No-Rin

No-Rin (Japanese: のうりん, Hepburn: Nōrin, lit. "agriculture and forestry") is a Japanese light novel series written by Shirow Shiratori, with illustrations by Kippu. An anime adaptation by Silver Link aired from January 10, 2014[1] to March 29, 2014. Funimation streamed the series on their video website.[2][3][4][5] Crunchyroll later added the series for its streaming service.[6][7]

No-Rin
Cover of the first Japanese volume
のうりん (Nōrin)
Genre	Comedy, Parody, Romance
Light novel
Written by	Shirow Shiratori
Illustrated by	Kippu
Published by	SB Creative
Imprint	GA Bunko
Demographic	Male
Original run	August 15, 2011 – present
Volumes	13
Manga
Written by	Shirow Shiratori
Illustrated by	Maru Asakura
Published by	Square Enix
Magazine	Young Gangan
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	March 2012 – June 2015
Volumes	8
Manga
No-Rin: Petit
Written by	Shirow Shiratori
Illustrated by	Kotoji
Published by	Square Enix
Magazine	Big Gangan
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	August 24, 2013 – August 25, 2014
Volumes	2
Manga
No-Rin -Wild-
Written by	Shirow Shiratori
Illustrated by	Toshiko Machida
Published by	SB Creative
Magazine	GA Bunko Magazine
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	October 17, 2013 – present
Volumes	2
Anime television series
Directed by	Shin Ōnuma
Written by	Michiko Yokote
Music by	Tomoki Kikuya
Studio	Silver Link
Licensed by	^AUS Madman Entertainment ^NA Funimation ^UK Anime Limited
Original network	Tokyo MX, TV Aichi, Sun TV, GBS, BS11, Animax
English network	^US Funimation
Original run	January 10, 2014 – March 29, 2014
Episodes	12

Plot

The sudden retirement of the famous idol Yuka Kusakabe from the entertainment business shocks the world and devastates her biggest fan, a teenager named Kosaku Hata. His classmates at the Tamo Agriculture School manage to get him out of his depression and bring him out of his room to attend his classes. However, as he does, Kusakabe enters their class under the name Ringo Kinoshita as a transfer student. Kosaku realizes he has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to personally know his dream girl. With his group of friends, and under the persuasion of his teacher, he tries to find out why she came to the agricultural school and become more than just classmates.

Characters

Kōsaku Hata (畑 耕作, Hata Kōsaku)

Voiced by: Shintarō Asanuma (Japanese); Austin Tindle (English)[8]

Class representative of 2-A class. His parents had decided to become farmers when he was very little, but his unwillingness to do so led to the family to fracture, and eventually his mother died. To that end, he was raised almost entirely by Minori's family. Kosaku idolizes Yuka Kusakabe, whom he sees as a symbol for a life in the city that he desperately craves. He enrolls in an agriculture school just so he can send his grown vegetables anonymously to her, and is devastated upon hearing of her retirement. He is surprised, however, that his idol becomes his classmate, albeit under another name and as a seemingly different person. He is somehow oblivious to Minori's feelings for him despite that he can get flustered by any suggestive language from her. It also appears that Ringo also has an interest in Kōsaku by getting seemingly jealous over suggestive stories about him and Minori. He also prefers feet more than breasts.

Ringo Kinoshita (木下 林檎, Kinoshita Ringo)

Voiced by: Yukari Tamura (Japanese); Jad Saxton (English)[8]

An idol who previously performed under the stage name Yuka Kusakabe (草壁 ゆか, Kusakabe Yuka). She unexpectedly retires from show business and enrolls herself at the Tamo Agricultural school. Unlike her idol persona, she, as Ringo, is more reserved and quiet. She is somewhat a rival of Minori for what seems to be Kōsaku's affection (she has called Minori a "Fat Ass" and a "Meddling Bug" in an episode while competing to plant rice in a rice field), yet they became on good terms after the incident. She appears to be conscious of her slender figure as the mention of her having small breasts can make her violently angry. It is eventually revealed that Ringo came to the school because Minori wrote her a letter about Kosaku, which caused her to fall in love with him. She confesses her feelings to him in the eighth novel, and they begin dating.

