Ultra Maniac

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Ultra Maniac is a Japanese romantic comedy manga series written by Wataru Yoshizumi. It features two eighth grade students named Ayu Tateishi, a tennis club member, and Nina Sakura, who is actually a trainee witch from the magical kingdom. A manga adaption began serialization in Shueisha's Ribon magazine from February 2001 until January 2004, published in five collected volumes. Viz Media licensed and released an English translation of the series in North America. With Miho Shimogasa (character designer of Cutie Honey Flash and one of the animation directors of Sailor Moon) by designing the characters and Animation Production by Ashi Productions (who did with Magical Princess Minky Momo, Magical Angel Sweet Mint, Jankenman, and Flower Witch Mary Bell).

The series was first adapted into a 20-minute original video animation on August 6, 2002. It was also adapted into a 26-episode anime television series from May until November 2003, later licensed for Region 1 distribution by Geneon Entertainment. Both the original video animation and television series were produced by Ashi Productions as well as Animax.

Plot

Ayu Tateishi, an ordinary eighth grade middle school student, finds her friend Nina Sakura outside of the school. Nina explains that she lost something beloved to her earlier that day. Ayu offers to help Nina, the annoying girl look for her lost item, but Nina seems reluctant to say what the item is that she lost, and runs off. On her way home, Ayu finds a small computer underneath the bench she knew Nina to be at earlier that day. After returning the item to Nina, Nina struggles to decide whether to let Ayu in on the "big secret" she keeps.

Wanting to know Ayu's behavior, Nina starts to follow Ayu around and eventually decides she can trust Ayu. Nina reveals that she is actually from the Magic Kingdom and is a magical girl. However, Ayu initially did not believe Nina and thought she was a little clumsy. The former herself had always shunned the ideas of magic and fairy-tales, even admitting she had never read Harry Potter, thus having someone tell her they are a witch might not be something she can easily accept. After several mishaps with her magic, Nina proves she is a magical girl, and a failure who came to Earth as her last chance to prove that she can get things right. These first mishaps and the fact that Nina has shared her secret with Ayu and helps Ayu in winning the heart of her crush, Tetsushi Kaji. As their adventures progress, many residents from the Magic Kingdom come and visit Nina much to Ayu's chagrin.

The anime adaptation has a different plot when Ayu and Nina met. Rather than coming as a witch failure who is trying to prove herself to be more than she is said to be, Nina has come to Earth to find the five "Holy Stones". She tells Ayu that whoever collects all five will qualify to marry the prince of the Magic Kingdom. Nina's childhood friend, Maya, is the first person to arrive on Earth with her to find the stones. Although Nina collects all of them first, she learns that the prince and Maya are in love with each other. As Nina gives up the stones and her dream, the couple's romantic relationship is made official while she stays on Earth with her friends.

Characters

Voiced by: Yui Horie (TV Series), Satsuki Yukino (OVA) (Japanese); Stephanie Sheh (English)

Ayu is a calm and collected girl with a cool image to impress her crush, Tetsushi Kaji. She serves as captain of the girls' tennis club.

Voiced by: Akemi Kanda (TV series), Mayuko Omimura (OVA) (Japanese); Carrie Savage (English)

Nina is Ayu's energetic and sociable friend who often seen tries to help her with love. She wants her friends to live a happy life, even if it means suffering a little grief herself.

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya (Japanese); Tony Oliver (English)

Considered the most popular boy in school by the girls, Tetsushi is an ordinary middle school student with a cool persona and a nice smile. Nina has a crush on Tetsushi during the second volume of the manga, but she forgets her original feelings for him while seeing how Ayu feels towards him. In both the manga and anime, Tetsushi and Ayu eventually begin dating.

Voiced by: Susumu Chiba (Japanese); Yuri Lowenthal (English)

Hiroki is Tetsushi's best friend who is often seen together with him and serves as captain of the boys' tennis club. He has a good sense of self-worth and is in love with Nina; they eventually begin dating midway through the series.

Voiced by: Yu Hayashi (Japanese); Peter Doyle (English)

Yuta is Nina's kindhearted childhood friend from the Magic Kingdom. He does not need a computer to cast spells like Nina does, and teases her about that frequently.

Voiced by: Reiko Takagi (Japanese); Sherry Lynn (English)

Leo is Nina's cat with the ability of turning into a boy using a magic candy.

Voiced by: Saeko Chiba (Japanese); Philece Sampler (English)

One of the candidates to be the princess of the Magic Kingdom and Nina's childhood friend, Maya has a pet chameleon named and a talking crow named Shiro who wears an orange bandana. Her hobby is black magic. Initially had a rivalry with Nina, they become friends in episode 28 of the anime. Maya has a crush on the prince, who loved her since they danced together as children and she saved him. The couple eventually got married as Maya princess of the Magic Kingdom.

A manga-exclusive character, Sayaka is a self-taught magician who displays a hostile behavior towards all of her classmates. She is interested in dating Yuta, but has a secret agenda. Sayaka is revealed to be half-witch on her late mother's side. Growing up on Earth, Yuta and Nina could not detect that she had magical powers.

Voiced by: Isao Yamagishi (Japanese); Doug Erholtz (English)

An anime-exclusive character, Jun serves as Committee Chairman at Ayu and Nina's school. He is determined to expose Maya's as a witch and is constantly trying to take pictures of her. After seeing Maya, Jun realizes that she became an evil witch due to her dark magic.

A manga-only character, Mito is Yuta's flirty older sister. She takes Nina and Ayu to bars and tends to get them in trouble.

The Principal

A cheerful member of the school.

, and

A trio of little girls who are loyal towards Nina with the ability to ride on a blue stuffed dinosaur that uses its tail as a propeller.

Media

Manga

Ultra Maniac premiered in the February 2002 issue of Ribon, with each chapter published monthly until it ended in the January 2004 issue. It was also published in five tankōbon by Shueisha.

Viz Media licensed Ultra Maniac for an English-language release in North America. The series was released from July 5, 2005 to March 7, 2006.

Volume list

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	North American release date	North American ISBN
01	August 6, 2002	Template:ISBNT	July 5, 2005	Template:ISBNT
02	January 15, 2003	Template:ISBNT	September 13, 2005	Template:ISBNT
03	June 13, 2003	Template:ISBNT	November 1, 2005	Template:ISBNT
04	December 15, 2003	Template:ISBNT	January 3, 2006	Template:ISBNT
05	May 14, 2004	Template:ISBNT	March 7, 2006	Template:ISBNT

Anime

The Ultra Maniac series was produced by the anime television network, Animax, who have broadcast the series exclusively across Japan, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and other regions, dubbing and broadcasting the series into English and other languages. It has been licensed for North American distribution by Geneon Entertainment, who have released the series across the region via a 7-volume DVD release, the first of which was released on April 4, 2005 and the last of which was released on April 18, 2006. The series was released on DVD by Discotek Media on April 25, 2017 don't forget Disney Channel and Disney XD.

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External links

• Official Animax Ultra Maniac website Template:In lang
• Template:Anime News Network