Asu no Yoichi!

Yoichi Karasuma has spent all of his life in the mountains, training in the Soaring Wind, Divine Wind swordsmanship style. Under his father’s guidance, he is able to master the technique at the age of 17. With nothing left to learn, Yoichi is sent to a new dojo located in the city so he can continue to train and gain an understanding of modern society.

Unfortunately, Yoichi has no idea how to act or speak to anyone in the present day and acts like a samurai, complete with odd speech and traditional clothing. As he goes to live with the Ikaruga sisters at the dojo, Yoichi, clueless on how to interact with others, is constantly hurtled in hilarious misunderstandings. Asu no Yoichi! follows Yoichi as he stumbles through his new life and tries to learn how to live in the modern world with his new family.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ikaruga, Ayame Main

Tomatsu, Haruka Japanese

Karasuma, Yoichi Main

Okamoto, Nobuhiko Japanese

Ikaruga, Chihaya Main

Tamura, Yukari Japanese

Ikaruga, Ibuki Main

Satou, Rina Japanese

Ikaruga, Kagome Main

Hanazawa, Kana Japanese

Washizu, Ryou Supporting

Nakai, Kazuya Japanese

Takatsukasa, Angela Supporting

Nabatame, Hitomi Japanese

Saginomiya, Sakon Supporting

Yahagi, Sayuri Japanese

Yuzu Supporting

Satou, Satomi Japanese

Mizunagi, Shiomaru Supporting

Takagi, Motoki Japanese

Tanaka, Junichirou Producer

Ougi, Jiyuu Producer

Matsunaga, Yuuichi Producer

Koike, Katsumi Producer

Reviews

Jan 12, 2021

ironsakura32

Recommended

Story:

Typical harem anime, guy shows up in a place (in this case a dojo) that for the most part is filled with girls and they all end up falling for him.

Yoichi Karasuma has lived in the mountains his whole life, but is sent into the city by his father. Of course, he is going to stay in a dojo where 4 girls live. It is pretty amusing most of the time.

Animation:

Animation is done pretty well. It looks good and things seem to fit well.

... Sound:

I enjoyed the opening and closing themes.

Characters:

Characters are the usual for something like this. Hardworking older sister who also takes over the role of "mother" to the younger sisters, 2nd sister with an inferiority complex who tries to hide her true feelings, smart/artistic sister who remains aloof and super cute younger sister who is great at housework and cooking. Still they mesh well with each other and with the main male character. Most of the bad characters are very strange or for several of them, don't even make sense.

Overall:

Not bad for harem anime, I would say above average, mostly because I really like Yoichi and the 4 sisters.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Oct 31, 2019

Sesshomaru

Mixed Feelings

明日のよいち! Asu no Yoichi - Samurai Harem, so the English title, an old-school comedy that literally pours harem RomCom clichés on the audience. Fun and entertainment for those who do not mind a lavish fan service and who enjoy laughing at the awkward hero who is always beaten-up by the girl(s). If you can't find anything to laugh at in the first episode, then this series is not for you.

Story: Excessive fan service, really thin plot, but the basic concept has enough twists to be entertaining (5/10)
Karasuma-san taught his son all his knowledge about disciplines of the Divine Wind technique, and eventually Yoichi became better ... than his father. For this reason, his father decided to send Yoichi to the Ikaruga family dojo, where he should gain new experiences and further develop his sword technique. What Daddy Karasuma did not and could not know that the parents left the Dojo Ikaruga to their daughters. So Yoichi was sent from the wild to the urban jungle. On top of that, he stumbles into a women's domain, which becomes a challenge because he is not familiar with having girls around. The story has enough twist, the comedy is entertaining despite the heavy use of fan service, and a small plus in my opinion is that Yoichi is not the typical zero hero. He knows how to use the katana, which makes the fights worth seeing. One can criticize that the plot contains hardly any surprises, but nothing was really done wrong with the implementation of the genre-typical fracases.

Characters: seems a bit like the Who's Who of an Ero game, but in a funny way (5/10)
All characters are sympathetic, even the antagonists. The studio AIC already has experience with this genre (Girls Bravo, Seto no Hanayome etc.). That the cast, with other well-known genre representatives such as Love Hina has a high recognition value is therefore not surprising.
Even though the female characters seem to be derived from an Ero-game and occasionally clothes do vanish in thin air, it does not exceed the limits of aesthetics. Characters and their actions remain aesthetic, never neglecting the fun, so the series retains its comical tone.
Karasuma Yoichi:
Yoichi was trained only in combat, when he is sent to the town, he drops a brick at a time and literally drowns in embarrassing mistakes as the four girls enter the scene. As clumsy as he is in interpersonal matters with the girls, he's no ordinary Roncom Zero Hero. With his Bokken, he can defend himself and others well and because of his friendly, honest nature, he quickly gains friends.
Ikaruga Ibuki:
As the oldest of the sisters, she accepted her fate and took over the management of the dojo, which gives her character a caring severity. Similar to Kagome, the smallest of the four sisters, the character builds on a strong stereotype. Unfortunately, in contrast to the manga, the character in the anime can not detach itself from the stereotype.
Ikaruga Ayame:
She is probably the one with the most real conflict. She always feels in second place behind her big sister, no matter how hard she tries. I really like the realistic depiction of the conflict. Because of self-doubt, unable to be satisfied with her own personality. Beautifully portrayed how a sincere and warm appreciation awakens her self-confidence, so that slowly the self-doubt vanish and she regains the joie-de-vivre.
Ikaruga Chihaya:
The cheeky middle school girl is already Manga-ka, she is intellectually educatedand and never misses an opportunity to pull Yoichi`s leg, but looks as if she couldn't hurt a fly but she`s a sly one. On the other hand, she isn't completely uninterested in the principled Yoichi either, but she deals with her feelings in a sophisticated way.
Ikaruga Kagome:
Kagome is the youngest of the Ikaruga family and a primary school pupil. She has a shy personality, but masters the housework and especially cooking for a 10 year old student, exceptionally well. She is still a bit clumsy, but has a very considerate personality and loves her sisters very much. A cute and adorable little sister.
Washizu Ryo
Simply "Wa-san" is trained in boxing and a notorious street fighter. In the anime, his fighting style was changed, he used iron knuckles in the fight with Yoichi, in manga, however, he has used blades. His transformation from a loner to a member of the Ikaruga Dojo class is a compelling and interesting part of the otherwise more comedy-driven series. But is not deepened further, not even in the manga. There was potential, but it would not have fit into the frame of the series without being out of place.

Visuals: simple but good drawing style, convincing animation, a bit too much Chibi (7/10)
The visual presentation may not be extraordinary, but the implementation by Studio Anime International Company (AIC) clearly demonstrates the effort to create a visually appealing anime. The character designs of the female cast may not be extravagant, but they are varied and well done. Compared to other series, it is also noticeable that the male actors have also received an appealing design and not just the protagonist. The drawing style is realistic, but slightly different from the original illustrations by Minamoto Yū. The character design adapted by Morishima Noriko for the anime is well done, especially Ibuki and Yoichi look more mature and Ryou has a more appealing, yet cool, gruff design. The depth of detail is not that high, but that's not untypical of the genre mix. Overall, the animation for 2009 is slightly above the average of such a series. The characters are well implemented and convincing. Another plus are the colorful, beautiful and slightly blurred backgrounds as well as the convincing use of light and shadow effects, so that the animation presents itself very appealingly. The shades, such as the hair, are harmonious and the facial expressions are appealing in emotional moments and can convey the mood of the character. One can criticize that everything is a little simple, but simply is not synonymous with bad.
Unfortunately, the overall picture is affected by the increased use of Chibi effects. These are very suitable at first, but are used too often and the quality of the implementation also decreases, so that the effect continues to be lost in the course of the series. This does not affect the entertainment value of the comedy, but reduces the overall picture. The project that was directed by Rino Kujo has deliberately deviated from the original and in many ways for the better. The fan service is very present and bondage clothing is certainly not for everyone but the limit of aesthetics is not exceeded. It is less than in manga and in direct comparison with e.g. "To Love Ru" rather harmless.

