After School Dice Club
After School Dice Club (放課後さいころ倶楽部, Hōkago Saikoro Kurabu) is a Japanese manga series by Hirō Nakamichi. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Sunday since March 2013, and has been collected in sixteen tankōbon volumes. An anime television series adaptation by Liden Films aired from October 2 to December 18, 2019.
| After School Dice Club | |
 Cover of Hōkago Saikoro Club volume 1 by Shogakukan | |
| 放課後さいころ倶楽部 (Hōkago Saikoro Kurabu) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Slice of life[1] |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Hirō Nakamichi |
| Published by | Shogakukan |
| Magazine | Monthly Shōnen Sunday |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | March 2013 – present |
| Volumes | 16 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Kenichi Imaizumi |
| Written by | Atsushi Maekawa |
| Music by | Shūji Katayama |
| Studio | Liden Films |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | ABC, Tokyo MX, BS11 |
| Original run | October 2, 2019 – December 18, 2019 |
| Episodes | 12 |
Characters
- Miki Takekasa (武笠美姫, Takekasa Miki)
- Voiced by: Saki Miyashita[2] (Japanese); Alexis Tipton[3] (English)
- Aya Takayashiki (高屋敷綾, Takayashiki Aya)
- Voiced by: Marika Kouno[2] (Japanese); Dani Chambers[3] (English)
- Midori Ono (大野 翠, Oono Midori)
- Voiced by: Miyu Tomita[2] (Japanese); Madeleine Morris[3] (English)
- Takeru Kinjō (金城タケル, Kinjō Takeru)
- Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda[4] (Japanese); Ray Hurd[3] (English)
- Emilia (エミーリア)
- Voiced by: M.A.O[5] (Japanese); Mikaela Krantz[3] (English)
- Shōta Tanoue (田上翔太, Tanoue Shōta)
- Voiced by: Kōhei Amasaki[6] (Japanese); Jordan Dash Cruz[3] (English)
- Ryūji Yoshioka (吉岡龍二, Yoshioka Ryūji)
- Voiced by: Shun Horie[7] (Japanese); Christopher Llewyn Ramirez[3] (English)
- Yūto Aoshima (青島悠人, Aoshima Yūto)
- Voiced by: Taku Yashiro[7] (Japanese); Ricco Fajardo[3] (English)
- Ren Shibusawa (渋沢連, Shibusawa Ren)
- Voiced by: Kotori Koiwai[7] (Japanese); Kristi Rothrock[3] (English)
- Hana Takayashiki (高屋敷花, Takayashiki Hana)
- Voiced by: Hisako Tōjō[7] (Japanese); Amber Lee Connors[3] (English)
- Kyōko Maki (牧京子, Maki Kyōko)
- Voiced by: Eriko Matsui[7] (Japanese); Michelle Rojas[3] (English)
Media
Manga
The manga began serialization in Shogakukan's Monthly Shōnen Sunday magazine in March 2013, and has been compiled into sixteen tankōbon volumes as of April 10, 2020.[8]
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced in the October issue of Monthly Shōnen Sunday on September 12, 2018.[9] The series is animated by Liden Films and directed by Kenichi Imaizumi, with Atsushi Maekawa handling series composition, Yukiko Ibe designing the characters, and Shūji Katayama composing the music. It aired from October 2 to December 18, 2019 on ABC, Tokyo MX, and BS11.[10] The series ran for 12 episodes.[11] Miyu Tomita performed the series' opening theme "Present Moment", while Saki Miyashita, Marika Kouno, and Tomita performed the series' ending theme "On the Board".[12]
| No. | Title [11][lower-alpha 1] | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A New World" Transcription: "Shiranai Sekai" (Japanese: 知らない世界) | October 2, 2019 |
| 2 | "This is a Cockroach!" Transcription: "Kore wa Gokiburi desu！" (Japanese: これはゴキブリです！) | October 9, 2019 |
| 3 | "Not Alone" Transcription: "Hitori to Chau Kara" (Japanese: ひとりとちゃうから) | October 16, 2019 |
| 4 | "Midori's Dream" Transcription: "Midori no Yume" (Japanese: ミドリの夢) | October 23, 2019 |
| 5 | "A Message for You" Transcription: "Kimi ni Tsutaeru Messēji" (Japanese: キミに伝えるメッセージ) | October 30, 2019 |
| 6 | "A Fledgling Designer is Born!" Transcription: "Hiyokko Dezainā Tanjō ！" (Japanese: ひよっこデザイナー誕生！) | November 6, 2019 |
| 7 | "Opening Up" Transcription: "Kokoro, Hiraite" (Japanese: こころ、ひらいて) | November 13, 2019 |
| 8 | "The Fourth Friend" Transcription: "Yon-nin-me no Tomodachi" (Japanese: ４人めの友だち) | November 20, 2019 |
| 9 | "Daruma-Doll Fell Down" Transcription: "Daruma-san ga Koronda" (Japanese: ダルマサンガコロンダ) | November 27, 2019 |
| 10 | "Happy Holy Night" Transcription: "Happī Hōrī Naito" (Japanese: ハッピーホーリーナイト) | December 4, 2019 |
