Locodol

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Locodol
Cover of first manga volume published by Ichijinsha featuring Nanako Usami (left) and Yukari Kohinata (right).
普通の女子校生が【ろこどる】やってみた
(Futsū no Joshikōsei ga Locodol Yattemita)
GenreComedy, slice of life
Manga
Written byKōtarō Kosugi
Published byIchijinsha
MagazineManga 4-Koma Palette
DemographicSeinen
Original runOctober 2011 – April 2022
Volumes10
Anime television series
Directed byMunenori Nawa
Produced byTomoko Kawasaki
Takeshi Tanaka
Masatoshi Ishizuka
Kazuhiro Kanemitsu
Atsushi Iwasaki
Hitoshi Yagi
Kenji Yamaguchi
Yoshiko Nakayama
Katsuhiro Ikuma
Shigeaki Arima
Written byYuniko Ayana
Music byTomoki Hasegawa
StudioFeel
Licensed by
Original networkTBS, Sun TV, CBC, TBS Channel 1, TBS Channel 2, BS-TBS, AT-X
Original run July 4, 2014 – September 18, 2014
Episodes12 + 3 OVA (List of episodes)

Locodol (ろこどる, Rokodoru), short for Futsū no Joshikōsei ga Locodol Yattemita (普通の女子校生が【ろこどる】やってみた。, "Ordinary High School Girls Tried Being Locodols"), is a Japanese four-panel manga series written and illustrated by Kōtarō Kosugi. The manga was serialized in Ichijinsha's Manga 4-Koma Palette magazine from October 2011 to February 2022. An anime television series adaptation animated by Feel aired between July and September 2014, with three original video animation episodes released between September 2014 and June 2016.

Plot[edit]

In the town of Nagarekawa (流川市, Nagarekawa-shi, "Flowing River City"), Nanako Usami, an ordinary high school girl, is approached by her uncle to become a local idol or "Locodol", partnering with upperclassman Yukari Kohinata to form the idol unit, Nagarekawa Girls (流川ガールズ, Nagarekawa Gāruzu). As the girls use their talent to promote Nagarekawa and their businesses, they are joined by Yui Mikoze, who acts as the local mascot, and Mirai Nazukari, who serves as Yui's substitute.

Characters[edit]

Nanako Usami (宇佐美 奈々子, Usami Nanako)
Voiced by: Miku Itō[1][2]
A first-year student at Nagarekawa High School who winds up becoming a Locodol after being recruited by her uncle. She is generally the most level-headed member of the group, and worries about all sorts of things related to her job. Her nervousness on screen often results in her stuttering and mispronouncing her name as "Nanyako".
Yukari Kohinata (小日向 縁, Kohinata Yukari)
Voiced by: Sachika Misawa[1]
Nanako's partner in Nagarekawa Girls is a blond-haired second-year student at Nagarekawa High. She is described as someone who "seems perfect, but ends up being airheaded".[2] She comes from a wealthy family, and has lived by herself in an apartment since entering high school.Ep. 2 She ponders studying abroad after high school.Ep. 5 Her grandfather was the town's former mayor.Ep. 9 She is very fond of Nanako,Ep. 2 and was inspired by the latter's kindness to help others.Ep. 9
Yui Mikoze (三ヶ月 ゆい, Mikoze Yui)
Voiced by: Maya Yoshioka[1]
A third-year student at Nagarekawa High School who works alongside them as the mascot character, Uogokoro-kun (魚心くん). Her brown hair is styled in a short ponytail. She is particularly athletic, able to perform various acrobatic feats in her costume despite its weight.Ep. 3 She plans to use her savings from her locodol activity to enroll in a voice acting school.Ep. 5
Mirai Nazukari (名都借 みらい, Nazukari Mirai)
Voiced by: Inori Minase[1]
A first-year student at Nanako and Yukari's school who is hired as a substitute Uogokoro-kun to lighten Yui's workload. She is a capable performer in the school's drama club, but is generally shy otherwise.
Saori Nishifukai (西深井 沙織, Nishifukai Saori)
Voiced by: Asami Shimoda[1]
The Nagarekawa Girls' manager who secretly uses pictures she takes at events for her own fansite.
Shouko Noda (野田 硝子, Noda Shōko)
Voiced by: Shiori Izawa[1]
Nanako's classmate with short burgundy-colored hair and two braids.
Satsuki Kashiwaba (柏葉 さつき, Kashiwaba Satsuki)
Voiced by: Mikako Izawa[1]
Nanako's classmate with the blonde hair.
Misato Mizumoto (水元 美里, Mizumoto Misato)
Voiced by: Minami Tsuda[1]
Nanako's classmate with the ponytail.
Sumire Mihara (美原 菫, Mihara Sumira)
Voiced by: Eriko Matsui[1]
Yukari's cousin and classmate.
Mitsugu Oota (太田 貢, Ōta Mitsugu)
Voiced by: Takehiro Murozono[1]
Nanako's uncle (mother's brother) who is on the city council. He is the one responsible for recruiting the Locodols and was their previous manager before Saori was hired.Ep. 1 He picks his niece to be a locodol because she is average in appearance and has a safe, non-scandalous character.Ep. 9 At the end of the anime television series, he reschedules the girls' appearance at their local city festival so that they can attend after the Locodol festival goes long.Ep. 12
Tatsuya Usami (宇佐美 達也, Usami Taysuya)
Voiced by: Toshinobu Iida[1]
Nanako's father.
Tomoko Usami (宇佐美 智子, Usami Tomoko)
Voiced by: M.A.O[1]
Nanako's mother. She has a part-time job as a cashier.Ep. 1
Awa Awa Girls
Aoi Anan (阿南 葵, Anan Aoi) , Tsubasa Tsurugi (鶴木 つばさ, Tsurugi Tsubasa) , and Miyako Mima (美馬 都, Mima Miyako)
Voiced by: Asami Imai, Tomoyo Kurosawa, and Emi Nitta[3]
The Awa Awa Girls (stylized as AWA2GiRLS), are a locodol group[3] from Tokunami City. Having won the Locodol Festival the previous year, the group has made many national TV appearances.Ep. 11 However, after meeting the Nagarekawa Girls, they realize the importance of representing their hometown.Ep. 12

Media[edit]

Manga[edit]

Futsū no Joshikōsei ga Locodol Yattemita is a four-panel comic strip manga written and illustrated by Kōtarō Kosugi. It originally appeared in Ichijinsha's Manga 4-Koma Palette magazine between the October and December 2011 issues, and then later began serialization with the April 2012 issue. The first tankōbon was published by Ichijinsha on January 22, 2013, and ten volumes have been published as of April 21, 2022.[4][5] A special edition of the fifth volume was released bundled with a drama CD.[6]

Anime[edit]

A 12-episode anime television series produced by Feel aired on TBS between July 4, 2014 and September 18, 2014[7] and was simulcast outside of Asia by Crunchyroll.[8] An original video animation episode was included on the first Blu-ray Disc/DVD volume released on September 24, 2014 and was streamed on Crunchyroll from December 3, 2014.[9][10][11] The opening theme is "Mirai Fanfare" (ミライファンファーレ, Future Fanfare) by Nagarekawa Girls (Miku Itō and Sachika Misawa) and the ending theme is "Mirai Shōjotachi" (未来少女たち, Future Girls) by Miku Itō, Sachika Misawa, Maya Yoshioka, and Inori Minase.[12] The theme songs were released on July 30, 2014,[8] with an appearance by Miku Ito at Nagareyama which the fictional town of Nagarekawa is based on.[13] A character single with insert songs was released on August 27, 2014.[13] Additional OVA episodes were released on December 24, 2015 and June 22, 2016.[14][15][16]

Episode list[edit]

