters to the fullest.

"Hypira-kun" is a great film to watch with the whole family. Kids will be thrilled by the adventures of Hipira and Soul-kun, while adults will be impressed by the creative talents of Katsuhiro Otomo and Shinji Kimura. The voice actors also deliver superb performances that bring out the individuality of each character, further enhancing the story.

This film is short but has a dense story and beautiful visuals, making it enjoyable for both children and adults. In particular, the unique atmosphere of the vampire world "Salta" and the personalities of the characters are depicted through the beautiful visuals of director Kimura Shinji. Also, don't miss the clever storytelling of Otomo Katsuhiro. Be sure to watch it with your family and enjoy the adventures of the Hipiras.