Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture
Moyashimon (Japaneseもやし もん) is a manga series by the Japanese illustrator Masayuki Ishikawa. It is published in Japan since 2004, was translated into English and adapted several times for television. The plot revolves around the life of a student at the College of Agricultural Sciences in Tokyo, which has the ability to see microbes. The work is classified in the genres of comedy and fantasy.
Content
Tadayasu Sawaki (沢 木 惣 右卫门 直 保) starts together with Kei Yūki (结 城 蛍) his childhood friend, studying at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Tokyo. Sawaki but has the special ability to microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi can see and even talk to them. This he concealed but before most people. His professor Keizo Itsuki (树 庆 蔵) but had already learned of his father Sawaki. It is therefore very interested in his abilities and want to promote Sawaki. His assistant Haruka Hasegawa (长谷川 遥) believes Sawaki not initially, but can soon convince him.
Together with the other students Hazuki Oikawa, Kaoru Misato, Takuma Kawahama, Muto Aoi and Aya Hirooka experience Sawaki and Yūki the everyday student life.
Publication
The manga is published in separate chapters in the magazine of the publishing house Kodansha Evening since August 2004. In addition, previously published twelve anthologies. An English translation by Stephen Paul is published by Del Rey Books.
Adaptations
Anime television series
The studio produced Shirogumi 2007, eleven-part anime series based on the manga. In the production Yuichiro Yano directed, Natsuko Takahashi wrote the screenplay. The character design designed Jun'ichi Takaoka and for the artistic director Hiroshi Nitta was responsible. 2012 was followed by a second season of twelve episodes. For this Masayuki Ishikawa was used as a character designer.
Fuji TV beamed the first season of 12 October 2007 to 21 December 2007 after midnight (and thus on the previous TV day ) as part of its program noitaminA in Japan. Within two weeks followed by other radiations at Tōkai TV, Kansai TV, TV Nishi- Nippon, Niigata Sogo TV and Kagoshima TV. The second season was shown from July 6 to September 14, 2012 after midnight on Fuji TV under the title Moyashimon Returns. Within two weeks followed Tōkai TV, Saga TV, TV Nishi- Nippon, Sakurambo TV, Akita TV, Kagoshima TV, TV Kumamoto, Fukushima TV, TV Shin- Hiroshima, Ehime TV, Niigata Sogo Television, Sendai Hoso, Kansai TV, Iwate Menkoi TV and TV Shizuoka. Crunchyroll streamed these into several English-speaking countries.
Voice Actors
Music
The music of the series was composed in the first season of Naoki Satō and in the second by Takefumi Hakeda.
Was used for the first season curriculum (カリキュラム, Karukyuramu ) of Sarasa Ifu as biasing titles and Rocket by Polysics for the end credits. In the second season found Wake Up by Claris for the bias and Saikin (サイキン) by Hiiragi for the credits use.
TV Series
2010 was produced a live-action adaptation as eleven-part television series directed by Akira Iwamoto, Jun'ya Morita and Nashiki Tomonori. The main role was played Yuichi Nakamura. From 8 July 2010 to 16 September 2010, this was broadcast by Fuji TV. In addition to the background music of the songs Kamomiya Ryo SOS by Tamurapan and Umi e Ikko by Seamo were used for opening and closing credits.
Reception
The manga was awarded the 2008 Grand Prize at the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize -. The volumes sold in Japan each over 250,000 times.
Tatsuya Seto wrote in 1001 Comics, Manga offers a " very cleverly conceived and implemented entertaining journey into the world of the invisible ." The plot revolves Although primarily to the daily lives of students, but about Sawaki's special abilities also many information about microorganisms and special food cultures are mediated. While the normal world is kept in a detailed naturalistic style, the world of microbes was designed as a " nursery full of bizarre cartoon characters ".