Minori Nakazawa (中沢 農, Nakazawa Minori)

Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa (Japanese); Lynsey Hale (English)[8]

Kōsaku childhood best friend. She has a major crush on Kōsaku, and her over-protectiveness shot up with Ringo's arrival. She even challenged her in episode 3 to a series of contests because of that. Though after what seems to be their "fight" on the rice fields in an episode (she called Ringo a "Thieving Cat" during that time), they seemed to be friendly with each other. She speaks with a Mino dialect. She is revealed to be very ticklish in episode 4. She mentioned that Kosaku often stayed with her (as he had no mother and his father was always out) and took baths with her and her siblings until their eighth grade, much to Rintarō's envy.

Kei Kamatori (過真鳥 継, Kamatori Kei)

Voiced by: Wataru Hatano (Japanese); Derick Snow (English)[8]

A friend of Kōsaku and Minori. At times he is analytical, but he is notorious for wearing mankinis whenever water is involved. He also rides a goat he calls Yakul, though its real name hasn't been revealed yet. He is the son of the owner of a big agricultural company--to whom he lost in an agricultural sale showdown, prompting him to go abroad for the seminar he was offered. He had a falling out with his father due to the latter using chemicals in his farming methods that his wife, Kei's mother, was terribly sensitive to which contributed to her early death. This is the reason behind Kei's desire to farm only organic goods without the use of chemicals such as pesticides. He reveals in episode 10 that he asked his aunt to adopt him after his falling out with his father which explains why his surname is Kamatori and not Menjō.

Jane Natalie Hansen III (ジェーン・ナタリー・ハンセン三世, Jēn Natarī Hansen Sansei)

International student from Texas.

Kochō Yoshida (良田 胡蝶, Yoshida Kochō)

Voiced by: Marina Inoue (Japanese); Megan Shipman (English)[8]

Kōsaku's classmate and one of the Shitennō (四天農, lit. Four Heavenly Farmers), "Boin Yoshida". She majors in animal husbandry. She is shown to have a crush towards Kei, but she denies it in front of others. She switches from a proud, stern personality to a timid, stuttering one when she feels embarrassed or shy. A recurring gag in the series is that people tend to mention and/or emphasize her great bust size and harass her for it, much (mostly) to her embarrassment. She later accompanies Kei to a seminar abroad that both of them were invited to.

Akari Suzuki (鈴木 燈, Suzuki Akari)

Voiced by: Yuka Ōtsubo (Japanese); Bryn Apprill (English)[8]

Class representative of 2-B class and one of the Shitennō, "Bio Suzuki". An expert in biotechnology, and has invented a yogurt culture that one can just apply--partly using it as a means to justify her bukkake fetish by having Kosaku and Kei shoot each other with it. She is usually dressed in a Gothic lolita outfit. Like Kanegami, she tends to go with the flow of the other Shitennō.

Torao Kanegami (金上 虎於, Kanegami Torao)

Voiced by: Mariko Higashiuchi (Japanese); Morgan Garrett (English)[8]

Class representative of 2-D class and one of the Shitennō, "Money Kanegami". A master of anything related to making money by all means necessary--even to the point of getting suspended; but considers it fun. She also tends to go with the flow of the other Shitennō. She is known for her flashy earrings (The signs for the Dollar and Yen).

Kaoru Hanazono (花園 カヲル, Hanazono Kaoru)

Voiced by: Kishō Taniyama (Japanese); Joel McDonald (English)[8]

Class representative of 2-E class and one of the Shitennō, "Rose Hanazono". He is an expert in the art of landscaping, but Kōsaku is kind of at odds with him for making a pass at Minori despite his gender preference. His true inclination was revealed when he invited over Ringo under the pretense of luring Kōsaku. He was able to successfully kiss him by taking advantage of the fact that Kōsaku is not aware of what sex he is really into even though Kei stormed in to warn him. Kei warned Kōsaku to late.

