Asobi Asobase
Movies
Alternate Title
あそびあそばせ
Synopsis
Middle school girl Olivia’s parents aren’t Japanese, but she was born and raised in Japan and can’t speak any English. Nevertheless, she pretends to everyone that she’s an American transfer student who can only speak in broken Japanese. At school she makes friends with two other girls who can’t speak any English - the bespectacled Kasumi and the ponytailed Hanako. Together the three girls found the “workshop of fun” in which they research the art of old-fashioned children’s games.
Anime Adaptation
Asobi Asobase is adapted from the manga written and illustrated by Rin Suzukawa which began on the Young Animal Densi website in 2015 but switched to Manga Park in August 2017. The anime adaptation was announced in the third issue of Young Animal magazine in January 2018. The 12-episode anime adaptation premiered on July 8, 2018. Crunchyroll is streaming the series outside of Japan.
Both the series’ opening, "Three Piece”, and ending “Inkya Impulse”, are sung by voice actresses Hina Kino, Rika Nagase and Konomi Kohara who play Hanako Honda, Olivia, and Kasumi Nomura, respectively.
Characters
Hanako Honda (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
Hanako Honda is a bright and cheerful girl who is good both at sports and at studies. Sadly, she is not particularly bright and is dissatisfied with real life. Hoping to improve matters she joined the middle school soft tennis club, but it didn’t seem to change anything.
Olivia (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
Olivia is a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes who transferred in to Hanako’s school. Although Hanako’s parents are not Japanese, Hanako was born in the country and has lived there all her life. Some might assume she’d be fluent in English but nothing could be further from the truth. Nevertheless, she attempts to get over the stress of starting a new school by pretending to be a transfer student from America who only speaks broken Japanese.
Kasumi Nomura (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
Kasumi Nomura is a classmate of Hanako’s. She might seem the studious type who’d spend break times in the classroom reading, but in English at least she’s kind of a disaster. In order to get over this academic hurdle, she asks Olivia to teach her, only Olivia doesn’t actually know any English either.
Chisato Higuchi (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
Chisato Higuchi is the girls’ English teacher. Unmarried and older than her mother was when she passed away, Chisato is around 30 years old and has developed an unrealistic expectation for romance thanks to shojo manga. She also attended the school herself and was once a member of the film club in the very same room Hanako and the others use for their workshop of fun.
Maeda (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
Maeda is Hanako’s butler. He doesn’t have a driving license but is able to shoot lasers off his butt thanks to being probed by aliens whilst at university where he was something of a hippie. Maeda also has a habit of suddenly appearing behind Hanako.
Student Council President (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
The student council president of Hanako’s school is constantly frustrated by the antics of the workshop of fun.
Student Council Vice President (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
A stunningly beautiful girl, the student council vice president at Hanako’s school was once plain and gloomy but has completely switched up her image with makeup and colored contacts. Makeup is forbidden at the school so she is often greeted with a bucket of water by the strict guidance counselor.
Oka (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
Oka is a goth loli with an intense interest in the occult and wears a witch’s hat. Worrying that the occult club doesn’t have enough members, she considers joining the workshop of fun in order to play at “table turning.” However, her intense interest in “dark” games frightens the club’s other members and her “curses” sometimes seem to be effective.
Agrippa (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
Agrippa’s real name is Aguri Matou. She is a pretty girl with braided hair and is also a member of the occult club who wears a witch’s hat just like Oka. Agrippa also has fantastic fashion sense.
Tsugumi Aozora (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
Tsugumi Aozora is the prettiest girl at Hanako’s school. She is also bisexual and has tried to kiss Kasumi.
Sainan (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
Sainan Hanako’s class tutor. A chubby middle-aged man, Sainan has his caring side but meets with disaster when he eats some funny-looking cookies cooked up by the occult club and develops a substance abuse problem.
Takayanagi (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
Takayanagi is a guidance counselor at Hanako’s school. She is also the sister of the third-year swimming club president. Takayanagi is particularly strict about students carrying forbidden items, with Olivia being a frequent offender.
Kentaro Honda (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
Kentaro Honda is Hanako’s little brother. Though only in elementary school he is extremely bright and mature for his age.
Head of the Shoji Club (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
The head of the shogi club makes a grab for the workshop’s classroom but the attempt ends in abject failure leaving her with broken bones and meaning that the shogi club now has to take place at her home. She sometimes appears covered in bandages like a mummy and is silently plotting her revenge against the workshop.
Tokuko Sharekobe (Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa)
Tokuko Sharekobe goes to the posh school near Hanako’s. She belongs to the rakugo club and can play the koto.
International Streaming
- Crunchyroll
Official Links
Staff
- Original Creator: Rin Suzukawa
- Director: Seiji Kishi
- Series Composition: Yuuko Kakihara
- Character Designer: Keiko Kurosawa
- Assistant Director: Yu Kinome
- Color Designer: Sakiko Ito
- Director of Photography: Shinyo Kondo (DEEN Digital)
- Art Director: Yuuki Umino (KUSANAGI)
- Editor: Morinaga Editing Room
- Sound Director: Satoki Iida
- Music: Masato Koda
- Animation Producer: Yuji Higa
- Animation Production: Lerche
- Opening Theme: "Three Piece” by Hina Kino, Rika Nagase, and Konomi Kohara
- Ending Theme: “Inkya Impulse” by Hina Kino, Rika Nagase, and Konomi Kohara