is a 13-episode Japanese

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

created and written by

Naoki Hisaya , born , is a Japanese screenwriter who has worked for Tactics, Key and Siesta, but as of 2006, he is a freelance writer. He is well known for being the main writer of the popular visual novel ''Kanon'' while working under Key. Additional works i ...

and produced by . The series aired in Japan between October 5 and December 28, 2014. A short

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA ...

episode was released on July 24, 2015. A

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is use ...

adaptation illustrated by Yuka Namisaki was serialized in

ASCII Media Works ASCII ( ), abbreviated from American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a character encoding standard for electronic communication. ASCII codes represent text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other devices. Because ...

' ''

Dengeki Daioh is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks) under the ''Dengeki'' brand. Many manga serialized in ''Dengeki Daioh'' were later published in '' tankōbon'' volumes under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki C ...

'' magazine.

Plot

Nonoka Komiya is a girl who once lived in Lake Kiriya City, based on

Lake Tōya is a volcanic caldera lake in Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Abuta District, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is part of "Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano Global Geopark" which joins in Global Geoparks Network. The stratovolcano of Mount Usu is an active ...

Hokkaido is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

, where she met a blue-haired girl named Noel. Seven years later, Nonoka returns to the city, which now has a mysterious saucer floating above it, and reunites with Noel, who promises to grant her wish.

Characters

; : :The protagonist who returns to Lake Kiriya after having moved away seven years before. She has lived with her father since her mother died due to an undisclosed illness. ; : :A mysterious blue-haired girl whom Nonoka first met seven years ago. She is eventually revealed to be the saucer itself, which Nonoka and her friends had called down. ; : :An energetic girl who has a strong dislike for the saucer. She also seems to be on bad terms with her twin brother, Sōta. ; : :An airheaded girl who works as a poster girl for a local shop devoted to the saucer. ; : :A stern girl who enjoys photography. She was once Nonoka's best friend but grew to hate her after she moved away without letting anyone know. ; : :Yuzuki's twin brother who has feelings for Koharu.

Media

Manga

adaptation, written by

and illustrated by Yuka Namisaki, was serialized in

' ''

'' magazine between the October 2014 and March 2015 issues with the series left unfinished. It was later reported in the December 2015 issue that the serialization had ended due to circumstances with the author. One ''

tankōbon is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or m ...

'' volume was released on October 27, 2014.

Anime

The 13-episode anime television series, produced by , aired in Japan on

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV, branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city. It competes with Nippon TV, TV Asahi, NH ...

between October 5 and December 28, 2014 and was simulcast by Crunchyroll. The series is directed by

Masayuki Sakoi is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director from Kagoshima Prefecture. He is a professor in the department of design at Sapporo City University in Hokkaido, Japan. Anime involved in *'' A3!'': Series Director *''Aishiteruze Baby'': Ep ...

and written by Naoki Hisaya, with music by Tatsuya Kato and character designs by QP:flapper, consisting of duo artists Koharu Sakura and Tometa Ohara. An

(OVA) episode was included on the seventh Blu-ray/DVD volume released on July 24, 2015. A special episode premiered on October 11, 2019 on the ''Infinite'' YouTube channel. The opening theme is "Stargazer" by

Larval Stage Planning is a Japanese J-pop group formed in 2010 and is signed to Lantis. The group is also a member of the Sapporo-based music production group I've Sound. History Members The group was formed by veteran singer and then-I've Sound vocalist Eiko S ...

, and the ending theme is by Fhána.

Sentai Filmworks Sentai Filmworks, LLC or just Sentai, is an American entertainment company owned by AMC Networks. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is ...

has licensed the series for release in North America.

References

External links

* * {{3Hz 3Hz 2014 anime television series debuts 2014 manga 2014 Japanese television series endings Japanese adult animated fantasy television series Anime with original screenplays ASCII Media Works manga Dengeki Daioh Sentai Filmworks Shōnen manga Fantasy anime and manga Anime and manga set in Hokkaido