Nagasarete Airantō
Nagasarete Airantō is a Japanese harem manga series by Takeshi Fujishiro. It was first serialized in Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan magazine in January 2002, and a few years later expanded into a multimedia franchise including drama CDs, light novels, and a 26-episode anime adaptation by Studio Feel that aired in Japan between April 4 and September 26, 2007.
From the same author, there is a sister series titled Cahe Detective Club which features the cousins of certain characters from this series.
Plot
After an argument with his father, 14-year-old Ikuto Tōhōin runs away from home and out to sea, only for a massive storm to send him adrift and eventually strand him on an uncharted tropical island named Airantou. Half-drowned, he is found by a kindhearted but naive girl named Suzu, who resuscitates him and takes him into her care.Soon after, Ikuto learns that Airantou was settled 130 years ago by a group of Japanese that had been shipwrecked during a voyage to Europe. Though their Meiji-era village survived and prospered to the modern day, its entire male population was claimed by a rogue wave during a fishing tournament some twelve years before. As a result, nearly every girl of Suzu's generation is desperate for a husband and immediately latches onto Ikuto as a prime candidate; to his dismay, their attentions quickly erupt into violent competition, forcing Suzu to protect him.
At first eager to escape the island, Ikuto eventually settles into his new life with Suzu, befriending her as well as many of the other girls pursuing his hand. Together, they engage in countless mishaps and adventures, heartily encouraged by not only the village matriarch - Suzu's grandmother - but the increasingly large cast of anthropomorphic animals and Yōkai that also call Airantou home.
Characters
;Ikuto Tōhōin;Suzu
;Ayane
;Machi
;Rin
;Chikage
;Yukino
;Shinobu
;Mikoto
;Mei-Mei
;Michiru
;Obaba
;Misaki Tōhōin
Non-human
;Panako;Tohno
;Sakuya
Others
;Kiyomasa;Kagami
;Kunai
;Suzuran
Leaders
Airan is divided into four sections, five if the surrounding waterways are included: North, South, East, and West, but also includes the surround water. Each section has its own Leader who as the strongest individual, maintains the law and order of the area. The main mission of the leaders is to not only protect their area but also the Sea Dragon God who is the Great Lord of the island and has the power to protect those from large storms. He was responsible for bringing Ikuto safely into Airantō. The leaders are as follows:- The Northern Leader is a two-tailed oddly bipedal tiger with a prominent scar on his face named Taiga and is equally matched with the Southern Leader. Despite his looks and his strength, he appears to be quite a gentle individual . In addition, he recently married a Tigeress who became a youkai like him, but since he is shy, he spends very little time with her, much to her annoyance. As a child he was, in fact, rather timid. He was forced to become strong, when Obaba planted the only cherry blossom on the island in the north, due to the suitable climate and then demanded that he protect it from the other northerners who might want to destroy it.
- The Southern Leader is a two-tailed cat named Shima-Tora, who was Suzu's master in the martial arts and shapeshifting, and is said to have lived for over one hundred years. He generally wears disguises to change his appearance, although he can change it with magic. This involves pulling the desired form, from within his mouth, and flipping himself inside out. Due to rather macabre nature of his magic, he avoids using it. He is the leader of cats on the island and engages in a yearly battle with dogs, who also reside in the south for control. However, the battle is more of a game, as it doesn't really matter to them who wins or loses.
- *In manga, he has a wife named Myaa that is also a two-tailed and can transform into a beautiful human girl, which she always does before meeting her husband because her real form is currently overweight due to her gourmet habit.
- The Eastern Leader is a panda named Pandaro, who seems to fear the other Leaders, implying that he is the weakest of the Leaders; he rules over the eastern forest which is feared for the fact that it is home to carnivorous plants ; was the first Leader whom Ikuto encountered. Pandaro is also the most hostile Leader to outsiders, rather than Taiga who only seems unfriendly and prefers peace. He's not a yōkai but is more powerful than most, except for the leaders. He has a habit of going after females whom he thinks are cute, regardless of species, which makes his wife extremely anger, especially since he has children. He is especially fond of Mei-Mei and is the leader of her fan-club. Despite his many flaws, he takes his position as leader very seriously.
- The Western Leader is a rooster named Karaage, who lives very close to Suzu and Ikuto's house; he even has a wife and children living with them, whom he loves dearly. While he is hailed as the strongest fighter on the Island, Karaage is not a yōkai and does not have spiritual power like Taiga and Shima-Tora. As a result, he points out himself, that he is not all powerful, and is not suited for fighting spiritual power users. This does not mean, he cannot beat them, however. His strength is revealed to be from brutal training and sparring with Suzu's mother, Suzuran, as she tried to teach him to fly. She, along with Obaba are among the few people whom Karaage cannot beat. When he discovered he was a rooster and would never be able to fly, he became a delinquent for a short period before Suzuran beat him up, and forced him back on the right path.
- *In the manga, it is revealed that the West once used to have an unnamed emperor penguin for the leader who has a descendant that later competed with Karaage for the master seat.
- In addition, a female orca named Sashimi dwells in the waters that surround the island and is called master of the sea. Though she does not speak, Suzu seems able to communicate with her. She does speak, when she is brought on land for the yearly festival. Sashimi's duty is to stop those who wander too close to the dangerous whirlpools that surround Airan.
Media
Manga
The Nagasarete Airantō manga began serialization in the January 2002 issue of Monthly Shōnen Gangan, published by Square Enix. Additional chapters were serialized in the magazine Gangan Powered, but transferred to Monthly Shōnen Gangan after Gangan Powered was discontinued in early 2009. Square Enix has published 39 tankōbon volumes and one "guide book" containing various background information as of May 2023.Drama CDs
There have been two drama CDs released based on the series.- Comic CD Collection 30 Nagasarete Airantō Vol.1,, released February 20, 2004
- Comic CD Collection 32 Nagasarete Airantō Vol.2,, released February 10, 2005
Light novels
There have been three light novels based on Nagasarete Airantō written by Shōgo Mukai and illustrated by Ken Fujiyo. The first went on sale in November 2004, the second in March 2007 and the third in April 2008.Anime
A 26-episode anime adaption of Nagasarete Airantō aired between April 4 and September 26, 2007. It was produced by the animation studio Feel, directed by Hideki Okamoto and written by Mamiko Ikeda. Four pieces of theme music are used for the anime: one opening theme and three ending themes. The opening theme is "Days" by Yui Horie. The first ending theme for episodes 1–12 is "Say Cheese" by Horie, the second ending theme for episode 13 is "Pu~!" by Akeno Watanabe, and the third ending theme for episodes 14–25 is "Koisuru Tenkizu" by Horie. "Days" was also used as the ending theme for episode 26.Discotek Media, who licensed the anime, released the series on Blu-ray on May 28, 2019.