Alternative TitlesEnglish: Bunny Drop Synonyms: Usagi Drop: Bangaihen Japanese: うさぎドロップ
Information
Type: Manga
Volumes: 10
Chapters: 62
Status: Finished
Published: Oct 8, 2005 to Dec 8, 2011
StatisticsScore: 8.021 (scored by 5804 users)
Ranked: #8962
Popularity: #140
Members: 11,581
Favorites: 395 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
josei slice of life |
SynopsisWhen 30-year-old Daikichi returns home for his grandfather's funeral he meets an unfamiliar child in the garden. His mother explains that Rin is his grandfather's illegitimate daughter by an unknown mother. The girl is an embarrassment to all his relatives and nobody wants to take her in because of the scandal. Annoyed by their attitude, Daikichi decides to take care of Rin himself, even though he is single and has no experience raising a child. |
Related MangaAdaptation: Usagi Drop
Reviews
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eillart
65 of 81 people found this review helpful
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62 of 62 chapters read
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8 |
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Never before have I read a manga that felt so different throughout the whole reading process. Really, if it were anime, I would think that after the first part the creators ran out of original material and decided to improvise from that point on to the very end. But of course, it is not so: ‘Usagi Drop’ is a manga created by one person, Yumi Unita, and surely as an author she has every right to do anything she considers necessary in terms of a story and plot development – but I have to admit, her vision is a rather strange one.
As you may know, ‘Usagi Drop’ is clearly divided into two parts – the first one covers the first four volumes (ch.01-24), while the second one consists of the later chapters. Well, first things first, so here’s the summary of the first part. It tells us a story of a 30-year-old Daikichi and 6-year-old Rin, who is the illegitimate father of Daikichi’s grandfather (and therefore Daikichi’s aunt) and who has been nearly abandoned by the family after her father’s(grandfather’s) death if not for Daikichi, who decided to take care of her. And so, the life full of hardships begins for a 30-year-old bachelor.
I can’t give enough accolades for the first part. It is cute, adorable, nice, soothing, mellow, but at the same time very realistic, philosophical, thought-provoking, melancholic, sometimes bitter. We get to see how Rin grows, but most importantly – how Daikichi’s viewpoint on life changes, how he approaches problems differently now that he has someone to take care of, how he sees many people in the other light, how he thinks of things he has never thought of before etc. To put it simply, it’s just wonderful and deserves the highest mark possible.
But then, the chapter 24 ends, and… Well, I don’t want to spoil you anything, but if you expect more of the same, then I suggest you stop reading right there. Because things take a sudden and unexpected turn and the closer to the end, the more drastic changes become.
While reading through the second part, I’ve been constantly wondering – ‘Is it really ‘Usagi Drop’ that I‘m reading?’ – the only thing that reminded me of it was the drawing style. You can argue that major changes aren’t always a bad thing. ‘Yes, the first part was wonderful, but the second one was awesome too, though in a completely different way’ – you can say. But that is not in our case – yes, the second part centers around Rin and her feelings, and that can be considered positive – but the execution of this idea was far from perfect. What I mean is that characters start to lack motivation in their actions, making the story incomprehensible at times. Really, if the first part was well thought-out, later for a while I couldn’t tell where the story goes, why certain characters make strange decisions, have awkward feelings, why the new storylines are introduced etc. – what was it all for?
To tell you the truth, a few chapters before the end I had no idea what a conclusion would be. But then I understood. I understood everything (well, maybe, not everything, but why the second part was necessary). Yes, there was a plot twist. And it was HUGE. As for me, I have a very broad interest in manga and I appreciate every genre, so I don’t mind mature stuff – and really, I didn’t find the end to be that disturbing – but it’s completely unexpected. You see, when you are reading Jiro Matsumoto or Shintaro Kago, you know what you’re going to find there – so you aren’t surprised when you encounter something weird. But here it comes as a complete shock, so be warned. Clearly, the manga shouldn’t have ended the way it did.
The additional volume softens things quite a bit - that is, it helps the reader to overcome the state of shock(if there was any, of course, as I'm sure many were prepared for something unexpected if they were reading on the Internet) - but really, it offers next to nothing important, as only one story happens after the actual manga end(and even in that story there is little new material). The rest are just backstories, which are nice, but not something significant. Still, I think that this volume is necessary, because it offers a smoother ending than the previous volume's abrupt one. Other than that, it has no real meaning.
In conclusion, I’d like to say that ‘Usagi Drop’ is a certainly unique manga in more ways than one – though personally I would be happy if after the unique first part we didn’t have a ‘uniquely strange’ second arc. Definitely, this manga is not for everyone and if you decided to read, be prepared for everything – there’s much more to it than it seems at the first glance.
All in all, ‘Usagi Drop’ can serve as a prime example of characters becoming independent from their creator – as long as they lived their own life how they wanted, everything was great. But unfortunately, mangaka didn’t allow them much freedom and forced them to do what she wanted to. And that’s a shame, really. read more
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SnowmanU
118 of 166 people found this review helpful
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56 of 62 chapters read
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| Overall |
6 |
| Story |
8 |
| Art |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
I have a feeling that most people who have given this series a high rating haven't finished it yet. I mean I went from giving it a 10 at the beginning a 6, almost 5 at the end. The reason for this is the time skip that happens all of a sudden at like chapter 27 or something. Should have stopped there. And I suggest you do if you want to believe the end is a little cliche but happy ending. I actually wouldn't have minded a tragedy ending, pretty much anything other than the way it ended.
Ok I'll leave the rest of the gripes to the end. The Story of Usagi Drop was terrific in the first arc. Daikichi was fumbling around in the dark as he tries to learn how to be a parent for the first time. He goes from dealing with Rin wetting the bed, to helping her out for a skip rope contest, to her loosing her first tooth. It was a heart warming and loving adventure and incredibly believable interaction between all of the characters. Some of my favorite scenes were between Kouiki and Daikichi as they had a great buddy buddy, almost father and son friendship.
The art stays consistently simple but cute. Almost an embodiment of the feeling the manga gives off. I have to admit though Daikichi's character design was probably my favorite.
Character line up here is superb. You have the adorable Rin, the loving but kind of clumsy Daikichi, the trouble making Kouki and a few other characters that actually have an interesting personality and development.
Enjoyment is an easy 10. That is for the first arc when Rin is a cute 6 year old munchkin:3 after the 10 year time skip, which comes out of no where and has no lead up at all, that is where it begins to go down hill ad where I suggest you stop and make up your own ending and future for the characters. From then on it's almost a predictable drama. At least the first arc had a feeling of discovery and adventure. The second arc was just...not a very enjoyable read. Sure it had some good parts. The downfall of Kouki was actually my favorite part of it since it was believable and a bit of a shock for the lighthearted series. But it all leads up to the akward and uncomfortable ending.
If you haven't finished but have started the second arc and aren't really enjoying it as much as the first, just go watch the anime and call it a day. If you have just started I suggest dropping it at the time skip. The following contains spoilers for the ending.