Rintarō Miyamoto (宮本 林太郎, Miyamoto Rintarō)

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama (Japanese); Jarrod Greene (English)[8]

Class representative of 2-F class and one of the Shitennō, "Woodman Rintarō". He has mastery of the forestry trade, but he is fiercely jealous of the fact that there are two attractive girls close to Kōsaku; and is desperate to, at least, have a girl sit beside him (all due to the fact that there are no girls in his class). Although Kōsaku mentioned that his class once had a female classmate, Rintarō angrily states that she ran away after one day. It is stated that he is weak against love triangles.

Natsumi Bekki (戸次 菜摘, Bekki Natsumi)

Voiced by: Chiwa Saitō (Japanese); Tia Ballard (English)[8]

Also known as "Becky," she is the Homeroom teacher of 2-A class. Because of her mood swings in her class, she has this trait of suddenly plunging the entire class into despair. Despite her young looks and demeanor, she is a true adult (She is forty years-old). A running gag involves Bekki and Kōsaku in hilarious situations such as her telling that it's okay to do "it" since it's him. She is desperate to get married, and this desperation results in her erratic, near-hysterical behavior, especially when the very subject of it is brought up and often gets jealous of younger girls. It is also mentioned the only reason she has not yet been fired for her inappropriate behaviour is because her father is an important politician.

Kuwanosuke Naganawa (永縄 鍬之介, Naganawa Kuwanosuke)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (Japanese); Mark Stoddard (English)

Principal of Tamo Agriculture School who Kōsaku claims once killed a bear with his bear hands.

Hajime Menjō (校條 創, Menjō Hajime)

Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese); Sean Hennigan (English)

President of Hexa Techs Corporation and the biological father of Kei Kamatori who he bests in a produce selling contest in episode 10. He and Kei had a falling out due to him continuously using chemicals in his farming methods that his wife was terribly sensitive to which contributed to her early death. He is a sharp business man who Kei claims always has his eye on the bottom line. Unlike his son, he believes that using modern technology in farming produces better results than organically grown goods.

Media

Light Novel

No-Rin began as a light novel series written by Shirow Shiratori and illustrated by Kippu.

1. August 15, 2011 - ISBN 978-4-7973-6690-7
2. November 15, 2011 - ISBN 978-4-7973-6811-6
3. March 15, 2012 - ISBN 978-4-7973-6896-3
4. August 11, 2012 - ISBN 978-4-7973-7135-2
5. December 15, 2012 - ISBN 978-4-7973-7252-6
6. April 15, 2013 - ISBN 978-4-7973-7336-3
7. September 14, 2013 - ISBN 978-4-7973-7521-3
8. January 10, 2014 - ISBN 978-4-7973-7657-9

Manga

The direct manga adaptation illustrated by Maru Asakura and cooperated by Yoko Matsu'ura is being serialized on Square Enix's Young Gangan Comics starting from March 16, 2012. Another manga adaptation titled No-Rin Petit (のうりん プチ, Nōrin Puchi), which more focuses on the comedy, being serialized by Kotoji by August 24, 2013 on Square Enix's Big Gangan. The third manga adaptation which started on October 17, 2013 by Toshiko Machida being titled as No-Rin -Wild- (のうりん-野生-＜ガイヤ＞, Nōrin-Yasei (Gaiya)-), serialized on SB Creative's GA Bunko Magazine.

Drama CD

A drama CD adaptation was released by HOBiRECORDS on April 27, 2012.

Anime

The opening theme for the anime is Himitsu no Tobira kara Ai ni Kite (秘密の扉から会いにきて) performed by Yukari Tamura and the ending theme song is Mogitate ♥ Fruit Girls (も・ぎ・た・て♥フルーツガールズ) by Yukari Tamura and Kana Hanazawa. In the first episode, the opening theme was Cordless Telephone (コードレス☆照れ☆PHONE, lit. Cordless☆Shy☆PHONE) by Yukari Tamura and Jad Saxton as Yuka Kusakabe.[9][10][11]

No.	Title	Original airdate
1	"Chuno Love Story" "Chūnō Love Story" (厨脳ラブストーリー)	January 10, 2014 (2014-01-10)
Teen idol Yuka Kusakabe announces her retirement. Kosaku Hata, a student of the Tamo Agricultural School and her biggest fan, is devastated. Soon afterwards new girl Ringo Kinoshita joins their class, only she seems strangely familiar.
2	"The King of Farmers" "Kingu Obu Fāmāzu" (キング・オブ・ファーマーズ)	January 18, 2014 (2014-01-18)
Kosaku shows new girl Ringo around the school and introduces her to childhood friend Minori Nakazawa, best friend Kei Kamatori, pet wallaby Wakadana and large breasted classmate, Kochou Yoshida. During a welcome party, Ringo seems oddly jealous of how close Minori is to Kosaku, at least until an unfortunate laundry room encounter turns into a "best panties" competition.
3	"Super Sub-Mom War: Training Stage" "Sūpā Shūtome Taisen Jisshū-hen" (スーパー姑大戦 実習篇)	January 25, 2014 (2014-01-25)
Kosaku is devastated to find Minori has thrown away all his Yuka Kusakabe merchandise, even his favourite body pillow. Meanwhile, it's Ringo's first day farming with the other students and Minori is determined not to be beaten by an ex idol from the big city.
4	"The Smile You Showed Me" "Kimi ga Miseta Egao" (君が見せた笑顔)	February 1, 2014 (2014-02-01)
Everybody must work together to catch a vegetable thief who has been pilfering from the fields at night. A misunderstanding leads to some embarrassment in Minori's bedroom. Kosaku is concerned that Ringo hasn´t smiled once since arriving at the school, and several attempts are made to remedy this.
5	"Farming's Five Top Four" "Gonin no Shitennō" (五人の四天農)	February 8, 2014 (2014-02-08)
Through a series of unfortunate events Ringo meets three of the schools top farming students, the Yaoi obsessed class rep of the Biotechnology department, Akari "Bio" Suzuku, the forever lonely class rep of the Forestry department, Rintaro "Woodman" Miyamoto, and the strangely effeminate class rep of the Landscaping department, Kaoru "Rose" Hanazono.
6	"Full-Moe Alchemist: Bounty" "Megumi no Renkinjutsushi" (萌（めぐみ）の錬金術師)	February 15, 2014 (2014-02-15)
Kosaku and his friends realise they could sell more produce by using cute girls in their advertising. Thus appears expert money making student Torao "Money" Kanegami. Before long they are swamped with orders for Moe Eggs and erotically shaped mushrooms. Unfortunately, it turns out that this is against school rules, and success is quickly followed by suspensions from class. At least Ringo looks good in a yukata.
7	"Sob Salad" "Gōkyū Sarada" (号泣サラダ)	February 22, 2014 (2014-02-22)
A sudden influx of excess vegetables leads to a sudden increase in body weight among the class. The untimely arrival of mold ruins Ringo's first crop of Soy beans, and drought followed by intense rainfall almost ruins this years tomato harvest. Certain truths are also revealed about Minori's involvement with the vegetables Kosaku sent anonymously to Ringo back when she was an idol.
8	"Cooking Granny" "Kukkingu Baba" (クッキングババ)	March 1, 2014 (2014-03-01)
40 year old class teacher Natsumi Bekki is tired of being single and embarks on a lust fuelled rampage against crops and students alike but is soon foiled by the intervention of Kei and a goat. A great debate has arisen amongst the boys, are large breasts better than small. Meanwhile, Kosaku, Ringo and Miss Bekki host a cooking show for the class that ultimately ends with the inappropriately nyotaimori-clad Miss Bekki being ejected from the room by her exasperated students.
9	"School Swim Trunks" "Gakkō no Kaipan" (学校の海パン)	March 8, 2014 (2014-03-08)
Minori has never once been to the beach. And she's not likely to anytime soon as rain, floods and heavy winds threaten the fields. Nothing a school bus in the right place can't fix. Now if only Kosaku can focus on his driving instead of Ringo in a swimsuit, Minori may get her day at the beach after all.
10	"Veggie Battle: Ultimate v. Supreme" "Kyūkyoku to Shikō no Yasai Taiketsu!" (究極と至高の野菜対決!)	March 15, 2014 (2014-03-15)
Legendary School Principal Kuwanosuke Naganawa, who once killed a bear using only his hands, is slowly going mad with longing for the "perfect eggplant". Meanwhile, Kei's wealthy father and owner of the Hexa Tech Corporation (Hajime Menjo), challenges Kei to a sales duel. Kei's all organic produce against his chemically enhanced produce. If Kei loses, he must leave his friends and return home with his father to run the company.
11	"Cheerful Farming Village" "Akarui Nōson" (あかるいのうそん)	March 22, 2014 (2014-03-22)
With Kei and Kochou travelling together abroad, Kosaku, Minori and Ringo return to Kosaku and Minori's hometown for summer break, however, a fake pregnancy announcement ends with Kosaku engaged to Minori with the full support of her parents. Could this be a fiendish plot? Either way, Ringo is less than pleased. Meanwhile, where has Wakadana been hiding all this time.
12	"Everybody's No-Rin" "Minna no Nōrin" (みんなののうりん)	March 29, 2014 (2014-03-29)
Kosaku is coerced into going along with a fake wedding for the sake of the future of the village, however, Wakadana's hiding place is revealed at the crucial moment ruining the festive mood. An apologetic and heartfelt speech from Kosaku narrowly saves the day. Now if only he can choose between Ringo and Minori he might just avoid a punch to the face. Everybody returns to school, where Ringo and Minori happily watch Kosaku being chased by the school's mad bull.

