Twin Spica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Twin Spica | |
|---|---|
| ふたつのスピカ (Twin Spica) |
|
| Genre | Drama, Seinen |
| Manga: ふたつのスピカ (Futatsu no Supika) | |
| Authored by | Kou Yaginuma (柳沼 行 Yaginuma Kō) |
| Publisher | Media Factory |
| Serialized in | Comic Flapper |
| Original run | 23 January 2001 – |
| No. of volumes | 12-ongoing |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Tomomi Mochizuki |
| Studio | Group TAC |
| Network | Animax, NHK |
| Original run | 1 November 2003 – 27 March 2004 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
Twin Spica (ふたつのスピカ Futatsu no Supika?) is a manga series by Kou Yaginuma (柳沼 行 Yaginuma Kō?). It began serialization in the magazine Comic Flapper in January, 2001. Twin Spica tells the story of a group of Japanese high school students who are training to become astronauts.
The manga has been adapted into a 20 episode anime series by Group TAC. The anime first aired on NHK's BS-2 satellite service between November 1, 2003 and 27 March 2004. Twin Spica has been translated into English and other languages by the anime television network Animax, which has broadcast the series on its networks in several regions, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Latin America. There have also been fansubs created in several languages.
The title comes from the binary star system Spica. It is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo and one of the brightest stars in the sky. The story refers to the fact that Spica are two stars that support each other and is very relative to the running theme of friendship throughout the series.
Contents |
[edit] Plot Summary
The primary setting of Twin Spica in the near future at the Tokyo Space School, where high school students train to become astronauts. Asumi Kamogawa (鴨川アスミ?) has dreamed of going to space since she was a child. Her experiences in school and her relationships with her friends, family and teachers are the central themes of the story. The manga and anime series both have a relaxed, slice of life pace.
Several chapters of the manga and episodes of the anime are flashbacks and explore the childhood of Asumi and some of the other characters. When she was a baby, Japan's first manned rocket (called Shishigou (獅子号?)) crashed into Asumi's hometown of Yuigahama, killing many people and critically injuring her mother, who finally dies after many years in a coma. While trying to accept her mother's death, six year old Asumi meets Lion-san (ライオンさん?), the ghost of a young astronaut who had been on board the rocket. Inspired by Lion-san's stories of space, Asumi makes it her goal to become an astronaut herself.
The storylines of the manga and the anime adaptation are very close together initially, but in the anime's diverges to have an ending that is not related to anything published. The anime covers most of the manga's story in volume 1-3 but later takes bits and pieces of the latter volumes.
[edit] Characters
- Asumi Kamogawa (鴨川アスミ?)
- Seiyū - Akiko Yajima
- The story's main character. After her mother died when she was young, she grew up with her father. She is the only one who can see Lion-san, whom she met soon after her mother's death. After meeting Lion-san, she becomes determined to become an astronaut. When her name is written in the kanji form (her name is in katakana), "Asu" means "tomorrow" (in her cause is interpreted as "future") and "Mi" means "look".
- Lion-san (ライオンさん?)
- Seiyū - Takehito Koyasu
- Lion-san meets Asumi when she is young and introduces himself as a ghost. He wears a large lion mask that covers his entire head. He comforts Asumi during the difficult time after her mother's death, and fosters her interest in space.
- Marika Ukita (宇喜多万里香?)
- Seiyū - Akiko Kimura
- A classmate of Asumi's, she is a loner and generally treats her peers coldly. She justifies her attitude by reflecting on the difficult childhood she endured, which comprised mostly of studying in isolation.
- Seiyū - Toshiyuki Toyonaga
- Asumi's childhood friend, whose ends up following her to take the astronaut course. He likes Asumi and always looks after Asumi but hasn't really revealed her feelings to her.
- Kei Ōmi (近江圭?)
- Seiyū - Fuyuka Oura
- The first girl Asumi meets during the Space School entrance exam. Sociable, gregarious and frank, she is Asumi's first female friend in the Astronaut course
- Shū Suzuki (鈴木秋?)
- Seiyū - Yuki Kaida
- The top student of their course, Shuu is often depicted as a laid-back, easy going guy. Despite the facade, he tries his best to reach for his dream - which is to become an astronaut.
- Tomorou Kamogawa (鴨川トモロウ?)
- Kyouko Kamogawa (鴨川今日子?) The "Kyou" in her name means "today", in contrast with her daughter's name.
- Ringo Sakashita (坂下リンゴ?)
- Kasane Shibata (柴田かさね?)
- Sano (左野?)
- Kiriu (桐生?)
[edit] Music
- Original soundtrack - Kazunori Miyake
- Opening theme
- "Venus Say" by BUZY
- Ending theme
- "Miagetegoran Yoru no Hoshiwo" by BEGIN
[edit] Manga Book Information
[edit] Japanese
- Volume 1
- ISBN: 9784840104289
- Release Date: 01/2002
- Volume 2
- ISBN: 9784840104401
- Release Date: 04/2002
- Volume 3
- ISBN: 9784840104685
- Release Date: 11/2002
- Volume 4
- ISBN: 9784840104906
- Release Date: 05/2003
- Volume 5
- ISBN: 9784840109062
- Release Date: 10/2003
- Volume 6
- ISBN: 9784840109444
- Release Date: 04/2004
- Volume 7
- ISBN: 9784840109840
- Release Date: 12/2004
- Volume 8
- ISBN: 9784840113076
- Release Date: 05/2005
- Volume 9
- ISBN: 9784840113496
- Release Date: 12/2005
- Volume 10
- ISBN: 9784840113779
- Release Date: 03/2006
- Volume 11
- ISBN: 9784840116350
- Release Date: 11/2006
- Volume 12
- ISBN: 9784840116879
- Release Date: 03/2007
[edit] External links
- Comic Flapper the official website where the manga is serialized (Japanese)
- Twin Spica on animation studio Group Tac's website (Japanese)
- Twin Spica on broadcaster NHK's website (Japanese)
- Twin Spica on music distributor Starchild's website (Japanese)
- Twin Spica on Animax East Asia's website (English)
- Twin Spica (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia (English)
- Twin Spica at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia (English)
