Hakata Mentaiko! Pirikarakochan - Critical Review and Recommended Points

Hakata Mentai! Pirikarakochan - Hakata Mentai Pirikarakochan

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Broadcast period

July 7, 2019 - September 22, 2019
From 6:15

■Broadcasting station

KBC, AT-X

■Frequencies

5 mins

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 12

■Original Story

G-Angle

■ Director

Taketomo Ishikawa

■ Production

・Production: G-Angle

■Works

©Pirikarakochan Production Committee

■ Story

This is a shopping street in a town that looks like Hakata but isn't. Today, delicious events will occur again! A slapstick drama about the daily lives of food fairies!

■Explanation

An original short anime that began airing on KBC Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting on July 7, 2019. It is a humorous work themed on the food culture of Hakata, depicting the daily lives of food fairies. Although short, each episode introduces different ingredients and dishes, conveying the charm of Hakata to viewers.

■Cast

・Pirikarako-chan/Hiyori Kono・Uncle Sousuke/Kenichi Ogata・Motsunabe Ojisan/Chafurin・Balan-kun/Shun Horie・Amaou/Hitomi Owada・Maya/Maaya Uchida・Caviar-kun/Natsumi Fujiwara・Butler/Hironori Miyata・Grandma Koharu/Mari Ooi

■ Main staff

・Director: Taketomo Ishikawa ・Character design: Taketomo Ishikawa ・Prop design: Taketomo Ishikawa ・Series composition: Shingo Irie ・Script: Shingo Irie ・Art director: Manabu Kageta ・Art director: Norifumi Nakamura (Studio Naya)
・Color setting: Sakiko Tekuramori (Triple A)
・Director of photography: Tomoya Hosaka (Asahi Production)
・Editor: Honda Yuki (Asahi Production)
・Sound Director: Shiori Yamazaki ・Music: Tetsuya Kobayashi ・Sound Production: G-Angle ・Production: G-Angle

■ Main Characters

・Pirikarako-chan, the mentaiko fairy. She is a cheerful, bright and innocent girl. She seems to be running around the shopping district energetically today as well to solve everyone's worries and rumors. When she gets excited, she picks up Uncle Sousuke and fires off the "Mentai Splash."
・Uncle Sousuke A mentaiko that always sits on Pirikarako-chan's head. He looks cute and speaks in Hakata dialect. His specialty is the "mentaiko splash," in which he spits mentaiko out of his mouth.
・Motsunabe Dad is a motsunabe fairy. A true Kyushu man, he is always angry about something. When his anger reaches its peak, the motsunabe on his head boils and looks delicious.
・Balan-kun is the fairy of Balan. As Balan would expect, he likes to take charge. Even if he tries to take charge, he is so thin that he always gets blown away.
・Amaou Amaou strawberry fairies. They are always floating around in groups of three. Apparently they have countless brothers and sisters in their hometown, "Amaou Land."
Maya: A part-time worker at Hakata Coffee. She loves gossip and is the most informed person in the shopping district.
・Kun Caviar The caviar fairy. He is a rich young man. He is always accompanied by a butler. His official name is "Osetra Sevruga von Beluga", but because it is a long name, everyone calls him "Kun Caviar".
・Butler Caviar-kun's butler. He takes care of Caviar-kun anytime, anywhere. He is knowledgeable and explains about food.
The owner of the "Osozai-ya" restaurant in the shopping district. She lives with Pirikarako-chan.

■Subtitle

・Episode 1/Leave it to me! Night Guard・Episode 2/Terrifying! Ramen War・Episode 3/The Love of the Motsunabe Dad・Episode 4/The Fearsome Udon・Episode 5/Running! Sesame Mackerel・Episode 6/Amaou-kun's Hometown・Episode 7/The Rumored Food Stall, the Urameshiya・Episode 8/Hakura-san and the Street Mon・Episode 9/Cooling Off! Shiraito Falls・Episode 10/Mucchan's Manju Contest・Episode 11/The Counterattack of a Bite-sized Gyoza・Episode 12/It's a Festival! Everyone Gathered Together

■ Theme songs and music

・OP
・Hakata Mentaiko! Pirikarako-chan ・Lyrics by Kenta Matsusumi ・Composition by Kenta Matsusumi ・Arrangement by SCRAMBLES
・Singer: Pirikarako-chan (CV: Hiyori Kono)
・ED
・Pippipirikara, Pirikarako. feat. Naruhana Hime, Mikoto. Lyrics by mathru @ Kanimiso P
・Composition: mathru＠KanimisoP
・Arrangement/mathru＠KanimisoP
・Song by Hime Naruhana and Mikoto

Review

"Hakata Mentaiko! Pirikarako-chan" is a short anime themed on Hakata food culture, and is an appealing work with its unique worldview and humorous story. Each episode, just five minutes long, introduces different ingredients and dishes, conveying the charm of Hakata to viewers.

The biggest feature of this anime is that the main characters are food fairies. The drama of everyday life played out by unique characters such as Pirikarako-chan in the shopping district is never boring to watch. In particular, Pirikarako-chan's lively and cheerful personality and Uncle Sousuke's humorous lines in Hakata dialect are very effective in entertaining the viewer.

Another appeal of this anime is that each episode introduces different ingredients and dishes. Not only do the Hakata specialties of mentaiko and motsunabe appear, but also a variety of other ingredients such as sesame mackerel and Amaou strawberries. In the scenes introducing these ingredients, the appeal of the food is maximized, which has the effect of whetting the viewer's appetite.

Furthermore, the story of this anime is not just about depicting the daily lives of the food fairies, but also excels in introducing their interactions with the people of the shopping district and the local culture. For example, episode 6, "Amaou-kun's Hometown," depicts "Amaou Land," the birthplace of Amaou strawberries, conveying their charm to viewers. Also, episode 12, "It's a Festival! Everyone Gather," depicts a scene in which the people of the shopping district come together to enjoy a festival, giving a sense of the unity of the community.

The production staff of this anime should not be overlooked. Ishikawa Taketomo, who was in charge of direction and character design, succeeded in bringing out the individuality of the food fairies to the fullest, leaving a strong impression on viewers. In addition, Irie Shingo, who was in charge of series composition and scriptwriting, skillfully constructed a different story for each episode, and there are many ingenious ideas to keep viewers from getting bored.

Music is also an important element that enhances the appeal of this anime. The opening theme, "Hakata Mentaiko! Pirikarako-chan," is a song that symbolizes Pirikarako-chan's lively and cheerful personality, giving energy to the viewers. The ending theme, "Pippipipirikara, Pirikarako. feat. Naruhana Hime & Mikoto," is a song that gently embraces the daily lives of the food fairies, providing healing to the viewers.

Overall, "Hakata Mentaiko! Pirikarako-chan" is an excellent short anime themed on Hakata food culture. The unique characters of the food fairies, the humorous story, and the introduction of different ingredients and dishes in each episode leave a strong impression on the viewer. It is also excellent in that it introduces the interactions with the people of the shopping district and the local culture, conveying the charm of Hakata to the viewer. We recommend that you give it a watch.

Recommendation

"Hakata Mentaiko! Pirikarako-chan" is a work recommended for people who love food and short anime. In particular, it is a work that should be watched by people who are interested in Hakata's food culture. It is also a work that the whole family can enjoy, so I think it will be enjoyed by a wide range of people from children to adults.

We highly recommend watching this anime while eating Hakata's famous dishes. Different ingredients and dishes appear in each episode, such as mentaiko, motsunabe, sesame mackerel, and Amaou strawberries, so you can enjoy it even more by eating them while watching.

We also recommend the official merchandise of this anime. The merchandise featuring characters such as Pirikarako-chan and Uncle Sousuke is sure to be a hit with viewers. In particular, the merchandise with motifs of ingredients such as mentaiko and motsunabe will be irresistible items for food lovers.

We also recommend visiting Hakata, the setting of this anime. You can get a deeper understanding of the world of this anime by strolling through the shopping streets and enjoying local specialties such as mentaiko and motsunabe. You can also get a deeper feel for the story behind this anime by learning about the culture and history of Hakata.

"Hakata Mentai! Pirikarako-chan" is an appealing work with its unique characters of food fairies, a humorous story, and the introduction of different ingredients and dishes in each episode. Please watch it once and feel its charm.