Lucifer_and_the_Biscuit_Hammer

<i>Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer</i>

Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer

Japanese manga series


Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer, known in Japan as Samidare of the Stars (Japanese: 惑星のさみだれ, Hepburn: Hoshi no Samidare),[lower-alpha 1] is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Satoshi Mizukami. It was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's seinen manga magazine Young King OURs from April 2005 to August 2010, with its chapters collected in ten tankōbon volumes. Seven Seas Entertainment published the series in North America.

Quick Facts 惑星のさみだれ (Hoshi no Samidare), Genre ...

An anime television series adaptation by NAZ aired from July to December 2022 on the Animeism programming block.

By 2022, the manga had sold 650,000 physical copies.

Plot

Yuuhi Amamiya is a young, misanthropic college student who one day wakes up to find a lizard on his bed. The lizard explains that Yuuhi has been chosen as a Beast Knight, a magical warrior destined to help a princess defeat a mage seeking to destroy the world with a giant mallet floating in space called the Biscuit Hammer. While Yuuhi initially is not interested in getting involved, he changes his mind when he meets the princess, Samidare Asahina, who tells him her intent to defeat the mage and save the world so she can destroy it herself.

Characters

The Beast Knights

Yuuhi Amamiya (雨宮 夕日, Amamiya Yūhi)
Voiced by: Junya Enoki,[2] Kaede Hondo (young)Ep. 2 credits (Japanese); Lee George,[3] Dani Chambers (young)[4] (English)
Yuuhi is the Lizard Knight. A misanthropic college student, he ultimately agrees to save the Earth so Samidare can destroy it instead.
Samidare Asahina (朝日奈 さみだれ, Asahina Samidare)
Voiced by: Naomi Ōzora[2] (Japanese); Ariel Graham,[3] Macy Anne Johnson (young)[4] (English)
Samidare is the princess of the Beast Knights who serves as Anima's vessel. She secretly wants to destroy the planet herself.
Hangetsu Shinonome (東雲 半月, Shinonome Hangetsu)
Voiced by: Shuuhei Iwase,[5] Anna Kitamoto (young)[6] (Japanese); Matt Shipman,[7] Samantha Herek (young)[8] (English)
Hangetsu is the Dog Knight. He is a martial arts expert who wants to be a hero of justice.
Mikazuki Shinonome (東雲 三日月, Shinonome Mikazuki)
Voiced by: Gen Satō[5] (Japanese); Clifford Chapin,[9] Kristin Paybe (young)[10] (English)
Mikazuki is the Crow Knight who is a college student and Hangetsu's younger brother. While he normally has a friendly and outgoing personality, he becomes obsessed with fighting once he comes across a worthy opponent.
Souichirou Nagumo (南雲 宗一朗, Nagumo Sōichirō)
Voiced by: Tetsu Inada[5] (Japanese); Marcus D. Stimac[11] (English)
Souichirou is the Horse Knight. He was a detective prior to being a Beast Knight. He serves as a fatherly figure for the knights and is fiercely protective of the younger members.
Yayoi Hakudou (白道 八宵, Hakudō Yayoi)
Voiced by: Aya Suzaki[5] (Japanese); Natalie Rose Hoover[12] (English)
Yayoi is the Snake Knight. She is a kind woman who is skilled at swordplay and is into anime, manga, and cosplay. She develops feelings for Yuuhi after he rescues her.
Taiyou Akane (茜 太陽, Akane Taiyō)
Voiced by: Mutsumi Tamura[5] (Japanese); SuzAnne DeCarma[13] (English)
Taiyou is the Owl Knight. He is a young boy who is withdrawn and estranged from his family.
Hyou Shimaki (風巻 豹, Shimaki Hyō)
Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka[5] (Japanese); Travis Mullenix[14] (English)
Shimaki is the Cat Knight. He is a man who is very passionate about knowledge and is capable of producing his own golems.
Subaru Hoshikawa (星川 昴, Hoshikawa Subaru)
Voiced by: Chihaya Yoshitake[5] (Japanese); Trisha Mellon[15] (English)
Subaru is the Rooster Knight who is Yukimachi's best friend. She is the more sensitive of the two and she has a crush on Mikazuki.
Yukimachi Tsukishiro (月代 雪待, Tsukishiro Yukimachi)
Voiced by: Moeha Nochimoto[5] (Japanese); Corinne Sudberg[15] (English)
Yukimachi is the Turtle Knight who is Subaru's best friend. She is the more boisterous of the two.
Inachika Akitani (秋谷 稲近, Akitani Inachika)
Voiced by: Kazuhiro Yamaji,[5] Haruki Ishiya (young)Ep. 9 credits (Japanese); R. Bruce Elliott,[16] Ben Balmaceda (young)[16] (English)
Akitani is the Swordfish Knight who has lived for over 500 years. He serves as Subaru and Yukimachi's master.
Tarou Kusakabe (日下部 太朗, Kusakabe Tarō)
Voiced by: Shun'ichi Toki,[5] Hana Tamegai (young)[17] (Japanese); Tristan Bonner,[18] Hannah Alyea (young)[19] (English)
Tarou is the Mouse Knight. He is a kind high school student who wants to become a chef after graduating and is in love with his childhood friend, Hanako.
Hanako Sorano (宙野 花子, Sorano Hanako)
Voiced by: Chinatsu Hirose[5] (Japanese); Dani Chambers[15] (English)
Hanako is the Mantis Knight. A childhood friend of Tarou's, she is an intelligent high school student who is reserved and rarely shows her emotions.

Familiars

Noi Crezant (ノイ=クレザント, Noi Kurezanto)
Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda[2] (Japanese); Kent Williams[3] (English)
Noi is the lizard familiar assigned to Yuuhi. He often lectures Yuuhi and tries to steer him in the right direction.
Ludo Shubarie (ルド=シュバリエ, Rudo Shubarie)
Voiced by: Shōya Ishige[5] (Japanese); Christopher Wehkamp[8] (English)
Ludo is the dog familiar assigned to Hangetsu. He is intuitive and devoted to his role.
Muu (ムー, )
Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka[5] (Japanese); Monica Rial[20] (English)
Muu is the crow familiar assigned to Mikazuki. She rarely speaks.
Dance Dark (ダンス=ダーク, Dansu Dāku)
Voiced by: Kentarō Kumagai[5] (Japanese); Michael Stimac[11] (English)
Dance is the horse familiar assigned to Souichirou. While he takes his role seriously, he does not like to be ridden.
Shea Moon (シア=ムーン, Shia Mūn)
Voiced by: Hyo-sei[5] (Japanese); Morgan Lauré[18] (English)
Shea is the snake familiar assigned to Yayoi. He is supportive of Yayoi and encourages her to be more open about her hobbies and feelings.
Loki Helios (ロキ=ヘリオス, Roki Heriosu)
Voiced by: Manabu Muraji[5] (Japanese); Martin Cervantes[15] (English)
Loki is the owl familiar assigned to Taiyou. Despite his cynical nature, he completely supports whatever decision Taiyou's makes.
Coo Ritter (クー=リッター, Kū Rittā)
Voiced by: Nagisa Kakegawa[5] (Japanese); Megan Shipman[18] (English)
Coo is the cat familiar assigned to Shimaki. He is polite and tries to help Shimaki whenever he has a chance.
Lee Soleil (リー=ソレイユ, Rī Soreiyu)
Voiced by: Mitsuo Iwata[5] (Japanese); Wyatt Baker[15] (English)
Lee is the rooster familiar assigned to Subaru. He is very protective of Subaru and is prone to speaking his mind.
Ron Yue (ロン=ユエ)
Voiced by: Katsuji Mori[5] (Japanese); Greg Dulce[21] (English)
Ron is the turtle familiar assigned to Yukimachi. He has a laid-back personality.
Zan Amal (ザン=アマル, Zan Amaru)
Voiced by: Tetsuei Sumiya[5] (Japanese); Justin Briner[16] (English)
Zan is the swordfish familiar assigned to Akitani. Due to his appearance, he tries to warn people when he arrives.
Lance Lumiere (ランス=リュミエール, Ransu Ryumiēru)
Voiced by: Kazutomi Yamamoto[5] (Japanese); Rachel Glass[15] (English)
Lance is the mouse familiar assigned to Tarou. He does not get along with Kil.
Kil Zonne (キル=ゾンネ, Kiru Zon'ne)
Voiced by: Ruriko Aoki[5] (Japanese); Kasi Hollowell[22] (English)
Kil is the mantis familiar assigned to Hanako. He has a cold and ruthless personality.

Others

Anima (アニマ)
Voiced by: M.A.O[5] (Japanese); Jessica Peterson,[23] Kristin Sutton (young)[4] (English)
Anima is a woman who provides the knights their powers. She is trying to stop Animus from destroying the planet.
Animus (アニムス, Animusu)
Voiced by: Tatsumaru Tachibana,[5] Hitomi Ueda (young)[24] (Japanese); Alex Mai,[23] Kristen McGuire (young)[4] (English)
Animus is the mysterious mage who wants to destroy the planet with the Biscuit Hammer.
Hisame Asahina (朝日奈 氷雨, Asahina Hisame)
Voiced by: Azusa Tadokoro[2] (Japanese); Monica Rial[3] (English)
Hisame is Samidare's older sister who works as a college professor at Yuuhi and Mikazuki's university.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Satoshi Mizukami, Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's seinen magazine Young King OURs from 28 April 2005[25][26] to 30 August 2010.[27] Shōnen Gahōsha collected its chapters in ten tankōbon volumes, released from 27 January 2006[28] to 30 November 2010.[29]

JManga began publishing the series digitally in North America in February 2012.[1][30][31] The company published the first five volumes before they shut down in May 2013.[32] It was subsequently licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment in November 2013.[32][33] Crunchyroll added the series to their online catalog in September 2014,[34] while BookWalker added it on 18 November 2015.[35] Seven Seas published the series in five two-in-one omnibus volumes.[34][36]

A spinoff manga written by Ichiri Seto and supervised by Satoshi Mizukami, titled Sono Ato no Hero (その後のヒーロー, "The Hero Afterwards"), was serialized in the November 2022 issue of Young King OURs, which was released on 30 September 2022. It focuses on the character Mikazuki Shinonome.[37] Shōnen Gahōsha published one tankōbon volume on 10 November 2022.[38]

Volumes

Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer

More information No., Title ...
Sono Ato no Hero
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Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on 24 January 2022. The series was produced by NAZ and directed by Nobuaki Nakanishi, with Satoshi Mizukami, the original author, and Yūichirō Momose writing the scripts, Hajime Hatakeyama designing the characters, and Takatsugu Wakabayashi composing the music. It aired from 9 July to 24 December 2022, on the Animeism programming block on MBS, TBS, and BS-TBS.[49][50][lower-alpha 2] The first opening theme song is "Gyōkō" (暁光, "Dawn Light") by Half time Old, while the first ending theme song is "Reflexion" by SpendyMily.[52][lower-alpha 3] The second opening theme song is "Be the Hero" by Raon.[53] Sano Ibuki performed the second ending theme song "Zero" from Episodes 13–17 and 19–24,[53] while the Pillows performed the third ending theme song "Poem of Babylon Angel" (バビロン天使の詩) for Episode 18.[lower-alpha 4]

Crunchyroll has licensed the series, and has also began streaming an English dub starting on 22 July 2022.[54][3] Muse Communication licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia.[55]

Episodes

More information No., Title ...

Reception

Manga

In 2011, the series was nominated for the 42nd Seiun Awards in the comics category.[59]

Reviewing the first omnibus volume for Anime News Network, Rebecca Silverman commented that the story "takes a while to hit its stride, but when it does, putting it down becomes difficult", writing that "underneath the goofy start and typically comedic devices of absurdly powerful girls and talking animals, Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer is hiding a very dark story" which makes it "feel very different from most of the other series currently available in English." She gave it an overall grade of B.[60] Silverman would later list the series as the runner-up for the "Best Reworking of an Old Genre" spot on her 2015 manga retrospective article for Anime News Network.[61] Charlie Jane Anders of io9 placed the series at number ten on her list of "10 Heroic Prophecies That Didn't Turn Out The Way the Heroes Expected".[62]

By 2022, the manga had sold 650,000 physical copies.[63]

Notes

  1. The series is also known as The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer, which is seen on the cover of Japanese version of the manga, and Hoshi no Samidare: The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer, which is the title used by JManga and Crunchyroll.
  2. MBS listed the series premiere at 25:55 JST on 8 July 2022, which is effectively 1:55 a.m. JST on 9 July.[51]
  3. In Episode 24, "Gyōkō" was used as an insert song.
  4. "Poem of Babylon Angel" is heard during the end credits of Episode 18.
  5. All English titles are taken from Crunchyroll.[57]
  6. Information is taken from the ending credits of each episode.

References

  1. Green, Scott (6 March 2012). ""Hoshi no Samidare" Debuts on JManga". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  2. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (16 March 2022). "Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer Anime Reveals 4 Cast Members". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  3. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (22 July 2022). "Crunchyroll Reveals Dub Casts for Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer, Shadows House Season 2". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  4. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (16 April 2022). "Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer Anime Reveals 24 More Cast Members, July Premiere". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  5. Shipman, Matt [@MattShipmanVO] (2 September 2022). "Add one to the Matt and Cliff play brothers counter ✔️" (Tweet). Retrieved 5 October 2022 via Twitter.
  6. Mullenix, Travis [@TMullenixVO] (10 September 2022). "This was such a great experience, getting to play a morally grey character like Shimaki!" (Tweet). Retrieved 5 October 2022 via Twitter.
  7. "Topics" (in Japanese). Shōnen Gahōsha. Archived from the original on 7 May 2005. Retrieved 24 January 2022. ★奇才、待望の新連載 [惑星のさみだれ]水上悟志
  8. YOUNGKING OURS 2005年6月号 (in Japanese). Shōnen Gahōsha. Archived from the original on 14 July 2005. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  9. アワーズ付録、平野耕太「ドリフタ」1巻続きを別冊で網羅. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. 30 August 2010. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  10. 惑星のさみだれ 第1巻( 水上悟志 ) (in Japanese). Shōnen Gahōsha. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
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  12. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (29 February 2012). "JManga Adds The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer, More Harlequin Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  13. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (28 December 2012). "JManga Adds 2 Works from Fumiko Shusai". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  14. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (11 November 2013). "Seven Seas Adds The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
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  17. "Hoshi no Samidare The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer / 1". BookWalker. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  18. "Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer". Seven Seas Entertainment. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  19. Mateo, Alex (30 September 2022). "Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer Manga Gets Spinoff". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  20. 惑星のさみだれ 1 (ヤングキングコミックス). Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
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  29. 惑星のさみだれ 10 (ヤングキングコミックス). Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  30. "Satoshi Mizukami's Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer Manga Gets TV Anime This Summer". Anime News Network. 24 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  31. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (20 May 2022). "Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer Anime's Short Trailer Reveals July 8 Debut". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  32. "Terebi Anime "Hoshi no Samidare" Kōshiki Saito" TVアニメ『惑星のさみだれ』公式サイト [TV Anime "Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer" Official Website]. hoshinosamidare.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  33. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (24 June 2022). "Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer Anime's Video Reveals Theme Songs". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  34. Mateo, Alex (3 October 2022). "Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer Anime's Video Previews 2nd Part, New Theme Songs". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  35. Mateo, Alex (22 June 2022). "Crunchyroll Announces Release Schedule for Summer 2022 Anime Season". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  36. "Terebi Anime "Hoshi no Samidare" Kōshiki Saito" TVアニメ『惑星のさみだれ』公式サイト [TV Anime "Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer" Official Website]. hoshinosamidare.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
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