Medaka Box
Ja kanjiめだかボックス
Ja romajiMedaka Bokkusu
Genre
Medaka Box
manga
AuthorNisio Isin
IllustratorAkira Akatsuki
PublisherShueisha
ImprintJump Comics
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Jump
FirstMay 11, 2009
LastApril 27, 2013
Volumes22
Volume listList of Medaka Box chapters
Medaka Box
tv series
DirectorShouji Saeki
Producer
  • Tomoyuki Saitō
  • Yoshikazu Beniya
  • Masazumi Katō
  • Yoshiyuki Itō
  • Tomoko Saitō
WriterShouji Saeki
MusicTatsuya Kato
StudioGainax
NetworkTV Tokyo, TVA, TVO
FirstApril 5, 2012
LastDecember 27, 2012
Episodes24
Episode listList of Medaka Box episodes
Shōsetsu-ban Medaka Box
light novel
AuthorNisio Isin
IllustratorAkira Akatsuki
PublisherShueisha
ImprintJump J-Books
FirstMay 2, 2012
LastJune 4, 2012
Volumes2
Medaka Box Gaiden: Good Loser Kumagawa
light novel
AuthorNisio Isin
IllustratorAkira Akatsuki
PublisherShueisha
ImprintJump J-Books
FirstOctober 10, 2012
LastNovember 12, 2012
Volumes2
Medaka Box: Juvenile – Shousetsu-ban
light novel
AuthorNisio Isin
IllustratorAkira Akatsuki
PublisherShueisha
ImprintJump J-Books
PublishedOctober 4, 2013

Medaka Box (めだかボックス, Medaka Bokkusu) is a Japanese manga series written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Akira Akatsuki. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump between May 2009 and April 2013, with its chapters collected in 22 tankōbon volumes. The series follows Medaka Kurokami, Zenkichi Hitoyoshi, Kouki Akune and Mogana Kikaijima, who are the members of the student council, during their various adventures to honor suggestions presented by academy members in order to better the academy.

It received three light novel series, two series with two volumes and one with one volume between 2012 and 2013. It was adapted into a 12-episode anime television series that aired between April and June 2012. A second 12-episode season aired between October and December 2012.

Plot

See also: List of Medaka Box characters

The series follows Medaka Kurokami, a gifted, charismatic and attractive first-year Hakoniwa Academy student who is elected student council president with 98% of the vote. She institutes a suggestion box, and with the help of her childhood friend Zenkichi Hitoyoshi, addresses these requests in an unconventional manner. Over the course of the story, she distributes the student council leadership positions to other students such as Kouki Akune and Mogana Kikaijima.

The Student Council learns that the academy chairman intends to initiate the Flask Plan, a project to forcefully experiment on regular students, called Normals, in order to turn them into humans with superhuman abilities called Abnormals. The Student Council infiltrates the academy's secret lab and battles other students that are involved with the project.

Shortly after, the Student Council are challenged to a tournament by Misogi Kumagawa who wishes to replace Medaka's Student Council with one of his own. After Kumagawa's defeat, two students are unsealed from his powers and complete their transfer to Hakoniwa Academy. The two are more powerful than Abnormals and are dubbed "Not Equals". Their leader, Anshin'in, threatens to restart the Flask Plan once Medaka graduates, forcing the Student Council to train their successors. However, Anshin'in's true plan is to have Zenkichi usurp Medaka's position as Student Council President. Zenkichi does so on the pretense of improving the student life and succeeds. He convinces Medaka to allow the Flask Plan for those who are willing.

Relieved from her duties as president of the Student Council, Medaka soon becomes involved in a tournament to decide her husband. Medaka enters herself and becomes the victor, choosing to marry Zenkichi once they both graduate. Soon after, Zenkichi's close friend Hansode Shiranui leaves the academy. Medaka and Zenkichi discover she is to become the next host for Iihiko Shishime, a 5000-year-old being. Medaka defeats him and disappears after stopping the moon from crashing towards the Earth, just to reappear in time for the year-end ceremony. Following her return, Medaka decides to leave the academy and assume her father's place ahead of her family's business conglomerate, the Kurokami Group, just to later return as the new chairwoman. Ten years later, Zenkichi has worked his way up the Kurokami Group, becoming a high-level employee before reuniting with her, with both promising to get married after another fight.

Media

Manga

Main article: List of Medaka Box chapters

Written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Akira Akatsuki, Medaka Box was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump between May 11, 2009,[3][4] and April 27, 2013.[5][6] Shueisha collected its 192 individual chapters in twenty-two tankōbon volumes, released from October 2, 2009, to September 4, 2013.[7][8]

Anime

See also: List of Medaka Box episodes

A 12-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Gainax,[9][10] was broadcast on TV Tokyo, TV Aichi, and TV Osaka from April 5 to June 21, 2012;[11][12] a second season, Medaka Box Abnormal (めだかボックス アブノーマル, Medaka Bokkusu Abunōmaru), was broadcast from October 11 to December 27 of that same year.[13][14]

The anime has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks, who released the anime in both digital and home video formats in September 2013.[13] Sentai Filmworks has also licensed the second season for digital and home video, which was released on January 21, 2014.[15][16][17] Both season were streamed by Crunchyroll;[1] after the acquisition of Crunchyroll by Sony Pictures Television, Medaka Box, among several Sentai Filmworks titles, was dropped from the Crunchyroll streaming service on March 31, 2022.[18]

Light novels

Three light novel works, also written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Akira Akatsuki, have been released by Shueisha under their Jump J-Books imprint. A two-volume spin-off light novel series, titled Shōsetsu-ban Medaka Box (小説版めだかボックス), was released on May 2 and June 4, 2012.[19][20] A second two-volume spin-off novel series, titled Medaka Box Gaiden: Good Loser Kumagawa (めだかボックス外伝 グッドルーザー球磨川), was released on October 10 and November 19, 2012.[21][22] A prequel light novel, titled Medaka Box: Juvenile – Shousetsu-ban (めだかボックス ジュブナイル 小説版), was released on October 4, 2013.[23]

Video game

Medaka Kurokami appears as a playable character in the Jump crossover fighting game J-Stars Victory VS, with Kumagawa appearing as a support character.[24]

Reception

By 2013, the series had over 5 million copies in circulation.[25]

References

  1. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 9, 2012). "Crunchyroll to Stream Medaka Box TV Anime". Anime News Network. Archived December 12, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  2. ^ "Medaka Box". Sentai Filmworks. Archived June 19, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  3. ^ "ja:ジャンプ次号の新連載「めだかボックス」は原作に西尾維新" (in Japanese). Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc. April 27, 2009. Archived December 5, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "ja:週刊少年ジャンプ 2009年 Vol. 24" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived May 14, 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ "Medaka Box Manga Ends". Anime News Network. April 23, 2013. Archived April 25, 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  6. ^ "ja:「めだかボックス」最終回！夏発売のNEXT!に球磨川完結編" (in Japanese). Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc. April 27, 2013. Archived May 30, 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  7. ^ "ja:めだかボックス 1" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived November 20, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  8. ^ "ja:めだかボックス 22" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived December 6, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  9. ^ Loo, Egan (September 28, 2011). "Medaka Box Manga Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. Archived September 30, 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  10. ^ Loo, Egan (November 16, 2011). "Medaka Box School Comedy Anime To Be Produced By Gainax". Anime News Network. Archived November 17, 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  11. ^ "ja:「めだか」キャストに浪川大輔ら、5月に西尾維新小説も" (in Japanese). Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc. February 28, 2012. Archived November 20, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  12. ^ "ja:めだか ボックス" (in Japanese). Media Arts Database. Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived August 15, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  13. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 16, 2012). "Sentai Filmworks Licenses Medaka Box TV Anime". Anime News Network. Archived April 19, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  14. ^ "ja:めだか ボックス アブノーマル" (in Japanese). Media Arts Database. Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived August 16, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  15. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 28, 2012). "Sentai Filmworks Adds Medaka Box Abnormal TV Anime". Anime News Network. Archived September 30, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  16. ^ Beveridge, Chris (January 17, 2014). "Medaka Box Abnormal Complete Collection Blu-ray Anime Review". The Fandom Post. Archived December 3, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  17. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 21, 2014). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, January 19–25". Anime News Network. Archived January 22, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  18. ^ Cardine, Kyle (March 24, 2022). "Food Wars, Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? and More Are Leaving Crunchyroll". Crunchyroll. Archived March 25, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  19. ^ "ja:小説版めだかボックス （上）" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived November 5, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  20. ^ "ja:小説版めだかボックス （下）" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived November 5, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  21. ^ "ja:めだかボックス外伝 グッドルーザー球磨川 小説版【上】" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived October 23, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  22. ^ "ja:めだかボックス外伝 グッドルーザー球磨川 小説版【下】" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived October 23, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  23. ^ "ja:めだかボックス ジュブナイル 小説版" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived November 5, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  24. ^ "Medaka Box Joins Shonen Jump Crossover Game J-Stars Victory Vs.". Anime News Network. 2013-10-02. Archived April 2, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  25. ^ "ja:めだかボックス ： 西尾維新原作の人気マンガついに完結 4年の歴史に幕". Mantan Web. April 27, 2013. Archived August 19, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 22, 2014.