***SPOILER**** The ending was very uncomfortable for me to read. I found the fact of Rin liking Daikichi strange yet somewhat acceptable since it was just Rin's feelings and she may just be confusing them for other feelings. Also, it may just be a phase since she is growing up and seeing how all the "boys" in her class are not as dependable or cool as the "man" Daikichi. And that's what bugged me, she never really gave any of the "boys" a chance. She tried the date with one classmate, but it was obvious she had her mind made up the she wasn't going to enjoy it or pursue it. She simply closed everything off and had her sights set on Daikichi who has already gotten past the "boy" phase and is a real "man" already. The very ending is what made me so uncomfortable. I'll even pass on the huge age difference and just focus on the fact that Daikichi gave in so easily. 2 Years he needed to think and after two years of thinking if he should go out with the little girl who used to wet his bed, who he would wash in the bath and pick up form nursery, he ends up saying "so..should we get married?" Then Rin wants to bear his child??? I was actually incredible disappointed and rather disturbed at this. Having a child with the girls you raised as your child? No thank you. Maybe it's just me but that ending really f'd things up for me and I actually wish I never read past the first arc. I really thought even a tragedy ending for Daikichi would have worked better and Rin would move on and follow the teachings Daikichi shared with her. But nope just have a kid with your "kid" :D ........ :|
***SPOILER***
I find Usagi Drop to be two seperate manga. The pre-time skip that I loved, a lighthearted, fun, family oriented comedy and after the time skip where everything just nose dives. Maybe it's just the shock from finishing it just now, but I really don't reccomend reading past the time skip.
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Both of these manga star a single guy who is in charge of taking care of a little girl. While Aishiteruze Baby is aimed towards a younger audience and Usagi Drop, being a josei, is aimed towards an older audience, if you enjoyed one of these stories, chances are good that you'll enjoy the other. The situations that both Kippei and Daikichi go through are oddly similar. Both Yuzuyu and Rin are equally adorable.
Same type of story. Mother has young girl but cant take care of the girl so she leaves her with family/friends. Main character is a lowly guy that offers to take care of girl and learns the hardships of taking care of a kid. Both are loving stories and will make you have warm fuzzy feelings inside.
same setup of a guy taking on the responsibility of a young girl related to him (around 5) and how she changes his life in terms of his maturity, and how he sees things. Usagi drop is probably aimed at an older audience however, as it shows it in a much slower, relaxes, real life sort of pace. Along with an older male lead. While Aishiteruze Baby is aimed at a younger, more definitely female audience, with half the manga focusing on his romance life as well, with a lot more drama.
Although different in art style, the stories are very similar in that they both have a protagonist who is suddenly confronted with the task of having to raise a child on his own. Yuzuyu and Rin are equally adorable, too.
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an older man having to look after a young girl, for different reasons. The two have very similar stories, but perhaps a different mood to how they tell them. My Girl seems a lot more like it has many morals to share with the viewers, while usagi drop seems to be more realistic in terms of drama, and comedic. Both are good reads.
Both series are about a man who meets and raises a young girl he hadn't previously known to exist after the death of her parent -- in My Girl it's his daughter whose mother has died, in Usagi Drop it's his late grandfather's child. Very much the same slice-of-life-ish 'children raise you' kind of series.
A man suddenly starts taking care of a elementary school age girl and has to balance his career with his new responsibilities.
Both stories feature the father-daughter relationship between a little girl (already past the age of 5) and a business man who had no knowledge of her existence. The relationships are also taboo socially. In Usagi Drop, because she is not really his daughter, and in My Girl, because he'd have to have been 18 when she was conceived.
The main difference between the two mangas is their over all feel. Usagi Drop is rougher than My Girl. The interaction is less subtle and the characters are less complicated. Even the art style has more hard edges and thick lines. And the main character is gruff when compared to teh main character of my girl
My Girl is softer, with complex emotions and and more meek and timid main character.
I highly suggest both!
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Related Clubs"Hidden Gems of Manga", Age Gap RnD Department, ★Josei Anime★, DAIKICHI FANS!, Kaga Rin Fan Club, Manga Experience, Overrated or Underrated Animes and Mangas, Oyaji ♥ Club, Parents in Anime and Manga, seinen & josei, Serious stories (anime/manga), The All-Over Otaku Club Okawari, The Super Superior Secret Society of Secret Secrecy and Supreme Superbness in Superstellar Saturation, True Anime, Usagi Drop Brasil *-*, Usagi Drop Fan Club, VOMIC (^o^New Member Badges R UP^o^)
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