| 11 | "A Game By Everyone" Transcription: "Minna no Gēmu" (Japanese: みんなのゲーム) | December 11, 2019 |
| 12 | "The Place We All Love" Transcription: "Watashitachi no Daisuki na Basho" (Japanese: 私たちの大好きな場所) | December 18, 2019 |
Reception
Anime News Network had four editors review the first episode of the anime:[1] Theron Martin was unsure of the "cute girls do games" premise following a pre-established formula, but gave it a "tepid recommendation" on the assumption that it will lead to "good character development" and give the board games a more dramatic presentation; Rebecca Silverman felt underwhelmed by the game scenes but said that it could get better in future episodes along with exploring Miki's social anxiety problems; James Beckett was critical of both Miki and Aya's characteristics being overly familiar but was intrigued by the board game of the week template that will build the ensemble's chemistry and individual development, saying "[T]hat might not exactly be a glowing recommendation, but it means the show is just good enough to avoid the seasonal chopping block, at least for the time being." The fourth reviewer, Nick Creamer, found "an engaging relational dynamic" among the three main leads towards the end but found the journey lacking with Miki's "incisive characterization" being centered by a "generally weak script" propping it up, concluding that "All in all, After School Dice Club certainly isn't breaking any new ground, but it's a reasonable example of its genre centered on a very appropriate gimmick. If you're a slice of life fan, I'd definitely give it a try."[1] Fellow ANN editor Caitlin Moore reviewed the complete anime series in 2020.[13] She was initially put off by the generic first episode displaying the typical all-girls hobby show tropes, but was won over by both the main cast's camaraderie and exploration of their lives outside the club, and having thorough understanding of the various games they played each episode, concluding that "After School Dice Club offers the best of both worlds in terms of narrative and iyashikei anime. It takes the emphasis on friendship and good times and adds just enough development and structure to keep the tension and interest of people who normally don't care for storyless series."[13]
Notes
- All English titles are taken from Funimation.
References
- "The Fall 2019 Anime Preview Guide - After School Dice Club". Anime News Network. October 2, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- "Hōkago Saikoro Club Anime Unveils Main Cast, Visual". Anime News Network. May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- "[Master Thread] After School Dice Club (Dubbed)". Funimation. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- "Hōkago Saikoro Club Anime's Teaser Promo Video Reveals Takaya Kuroda as Shop Owner". Anime News Network. May 25, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- "Hōkago Saikoro Club Anime's Video Unveils Opening Song, New Cast, More Staff, October 2 Debut". Anime News Network. August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
- "Hōkago Saikoro Club Anime Casts Kōhei Amasaki". Anime News Network. September 12, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- "Hōkago Saikoro Club Anime Casts Shun Horie, Taku Yashiro". Anime News Network. September 19, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- "放課後さいころ倶楽部 16" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- "Hirō Nakamichi's Hōkago Saikoro Club Manga Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- "Hōkago Saikoro Club Anime Reveals Staff, October Premiere". Anime News Network. July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- "ストーリー" (in Japanese). Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- "Miyu Tomita Performs Opening Theme for Hōkago Saikoro Club Anime". Anime News Network. August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
- Moore, Caitlin (August 2, 2020). "After School Dice Club - Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
External links
- Anime official website (in Japanese)
- After School Dice Club (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