No. Title[17][a] Screenplay Animation Director Original air date[18][13][19]
1"[Locodol] We Tried Starting It."
Transliteration: "Rokodoru Hajimete mita" (Japanese: 【ろこどる】はじめてみた。)		Takafumi FujiiYuniko AyanaJuly 4, 2014 (2014-07-04)
Nanako Usami, a normal high school girl living in Nagarekawa, is asked by her uncle, Mitsugu Oota, to help promote the opening of a swimming pool. Seeing it as an opportunity to earn some money to get a new swimsuit, she agrees, but she soon discovers that she is to become a local idol, or "Locodol". Although she is embarrassed to perform, she meets Yukari Kohinata, a kind and attractive girl who is her new partner in the event.
2"We Tried Going and Playing."
Transliteration: "Asobi ni Itte mita." (Japanese: 遊びに行ってみた。)		Mitsuko OhyaYuniko AyanaJuly 11, 2014 (2014-07-11)
When Nanako and Yukari help review a food place, Nanako gets nervous about saying something that might ruin the store's reputation if the food disappoints. After more Locodol work, Yukari invites Nanako over to her place to discuss what they should call their unit, although she goes a bit overboard in preparing for her arrival.
3"We Tried Putting It On, We Tried Taking It Off."
Transliteration: "Kite mita. Nuide mita." (Japanese: 着てみた。脱いでみた。)		Takafumi FujiiTatsuya TakahashiJuly 18, 2014 (2014-07-18)
The girls, whose unit is named Nagarekawa Girls, are joined by a mascot character, Uogokoro-kun, who is revealed to be Yui Mikoze, a petite student who is actually their senior at school. Nanako's classmates Noda and Satsuki come to their next gig. Oota gives Nanako and Yukari new uniforms. The rainy weather threatens to clear out the audience until Nanako comes up with an idea.
4"We Tried Adding a Manager and Stuff."
Transliteration: "Manējā toka Tsuite mita." (Japanese: マネージャーとかついてみた。)		Yoshihiro HiramineMomoko MurakamiJuly 25, 2014 (2014-07-25)
When the news reports of idols having their uniforms stolen by perverts and fans, Nanako becomes wary of the situation. The girls get a new manager, Saori Nishifukai, who appears to be quite reliable. In reality, she is an obsessive fangirl who secretly runs a fansite about the group. Later, Yukari takes Nanako to an amusement park, where they end up performing a guerilla concert for the children.
5"We Tried Setting a Big Goal."
Transliteration: "Bigguna Mokuhyō Tatete mita." (Japanese: ビッグな目標立ててみた。)		Yoshitaka KoyamaTatsuya TakahashiAugust 1, 2014 (2014-08-01)
As the girls think about their futures, Nanako sets her sights on a national debut for the group. The moment they set their goal, the girls learn that Uogokoro-kun will appear on a mascot athletics festival airing on national TV. Yui has a new lighter costume but it lacks the voice changers, so Nanako and Yukari are given more potential screen-time to act as Uogokoro-kun's interpreters. After Yui explains a bit about Uogokoro-kun's backstory, Yukari takes the girls to a tiny shrine to pray for good luck.
6"We Tried Gathering Cute and Loose Characters."
Transliteration: "Yuru Kyara Atsumete mita." (Japanese: ゆるキャラ集めてみた。)		Satoshi SagaMomoko MurakamiAugust 8, 2014 (2014-08-08)
As the mascot athletics festival gets underway, Nanako and Yukari have to ad lib their segment promoting Nagarekawa. Uogokoro-kun advances to the finals, albeit largely due to her opponents self-destructing in various events. When Yui worries about not living up to everyone's expectations, Nanako, Yukari and Saori assure her that staying healthy and not pushing herself too hard is more important than winning.
7"We Tried Adding a Lot of Things."
Transliteration: "Iroiro Fuete mita." (Japanese: いろいろ増えてみた。)		Mitsuko OhyaYuniko AnayaAugust 15, 2014 (2014-08-15)
The girls nervously await the airing of the mascot athletics festival. Due to their various circumstances, each of the girls end up missing Nanako and Yukari's segment as it airs, so they make plans to watch it together the next day. With Uogokuro-kun's popularity skyrocketing as a result of the program, Mirai Nazukari, one of Yui's friends from her drama club, is hired as a substitute Uogokuro-kun actor to lighten Yui's workload. Though Nanako is slightly downhearted due to Mirai being too shy around her outside of costume, she feels happy when a fan comes all the way from Tokyo to see the girls.
8"We Tried Gathering the Courage to Call."
Transliteration: "Yūki o Dashite, Yonde mita." (Japanese: 勇気をだして、呼んでみた。)		Yoshihiro KawamineMomoko MurakamiAugust 22, 2014 (2014-08-22)[20]
