Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan | |
Genre | Dark comedy[1] |
---|---|
Manga | |
Written by | Gaku Kuze |
Published by | Ichijinsha |
English publisher | |
Magazine | Comic POOL |
Demographic | Josei |
Original run | May 12, 2017 – present |
Volumes | 9 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Nobuyoshi Nagayama |
Written by | Touko Machida |
Music by | Kei Haneoka |
Studio | Studio Blanc |
Licensed by | Crunchyroll |
Original network | TV Tokyo, BS11, Wowow, HTB, Animax |
Original run | July 6, 2021 – September 28, 2021 |
Episodes | 13 |
Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan (Japanese: うらみちお兄さん, Hepburn: Uramichi Onii-san, "Big Bro Uramichi") is a Japanese comedy manga series by Gaku Kuze. It has been serialized online via Ichijinsha's Comic POOL digital manga magazine since May 2017. Chapters have been collected in six tankōbon volumes. The manga series has been licensed in North America by Kodansha USA. An anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Blanc aired from July to September 2021.
Uramichi Omota, a 31-year-old former professional gymnast, works as the leader of the exercise segment of the children's show Together with Maman (a parody of Okaasan to Issho). Despite keeping an upbeat persona on the show, he can't help but reveal his true, jaded, worn-out personality.
Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan is written and illustrated by Gaku Kuze. It has been serialized online in Ichijinsha's Comic POOL digital manga magazine since May 12, 2017.[8] Chapters have been collected in seven tankōbon volumes. During their Anime NYC 2019 panel, Kodansha USA announced that they had licensed the series.[9]
No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 27, 2017[10] | 978-4-7580-1575-2 | December 8, 2020[11] | 978-1-646-51114-3 |
2 | April 27, 2018[12] | 978-4-7580-1597-4 | December 8, 2020[11] | 978-1-646-51114-3 |
3 | January 29, 2019[13] | 978-4-7580-1628-5 | January 19, 2021[14] | 978-1-646-51140-2 |
4 | October 29, 2019[15] | 978-4-7580-1666-7 | January 19, 2021[14] | 978-1-646-51140-2 |
5 | May 29, 2020[16][17] | 978-4-7580-1693-3 (regular edition) 978-4-7580-1694-0 (special edition) | February 22, 2022[18] | 978-1-646-51261-4 |
6 | June 21, 2021[19][20] | 978-4-7580-1722-0 (regular edition) 978-4-7580-1723-7 (special edition) | February 22, 2022[18] | 978-1-646-51261-4 |
7 | January 28, 2022[21] | 978-4-7580-1756-5 | May 2, 2023[22] | 978-1-646-51752-7 |
8 | October 19, 2022[23][24] | 978-4-7580-1778-7 (regular edition) 978-4-7580-1779-4 (special edition) | May 2, 2023[22] | 978-1-646-51752-7 |
9 | July 21, 2023[25] | 978-4-7580-1825-8 | — | — |
An anime adaptation was announced in a promotional video of the fourth volume of the manga on October 25, 2019.[2] The television series is animated by Studio Blanc and directed by Nobuyoshi Nagayama, with Touko Machida handling series composition, Mizuki Takahashi and Yusuke Shibata designing the characters, and Kei Haneoka composing the series' music. It was scheduled to premiere in 2020,[26] but was delayed to 2021 due to "production issues".[27][28] The series aired from July 6 to September 28, 2021, on TV Tokyo and other channels.[29][30] Mamoru Miyano and Nana Mizuki performed the opening theme song, "ABC Taisō" (ABC Exercises) as their respective characters, while Miyano also performed the ending theme song "Dream on".[6][7] Funimation licensed the series.[31] Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.[32]
No. | Title [33][a] | Directed by [33] | Written by [33] | Storyboarded by [33] | Original air date [35][b] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Uramichi-oniisan" Transliteration: "Uramichi Onii-san" (Japanese: うらみちお兄さん) | Ryōsuke Shibuya | Tōko Machida | Yoshinobu Nagayama | July 6, 2021 |
2 | "Senpai and Kohai" Transliteration: "Senpai to Kōhai" (Japanese: 先輩と後輩) | Hidetoshi Takahashi | Tōko Machida | Akihiro Saitō | July 13, 2021 |
3 | "Wash Your Hands and Gargle" Transliteration: "Tearai Ugai wa Taisetsu ni" (Japanese: 手洗いうがいは大切に) | Yūsuke Shibata | Misaki Morie | Yūsuke Shibata | July 20, 2021[c] |
4 | "Long, Hot Summer" Transliteration: "Endoresu Mōsho" (Japanese: エンドレス猛暑) | Ryōsuke Shibuya | Rie Uehara | Ryōsuke Shibuya, Kanae Aoki, Tomari Kōki, Kazuya Ishiguri | July 27, 2021[c] |
5 | "Once This Concert Is Over…" Transliteration: "Kono Kōen ga Owattara" (Japanese: この公演が終わったら) | Yūsuke Shibata, Kazuya Ishiguri, Kanae Aoki, Tomari Kōki | Tōko Machida | Yoshinobu Nagayama, Kazuya Ishiguri, Kanae Aoki, Tomari Kōki | August 3, 2021[c] |
6 | "That Thing That You Can't Remember the Name Of" Transliteration: "Omoidasenai Rei no Are" (Japanese: 思い出せない例のあれ) | Tomari Kōki, Kazuya Ishiguri | Rie Uehara | Akihiro Saitō | August 10, 2021 |
7 | "I Can Do It by Myself" Transliteration: "Hitori de Dekirumon" (Japanese: 一人でできるもん) | Yūsuke Shibata, Tomari Kōki, Kanae Aoki, Kazuya Ishiguri | Misaki Morie | Yūsuke Shibata, Tomari Kōki, Kanae Aoki, Kazuya Ishiguri | August 17, 2021 |
8 | "Servility and Conscience" Transliteration: "Sontaku to Ryōshin" (Japanese: 忖度と良心) | Tomari Kōki, Kanae Aoki | Misaki Morie | Taizō Yoshida | August 24, 2021[d] |
9 | "Young People These Days" Transliteration: "Saikin no Wakai Ko" (Japanese: 最近の若い子) | Kanae Aoki, Kazuya Ishiguri, Tomari Kōki, Ryūta Yamamoto | Rie Uehara | Taizō Yoshida | August 31, 2021[d] |
10 | "Subzero Spiral" Transliteration: "Gokkan Supairaru" (Japanese: 極寒スパイラル) | Ryōsuke Shibuya, Kanae Aoki, Kazuya Ishiguri | Rie Uehara | Ryōsuke Shibuya, Tomari Kōki, Kanae Aoki, Kazuya Ishiguri | September 7, 2021 |
11 | "Fateful Encounter" Transliteration: "Unmei no Deai" (Japanese: 運命の出会い) | Takayuki Murakami | Tōko Machida | Gorō Kuji | September 14, 2021 |
12 | "Awkward Smile" Transliteration: "Bukiyō na Egao" (Japanese: 不器用な笑顔) | Tomari Kōki, Kanae Aoki, Kazuya Ishiguri | Misaki Morie | Yūsuke Shibata, Tomari Kōki, Kanae Aoki, Kazuya Ishiguri | September 21, 2021 |
13 | "Together with Maman Forever" Transliteration: "Fōebā "Maman to Tugyazā"" (Japanese: Forever『ママンとトゥギャザー』) | Yūsuke Shibata, Tomari Kōki, Kanae Aoki, Kazuya Ishiguri | Tōko Machida | Yūsuke Shibata, Tomari Kōki, Kanae Aoki, Kazuya Ishiguri | September 28, 2021 |
In 2017, the manga won the Next Manga Award in the web manga category.[36] It ranked sixth on AnimeJapan's "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll in 2019.[37] Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network published a positive review of the two omnibus editions of the manga in 2021. She wrote that: "Simply put, Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan works because it melds absurdity with a dash of realism while reminding readers of their own experiences with children's programming. It does take a while to get going, but by the end of the second book, it has achieved just the right mix of humor and cynicism."[38]
The anime adaptation's first episode garnered mixed reviews from Anime News Network's staff during the Summer 2021 season previews. Richard Eisenbeis praised the portrayal of Uramichi being more "depressed and disillusioned than [as] an asshole" and the treatment of the other characters' predicament being "equal parts funny and sad", saying that fans of Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei will enjoy this series. Caitlin Moore was critical of the inappropriate humor said towards young children and the comic timing being "a little bit off" and diminishing the impact of the jokes. James Beckett felt the show didn't "play[s] up the absurdity of its central joke enough" to offset the lack of other jokes throughout the runtime, despite giving praise to the "understated" delivery and Mamoru Miyano giving a "naturalistic" performance as Iketeru. Lynzee Loveridge wrote that the series will appeal to people who enjoy its brand of dark humor, saying that: "If you find this funny, it also probably says something about you and your personal life experiences, your outlook on the world at large." Silverman found the early parts of the episode unfunny because of the focus on Uramichi's bleak outlook but was hopeful of his supporting cast balancing the humor, concluding that: "[T]he contrasts between the colors of the show and Uramichi's dark moments are good, and I like the vocal cast's delivery, but I'm having a hard time getting behind this episode in general. It does get better, but getting there could be a schlep." Nicholas Dupree said that despite a few gags landing its spot, he felt the premiere was hampered by its structure of shorter segments undercutting Uramichi's comments and lacking in quality punchlines, concluding that: "It's a pity, because this past year has had me in the mood for darker humor more than ever, but so far Uramichi Oniisan just hasn't delivered."[39]
Silverman reviewed the complete anime series in 2022 and gave it a B− grade.[40] While finding fault in the "limited animation", the portrayals of Derekida and Capellini, and the limited appeal of its central premise, she praised Uramichi and Together with Maman's programming for making up "a winning combination" for one of the series' best jokes, the "solid vocal performances" from the cast and the subtle details in the characters' past and background jokes, concluding that: "I do think it may work a bit better in its original manga form, but no matter how you experience it, this is probably a love-it-or-hate-it kind of show."[40] The series was nominated for Best Comedy at the 6th Crunchyroll Anime Awards, but lost to Komi Can't Communicate.[41][42]