Little Busters!

Little Busters!
http://imageshack.us/a/img51/9272/41963l.jpg

Plot Summary:
Little Busters is an adaptation of Key's romance adventure visual novel of the same name. Riki Naoe was orphaned when his parents died, but his depression is slowly lifted when he befriends a group of kids calling themselves the Little Busters. The series takes place during his second year of high school.

Riki was a child when his parents died, leaving him hopeless and depressed. What saved him was a group of four kids calling themselves the Little Busters. They took Riki out and played with him during his time of need. He really enjoyed being together with them, and his grief gradually faded away. Now in his second year of high school they still hang out, fight and live together, and enjoy their school life.

(Source: VNdb)

Opening Theme:
"Little Busters!" by Rita

Ending Theme:
"Alicemagic" by Rita

Japanese staff
Director: Yoshiki Yamakawa

Spoiler: staff show

Series Composition: Michiru Shimada

Script: Michiru Shimada

Music:
Jun Maeda (Key/Visual Art's)
Magome Togoshi
Manabu Miwa
PMMK
Shinji Orito (Key/Visual Art's)

Original Character Design:
Itaru Hinoue
Na-Ga

Character Design: Haruko Iizuka

Animation Director: Haruko Iizuka

Producer: Kohei Kawase


Theme Song Composition:
Jun Maeda (OP)
Shinji Orito (ED)

Theme Song Lyrics:
Jun Maeda (OP)
Yūto Tonokawa (ED)

Theme Song Performance:
Riko Hirai
Rita

Japanese cast
Hikaru Midorikawa as Kyōsuke Natsume
Tomoe Tamiyasu as Rin Natsume
Yui Horie as Riki Naoe
Keiko Suzuki as Haruka Saigusa
Naomi Wakabayashi as Kudryavka Noumi
Natsumi Yanase as Komari Kamikita
Nobutoshi Canna as Masato Inohara
Ryouko Tanaka as Yuiko Kurugaya
Sora Tokui as Sasami Sasasegawa
Yuiko Tatsumi as Mio Nishizono
Yusei Oda as Kengo Miyazawa
Yuu Kamonomiya as Kyōsuke Natsume (young)
Ai Nonaka as Sakiko Watanabe
Akemi Kanda as Rei Kawagoe
Ryou Hirohashi as Yukari Nakamura

Japanese companies
Animation Production: J.C. Staff

Original Creator: Visual Art's/Key

Production:
Kadokawa Shoten
Team Little Busters!
Visual Art's/Key
Warner Bros.

Episode 1

One of the most anticipated series of this anime season is finally here!

I watched a fanmade video of this VN some time ago and after watching that video I immediately thought that it would be an amazing idea to produce an LB anime. So I was thrilled when an LB anime was announced. Now…I have to admit that I wanted for KyoAni to produce this anime so I wasn’t exactly overjoyed when I found out that J.C. Staff was going to be the one behind this series. KyoAni has done such a wonderful job adapting Key novels so I was a bit iffy about J.C. adapting LB.

I watched the first episode and it was pretty good, it reminded me of Clannad quite a bit and of Toradora in some parts of the ep.

I’m not going to lie, I would have loved for KyoAni to adapt LB, but after watching the first episode I have high hopes that J.C. will do a good job adapting LB.

Now about the episode itself, I found it pretty funny; in fact I LOLed various times during the ep. About the characters…they were all okay but if I have to pick favs…then I would have to pick Riki (he is so cute! :wtf) and Kyousuke (he is very cool! :cool:).

My thoughts are basically the same as yours destiny, it was a funny episode. Not much to talk about since it was basically a collection of gags, but I do like all the characters so far.

Episode 2

- This episode wasn’t as funny as the first one, but it enjoyed it nonetheless. :)

- Kamikita is so adorable!! :wtf She is very cute and funny, her comment about not being able to get a wife was hilarious! :XD

- So Kamikita is the fifth member of the team and she is Rin’s first female friend. From the moment Rin was introduced it was very obvious that she was a tsudere, but I wasn’t expecting her to be that shy around girls. Her shy side is cute. ^_^

- Being familiar with Key novels, I was waiting for the drama to appear at some point during this episode and it did. This episode gave us a hint of where the drama will come from, it will come from Riki’s narcolepsy. I think the drama for this first arc, and who knows maybe for the whole series, will involve Riki and his sleeping disorder.

- Looking forward to the next episode!

I was waiting for you to post, because I didn't want to double post, I watched it a while ago, so my memories are not fresh. At first I was put off by komari character but she grew on me as the episode went by especially the scene at the baseball field. As for the narcolepsy I don't think it works like that because I seen a documentary about it and it's probably gonna bug me through the whole series.

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Originally Posted by digitaldude

At first I was put off by komari character but she grew on me as the episode went by especially the scene at the baseball field.

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She won me over in an instant! She is so cute! :wtf

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As for the narcolepsy I don't think it works like that because I seen a documentary about it and it's probably gonna bug me through the whole series.

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Well… maybe narcolepsy won’t be the source of drama in this series but I still think the drama will come from Riki’s side.

Btw, since you’re watching LB, I thought I would recommend you “Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo”. :) It’s another anime I’m currently watching and so far I like it. Just like LB, it is about a group of High School friends. A bit more crazy than LB but just as funny as LB. ^_^

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Episode 3

It wasn’t a great episode but it wasn’t bad either, it was okay.

- The only interesting thing in this episode for me was the introduction of Kurugaya, the newest member of the team.

- After Riki, Masato is my favorite male character in this series. He is silly and funny and I have a feeling he has the biggest heart of the group.

- It was a good thing to see Riki recovering pretty smoothly from his long slumber, so I guess the narcolepsy issue won’t be the source of drama in this series but I still think the source of drama will come from Riki’s side...

I think the first few episodes are to introduce the characters this show has a big cast!

Kurugaya is the one character I am not liking so far, she is too smug, and how many times are they going to use that weapon joke?? it ws funny the first 2 episodes but it was dragged out this one.

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Originally Posted by digitaldude

I think the first few episodes are to introduce the characters this show has a big cast!

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Yeah, the first episodes will be like that. They will introduce new characters but they will also let us know a bit more about the rest of the characters and about the story. Key novels are usually like that.

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Kurugaya is the one character I am not liking so far, she is too smug,

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I don’t like her but I don’t dislike her either. I think it has to do with the fact that I’m waiting for her weak/dere/sensitive side to appear.

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and how many times are they going to use that weapon joke?? it ws funny the first 2 episodes but it was dragged out this one.

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I agree. Recycled jokes lose their charm and are not funny anymore. I hope the next episodes will deliver some new funny stuff.

---------- Post added October 28, 2012 at 08:44 PM ---------- Previous post was October 22, 2012 at 09:15 PM ----------

Episode 4

Episodes like this one is the reason why I was so excited about LB getting animated. Loved this episode!

We were introduced to a new character in this episode, Kud. She is so, so, so adorable!!! http://www.laymark.com/l/m/m054.gif Her English while not perfect is so cute. Kawaii would be the word I’d use to describe Kud. She reminds me of Fuko-chan from Clannad a great deal.

Komari, another adorable and sweet character. I like her very much. :) She is so positive, so cheerful, so kind…so I wasn’t expecting for the drama to come from her direction, it was a nice surprise and I’m so looking forward to her arc.

I like Komari’s theory: “Making someone else happy will make you happy”. To a certain degree, I do agree with her theory and this episode showed us Komari’s theory in action. The LB gang brought happiness to a nursing home, and in the end, everyone had a great time.

Now…the last part of the episode…Kojirou, he can’t be Komari’s older brother, I guess he is her granpa but doesn’t want to see Komari because he is afraid of reminding her of her older brother and of what happened to him…I have a feeling that Komari’s bother is dead and that he died when she was still very little…

Btw, I know this is crazy but for some strange reason… I foresee a possible Kurugaya x Masato pairing.

Looking forward to episode 5!

Haha. Yeah she was very cute, and the English was pretty good for an anime. I have heard some pretty terrible engrish in some series(chrome shelled regios!).

As for Komari that was the first bit of real drama we had, apart from the narcolepsy ofcourse, but when rin jumped out and went meow meow meow, it made me cringe to be honest.

I agree with your theory that her brother died when he was small. This is why they wouldn't tell her she had a brother, but would they really continue lying even when she is in high school? There is probably more to this story!

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Originally Posted by digitaldude

Haha. Yeah she was very cute, and the English was pretty good for an anime. I have heard some pretty terrible engrish in some series(chrome shelled regios!).

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True, true. In comparison, Kud’s English was very cute. You could understand what she was saying.

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but when rin jumped out and went meow meow meow, it made me cringe to be honest.

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Really? I thought it was kind of cute and also sweet because those “meows” represented the words Rin could say because of her shyness.

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but would they really continue lying even when she is in high school?

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Maybe it is one of those cases where the lie got so big that it is impossible to straight things out without causing a lot of pain when the truth is revealed? Or maybe Komari involuntarily made something that caused her brother’s death?

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There is probably more to this story!

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I agree! Another thing that I’m curious about is why that grandpa has the same name as Komari’s brother…

Poor Komari-chan. :(
I want to see her smile, not crying in despair. x'(
I hope Riki can cheer her up somehow.

Welcome to this thread, Skyguardian! :)

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Originally Posted by Skyguardian

Poor Komari-chan. :(
I want to see her smile, not crying in despair. x'(

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I agree, poor Komari-chan, seeing her cry like that broke my heart. http://www.laymark.com/l/m/m033.gif

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I hope Riki can cheer her up somehow.

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I have a feeling that Riki and the rest of the LB gang will help bring back Komari-chan’s smile. :)

Episode 5

It is that perfect mixture of comedy and drama that I love in Key novels that was shown in this episode. Another great episode!

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I have a feeling that Komari’s brother is dead and that he died when she was still very little…

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My theory was right, Komari’s brother is dead and he died when Komari-chan was a little girl.

Judging from what has presented in this episode, it seems that Komari’s bother was very ill and that is why he spent a lot of time in the hospital. Maybe he had a heart condition?

I guess Komari’s brother knew that he was going to die and that was why he drew that storybook for his little sister and told her that all was a dream. Komari’s brother didn’t want for her to remember him because he knew it would be painful but at the same time he wanted her to remember him and that is why he gave him that storybook.

The most painful part of this week’s episode was Komari’s breakdown. That was so hard to watch! :( I still don’t know why her parents concealed the truth from her; as Riki said: "it couldn’t have been just because they didn’t want her to be sad", there must be something more…a secret, a painful secret. One thing is certain though, Komari-chan found her lost memories and now she remembers everything.

I’m enjoying the Komari arc a lot and I can’t wait to see the rest of it...although I know it’ll involve tears and sad moments.

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Originally Posted by destiny4ever

Welcome to this thread, Skyguardian! :)

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Thank you very much. :)

Finally watched episode 6 and I must say I'm still heartbroken after seeing Komari-chans empty eyes... x(
Lots of manly tears were shad but it all went well. x)
Really great to see how much they care for each other and even more happy to see Komari-chan finally accepted the truth and can live on.

I wonder what'll happen next? A new girl wants to join... I hope it'll be fun :D

One thing though... As much as I like the show I'm really annoyed by those overly colored hairstyles. I was okay with them when I was a child but now...

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Originally Posted by Skyguardian

Thank you very much. :)

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You’re very welcome! :) I’m looking forward to your posts in this thread!

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Finally watched episode 6 and I must say I'm still heartbroken after seeing Komari-chans empty eyes... x(

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It was a sad episode…but I was expecting it to be sadder and to last longer…

The resolution of Komari’s arc felt rushed and as a result it lost some of its impact. I was expecting for Komari-chan’s arc to be similar to Fuku-chan’s arc or Kotomi’s arc in Clannad…those arcs were very powerful, especially Kotomi’s, at least for me it was.

While on the one hand, I was glad that Komari’s problem was solved and that she was finally able to face reality, don’t run away from it and move on with a happy smile while remembering her brother with love…I don’t know, the resolution felt so rushed that the arc didn’t touch my heart as much as it could have. In fact, this episode made me wonder how KyoAni would have handled this episode.

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Lots of manly tears were shad but it all went well. x)

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Have you watched Clannad? If you haven’t then I totally recommend it to you. It is kind of similar to LB; it is hilarious and touching at the same time.

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Really great to see how much they care for each other and even more happy to see Komari-chan finally accepted the truth and can live on.

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It was very nice seeing the LB members bonding like that, especially Rin, Riki and Komari. That trio was so sweet. :wtf And I know this won’t be the canon pairing but I couldn’t help but ship Riki and Komari in this episode. http://planetsmilies.net/kaos-not-ta...miley-4744.gif

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I wonder what'll happen next? A new girl wants to join... I hope it'll be fun :D

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I hope for that as well. :)

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One thing though... As much as I like the show I'm really annoyed by those overly colored hairstyles. I was okay with them when I was a child but now...

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Tbh, they don’t bother me at all. Maybe because I’m used to weirder hairstyles. ^^

P.S. : In the end we didn’t find out what the relationship between the old man and Komari was and why he had the same name as Komari’s brother. http://planetsmilies.net/kaos-animal...miley-6082.gif

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Originally Posted by destiny4ever

It was a sad episode…but I was expecting it to be sadder and to last longer…

While on the one hand, I was glad that Komari’s problem was solved and that she was finally able to face reality, don’t run away from it and move on with a happy smile while remembering her brother with love…I don’t know, the resolution felt so rushed that the arc didn’t touch my heart as much as it could have. In fact, this episode made me wonder how KyoAni would have handled this episode.

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I thought it kinda happened fast too. On the other hand I would've needed more tissues because of a sad Komari-chan. :O

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Have you watched Clannad? If you haven’t then I totally recommend it to you. It is kind of similar to LB; it is hilarious and touching at the same time.

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I watched the first episode two years ago I think. It's on my PC but I watch so many weeklys I kinda never found time to do so. I'll check it out if I find some time. :)

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It was very nice seeing the LB members bonding like that, especially Rin, Riki and Komari. That trio was so sweet. :wtf And I know this won’t be the canon pairing but I couldn’t help but ship Riki and Komari in this episode. http://planetsmilies.net/kaos-not-ta...miley-4744.gif

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I agree. I hoped some romance would occure but oh well... There are to many girls and this show is anything but a harem story.
What will be the canon pairing? Riki x Rin? At least it seems so to me because they share the tightest bond I guess. And he is the one who tries to help her to overcome her shyness.

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Tbh, they don’t bother me at all. Maybe because I’m used to weirder hairstyles. ^^

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You would guess after watching C³, or ZeXal for example I'd get used to it but oh well... What's most important is the story. ;D

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P.S. : In the end we didn’t find out what the relationship between the old man and Komari was and why he had the same name as Komari’s brother. http://planetsmilies.net/kaos-animal...miley-6082.gif

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I'd guessed he was Komaris grandfather. Did I interpret to much in it? :D