Inu × Boku SS | |
Manga volume 1 cover | |
妖狐×僕SS (Inu Boku Shīkuretto Sābisu) | |
---|---|
Manga | |
Written by | Cocoa Fujiwara |
Published by | Square Enix |
English publisher | |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Magazine | Gangan Joker |
Original run | May 2009 – March 2014 |
Volumes | 11 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Naokatsu Tsuda |
Written by | Toshizo Nemoto |
Music by | Kōtarō Nakagawa |
Studio | David Production |
Licensed by | |
Original network | MBS, TBS, RKB, CBC, BS-TBS |
English network | |
Original run | January 12, 2012 – March 29, 2012 |
Episodes | 12 + OVA |
Inu × Boku SS(妖狐×僕SS Inu Boku Shīkuretto Sābisu, lit. The Dog and Me Secret Service), also known as Youko × Boku, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Cocoa Fujiwara. An anime adaptation by David Production aired in Japan between January and March 2012. The anime has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks for streaming, and home video release in North America.
Manga are comics or graphic novels created in Japan or by creators in the Japanese language, conforming to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century. They have a long and complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art.
Cocoa Fujiwara was a Japanese manga author and illustrator from Fukuoka Prefecture. Her debut was with a work called Calling, which she made when she was only fifteen. She chose not to go to high school so that she could draw manga. Fujiwara was a fan of RPGs such as Final Fantasy, which shows in her works. She was also good friends of Jun Mochizuki and Yana Toboso.
David Production Inc. is a Japanese animation studio subsidiary of Fuji TV.
Volumes 1 to 4.
The Maison de Ayakashi(メゾン・ド・章樫 Mezon do Ayakashi), better known as Ayakashi Hall or Ayakashikan(妖館), is a high security apartment building where humans with demon or yōkai ancestors reside, each guarded by their own Secret Service (SS) bodyguard. These descendants, the Atavists, possess similar powers to their ancestors and can reincarnate if killed.
Yōkai are a class of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai is made up of the kanji for "bewitching; attractive; calamity"; and "spectre; apparition; mystery; suspicious". They can also be called ayakashi (あやかし), mononoke (物の怪), or mamono (魔物). Yōkai range diversely from the malevolent to the mischievous, or occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them.
15-year-old Ririchiyo Shirakiin is anything but a normal girl -- she's an Atavist, a human with demon or yōkai ancestors, possessing similar powers to them and with the ability to be reincarnated if killed. Coupled with insecurities about herself and her most noticeable habit of a sharp tongue, she moves into the Maison de Ayakashi(メゾン・ド・章樫 Mezon do Ayakashi), better known as Ayakashi Hall or Ayakashikan(妖館), a high-security apartment building where people like her reside and are each guarded by their own Secret Service (SS) bodyguard. Despite not requesting for a bodyguard, she finds herself served by Sōshi Miketsukami, the descendent of a nine-tailed fox who devotes his life to her. Although initially unwilling to accept him as her bodyguard, the two grow close and Sōshi helps Ririchiyo suppress her bad habit as well as establish valuable connections with the residents at Ayakashi Hall. Ririchiyo also inevitably helps Sōshi become more emotional and to be more perceptive of the world, which he had not acquired due to his house arrest and isolation, and the two eventually fall in love and begin a relationship. Instead of fulfilling her goal to be alone, Ririchiyo has instead surrounded herself with supportive friends. Unfortunately, this sudden peace is interrupted when Karuta Roromiya, Kagerō Shoukiin's SS, is attacked and heavily wounded by a fellow Atavist named Mikoto Inugami. Mikoto tries to recruit her for the "Night Parade of 100 Demons", an army of Atavists that have lost their human sanity and have become senseless yōkai. Karuta eventually loses herself as well and becomes part of the army, attacking her friends. Sōshi is killed by Mikoto in front of Ririchiyo while trying to protect her.
