| Ask Dr. Rin! | |
 Volume 4 cover | |
| Dr.リンにきいてみて! (Dr. Rin ni Kiite Mite!) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy, magical girl, romance |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Kiyoko Arai |
| Published by | Shogakukan |
| Magazine | Ciao |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Original run | August 1999 – June 2003 |
| Volumes | 8 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Shin Misawa |
| Written by | Atsushi Maekawa |
| Music by | Takanori Arisawa |
| Studio | NAS Studio Comet |
| Original network | TXN (TV Tokyo) |
| Original run | March 5, 2001 – February 25, 2002 |
| Episodes | 51 (List of episodes) |
Ask Dr. Rin! (Dr.リンにきいてみて!, Dr. Rin ni Kiite Mite!) is an eight-volume manga series by Kiyoko Arai about a 13-year-old girl named Meilin Kanzaki who is endowed with Feng shui powers which allow her to read people's fortunes and give advice on how to receive good luck. She does this on a website under the pseudonym of "Dr. Rin". Rin is in love with her friend Asuka Yuki, who is a star on the school soccer team, but she constantly bothers him with her Feng shui advice when he doesn't believe in any of that.
Ask Dr. Rin! was serialized in Ciao. A 51 episode anime adaptation was produced by NAS and TV Tokyo, animated by Studio Comet, directed by Shin Misawa and had music composed by Takanori Arisawa. It was broadcast by TV Tokyo from March 5, 2001 to February 25, 2002.
Plot
Almost as soon as she mastered talking as a young child, Meirin Kanzaki discovered her feng-shui powers and developed them to such a degree that she has developed an online help desk where she guides and counsels people under the pseudonym of "Dr. Rin" with such skill that she inadvertently leeches away significant commerce from her father Shou. As is usually the case with 7th grade girls, Meirin is not immune to developing infatuation for boys her age; in Meirin's case, the boy of choice is her childhood friend Asuka who has a difficult time placing occult phenomenon such as feng-shui in perspective. Meirin faces mysterious events and paranormal phenomenon of such complexity and treachery that she will need all the help and luck she can muster to save the day with her feng-shui divination and the hakke crystal bestowed unto her.
Characters
Kanzaki family
- Meirin Kanzaki (神崎 明鈴, Kanzaki Meirin)
- Voiced by: Saeko Chiba
- As the main character, Meirin Kanzaki is a tweenage girl with the power of feng-shui divination whose potency and accuracy have been argued to exceed that of her father Shou who has his own feng-shui divination service, but for Meirin and the other members of Kanzaki-ke, Meirin's »Dr. Rin« online feng-shui divination help desk has caused many an awkward and disconcerting moment at home because the mere mention of Dr. Rin upsets Shou due to the fact that its heavy commerce is much of Shou's clientele base; as such, Meirin has to watch what she says around Shou so that her secondary identity stays a secret. A bit ditzy by nature, Meirin is nevertheless pure-hearted in her pursuits, the most notable of which is Asuka Yūki. Much of the series depicts Meirin trying to aid Asuka using her abilities only for Asuka to repulse her counsel because of his disbelief in the occult and his reality-tuned cerebral computation protocols not affording him the capability to understand Meirin's fascination with it. Meirin also owns a special hakke crystal which her grandfather reveals was given to her in order to protect her whose circumstantial instigation repulses away danger by summoning the dragon god Shenlong that then lashes out at the assailant. Eventually, Meirin learns to consciously bootstrap Shen Shin-long to proactively intercede for people due to her previous incarnation as the Priestess of Light (光の巫女).
- Shou Kanzaki (神崎 炒, Kanzaki Shō)
- Voiced by: Kouji Ishii
- Shou Kanzaki is Meirin's father who also boasts the capability of feng-shui divination; in contrast to his daughter, Shou avails his powers as more of a means of entertainment and flirtation with his female fans than as a sincere avenue of guidance although he is not hostile to doing private house calls. As has been demonstrated throughout the series, the mere mention of Dr. Rin is enough to send Shou into a not-at-all-comical conniption driven by his unwillingness to acknowledge that he is somewhat of a quack that almost forced unto his family the necessity of a clandestine nocturnal relocation to save face when he bungles an important commission at one point in the series. Shou's playboy proclivities figure heavily into his prologue of how he met his wife Emika.
- Emika Kanzaki (神崎 笑華, Kanzaki Emika)
- Voiced by: Chisa Yokoyama
- Emika Kanzaki is Meirin's mother who spends most of her time at home as a housewife that does a lot of the typical activities associated with women such as cleaning the house and going shopping. Although it is rare, the incidents of divergent concourse that she gets into with her husband Shou seem to stem from the buyer's remorse of having foregone her prologue as a wrestler, a prologue that she demonstrates as a vehicle of her intense displeasure with Shou when he makes an ill-considered comment about her cooking in one episode. Emika does not seem to realize the true nature of the danger instigated by the potency of her daughter's powers.
- Koumi Kanzaki (神崎 餃子, Kanzaki Kōmi)
- Voiced by: Eiji Moriyama
- Koumi is Meirin's older brother. He helps her keep her Dr. Rin homepage up and covers for her around their parents. He has a grudge against his father for naming him "Koumi" using the kanji for "dumplings (Gyōza)". His name is pronounced as Kōmi(こうみ) instead of "Gyōza".
Accompanying animals
- Tenshin (天津, Tenshin)
- Voiced by: Junko Takeuchi
- Tenshin is Meirin Kanzaki's pet monkey. Very fond of candy, Tenshin has caused a fair share of trouble for Meirin mostly in childish ways like eating her lunch and snacks. In one episode, Tokiwa uses one of his Shikigami to possess Tenshin in order to lure Asuka into one of his traps.
- Nanao (七尾, Nanao)
- Voiced by: Masami Suzuki
- A small, seven-tailed kitsune-shaped skikigami that belongs to Takashi Tokiwa. Nanao's name, in fact, means, "seven-tailed". He has helped Takashi develop his onmyō abilities since he was very young. Because of this, he has a slightly contentious relationship with his owner. He also apparently has a fondness for eggs.
- Cynthia (シンシア, Shinshia)
- Voiced by: Yuki Kaida
- A small stuffed panda with a soul, who is often seen with Banri Shijo. At the start of the series, because of her strong desire to become a human girl, she is manipulated by the Evil Being and took over Banri's body. After the Evil Being released from her, she and Banri became friends once again. She is interested in Asuka.
- Takoyaki (タコヤキ, Takoyaki)
- Voiced by: Tetsuya Yanagihara
- A parrot who shows up frequently with Eddy Tsukioka. His name is the name of the dish takoyaki, which is a dish made with octopus that originated in Osaka. He is very fond of money.
Four gods
- Asuka Yuki (結城 飛鳥, Yūki Asuka)
- Voiced by: Takayuki Sorita
- Ever since she was jolted onto her derriere as a little kid by a wayward soccer ball, Meirin has come to love Asuka Yuki to no end. Asuka and Meirin's collaborative prologue as childhood friends has prompted the development of a cohesive relationship between Kanzaki-ke and Yuki-ke; in spite of this, Asuka is frustrated by Meirin incessantly offering her supernatural feng-shui counsel, oblivious to his frequently and emphatically stated aversion thereof. Takashi Tokiwa's aggression forces Asuka to abandon his ambiguity as he rushes to Meirin's rescue, oblivious to the fact that he is at a disadvantage against the supernatural adversaries which often cannot be damaged by physical attacks. Off the battlefield, Asuka spends his time playing soccer alongside his best friend and fellow teammate Daisuke Shinagawa. Once Takashi's computations are purified and the apparition subsequently neutralized, Asuka finds himself prosecuting a friendly rivalry on the soccer field with the young onmyouji. Asuka has a complex prologue as the reincarnation of Seiryuu that explains his reality-grounded mind.
- Takashi Tokiwa (常盤 崇, Tokiwa Takashi)
- Voiced by: Yūto Kazama
- Often referred to as Tokiwa-chi by the rest of the characters, Takashi Tokiwa is introduced at the start of the series as a bright and athletic "pretty boy" transfer student whose enrollment into Meirin's school could be argued as having the sole purpose of courting Meirin's favor. While he insists that he only loves Meirin, Takashi does not complain about the attention he garners from flirting with all the other girls, but Meirin's refusal to return these overtures brings into play Takashi's narcissism that drives him to show off his prowess on the soccer field against Asuka for Meirin's affections before using his supernatural powers as an onmyōji to wield his shikigami paper dolls to cause mysterious accidents as a coercive measure to scare Meirin out of her affection for Asuka; his mind now purified now that the Evil Being controlling him has been exorcised and neutralized, Takashi's real personality is found to be neither cruel nor evil. In spite of his ill-timed interjection into their romantic moments, Takashi is not slow in becoming good friends with Meirin and Asuka which is of great utility when his prologue of his former incarnation as Byakko comes into play.
- Banri Shijo (四条 万里, Shijo Banri)
- Voiced by: Yumi Kakazu
- A boy who uses tarot cards. From the start of his first appearance in the series, he is dressed as a girl because Cynthia takes over his body. He shut his mind after losing his mother from an accident at a young age, and never talked since then, until Meirin saved him. He has black belt in karate. He is the reincarnation of Genbu.
- Eddy Tsukioka (月丘 エディ, Tsukioka Edi)
- Voiced by: Hidenobu Kiuchi
- Eddy is a foreigner who moved to Japan, but in spite of that, he speaks with an Osakan dialect. He is a substitute- Coach of the soccer club after their original coach is hospitalized. Eddy is allergic to beautiful woman because of his painful childhood experiences. His actual job is as that of an astrologist, but it seem that he had to close down his business because too many of his consulters were female. He is also manipulated by the Evil Being too. Eddy needs to gather money to build a tomb for his beloved grandfather next to his grandmother's tomb. He is the reincarnation of Suzaku.
Ancillary allies
- Yue Konishi (小西 侑英, Konishi Yue)
- Voiced by: Junko Takeuchi
- Yue is Meirin's classmate and one of her two best friends. She is a member of the school track and field team. She makes jokes often about being in love with Meirin, but she really wants Meirin's dreams of receiving Asuka's love to come true, as evidenced from how upset she becomes when Meirin starts dating Tokiwa. Yue is generally seen as a savvy girl with a cool head. Meirin likes to come to her for advice. Shinagawa has a crush on her, but will not actively say it to her.
- Shuuko Kasukabe (春日部 周子, Kasukabe Shūko)
- Voiced by: Kana Kouguchi
- Shūko is Meirin's other classmate/best friend. In comparison to Yue, she tends to be more hyper and is noted for falling for cute guys quickly. She seems to have a little crush on Tokiwa.
- Daisuke Shinagawa (品川 大輔, Shinagawa Daisuke)
- Voiced by: Kei Watanabe
- The clumsy mistakes that Daisuke Shinagawa makes throughout the series function as an element of comic relief in the series, but his jovial selflessness and his emphatic but unrequited infatuation for Yue are nothing to laugh at. Daisuke plays on the school soccer team with Asuka and Takashi where he is invaluable in helping to restore homeostasis between the two boys as the less-capable, doofy best friend.
- Keima Oimachi (大井町 敬馬, Ōimachi Keima)
- Voiced by: Masaki Kitahara
- A friend of Shinagawa's, he is a skilled goalkeeper who has a "talent" for twisting his body into weird shapes.
Anime
The 51-episode anime series, which was directed by Shin Misawa and produced by TV Tokyo and NAS, was broadcast on TV Tokyo from March 5, 2001 to February 25, 2002. Animation was provided by Studio Comet, character designs are provided by Takahisa Ichikawa, and the music was composed by Takanori Arisawa. The opening theme is "Go! Go! Ready? Go?!", the first ending theme is "Dare Yori" and the second ending theme is "Kimi to no Mirai", all by Ai Maeda.
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Rumored Feng-Shui Master!" "Uwasa no Tensai Fūsuisha!" (Japanese: ウワサの天才風水師!) | 5 March 2001 (2001-03-05) |
| 2 | "Extracurricular Class of Heart-Pounding Love!" "Koi no Doki Doki Kagaijūgyō!" (Japanese: 恋のドキドキ課外授業!) | 12 March 2001 (2001-03-12) |
| 3 | "Love Panic with the Transfer Student!" "Tenkōsei de Rabu Panikku!" (Japanese: 転校生でラブぱにっく!) | 19 March 2001 (2001-03-19) |
| 4 | "Giant Crisis on the Bus with Shikigami!" "Shikigami Basu de Dai Pinchi!" (Japanese: 式神バスで大ピンチ!) | 26 March 2001 (2001-03-26) |
| 5 | "A Round of Crisis in a Girl's Feelings!" "Otomegokoro Kiki Ippatsu!" (Japanese: 乙女心危機イッパツ!) | 2 April 2001 (2001-04-02) |
| 6 | "False Lover" "Itsuwari no Koibito" (Japanese: いつわりの恋人) | 9 April 2001 (2001-04-09) |
| 7 | "Decisive Battle After School!" "Kessen no Hōkagu Batoru!" (Japanese: 決戦の放課後バトル!) | 16 April 2001 (2001-04-16) |
| 8 | "Wake Up, Dragon God! Shinsenron!" "Mezameyo Ryūjin! Shinsenron!" (Japanese: 目覚めよ龍神!シンシェンロン!) | 23 April 2001 (2001-04-23) |
| 9 | "Papa's Epic Feng-Shui Battle!" "Papa no Fūsui Daisakusen!" (Japanese: パパの風水大作戦!) | 30 April 2001 (2001-04-30) |
| 10 | "Cute Shikigami! Here Comes Nanao!" "Kawaii Shikigami! Nanao Sanjō!" (Japanese: カワイイ式神!七尾参上!) | 7 May 2001 (2001-05-07) |
| 11 | "Shinagawa the Man's Love in Full Bloom!" "Otoko Shinagawa Rabu Mankai!" (Japanese: オトコ品川ラブ満開!) | 14 May 2001 (2001-05-14) |
| 12 | "Mysterious! Tarot Labyrinth" "Fushigi! Tarotto Rabirinsu" (Japanese: 不思議!タロットラビリンス) | 21 May 2001 (2001-05-21) |
| 13 | "Invincible Friendship Rainbow!" "Muteki no Yūjō Reinbō!" (Japanese: 無敵の友情レインボウ!) | 28 May 2001 (2001-05-28) |
| 14 | "Special Love Ring!" "Ai no Tokusetsu Ringu!" (Japanese: 愛の特設リング!) | 4 June 2001 (2001-06-04) |
| 15 | "Victory is Pink, Pink, Pink!" "Shōri no Pinku! Pinku! Pinku!" (Japanese: 勝利のピンク!ぴんく!Pink!) | 11 June 2001 (2001-06-11) |
| 16 | "Heart-Pounding, Dangerous Live Broadcast!" "Tokimeki Abunai Namahōsō!" (Japanese: トキメキあぶない生放送!) | 18 June 2001 (2001-06-18) |
| 17 | "Dreaded Meeting at School!?" "Kyōfu, Gakkō no Kaidan!?" (Japanese: 恐怖、学校のカイダン!?) | 25 June 2001 (2001-06-25) |
| 18 | "Last Trap of the Battle!" "Ikusaritsu no Rasuto Torappu!" (Japanese: 戦りつのラストトラップ!) | 2 July 2001 (2001-07-02) |
| 19 | "Time to Change Your Heart!" "Toki wa Nate Yua Hāto!" (Japanese: ときはなてユアハート!) | 9 July 2001 (2001-07-09) |
| 20 | "Temptation of a Heart-Pounding Date!?" "Yūwaku no Harahara Dēto!?" (Japanese: 誘惑のハラハラデート!?) | 16 July 2001 (2001-07-16) |
| 21 | "Glittering Great Reversal of Star Trap!" "Hoshi no Wana Kirameki no Taigyakuten!" (Japanese: 星の罠きらめきの大逆転!) | 23 July 2001 (2001-07-23) |
| 22 | "Tian Xia Wu Di of Happiness!" "Shiawase no tin hā mō tekku!" (Japanese: しあわせのティン・ハー・モー・テック!) | 30 July 2001 (2001-07-30) |
| 23 | "Rinrin, Meirin, Dr. Rin?!" "Rinrin arin Dr. Rin! ?" (Japanese: リンリン明鈴Dr.リン!?) | 6 August 2001 (2001-08-06) |
| 24 | "Love, Fireworks, and Red Flowers" "Koi to hanabi to akai hana" (Japanese: 恋と花火と赤い花) | 13 August 2001 (2001-08-13) |
| 25 | "An Octopus Beach Story!" "Tako no kaigan monogatari" (Japanese: タコの海岸物語) | 20 August 2001 (2001-08-20) |
| 26 | "SOS! Tokiwa Dogfight" "Esuōesu! Tokiwa doggufaito" (Japanese: SOS! 常盤ドッグファイト) | 27 August 2001 (2001-08-27) |
| 27 | "Pure! Lunch Wars!" "Junjō!? Ranchiu~ōzu!" (Japanese: 純情!? ランチウォーズ!) | 3 September 2001 (2001-09-03) |
| 28 | "Rinrin Shock! The Stolen Crystal Ball" "Rinrinshokku! Ubawa reta suishō-dama" (Japanese: リンリンショック! うばわれた水晶玉) | 10 September 2001 (2001-09-10) |
| 29 | "The Storm of the Antique Watch!" "Arashi no antīkuu~otchi!" (Japanese: 嵐のアンティークウォッチ!) | 17 September 2001 (2001-09-17) |
| 30 | "Something happened! The dinosaur is coming!" "Taihenda zo ̄ ! Dainasō!" (Japanese: タイヘンだぞー! ダイナソー!!) | 24 September 2001 (2001-09-24) |
| 31 | "The power is lost! Master Rin disappeared" "Ushinawareta-ryoku! Kieta Dr. Rin" (Japanese: 失われた力! 消えたDr.リン) | 1 October 2001 (2001-10-01) |
| 32 | "Ready Go! Rebirth of compass" "Redīgō! Ra pan Shinsei" (Japanese: レディーゴー! 羅盤新生) | 8 October 2001 (2001-10-08) |
| 33 | "Strong earthquake! The end of Hai Yun city" "Gekishin! Kaiun-chō kuraishisu" (Japanese: 激震! 海雲町クライシス) | 15 October 2001 (2001-10-15) |
| 34 | "Dangerous task! Fix the dragon pulse!" "Kiken'na misshon! Ryū myaku o tadase!" (Japanese: 危険なミッション! 龍脈をただせ!) | 22 October 2001 (2001-10-22) |
| 35 | "Goodbye...goodbye Rinrin" "Saiken … sayonara rinrin" (Japanese: Zàijiàn…さよならリンリン) | 29 October 2001 (2001-10-29) |
| 36 | "Brother's girlfriend" "O nīchan no koibito" (Japanese: お兄ちゃんの恋人) | 5 November 2001 (2001-11-05) |
| 37 | "The four gods'legend where is the precious jade" "Shishin densetsu! Hōgyoku no yukue" (Japanese: 四神伝説! 宝玉のゆくえ) | 12 November 2001 (2001-11-12) |
| 38 | "The stranded MeirinlTokiwars wake up" "Torawareta arin! Tokiwa kakusei" (Japanese: 囚われた明鈴! 常盤覚醒) | 19 November 2001 (2001-11-19) |
| 39 | "Super nervous attack Andy and Wanny" "Hai tenshon! Totsugeki edi& banri" (Japanese: ハイテンション! 突撃エディ & 万里) | 26 November 2001 (2001-11-26) |
| 40 | "Where is Asuka? The missing memory" "Asuka-kun doko? Ushinawareta kioku" (Japanese: 飛鳥くんどこ? 失われた記憶) | 3 December 2001 (2001-12-03) |
| 41 | "Asuka why The emissary from the darkness" "Asuka-kun naze! ? Yami kara no shisha" (Japanese: 飛鳥くんなぜ!? 闇からの使者) | 10 December 2001 (2001-12-10) |
| 42 | "Return Asuka The unforgettable Christmas Tree" "Asuka-kun kite! Omoide no kurisumasutsurī" (Japanese: 飛鳥くんきて! 思い出のクリスマスツリー) | 17 December 2001 (2001-12-17) |
| 43 | "The miracle on Christmas Eve The awakening Green Dragon" "Seiya no kiseki! Yomigaere Seiryū!" (Japanese: 聖夜の奇跡! よみがえれ青龍!) | 24 December 2001 (2001-12-24) |