Reception

Anime News Network had three editors review the first episode of the anime:[12] Carl Kimlinger found the overarching romance to be "awful" and "cosmically unlikely", and the use of agriculture as a background setting pales in comparison to shows like Moyashimon and Silver Spoon; Rebecca Silverman commended the subtle transformation of Yuka into her alter-ego Ringo but felt the humor was either "not humorous or downright offensive" because of Kosaku and the supporting cast, concluding that the show's fish out of water romance plot has potential but might not be worth waiting after several episodes. The third reviewer, Theron Martin, said about the episode overall: "Technical merits are respectable, including an impressively show series-opening song, but how Ringo is handled going forward is the much more potentially interesting aspect and will ultimately determine the success or failure of the series."[12] Martin reviewed the complete anime series in 2016.[13] He gave praise to the various comedic aspects it delivers along with some heartwarming moments through a "solid but not exceptional visual" palette, but felt that put together it makes for some underwritten storytelling in its "weak and inconsistent love triangle", concluding that "No-Rin may not come together well, but that does not keep it from being quite entertaining. Be aware going in that it's not as tame as first impressions might suggest and it can be a fun viewing experience."[13]

References

1. "No-Rin Romantic Comedy TV Anime Slated for January". Anime News Network. July 31, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
2. "Funimation to Stream Buddy Complex, No-Rin, Nobunagun Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
3. "FUNimation Announces "Buddy Complex," "Nobunagun," and "NO-RIN" Simulcasts". Crunchyroll. January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
4. "FUNimation Acquires 'No-Rin', 'Nobunagun' & 'Buddy Complex' Anime Simulcasts". The Fandom Post. January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
5. "FUNimation Adds Subtitled 'No-Rin' Anime Promo". The Fandom Post. January 12, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
6. "Crunchyroll Adds Limited 'No-Rin' Availability For Winter 2014 Anime Lineup". The Fandom Post. January 11, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
7. "Crunchyroll Adds "No-Rin" Anime and "Divorce Chaser" J-Drama". Crunchyroll. January 11, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
8. "No-Rin English Cast Announcement". Funimation. December 11, 2015.
9. "Yukari Tamura Performs No-Rin TV Anime's Opening Theme". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
10. "Yukari Tamura Sings in Music Video from No-Rin TV Anime". Anime News Network. December 30, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
11. "VIDEO: Yukari Tamura Sings 2014 Winter TV Anime "NO-RIN" OP Song". Crunchyroll. January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
12. "The Winter 2014 Anime Preview Guide - No-Rin". Anime News Network. January 10, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
13. Martin, Theron (April 26, 2016). "No-Rin BD+DVD - Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 25, 2020.

External links

• Anime official website (in Japanese)
• Light novel official website (in Japanese)
• No-Rin (light novel) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia