Rec (manga)
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| Rec | |
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| レック (Rec) |
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| Genre | Seinen romance |
| Manga | |
| Authored by | Hanamizawa Q-Tarou |
| Publisher | Shogakukan |
| Serialized in | Sunday GX |
| Original run | December 2002 – |
| No. of volumes | 5 (ongoing) |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Ryutaro Nakamura |
| Studio | SHAFT |
| Network | TBS, BS-i |
| Original run | February 2, 2006 – March 30, 2006 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| OVA | |
| Directed by | Ryotaro Nakamura |
| Studio | SHAFT |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Released | |
| Runtime | 12 minutes |
Rec (レック) is a manga about an aspiring seiyū, authored by Hanamizawa Q-Tarou. An anime adaptation of the manga has been created which consists of nine 12-minute episodes−an unusual format.
Contents |
[edit] Story
At the beginning of the story, Fumihiko Matsumaru is outside a movie theater waiting for his date to arrive. When it becomes obvious that he has been "stood up," he crumples his tickets in frustration. As he is about to toss the tickets into a trash can, a girl approaches, and in the "voice" of the tickets, implores him to not waste them. Dumbfounded, he sees the movie with her, which is Roman Holiday. During the movie, he notices that the girl is reading the subtitles out loud. When he asks her about this after the movie, she says that she was practicing the lines, and that she wants to be Audrey Hepburn. At dinner, she explains that she is a 20-year-old novice seiyū.
Going home, they find that they live in the same neighbourhood before they part ways. (In the anime, she recites appropriate lines from Roman Holiday.) Matsumaru goes to bed, but he can't sleep. In the darkness, he hears the sounds of sirens; there is a fire in the neighborhood. When he goes to investigate, he discovers that the girl's apartment has burned down. Since she has nowhere to stay, Matsumaru asks her to stay at his apartment; she dazedly accepts. Due to the circumstances, they end up falling into bed together. She introduces herself as Aka Onda just before they make love.
The next day, Matsumaru learns at work that his marketing concept "nekoki" (a cat-tree) has been approved as the mascot of a snack product called "Ha". Furthermore, Aka is chosen to voice nekoki. They decide to keep their live-in relationship a secret from their employers due to Aka's worries about an appearance of impropriety. She also insists they are not a couple just from having slept together once in a moment of weakness, and that she will merely be lodging with him. The series is heavily concerned with the developing dynamic of their relationship.
[edit] Characters
- He's 26 years old and is an average salaryman who works in the marketing department of a snack company. He always tries hard to get his advertisement projects chosen, but almost always fails at this. His latest project, Nekoki (cat tree), was chosen for the mascot of a snack food called Ha (は;leaf) and is his first accepted project.
- Aka Onda (恩田赤 Onda Aka)?, (Seiyū - Kanako Sakai)
- A 20 year old aspiring seiyū who idolizes Audrey Hepburn. She is a little eccentric in her actions as she often quotes movie lines from films Audrey Hepburn starred in. It is very easy to mistake her for a minor, so the first episode can be a bit shocking until we learn her age. She lives with Matsumaru in his apartment, and usually asserts that she is only friends with him, despite the fact she and Matsumaru slept together the first night they met. This provides the crux of the remainder of the series.
- Kanako Sakai, the voice actress who voiced Aka Onda, also sang the opening theme, "Cheer~Makka na kimochi~".
[edit] Episodes
The episodes of the anime are all titled based on Audrey Hepburn films, due to the admiration the female protagonist, Aka Onda, holds for the actress and the overall tie-in of Hepburn references. Also, in each episode, Aka recites at least one quotation from the movie in question.
An extra episode was later released as an OVA which took place between episodes 7 and 8.
Note: Episodes link to their respective Audrey Hepburn film, not to articles on the episodes themselves.
| Screenshot | Title | Original air date | # | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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"Roman Holiday" (ローマの休日) |
February 2, 2006 | 1 | |
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"Sabrina Fair" (麗しのサブリナ) |
February 9, 2006 | 2 | |
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"Wait Until Dark" (暗くなるまで待って) |
February 16, 2006 | 3 | |
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"Breakfast at Tiffany's" (ティファニーで朝食を) |
February 23, 2006 | 4 | |
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"Love in the Afternoon" (昼下がりの情事) |
March 2, 2006 | 5 | |
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"The Children's Hour" (噂の二人) |
March 9, 2006 | 6 | |
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"War and Peace" (戦争と平和) |
March 16, 2006 | 7 | |
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"The Unforgiven" (許されざる者) |
8 | ||
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"My Fair Lady" (マイ・フェア・レディ) |
March 23, 2006 | 8(9) | |
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"Two for the Road" (いつも２人で) |
March 30, 2006 | 9(10) | |
[edit] Game
In November 2006, Idea Factory released a game based on the Rec series titled Rec ☆ DokiDoki Seiyū Paradise ☆. It is a dating sim/adventure game in which the player assumes the role of Fumihiko Matsumaru who is director for a new television project. The goal is to choose who will be the main seiyū for the project, create new relationships, complete advertising campaigns among other things. The limited edition for the game includes a bonus CD and artwork.
[edit] External links
- (Japanese) TBS's official site for the anime
- (Japanese) Idea Factory's official site for the game
- REC at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