Nanako tries to become closer friends with Mirai by taking her to karaoke, only to find her not very willing to sing alongside her. Later, as Mirai's responsibilities as Uogokuro-kun increases, she asks Nanako to help train her to become as good as Yui. During practise, Mirai injures her leg attempting to perform Yui's signature backflip, with Saori warning her not to do it again as kids may attempt to imitate it. On a day where Yui and Mirai are taking turns as Uogokuro-kun, Mirai receives some praise for protecting Yui's identity from a peeking child and, despite her injury, manages to give a performance on par with Yui's. Afterwards, Nanako and Mirai manage to become closer friends without even realizing it.
9"We Tried Being Selfish."
Transliteration: "Wagamama Itte mita." (Japanese: ワガママ言ってみた。)		Yoshihiro KawamineYuniko AyanaAugust 29, 2014 (2014-08-29)
As the girls help out at a train station for the day, Nanako meets Yukari's grandfather, the town's former mayor. As Nanako wonders why Yukari decided to become a Locodol, Yukari comes down with a fever from pushing herself too hard and is ordered to rest. While Nanako takes care of her, Yukari recalls when she first encountered Nanako whilst working as a store mascot, helping a lost girl find her mother. Despite winding up getting fired from her job in the process, Yukari became inspired by Nanako's selflessness, becoming delighted when she was able to become partners with her in Nagarekawa Girls.
10"We Tried Working As Four."
Transliteration: "Yonnin no Chikara de Yatte mita." (Japanese: 4人の力でやってみた。)		Takafumi FujiiTatsuya TakahashiSeptember 5, 2014 (2014-09-05)
The girls are informed of a Locodol Festival, where Locodols from various regions will be participating, and asked to write a new song for the Nagarekawa Girls to perform. As Nanako struggles to come up with lyrics, Mirai suggests that she write about their experiences as Locodols. After Nanako's classmates suggest she think about incorporating her feelings, she spends the night with Yukari's place, coming up with some lyrics as they talk about their memories. After some adjustments from Mirai, Yukari writes the composition whilst Yui sorts out the choreography, allowing the group to get onto practising. With the song finalized, Nanako decides she would like to debut it for the people of Nagarekawa at their next local event.
11"We Tried Gathering Locodols."
Transliteration: "Rokudoru Atsumete mita." (Japanese: ロコドル集めてみた。)		Mitsuko OhyaTatsuya TakahashiSeptember 12, 2014 (2014-09-12)
The girls learn that the Locodol Festival takes place on the same day as the Nagarekawa Summer Festival and must somehow perform at both events. Arriving in Nagoya for the first day of the Locodol Festival, where they'll be selling local specialities, Yukari takes Nanako to look at the stage they'll be performing at the next day, where they meet the previous winners, Awa Awa Girls. After the girls manage to bring attention to their booth with an on-stage presentation, the Awa Awa Girls feel downhearted that their own hometown's local specialities were ignored by customers in favor of their idol merchandise.
12"We Tried Being Locodols."
Transliteration: "Rokodoru Yatte mita." (Japanese: 【ろこどる】やってみた。)		Yoshihiro HiramineYuniko AyanaSeptember 19, 2014 (2014-09-19)
As the girls nervously await their performance at the Locodol Festival, they are visited by Nanako's classmates, who give them some encouragement. Noticing Nanako's worries, Yukari takes her someplace quiet to calm her, reminding her not to think about trying to rank first and just focus on doing their best. When they return, they learn that, due to the other groups trying to outshine Awa Awa Girls and pushing their performance behind schedule, they may have to miss the Nagarekawa Summer Festival. Confirming the pair's desire to perform at both events, Mitsugu offers to do what he can on his end to make it happen. Stepping on stage, the girls perform the song everyone worked together on, through which they express all the experiences they've been through since becoming Locodols. After being announced as the overall winners, the Awa Awa Girls, having heard of the Nagarekawa Girls' conundrum, encourage them to head off early so they can make their Summer Festival in time, understanding the importance of supporting their local events. The group soon arrive back in Nagarekawa, where Mitsugu had kept the festival going until their arrival, and manage to perform for the town they love.

OVA episode list[edit]

No. Title Screenplay Animation Director Original release date[19]
OVA–1"We Tried Giving a Tour of Nagarekawa."
Transliteration: "Nagarekawa, An'naishite mita." (Japanese: 流川、案内してみた。)		Satoshi SagaMomoko MurakamiSeptember 24, 2014 (2014-09-24)
On their day off from Locodol work, Nanako and the others are visited by the Awa Awa Girls, who ask them to take them on a tour through Nagarekawa, though it soon becomes apparent that Nagarekawa doesn't have much in the way of tourist spots. The girls soon hit the local swimming pool, where they end up playing beach volleyball with some children. By the time they have to head back home, the Awa Awa Girls come to realize that, even though there isn't much to Nagarekawa, there is a lot of warmth that comes from its people.
OVA–2"We All Celebrated Together."
Transliteration: "Minna de Oiwaishite mimashita." (Japanese: みんなでお祝いしてみました。)		UnknownUnknownDecember 24, 2015 (2015-12-24)[15]
With Yukari's birthday falling on Christmas Day, Nanako hopes to make her birthday party a big success. After shopping for a present for Yukari, Nanako attends a Christmas party with her classmates, Misato, Satsuki, and Shouko, who give her a Santa outfit to surprise Yukari with. Although Nanako ends up forgetting to take her present, Yukari nonetheless appreciates her coming over to celebrate her birthday, with everyone else showing up the next morning to celebrate.
OVA–3"We Tried Making a PV."
Transliteration: "Pī Bui Tsukuttemita." (Japanese: PV作ってみた。)		UnknownUnknownJune 22, 2016 (2016-06-22)[21]
The girls learn they will be shooting a PV, though soon discover it to actually be a PR video of Nagarekawa's tourist spots as opposed to a music video. Partway through shooting, the girls are told they are being too stiff and are given free rein to come up with ideas to make the video more interesting. With Mirai nominated as director, the girls manage to shoot a more natural flowing video that also gets Nagarekawa's citizens involved. The girls soon release the finished video, which ends up resembling a music video after all.

Home release[edit]

The series was released to DVD and Blu-ray format in seven volumes.[22] The first volume contains a full-length OVA special and six illustrated cards.[23] In North America, Sentai Filmworks released the 12-episode series and an OVA as a boxset in Japanese with English subtitles.[24][25]

(Japan, Region 2)
Volume Episodes DVD/Blu-ray release date[22]
Volume 1 1, OVA September 24, 2014
Volume 2 2, 3 October 29, 2014
Volume 3 4, 5 November 26, 2014
Volume 4 6, 7 December 24, 2014
Volume 5 8, 9 January 28, 2015
Volume 6 10, 11 February 25, 2015
Volume 7 12 March 25, 2015

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ English titles are taken from the Sentai Filmworks home media

