Himawari!

Himawari! (ひまわりっ!) is a Japanese anime series created by GoDo, directed by Shigenori Kageyama, and produced by Genco. It was aired on Chiba TV from April 8, 2006 to July 1, 2006 and afterwards got a second season, Himawari!! (ひまわりっ!!, read as Himawari Two), and a short manga to connect the two, Himawari-den! (ひまわり伝っ!).

Himawari!
ひまわりっ!
Manga
Himawari-den!
Written by	GoDo
Illustrated by	Tagro
Published by	Hakusensha
Magazine	Young Animal Arashi
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	March 7, 2006 – December 7, 2006
Volumes	1
Anime television series
Directed by	Shigenori Kageyama
Produced by	Kazuaki Morijiri Yoshikazu Tochihira
Written by	Mamiko Ikeda
Music by	Takeshi Senoo Kei Haneoka
Studio	ARMS
Licensed by	^NA Maiden Japan
Original network	Chiba TV, Anime Network
Original run	April 8, 2006 – July 1, 2006
Episodes	13
Anime television series
Himawari Too!!
Directed by	Shigenori Kageyama
Produced by	Kazuaki Morijiri Yoshikazu Tochihira
Written by	Mamiko Ikeda
Music by	Takeshi Senoo Kei Haneoka
Studio	ARMS
Licensed by	^NA Maiden Japan
Original network	Chiba TV, Anime Network
Original run	January 6, 2007 – March 31, 2007
Episodes	13

Plot

Kasumi Kogen, which translates to "The Village of Mist", is a town somewhere in rural Japan. In this town there is a school, the Shinobi Gakuen, where competent female students gather from all over Japan and train to become kunoichi (female ninja). The people of Kasumi Kogen are alumni of the school, and they run and jump and disappear as if the whole town were a big ninja house.

The story begins as a girl, Himawari Hinata, arrives in Kasumi Kogen. She has transferred to Shinobi Gakuen to train under Ichikawa Raiso and fulfill a dream of becoming a kunoichi that she has fostered since she was saved by one in her childhood. On her first day, she meets Hayato Marikoji, a teacher who is himself just arriving at Shinobi Gakuen, and he saves her life. Hayato does not possess any ninja skills; he is teaching the students about normal Japanese society in order to pay a large debt that was originally his friend's debt but was passed down to him. However, Himawari notices that Hayato bears the same mark on his neck as the ninja who saved her when she was young.

Himawari! is the story of Himawari and her journey to become a kunoichi, and the vow she makes to protect her teacher.

Characters

Himawari Hinata (日向 ひまわり, Hinata Himawari)

Voiced by: Kana Matsumoto

The female lead of the story. She was rescued by a ninja with an odd mark on his neck. Ever since then, she had sworn to become a ninja. The story begins with her trying to gain entry into the ninja academy.

She meets Marikoji Hayato, the male lead, after a foul-up of her training (hangliding on a kite) which causes her to become stuck on a giant gate pole. Hayato attempts to rescue her, leading her to refer to him from then on as "Hayato-dono" (dono is a suffix used for samurai to respect their honor). Her one and only dream is to become a great kunoichi despite her classmates finding her annoying and unskilled.

Hayato Marikoji (万里小路 ハヤト, Marikōji Hayato)

Voiced by: Kōichi Tōchika

A single, 24-year-old man who took the job as a teacher in order to settle a two million yen debt. Hayato wanted to quit his job when he found that the whole village is not normal and that the students he was teaching were ninja, but Himawari's rescue from being run over by a train had changed his mind.

Hayato doesn't fit in with the surroundings but manages to find a way to survive. For Hayato, it's his luck, his ducking ability when confronted with someone more skilled than he is, and some of his students taking a shine to him. On top of that, Hayato is skilled at throwing darts, which translates into moderate skill throwing kunai.

Because of his debt, Hayato spends most of the series trying desperately to earn money. This also results in Hayato spending much of the series scrounging for food.

Azami (あざみ)

Voiced by: Ryōko Shiraishi

Azami is a collector of (sometimes useless) information. He's strong-minded and high-spirited. He masquerades as a girl in order to attend the girls' school in which he acts as a spy for the students of a nearby boys' ninja school. This situation is known by the girls' school and tolerated since Azami also provides information about the boys' ninja school.

Shikimi (しきみ)

Voiced by: Aya Hirano

A grey-haired kunoichi-in-training who wears glasses. She is very knowledgeable about medicinal herbs and is among the more serious students in the ninja academy. One exception to her seriousness is that she keeps secret contact with Nanafushi, a male ninja from the boys' ninja school. Her ninja teleportation is slow, warping the scene, unlike the other ninja. She sometimes lets her hair down.

Yusura (ゆすら)

Voiced by: Asumi Nakata

Yusura is a cute, young animal-themed kunoichi-in-training. She has panda-like paws, a tail, and animal ears and frequently compares various things to other animals. She is also shown to have the ability to converse with animals, and accordingly is in a relationship with Yonezawa, a kappa.

Momota (もも太)

Voiced by: Yui Kano

Yusura's pet animal whose attacks consist of farting. Yusura nursed it to health when it was injured, starting their friendship. So it gets jealous when it sees her with anyone else, especially Yonesawa.

Himeji (ヒメジ)

Voiced by: Mayumi Yoshida

This dark-skinned, strangely speaking kunoichi-in-training is an expert in weaponry; carrying and using guns without restraint. She also uses a large sword. Himeji is half-American and dislikes cold temperatures.

Tsukiyohime (つきよ姫)

Voiced by: Yūko Ōtake

This traditionally clad young woman with a mysterious demeanor and elf ears is another kunoichi-in-training who doesn't appear very often. When she does, she's always eating miso soup. She either gives advice, shows the major characters what's concurrent events through her miso soup, gives someone the miso soup to eat, or some combination of the above.

Nanafushi (ナナフシ)

Voiced by: Takashi Kondō

He and Shikimi meet when she finds him in bottom of a pit in the mountains, immobilized by a leg injury. Though the two have good rapport, which others take to suggest romance, they maintain a casual friendship with limited contact. Nanafushi makes occasional appearances in times of need.

The Boss (お頭, Okashira), Wabisuke (わび助), and Sabisuke (さび助)

Voiced by: Hiromi Hirata (The Boss), Yui Kano (Wabisuke), Miho Miyagawa (Sabisuke)

"The Boss" is a green-haired woman who rescued two kids, Wabisuke and Sabisuke, who have since been her subordinates. She believes that Hayato is a descendant of someone who killed her ancestors (later revealed to be Oda Nobunaga). After many bungled assassination attempts and suffering from being at the wrong place at the wrong time, she learns that Hayato is not her enemy.

Yonezawa (米澤)

Voiced by: Takashi Kondō

A surprisingly friendly kappa. He is Yusura's boyfriend. He likes to eat cucumbers.

Anime

Theme Music

The opening theme for the first season is Taiyō no Kakera" by Ryōko Shiraishi while the ending theme is "Guruguru ~Himawari ver.~" by Eufonius. For the second season, the opening theme is "Sorairo no Tsubasa" by Ryōko Shiraishi and the ending theme changes for various episodes - "Kirakira" by Eufonius (episodes 1, 8, and 13), Aya Hirano (episodes 2, 9, and 12), Kana Matsumoto (episodes 3, 6, and 10), Mayumi Yoshida (episode 4), Ryoko Shiraishi (episodes 5 and 11), and Asumi Nakata (episode 7).

Episode List (Season 01)

No.	Title	Original air date
1	"Protect One's Master"	TBA
Hayato arrives at the ninja village without any knowledge that it is a ninja village. As soon as he arrives, he saves Himawari, and understands that the school he is going to teach in is full of kunoichi. He is tested by the kunoichi, even when he wants to quit and leave the village, but is stopped by Himawari, who wants him to be her master.
2	"One Must not Fall in Love"	TBA
Love is forbidden between the students learning at boys ninja school and the girls kunoichi school. If one falls in love, they are forever expelled. But what happens when a chance meeting results between two like minded individuals.
3	"One's Lips Stay Shut, Even if it Means Death"	TBA
There is going to be a karakuri competition between the boys and girls schools, and the challenge is to gather the heads of Jizo-sama. But it seems like one of the girls is a spy!
4	"Stealing is a Shinobi's Shame"	TBA
Hayato is blamed for the students showing no interest in general affairs and looked down on by the other teachers. After getting blamed for breaking the head mistress's favorite doll, he decides to quit. But is Himawari also going to give up so easily?
5	"Kunoichi's Forbidden Valentine"	TBA
Himawari has a ritual for Valentine's day, which she has learnt from a scroll - those who are ninjas, on the night of the full moon in the second month should give their masters chocolate to eat and pledge themselves for eternity. What is Himawari to do when a rival appears?
6	"A Shinobi Trains at the Risk of their Life"	TBA
Himawari learns of a Great Sage of ninjas living in the mountain. She intends to learn amazing ninja techniques from him. But will she? And exactly who is this Great Sage?
7	"One must not Take Lives Needlessly"	TBA
Himeji finds a giant karakuri, which she keeps a secret from the other. Just what is this giant and where did it come from?
8	"One Shall Protect Everybody"	TBA
A special lecturer arrives at the school, who is a master in disguise and whose face no one has seen. There also seems to be a western spy, who is stealing the blood of all the specially born kunoichi.
9	"One Part of Ninja is Love"	TBA
10	"Shinobi have No Need of Mercy"	TBA
11	"It's an Inextricable Bond"	TBA
12	"One Shoul not Interfere in a Quarrel between Master and Servant"	TBA
13	"So Long as One Lives, One is a Retainer"	TBA

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Himawari! (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia