Rin-ne


Rin-ne is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from April 2009 to December 2017, with its chapters collected in 40 volumes. The series follows Sakura Mamiya, a girl who gained the power to see ghosts after an incident as a child, and her classmate Rinne Rokudo, a boy of mixed human and heritage who helps lingering spirits finally pass on to be reincarnated.
The manga has been licensed in North America by Viz Media, which simultaneously released the manga chapters online in English as they were serialized in Japan until March 2011, and in Australasia by Madman Entertainment. A three-season anime television series adaptation, produced by Brain's Base, aired from 2015 to 2017. The manga has had 3 million copies in circulation.

Plot

Sakura Mamiya is a high school student who gained the ability to see ghosts after being mysteriously spirited away for one week as a child, though she recalls little about the incident. This ability causes her distress since others cannot perceive the spirits she encounters. At school, she meets Rinne Rōkudo, a frequently absent classmate who works as a. His role involves helping earthbound spirits resolve their lingering attachments so they can pass through the wheel of reincarnation—a massive red wheel visible in the sky. Their interactions frequently involve assisting these troubled spirits while navigating the challenges caused by Sakura's supernatural perception.

Characters

Main characters

;Rinne Rokudo
;Sakura Mamiya
;Rokumon

Family

;Sabato Rokudo
;Mrs. Mamiya
;Otome Rokudō

Humans

;Miho
;Rika
;Tsubasa Jumonji
;Ayame Sakaki
;Hitomi Annette Anematsuri

Non-humans

;Masato
;Ageha
;Bijin
;Kain
;Shoma
;Refuto
;Raito
;Renge Shima
;Matsugo
;Anju

Black cats

;Oboro
;Suzu
;Kurosu
;Tama
;Kuromitsu
;Kuroboshi
;Kuroboshi III

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi, Rin-ne was serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday manga magazine from April 22, 2009, to December 13, 2017. Shogakukan collected its chapters in 40 volumes, released from October 16, 2009, to January 18, 2018.
In North America, the manga has been licensed by Viz Media, and they published the chapters simultaneously online in English as they were serialized until March 17, 2011. Rin-ne was the first title to be released under Viz Media's Shonen Sunday imprint, with the first volume published on October 20, 2009, and the last on July 13, 2021. Madman Entertainment published the first volume in Australia on October 10, 2010.

Anime

A 25-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Brain's Base and directed by Seiki Sugawara, premiered on April 4, 2015. The screenplay is written by Michiko Yokote and the music composed by Akimitsu Honma. The first set of opening and ending theme songs is "Ōkaranman" by Keytalk and "Tokinowa" by Passepied respectively, while the second set used from episode 14 onwards is "Ura no Ura" by Passepied and "Futatsu no Sekai" by Quruli. Prior to the anime, an animated commercial promoting the manga and Weekly Shōnen Sunday was created in 2009. The second season premiered on April 9, 2016. For the second season, the first set of opening and ending theme songs is "Melody" by Pile and "Hanashi o Shiyō" by Glim Spanky respectively, while the second set used from episode 38 onwards is "Ainii" by CreepHyp and "Beautiful Life" by Shiggy Jr. The third season aired from April to September 2017. For the third season, the first set of opening and ending theme songs is "Shiny" by Yoru no Honki Dance and "Suki nano Kana" by Softly respectively, while the second set used from episode 63 onwards is "Setsuna Yumemishi" by Keytalk and "Puzzle" by Mone Kamishiraishi.
The anime's three seasons are licensed by Sentai Filmworks for digital and home video release in North America.

Reception

By August 2014, Rin-ne had 3 million copies in circulation. During the week of October 12–18, 2009, the first two volumes ranked at No. 15 and 16 for the best-selling manga; combined, the volumes sold about 100,000 copies that week. The following week of October 19–25, 2009, the first volume ranked at No. 18 with over 44,000 copies sold, while the second volume ranked at No. 20 with over 41,000 copies sold. The third manga volume ranked at No. 11 for the best-selling manga for the week of March 15–21, 2010, and the English version ranked at No. 8 on The New York Times Manga Best Seller list in May 2010. The fourth manga volume ranked twice at No. 19 and 20 in June 2010 with over 76,000 copies sold. The fifth manga volume also ranked twice at No. 21 and 23 in September 2010 with over 71,000 copies sold. The sixth manga volume ranked at No. 29 for the best-selling manga for the week of December 13–19, 2010. A 2019 NHK poll of 210,061 people who saw Rin-ne named it Takahashi's sixth best animated work.