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "スタッフ・キャスト｜TBSテレビ：普通の女子校生が【ろこどる】やってみた。 公式ホームページ" [Staff/Cast - TBS TV: Futsū no joshikōsei ga [Locodol] Yattemita - Official Site]. Tokyo Broadcasting System. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Miku Ito, Sachika Misawa Star in Futsū no Joshikōsei ga Locodol Yattemita Anime - News". Anime News Network. January 22, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Asami Imai, Tomoyo Kurosawa, Emi Nitta Join Locodol Anime Cast - News". Anime News Network. August 11, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  4. ^ 普通の女子校生が【ろこどる】やってみた。1 [Futsū no Joshikōsei ga Locodol Yattemita 1] (in Japanese). Ichijinsha. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  5. ^ 普通の女子校生が【ろこどる】やってみた。 (10) [Futsū no Joshikōsei ga Locodol Yattemita (10)] (in Japanese). Ichijinsha. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  6. ^ 普通の女子校生が【ろこどる】やってみた。 (5) 特装版 [Futsū no Joshikōsei ga Locodol Yattemita (5) Special Edition] (in Japanese). ASIN 4758082650.
  7. ^ "Futsū no Joshikōsei ga Locodol Yattemita 4-Panel Manga Gets Anime". Anime News Network. January 18, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Crunchyroll Adds Locodol Anime - News". Anime News Network. July 3, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  9. ^ "Locodol TV Anime's 1st DVD/BD Volume Includes OVA Episode". Anime News Network. August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  10. ^ "Crunchyroll Adds Locodol OVA, Schedules More J-Drama Series". Anime News Network. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  11. ^ "Crunchyroll to Stream Locodol Original Video Anime Episode". December 26, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  12. ^ "Futsuu no Joshikousei ga [Locodol] Yattemita's 2nd Promo Previews Opening - News". Anime News Network. June 13, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  13. ^ a b c "最新情報｜TBSテレビ：普通の女子校生が【ろこどる】やってみた。 公式ホームページ" [News - TBS TV: Futsū no joshikōsei ga [Locodol] Yattemita - Official Site]. Tokyo Broadcasting System. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  14. ^ "Locodol Gets New Sequel Original Video Anime". Anime News Network. June 13, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  15. ^ a b "locodol 2nd ova is Christmas special that will air on December 24". Anime News Network. November 8, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  16. ^ "Locodol Anime Gets 3rd OVA". animenewsnetwork.com. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  17. ^ TBS. "あらすじ｜TBSテレビ：普通の女子校生が【ろこどる】やってみた。 公式ホームページ". TBSテレビ. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  18. ^ "放送情報｜TBSテレビ：普通の女子校生が【ろこどる】やってみた。 公式ホームページ" [Broadcast Information - TBS TV: Futsū no joshikōsei ga [Locodol] Yattemita - Official Site]. Tokyo Broadcasting System. Retrieved July 31, 2014. TBS　7月3日より毎週木曜深夜2時16分～放送は終了致しました
  19. ^ a b "普通の女子校生が 【ろこどる】 やってみた。". mediaarts-db.jp. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  20. ^ TBS. "最新情報｜TBSテレビ：普通の女子校生が【ろこどる】やってみた。 公式ホームページ". TBSテレビ. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  21. ^ "Locodol Anime Gets 3rd OVA". animenewsnetwork.com. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  22. ^ a b "Blu-ray&DVD情報｜TBSテレビ：普通の女子校生が【ろこどる】やってみた。 公式ホームページ" [Blu-ray & DVD - TBS TV: Futsū no joshikōsei ga [Locodol] Yattemita - Official Site]. Tokyo Broadcasting System. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  23. ^ Beveridge, Chris (July 18, 2014). "Japanese 'Futsuu no Joshikousei ga [Locodol] Yatte Mita' Anime DVD/BD Release Schedule Set". The Fandom Post. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  24. ^ "Tuesday New Releases: Let's Dance with HaNaYaMaTa and Locodol!". sentai-www.elasticbeanstalk.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  25. ^ "Locodol Complete Collection Anime DVD Review". fandompost.com. May 15, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2016.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Locodol&oldid=1219204458"