| 44 | "Azusa no omoi yami no miko no himitsu" (Japanese: アズサの想い闇の巫女のひみつ) | 7 January 2002 (2002-01-07) |
| 45 | "Girigiri kiss 5-byō mae!" (Japanese: ギリギリkiss5秒前!) | 14 January 2002 (2002-01-14) |
| 46 | "Kuroi shōgeki! Yami no ō kōrin" (Japanese: 黒い衝撃! 闇の王降臨) | 21 January 2002 (2002-01-21) |
| 47 | "Hiren yami no miko chiru!" (Japanese: 悲恋闇の巫女散る!) | 28 January 2002 (2002-01-28) |
| 48 | "Gekitotsu shikyō no tō" (Japanese: 激突! 四凶の塔) | 4 February 2002 (2002-02-04) |
| 49 | "Saigo no kibō 5 hitome no nakama!" (Japanese: 最後の希望5人目の仲間!) | 11 February 2002 (2002-02-11) |
| 50 | "Yami o tera se! Ai no kioku" (Japanese: 闇をてらせ! 愛の記憶) | 18 February 2002 (2002-02-18) |
| 51 | "Hǎo yùn láile " (Japanese: 好运来了) | 25 February 2002 (2002-02-25) |
References
- Gokuda & Gokuyo. "Seiyuu-Say-Me Portfolio -- Saeko Chiba". Retrieved October 11, 2011.
- Behind The Voice Actors. "Behind The Voice Actors -- Kouji Ishii". Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- Jade Voice, Incorporated. "Jade Voice Portfolio -- Kouji Ishii". Archived from the original on October 26, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- Impressum. "aniSearch.com Portfolio -- Chisa Yokoyama". Retrieved October 11, 2011.
- Impressum. "aniSearch.com Portfolio -- Eiji Moriyama". Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- ^ Gokuda & Gokuyo. "Seiyuu-Say-Me -- Junko Takeuchi". Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- Impressum. "aniSearch.com Portfolio -- Masami Suzuki". Retrieved October 16, 2011.
- Impressum. "aniSearch.com Portfolio -- Yuki Kaida". Retrieved October 16, 2011.
- Impressum. "aniSearch.com Portfolio -- Tetsuya Yanagihara". Retrieved October 16, 2011.
- Impressum. "aniSearch.com Portfolio -- Takayuki Sorita". Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- Impressum. "aniSearch.com Portfolio -- Yuuto Kazama". Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- Impressum. "aniSearch.com Portfolio -- Yumi Kakazu". Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- Impressum. "aniSearch.com Portfolio -- Hidenobu Kiuchi". Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- Impressum. "aniSearch.com Portfolio -- Kana Kouguchi". Retrieved October 16, 2011.
- Impressum. "aniSearch.com Portfolio -- Kei Watanabe". Retrieved October 16, 2011.
- Impressum. "aniSearch.com Portfolio -- Masaki Kitahara". Retrieved October 16, 2011.
- Nihon Ad Systems, Incorporated. ""Dr. Rin ni Kiite Mite!" Television Exhibition Blueprints". Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
- Studio Comet. ""Dr. Rin ni Kiite Mite!" Television Schedule". Archived from the original on August 19, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
External links
- Ask Dr. Rin! (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia