Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror
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| Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror | |
 Promotional artwork, depicting the ten main characters | |
| 幻日のヨハネ -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR- (Genjitsu no Yohane: Sunshine in the Mirror) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy[1] |
| Created by | Hajime Yatate Sakurako Kimino |
| Manga | |
| Genjitsu no Yohane -Unpolarized Reflexion- | |
| Written by | Kōta Matsuda |
| Published by | ASCII Media Works |
| Magazine | Love Live! Days |
| Original run | January 31, 2022 – present |
| Volumes | 1 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Asami Nakatani |
| Written by | Toshiya Ono |
| Music by | Tatsuya Kato |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Licensed by | Crunchyroll[a] |
| Original network | Tokyo MX, BS11 |
| Original run | July 2, 2023 – September 24, 2023 |
| Episodes | 13 |
Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror (幻日のヨハネ -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR-, Genjitsu no Yohane: Sunshine in the Mirror) is a Japanese multimedia spin-off project from the Love Live! series fantasy musical anime series. It is a fantasy re-imagining of Love Live! Sunshine!!, and follows Yohane, a failed idol turned fortune teller in the quiet city of Numazu, and her exploits with the other members of the community and her talking wolf Lailaps.
Yohane the Parhelion originated as a series of fantasy illustrations included in the monthly Love Live! Days magazine starting in October 2020. In February 2022, these were adapted into Genjitsu no Yohane -Unpolarized Reflexion-, a manga published in Love Live! Days. On April Fools' Day 2022, the Yohane the Parhelion anime series was teased, ostensibly as an April Fools' joke, before eventually being confirmed as a real production and airing for 13 episodes from July to September 2023 on Tokyo MX and BS11.[1] The anime was produced by Sunrise, directed by Asami Nakatani, and written by Toshiya Ono, with Yumiko Yamamoto designing the characters and Tatsuya Kato composing the anime's music.[2] In 2023, two video games were released based on the series: Yohane the Parhelion: Blaze in the Deepblue, a roguelike action-adventure game; and Yohane the Parhelion: Numazu in the Mirage, a roguelike deck-building game.
Premise[edit]
Yohane the Parhelion is a re-imagining of Love Live! Sunshine!!, featuring characters and settings strongly based on, but not exact to, their counterparts in Sunshine!!. The exact period the series is set in is left vague. Magic exists, but its prominence varies throughout the project; in Unpolarized Reflexion and the video games, it is a significant factor, while in the anime, its role is fairly limited. A recurring plot element is malevolent entities such as "miasma", "resonance", or "Loveca Gems" (loosely based on the premium currency from Love Live! School Idol Festival), which often affect sentient beings such as wildlife and make them aggressive.
The project follows Yohane (based on Yoshiko Tsushima in Sunshine!!) who, after failing at becoming an idol in Tokai, is reluctantly called back to her hometown of Numazu, where she becomes a fortune teller (more of a "handyman" in practice) and lives alongside her pet and familiar, a talking wolf named Lailaps. Though she views her situation with disdain, unbeknownst to her, she wields magical powers associated with her singing that usually manage to resolve her problems and help the wider community. Throughout her life in Numazu, Yohane interacts with her friends (based on the other members of Aqours, which does not exist in this universe).
Characters[edit]
- Yohane (ヨハネ)
- Voiced by: Aika Kobayashi[1]
- A young girl and wannabe idol who returns to her hometown of Numazu from Tokai to settle down and start a fortune-telling business, though she is established to be unskilled at this and finds herself serving as more of a helping hand more often. She initially hates her situation and dislikes Numazu, but eventually learns to become content with life there. Unbeknownst to her, her singing is magical.
- Lailaps (ライラプス, Rairapusu)
- Voiced by: Yoko Hikasa[3]
- A large talking wolf that lives with Yohane and has a friendly sisterly relationship with her. Lailaps is implied to be Yohane's familiar, and it is suggested that only Yohane can understand her when she speaks.
- Hanamaru (ハナマル)
- Voiced by: Kanako Takatsuki[1]
- A baker who lives in town. She is also Yohane's childhood friend and knows her very well. She is often accompanied by a large boar-like animal named Shishinoshin (シシノシン).
- Dia (ダイヤ, Daiya)
- Voiced by: Arisa Komiya[1]
- The executive director of the town's administrative bureau, and a talented perfectionist. Dia is a fairy like her sister Ruby; however, she is capable of controlling her size, allowing her to take on the appearance of an adult human. She moonlights as Scarlet Delta, a masked and armored superhero riding a magical motorcycle, inspired by heroes in tokusatsu works such as Kamen Rider (which her seiyuu, Arisa Komiya, plays roles in).
- Ruby (ルビィ, Rubii)
- Voiced by: Ai Furihata[1]
- Dia's younger sister and assistant. She is relatively shy and self-conscious of her unusual appearance. Ruby is a fairy like her sister Dia, though unlike her, Ruby is not yet skilled at controlling her size, and is thus often seen in her smaller fairy form. When Dia is Scarlet Delta, Ruby is capable of possessing her motorcycle, boosting it and allowing her to control it independently.
- Chika (チカ)
- Voiced by: Anju Inami[1]
- The youngest of three daughters, whose family runs the Tochiman Ryokan Inn, a ryokan in the Uchira district. She is bright, sociable, and competitive. She has a pet dog named Shiitake (シイタケ), who is the Tochiman Ryokan Inn's mascot. Chika and her family moonlight as Million Dollar, a group of masked vigilantes armed with wind cannons tasked with protecting Numazu; in Million Dollar, her secret identity is "Katy".
- You (ヨウ, Yō)
- Voiced by: Shuka Saitō[1]
- An energetic girl who works as an aerial messenger in Numazu. She works for a postal service that operates by firing messengers out of large cannons, using gliding flight to maneuver to their delivery points and custom retrorocket boots to land safely. In -Unpolarized Reflexion-, You adopts a bird named Piyosuke (ぴよ助) after accidentally colliding with it in flight.
- Kanan (カナン)
- Voiced by: Nanaka Suwa[1]
- A mechanic at a coastal repair shop in the Uchira district. She makes a living making items and repairing derelict structures throughout Numazu, using scrap materials salvaged from Suruga Bay. She built a companion and assistant, Tonosama, out of scrap metal.
- Riko (リコ)
- Voiced by: Rikako Aida[1]
- A zoologist who came to Numazu to research about unusual animals. Though -Unpolarized Reflexion- depicts Riko as an animal caretaker, the anime shows her conducting research-based work instead. As the nature of her work demands her to move frequently, she is closer to animals than humans and tends to try to avoid making friends. She is generally inquisitive and calm, but becomes obsessively hyperactive when seeing a species she is unfamiliar with, such as Lailaps or Ruby.
- Mari (マリ)
- Voiced by: Aina Suzuki[1]
- A woman of an unspecified age who lives in isolation in her castle on Wassimer Island. Mari distinctively has a pair of large ram-like horns on her head and ultrasonic hearing, said to be the result of a genetic condition unique to her family. Her appearance and struggles with her abilities led to her being judged and ostracized by locals, who nicknamed her the "Demon Lord", giving her a distant personality and considerable social anxiety; despite this, she still uses her abilities to help the town from a distance. She lives with numerous familiars loosely based on sea creatures, and is assisted by Pellapie (ペラピー, Perapī), a rotorcraft-like familiar that follows her.
Supporting[edit]
- Yohane's mother (ヨハネの母, Yohane no Haha)
- Voiced by: Hekiru Shiina[4]
- Yohane's mother. She is a scholar who often travels for business. In the anime, she calls Yohane back to Numazu after a deal between them (Yohane succeeding in becoming an idol in Tokai) fails to materialize, and tasks her with finding friends over the summer while she is away for work.
- Chika's mother (チカの母, Chika no Haha)
- Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya[4]
- Chika's mother. She runs the Tochiman Ryokan Inn. In Million Dollar, she serves as mission control, and her secret identity is "Big Mom".[5]
- Shima (シマ)
- Voiced by: Kana Asumi[4]
- Chika's oldest sister. Like the rest of her family, she works at the Tochiman Ryokan Inn. She has a personality that is gentle but doesn't like being offended. In Million Dollar, her secret identity is "Marcy".[5]
- Mito (ミト)
- Voiced by: Kanae Itō[4]
- Chika's older sister, and the middle child of her family. Like the rest of her family, she works at the Tochiman Ryokan Inn. Her personality is lively and bubbly. In Million Dollar, her secret identity is "Tommy".[5]
- Tsuki (ツキ)
- Voiced by: Tomoyo Kurosawa[4]
- You's cousin. She is a photographer who runs a photographic studio in Numazu. She has two twin sisters named Miki (ミキ) and Nami (ナミ).
- Kohaku (コハク)
- Voiced by: M.A.O[4]
- Dia's administrative assistant, and an unspecified but close relative to Dia and Ruby who has known them since childhood. It is unclear if she is also a fairy.
- Tonosama (トノサマ)
- Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita[4]
- Kanan's robotic companion and assistant, resembling a large bipedal frog, with a personality influenced by exaggerated kabuki theatrics. He is one of the only male characters in the entire Love Live! multimedia project to have a significant role.
Production and release[edit]
In October 2020, the Genjitsu no Yohane: Sunshine in the Mirror fantasy illustration series,[6] drawn by Taira Akitsu, first appeared in the Love Live! Days magazine. It inspired the Genjitsu no Yohane -Unpolarized Reflexion- manga series, launched by Kōta Matsuda in the same magazine in February 2022,[7] both of which featured Yoshiko as the main character. The Love Live! franchise posted an April Fools' Day video in 2022 hinting at the series,[8] though it was not officially announced until June 26, 2022.[2] The series has Asami Nakatani as the director and Toshiya Ono as show writer. It features music by Tatsuya Kato, who composed the music for Love Live! Sunshine!!, and Yumiko Yamamoto as the character designer.[2] Aqours sings the opening and ending songs, "Genjitsu Mysterium" (幻日ミステリウム)[9] and "Kimi no Tame Boku no Tame" (キミノタメボクノタメ).[10]
The series was picked up by Crunchyroll, an American streaming service,[11] where the first episode premiered on June 25, and by Abema, a Japanese streaming service, the same day.[12][13] It premiered on Crunchyroll India on June 26.[14] The series later premiered on July 2 on Tokyo MX, Nippon BS Broadcasting, Sun Television, KBS Kyoto, and TV Aichi, and on Shizuoka Broadcasting System on July 3.[1][15]
In June 2023, it was announced that a short video would be posted on YouTube to commemorate the anime, as well as the launch of the Yohane no Uranai Koheya (Yohane's Fortune-Telling Booth) internet radio program, which will accept submissions from fans.[2] The same month, Inti Creates revealed that a game entitled Yohane the Parhelion -BLAZE in the DEEPBLUE- based on the anime would be launched on various platforms on November 16.[3][16] On June 21, a crossover chibi short premiered using characters from the Genjitsu no Yohane: Sunshine in the Mirror illustrated series and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.[17]
Episodes[edit]
| No. | Title [b] | Directed by [c] | Written by [c] | Storyboarded by [c] | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Song of Beginnings" Transliteration: "Hajimari no Uta" (Japanese: はじまりのうた) | Takashi Sakuma | Toshiya Ono | Asami Nakatani | July 2, 2023 | |
| Yohane travels to her hometown after her attempts to become an idol are not successful. She meets a wolf named Lailaps, who becomes her guide, her friend Hanamaru, and begins to realize that she wants to be in the town after all. | ||||||
| 2 | "My Job" Transliteration: "Watashi no Oshigoto" (Japanese: わたしのおしごと) | Katsuya Asano | Toshiya Ono | Katsuya Asano | July 9, 2023 | |
| Yohane tries to begin her new job as a fortune teller in town, but it doesn't go as well as she expected. She ends up helping people in the local town, connects more with Hanamaru, and ends up in the dark forest, where she is threatened by monsters. | ||||||
| 3 | "Solidarity: Are you ready?" Transliteration: "Danketsu Are you ready?" (Japanese: 団結Are you ready?) | Keisuke Watanabe, Chikara Sakurai[d] | Toshiya Ono | Chikara Sakurai | July 16, 2023 | |
| Yohane is saved by the Million Dollar group, but then finds herself in a dangerous situation when the forest animals, possessed by an unknown force, come closer. She is saved by Dia and Ruby. Yohane, Ruby, Dia, and the Million Dollar group work together to free the animals from the curse. Later, Yohane visits Mari, the so-called "demon lord" on Wassimer Island, to learn more about how to use her magical powers. | ||||||
| 4 | "Between the Sky and Sea" Transliteration: "Sora to Umi no Aida" (Japanese: 空と海のあいだ) | Nana Harada, Motoki Nakanishi[d] | Toshiya Ono | Hiroaki Shimura, Kentarō Suzuki[e] | July 23, 2023 | |
| Still worried about Mari's words, Yohane is drafted by the courier You to help with her job and meets the engineer Kanan, who also enlists her help. | ||||||
| 5 | "The Demon Lord's Secret" Transliteration: "Maō no Himitsu" (Japanese: まおうのひみつ) | Tatsunari Koyano | Toshiya Ono | Ryūhei Aoyagi | July 30, 2023 | |
| Yohane decides to help Mari, who lived her entire life isolated from others, to interact with the locals and the two grow closer. | ||||||
| 6 | "The Harmony of the Shy" Transliteration: "Hitomishiri no Hāmonī" (Japanese: ひとみしりのハーモニー) | Akira Yamada, Asami Nakatani[d] | Toshiya Ono | Katsuya Asano, Asami Nakatani, Yūsuke Maruyama, Tomomi Umetsu[e] | August 6, 2023 | |
| With the calamity that threatens Numazu growing closer, Yohane and Mari meet the researcher Riko, who tells them that she will soon leave the city, but the two discover however, that Riko is leaving the city out of fear of separating from them in the future and the three bond together by helping her to deal with it. | ||||||
| 7 | "What's a Girls' Night?" Transliteration: "Joshikai tte Nāni?" (Japanese: 女子会ってなあに？) | Masakazu Sunagawa | Toshiya Ono | Midori Yoshizawa | August 13, 2023 | |
| Yohane and her friends decide to hold a meeting together. Yohane works hard into planning to make the event a success but on during the meeting, she collapses from exaustion and anxiety. After recovering, the girls enjoy themselves together and Yohane decides what she wants to do. | ||||||
| 8 | "Reach them! Sea breeze" Transliteration: "Todoke! Sea breeze" (Japanese: 届け！Sea breeze) | Yūya Horiuchi, Kōtarō Matsunaga[f] | Toshiya Ono | Chikara Sakurai, Gō Kurosaki[g] | August 20, 2023 | |
| The summer festival begins and Yohane is eager for her performance with their friends, until she loses her staff and the other girls begin to look for it around the place for her. | ||||||
| 9 | "Find Lailaps" Transliteration: "Rairapusu o Sagase" (Japanese: ライラプスをさがせ) | Yūsuke Shibata | Toshiya Ono | Kentarō Suzuki | August 27, 2023 | |
| Lailaps takes a stroll around the town and Yohane decides to follow her to learn more about her routine, but when she suddenly disappears, the whole town ends up looking for her, until Yohane finds her in the very place where they first met years ago. | ||||||
| 10 | "See You Soon, Yohane-chan!" Transliteration: "Itterasshai Yohane-chan!" (Japanese: いってらっしゃいヨハネちゃん！) | Shinya Iino | Kakuzō Nanmanji | Shinya Iino | September 3, 2023 | |
| A manager from the capital invites Yohane for an audition. The town decides to make a special event for Yohane to send her off but she gets distressed when she has an argue with Lailaps who does not appear at the event, until Lailaps notices the calamity approaching the city and runs to help her. | ||||||
| 11 | "Yohane's Magic" Transliteration: "Yohane no Mahō" (Japanese: ヨハネのまほう) | Motoki Nakanishi | Kakuzō Nanmanji | Motoki Nakanishi | September 10, 2023 | |
| 12 | "Farewell, Lailaps" Transliteration: "Sayonara Rairapusu" (Japanese: さよならライラプス) | Chikara Sakurai, Kōtarō Matsunaga[f] | Toshiya Ono | Chikara Sakurai, Asami Nakatani[g] | September 17, 2023 | |
| 13 | "Once Again Today" Transliteration: "Soshite Kyō mo" (Japanese: そして今日も) | Asami Nakatani, Katsuya Asano, Masakazu Hishida[f] | Toshiya Ono | Asami Nakatani, Katsuya Asano, Masakazu Hishida[g] | September 24, 2023 | |
Reception[edit]
In Anime News Network's "Summer 2023 Preview Guide", looking at the first episode of the series, Nicholas Dupree said it was "accessible to newcomers" but was critical of it for "standard...plotbeats" and called it more of a "musical than a fairy tale adventure", and praised the series for translating Yohane's chūnibyō gimmick "into an actual fantasy world". In the same post, Rebecca Silverman was more critical, said the episode disappointed her and didn't sympathize with Yohane, while James Beckett described the premiere as "boring" but understood the appeal for others, and Richard Eisenbeis said it was "nothing to write home about". Also in the post, Caitlin Moore argued that the episode was like reading an alternative universe fanfiction for a series she "knew nothing about" and called it a "fans-only affair" which would appear to those who like idol anime.[18] Kevin Credo of Game Rant described the series as an "imaginative and isekai-tinged spinoff anime".[16]
Notes[edit]
- ^ In North America (formerly known as Funimation), Australia via Crunchyroll Store Australia (formerly Madman Anime) and Europe via Crunchyroll EMEA.
- ^ All English titles are taken from Crunchyroll.
- ^ a b c Information is taken from the ending credits of each episode.
- ^ a b c Music Part Director (楽曲パート演出)
- ^ a b Music Part Storyboard (楽曲パート絵コンテ)
- ^ a b c Dance Part Director (ダンスパート演出)
- ^ a b c Dance Part Storyboard (ダンスパート絵コンテ)
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Loo, Egan (February 12, 2023). "Love Live! Sunshine!! Fantasy Spinoff Anime Genjitsu no Yohane -Sunshine in the Mirror- Announces July TV Debut in Video". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Loo, Egan (June 26, 2022). "Love Live! Sunshine!! Fantasy Spinoff Genjitsu no Yohane -Sunshine in the Mirror- Gets Anime Series in 2023". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ a b Hazra, Adriana (June 25, 2023). "Inti Creates Reveals Yohane the Parhelion: Blaze in the Deepblue 2D Action Game". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hodgkins, Crystalyn (March 25, 2023). "Genjitsu no Yohane -Sunshine in the Mirror- Anime Reveals 6 More Cast Members". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Character". Sunshine in the Mirror official website. Project Yohane. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (February 22, 2021). "Love Live! Sunshine!!'s Aqours Idols Get Live-Action Promo Video Featuring Cast". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ "Love Live! Sunshine!!, Hatsune Miku Collaborate on Song, Animated Music Video". Anime News Network. December 21, 2021. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
Genjitsu no Johanne -Unpolarized Reflexion-, a manga series adaptation of the Genjitsu no Johanne -Sunshine in the Mirror~ illustration series, will launch in the Love Live! Days Love Live! Sōgō Magazine in February
- ^ "Anime/Manga/Game Industry Celebrates April Fool's Day 2022". Anime News Network. April 1, 2022. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ 7月2日に開幕のアニメ「幻日のヨハネ」第2弾予告、ABEMAでシリーズ作品一挙配信 [The 2nd notice of the anime Yohane no Yohane opening on July 2nd, distribution of series works at ABEMA]. Natalie (in Japanese). June 4, 2023. Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ ""Genjitsu no Yohane – SUNSHINE in the MIRROR – (Anime)" Outro Theme Song: Kimi no Tame Boku no Tame". CDJapan. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (August 9, 2021). "Sony's Funimation Global Group Completes Acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna (June 26, 2023). "Crunchyroll Streams Genjitsu no Yohane -Sunshine in the Mirror- Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023.
- ^ Pueyo, Ken (June 4, 2023). "Love Live Spin-Off Yohane the Parhelion: SUNSHINE in the MIRROR Reveals New Trailer". Anime Corner. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ Hazra, Adriana (June 26, 2023). "Crunchyroll Adds Genjitsu no Yohane -Sunshine in the Mirror- Anime in India". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ Chapman, Paul (June 4, 2023). "Genjitsu no Yohane -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR- Casts Its Spell on July 2". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Credo, Kevin (July 4, 2023). "Anime Expo: 'Yohane the Parhelion' Shines With New Anime and Upcoming Game Details". Game Rant. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ Loo, Egan (June 8, 2023). "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Genjitsu no Yohane -Sunshine in the Mirror- Franchises Get Crossover Short Anime". Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ Dupree, Nicholas; Silverman, Rebecca; Beckett, James; Eisenbeis, Richard; Moore, Caitlin (July 1, 2023). "The Summer 2023 Anime Preview Guide: Yohane the Parhelion -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
External links[edit]
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
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