Kitsune is the Japanese word for the fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; in English, kitsune refers to them in this context. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing paranormal abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. According to Yōkai folklore, all foxes have the ability to shapeshift into human form. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others—as foxes in folklore often do—other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives.
Volumes 5 to 8.
Set 23 years after the end of Part 1. Nearly every one of the residents of Ayakashi Hall is revealed to have been killed because of incidents involving the "Night Parade of 100 Demons" and have reincarnated. Only Renshō Sorinozuka has survived, growing to be 41 years old. 15 year old Ririchiyo Shirakiin leaves her home and moves into Ayakashi Hall hoping to be alone, and to fix her bad habit of speaking and acting sharply, but meets Sōshi Miketsukami who becomes her SS. Ririchiyo initially has no recollection of her past life due to the trauma of his death, but slowly starts remembering after her encounter with Renshō. Once she remembers everything, Ririchiyo decides to break off her contract and relationship with the current Sōshi, realising that she loved the Sōshi in her previous life, not her current life. Soon the residents of Ayakashi Hall discover that after years of calm, the "Night Parade of 100 Demons" is about to start again, signalling that it has become an unstoppable cycle. While the residents of Ayakashi Hall work to stop Mikoto and the Night Parade, a middle schooler Banri Watanuki befriends Mikoto, not realising who he is. Later, after learning that Mikoto has gone back to 23 years ago using the Millenium Cherry Blossom Tree, the group decide to send a time capsule, containing letters, to the past.
Volumes 8 and 9.
5 short stories, each focusing on one or more of the main characters. Set sometime during Part 1.
Volumes 9 to 11.
The setting jumps back to 23 years ago, in the first timeline, where the group are about to bury the time capsule containing letters to their future selves. They dig a hole for the time capsule, only to find that there is already a box buried in the ground. Within the box, they find letters from themselves to themselves, but which they have no recollection of writing. With the help of Zange's ability, they learn about their future, and decide to do all they can to defeat Mikoto and his army. As this timeline follows a different path from the first timeline, Ririchiyo and Sōshi are not in a relationship, and, because her letter told her that Sōshi had died protecting her, Ririchiyo decides to keep her distance from Sōshi. The group manage to prevent the attack on Karuta and all seems quiet for a while. Although most of the residents are called back home as Mikoto starts attacking other Atavists and Ayakashi Hall is no longer safe, they manage to regroup and return to Ayakashi Hall. And, after rescuing Sōshi from his house, where he was held captive, Ririchiyo and Sōshi reconnect and begin a relationship.
They learn that Mikoto is acquainted with Shimon Satorigahara, an elderly Atavist who is considered the leader of the Atavist community, with the ability to perceive the thoughts and memories of others. It is revealed that Mikoto had been repeating the "Night Parade of 100 Demons" over and over again in the same timeline, turning Atavists into senseless Yōkai and making them kill each other, in order to gift their bodies to Shimon, who can read their stories and memories for enjoyment. However Kagerō manages to gather Atavists from all over the country to fight Mikoto's army, and Sōshi kills Mikoto, ending the "Night Parade of 100 Demons" and lifting his curse, causing the senseless Yōkai to return to their Atavist form. As Shimon reads Mikoto's memories, she realises that Mikoto had loved her all along. The residents and their SS bodyguards continue towards a new life together, with everyone alive and well.
Inu x Boku SS was written and illustrated by Cocoa Fujiwara. It was serialized in Square Enix's Gangan Joker online magazine between the May 2009 and March 2014 issues. Square Enix published 11 tankōbon volumes between April 22, 2010 and July 22, 2014. Yen Press licensed the manga and began publishing the series in North America in October 2013. [1]
Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer, publisher, and distribution company known for its Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts role-playing video game franchises, among numerous others. Several of them have sold over 10 million copies worldwide, with the Final Fantasy franchise alone selling over 115 million. The Square Enix headquarters are in the Shinjuku Eastside Square Building in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company employs over 4300 employees worldwide.
Tankōbon is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series or corpus. In modern Japan, though, it is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a single manga, as opposed to magazines, which feature multiple series.
Yen Press LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. In addition to their regular book releases, Yen Press produced Yen Plus, a monthly manga anthology. The company's varied list demonstrates an interest in publishing a wide variety of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and other international content. In addition to translated material, Yen Press has released original series, most notably a manga adaptation of James Patterson's Maximum Ride and Svetlana Chmakova's Nightschool.
A 12-episode anime adaptation by David Production aired in Japan between January 12 and March 29, 2012 and was simulcast on Crunchyroll. [15] An original video animation episode was released with the seventh Blu-ray Disc volume on September 26, 2012. [16] The series has been licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks. [17] Hanabee Entertainment licensed the anime in Australia and New Zealand and released the series on Blu-ray and DVD in April 2013. [18] MVM Films have licensed the series in the United Kingdom. [19]
Crunchyroll is an American distributor, publisher, and licensing company focused on streaming anime, manga, and drama. Founded in 2006 by a group of University of California, Berkeley graduates, Crunchyroll's distribution channel and partnership program delivers content to over 35 million online community members worldwide. Crunchyroll is a subsidiary of Otter Media, which is a subsidiary of AT&T's WarnerMedia. Crunchyroll has offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chișinău and Tokyo, and is a member of the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA).
Original video animation, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV, are Japanese animated films and miniseries made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theatres, though the first part of an OVA series may be broadcast for promotional purposes. OVA titles were originally made available on VHS, later becoming more popular on LaserDisc and eventually DVD. Starting in 2008, the term OAD began to refer to DVD releases published bundled with their source-material manga.
No. | Title [20] | Original airdate |
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1 | "The Dog and Me" "Inu to Boku" (いぬとぼく) | January 12, 2012 |
Ririchiyo Shirakiin, a girl from a rich family, moves into the high-security Maison de Ayakashi apartment complex, where she finds herself assigned a Secret Service agent named Sōshi Miketsukami. Ririchiyo is reluctant to have Sōshi as her Secret Service, particularly as she does not feel worth protecting as her family household has taken up much of her being. One night, a burglar breaks into the complex to try and rob Ririchiyo, only to learn that Sōshi, along with the other Secret Service agents in the complex, have the power to channel the spirits of monsters. Having been protected from a gunshot by him, Ririchiyo accepts Sōshi as her bodyguard. | ||
2 | "A Lonely Dog" "Samishigariya no Inu" (淋しがり屋の犬) | January 19, 2012 |
Renshō Sorinozuka tags along with Ririchiyo and Sōshi at a shopping mall till evening. Sōshi tells Ririchiyo that they have met each other in the past, but she does not recall of this. As the three return to the complex, they learn from Nobara Yukinokōji that Karuta Roromiya has gone missing. As they set out to find her, Ririchiyo finds herself trapped inside a dark spirit called a nurikabe. With much effort, Sōshi and Ririchiyo slash through the barrier using their enhanced abilities. It turns out that Karuta had left earlier to help prepare a welcome party for Ririchiyo and Sōshi. | ||
3 | "The Real Contract" "Hontō no Keiyaku" (ほんとうの契約) | January 26, 2012 |
Ririchiyo enters high school, having to deal with the stress of making a good impression. She later notices Sōshi kissing an admirer, but he denies ever having a relationship with the admirer. After questioning him about it, her emotions get the best of her, to the point of her terminating their contract together. The following day, Nobara offers Ririchiyo to contract with her, but the latter turns her down. During a school banquet, after two male students make fun of Ririchiyo for her hostility, Sōshi defends her true personality as being kindhearted. After she realizes how much he cares for her, Ririchiyo asks Sōshi to be her bodyguard again. | ||
4 | "Ayakashi Hall Walk Rally" "Ayakashi-kan Wōkurarī" (妖館ウォークラリー) | February 2, 2012 |
Banri Watanuki, a former resident of the complex, has returned from training with Zange Natsume, his Secret Service agent. Sōshi has known Watanuki and Natsume since childhood, which makes this seem awkward to Ririchiyo. The four participate in a walk rally to obtain signatures from all the residents. After Ririchiyo and Sōshi finds Karuta, Natsume reveals that Watanuki had originally gone off to train in order to protect the girl he loves. Ririchiyo seems deep in thought after she begins to have an irregular heartbeat. | ||
5 | "Kagerō (Dragonfly) of the Spring" "Haru no Kagerō" (春の蜻蛉) | February 9, 2012 |
Ririchiyo wants to write a letter of apology to Sōshi, but she hesitates trying to find the right notepad to write on. Ririchiyo has been getting disturbing text messages from a block number, shrugging them off until they become more frequent and threatening. While Ririchiyo is walking back from the store alone at night, Sōshi finds her and expresses his worry for her. Soon after, Kagerō Shōkiin, the one responsible for sending the text messages, appears out of the blue. As he is also a childhood friend of most of the other male residents, Kagerō gives all the tenants and agents various "bondage items" as gifts. He also mentions he had formerly served under Sōshi, catching Ririchyo off guard. After he then claims to be engaged to Ririchiyo, she remembers exchanging letters with him when she was young. | ||
6 | "Don't Think" "Kangaeru yori mo" (考えるよりも) | February 16, 2012 |
Karuta spends a lot of her time in her own world in high school, much to Ririchiyo's concern. Watanuki says that not many people truly understand what goes on in Karuta's mind. Natsume wants Ririchiyo to bond with Karuta, although she has no idea how to do so. Since Ririchiyo offered Karuta some of her lunch, Karuta repays her by giving her several treats during suppertime. The next day, Ririchiyo is amazed at Karuta's cooking skills during home economics class, and she begins to understand what Karuta is going through. A downpour occurs after school, and a nure-onna enters the building. Ririchiyo takes it down after Watanuki fails to defeat it. However, the nure-onna revives and sends Ririchiyo and Watanuki out the window. Luckily, Karuta arrives and saves them both from falling. | ||
7 | "Their Night Alone" "Futari no Yoru" (ふたりのよる) | February 23, 2012 |
A flock of ghosts have invaded the mansion and security measures have been activated. The residents are locked in various places of the mansion and are to stay there until morning. In her room, this is the perfect time for Ririchiyo to express her feelings for Sōshi, but this proves difficult for her. In the hallway, Natsume encourages Watanuki to use this time to train all night. In the cafeteria, Sorinozuka rests while Nobara plays shogi with Chino Kotomura, one of the maids. In the kitchen, Karuta becomes so hungry that she starts to cook a full-course meal. Sōshi stays up all night while Ririchiyo tries to go to sleep. But before doing so, she thanks him for his service thus far. Watanuki accidentally breaks the barrier, allowing the ghosts, known as the obariyon, to pass through. As it seems that the obariyon are wiped out, a few more come out and jump on Ririchiyo's back. Sōshi, who cannot bear the sight of this, destroys the rest of them. | ||
8 | "Tea and Distance" "Ocha to Kyori" (お茶と距離) | March 1, 2012 |
Ririchiyo wants the type of friendship with Sōshi the tenants share with their agents. She is unable to speak her true feelings, not to mention that she does not know much about his background. She observes how Karuta and Watanuki interact with each other while at school, hoping to understand this for herself. She plans to make coffee and sit down with Sōshi, but she first come up with ideas to invite him to drink coffee with her, all to no avail. After many desperate attempts to ask him, she calls for him under a cherry blossom, where she finally says that they should treat each other as friends, inviting him to have coffee in her room the following evening. | ||
9 | "Day of the Promise" "Yakusoku no Hi" (約束の日) | March 8, 2012 |
Ririchiyo frets over her upcoming coffee date with Sōshi. In the afternoon, Ririchiyo cleans up her room, then decides to study with Karuta and Watanuki for an upcoming quiz in their class while the agents monitor them. Natsume creates a series of "partner games" for everyone, guessing what is inside the mystery box and taking a partner quiz, yet Sōshi gets carried away with both of these. A series of commands have appeared in the mansion causing quite a stir. It just so happens that Kagerō was the one behind this. | ||
10 | "The Unfaithful Demon Fox" "Uragiri no Yōko" (裏切りの妖狐) | March 15, 2012 |
The coffee date is cancelled due to Kagerō's unexpected return, so she reschedules it for the next day. However, after school the next day, Kagerō drags Ririchiyo with him to several dating spots all over town, making matters worse. Later than night, Ririchiyo grows anxious by Sōshi not responding to her apology text, so she decides to visit his room and offer him a melon to apologize. When she does apologize, Sōshi acts out of character, causing her to get flustered and return to her room in distress. The very next morning, Sōshi begs Kagerō in not telling Ririchiyo his hidden secret, but Kagerō denies, leading to an intensive battle between the two. Ririchiyo later finds the two and stops them from fighting, asking them to explain what the problem is. It is then that Sōshi admits he is hiding something from Ririchiyo. | ||
11 | "Kagerō" "Kagerō" (陽炎) | March 22, 2012 |
Since his family name was known to be born from an evil bloodline, Sōshi was secluded inside a shrine as a child. A year later at a party, a woman allows him to work for her in her house, where he is to serve a young Kagerō for a living. It is revealed that Kagerō told Sōshi to respond to the letters sent from his fiancée, to which Sōshi believed her to be very perceptive. When Kagerō showed Sōshi who his fiancée was, that being Ririchiyo, Sōshi was surprised to see a spoiled rich girl write letters so keenly. During the summer, they continued writing letters to each other, and Sōshi realized his feelings for Ririchiyo, but he started to feel guilty for faking Kagerō's personality. After hearing that Ririchiyo moved inside the Maison de Ayakashi, that is when he decided to become a Secret Service agent. Ririchiyo already knows that Kagerō was not the one who responded to her letters, but she is shocked to find out that Sōshi was actually the one who did, which confirmed how Sōshi knew so much about her in the first place. | ||
12 | "The Day We Came Together" "Futari ni natta Hi" (二人になった日) | March 29, 2012 |
Kotarō Kawasumi, the son of the chef, has a conversation with Sorinozuka about his worries on what might happen when his father Jōtarō Kawasumi reincarnates, but then Natsume suddenly suggests to send a message inside a time capsule buried in the garden for the future reincarnation to read. Natsume convinces the others to join in writing letters to their future selves. Ririchiyo recounts how much she has changed since she has lived inside the apartment complex. While Kotarō thinks of what to write, he is comforted by his father, who states he and his future self are two separate beings. Ririchiyo accidentally switched a letter written to Sōshi that was meant for her future self, which stated that she will not run away and will stay by his side. She runs away to a park, and, after Sōshi calls her to come and get her, Ririchiyo realizes Sōshi hates himself like she was before, but she was able to overcome the ordeal because she fell in love with Sōshi. Knowing she has hurt others to protect herself, she decided to use her courage to save him by confessing her love to him. Sōshi embraces Ririchiyo and expresses his love for her as well. Sōshi dreams of having a family with her, but Ririchiyo replies that only time will tell if it is meant to happen. | ||
OVA | "Miketsukami's Metamorphosis" "Miketsukami-kun Henka" (御狐神くん変化) "Switch" "Suicchi" (スイッチ) "Playing House" "Omamagoto" (おままごと) | September 26, 2012 |
Noticing Ririchiyo's nervousness, Sōshi tries to ease her by transforming into a young boy and then into a woman. Later, Natsume plays around with Sorinozuka various 'switches' which encourages Karuta to try to find other people's 'switches'. Afterwards, Kotarō's younger sister Hana Kawasumi comes to the mansion and decides to play house with the tenants, which takes many bizarre turns. |
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