Sounds: simple but suitable, VA good and likeable (6/10)
The soundtrack was composed by Kikuya Tomoki and surprised me. In the series, the BGM doesn't stand out very much, but it fits well to the scenes. The soundtrack consists of several different musical arrangements, which present themselves well on the level of the series.
The OP "Egao no Riyuu" by Meg Rock, is soft rock and nice to hear. The animation is basically not bad but the intro entrance through the gate and to the buildings is a bit too clear with the CG elements. In the further course, the drawn character designs come to the fore again, so it fits overall.
The ED is "Life and Proud" by Misato Aki, starts a bit calmer, more romantic and then has a nice, optimistic ending. I really liked music and animation. A sweet detail is the variation of ED in the last episode. A barely perceptible variant, but I liked it.
Among the voice actors I especially liked the voice of Ibuki, which was spoken by Satou Rina. Her voice has a beautiful feminine, soft sound and in the arguments her voice was pleasantly clear. The choice of Tamura Yukari, with that certain lascivious touch in her voice, as the synchronization of the sly Chihaya, fits perfectly. I also liked the performance of Okamoto Nobuhiko as Yoichi's voice very much. In particular, his presentation of a samurai with the appropriate language and idiom was successful.

All in all, you've come to the right place if you're looking for a fun Romcom series with only 12 episodes. At first I thought that it was odd to write a review for a show that is already ten years old because the focus is usually more on current titles. But like the review of the manga "11eyes - Tsumi to Batsu to Aganai no Shoujo" a few months ago, an old series made me curious again. Asu no Yoichi is a little above average, unforgettable and pleasant. Those who like "Asu no Yoichi" could also be interested in "To love Ru" or "Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi".

Thanks for reading and have fun watching.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Aug 7, 2025

AleksandroS2004

Not Recommended

Asu no Yoichi!: La fórmula del harem sin sorpresas
Asu no Yoichi! es una obra que encaja perfectamente en la definición de un anime de comedia harem genérico. La premisa sigue a Yoichi Karasuma, un joven y habilidoso samurái que ha vivido toda su vida en las montañas. Para completar su entrenamiento, su padre lo envía a la ciudad a vivir con la familia Ikaruga, dueños de un dojo de artes marciales. Sin embargo, su nueva vida se complica cuando se encuentra viviendo bajo el mismo techo con las cuatro hermanas Ikaruga, cada una con una personalidad muy marcada.

El mayor problema de este anime radica en ... su guion y sus personajes. La historia es extremadamente delgada, sirviendo únicamente como un pretexto para encadenar una serie de situaciones de comedia y fanservice previsibles. Los chistes son simples, repetitivos y se basan casi exclusivamente en malentendidos absurdos o en las reacciones exageradas de los personajes. Yoichi es el clásico protagonista denso que, a pesar de sus habilidades de combate, es socialmente inepto. Las hermanas son arquetipos sin ninguna profundidad: la tsundere, la kuudere, la tranquila y la loli. No hay un crecimiento real en sus relaciones ni en sus personalidades; simplemente existen para cumplir un rol preestablecido.

La serie se apoya de forma excesiva en el fanservice, que es a menudo gratuito y carece de propósito narrativo. Las situaciones embarazosas y los ángulos de cámara sugerentes son constantes, pero no contribuyen a la historia ni al desarrollo de los personajes. De hecho, en muchos casos, interrumpen el poco flujo narrativo que pudiera haber, haciendo que la obra se sienta más como una colección de escenas que como una historia cohesiva.

La animación es mediocre y poco memorable. A pesar de que el protagonista es un samurái, las escenas de acción son torpes y carecen de dinamismo, lo que es una gran decepción.

Veredicto y Calificación
Asu no Yoichi! es un anime que no se arriesga ni un ápice. Sigue una fórmula tan conocida que se vuelve aburrida y predecible. Carece de la ambición para construir una historia real o de la creatividad para hacer sus chistes memorables. No es una obra terrible en el sentido de que sea incomprensible, pero es completamente olvidable y un ejemplo perfecto de una oportunidad desaprovechada.

Le doy un 4/10.

¿La recomiendo?
No. Solo la recomendaría a aquellos que busquen una comedia harem sin esperar una historia o personajes de calidad, y que disfruten de su humor y fanservice repetitivo. Para un espectador con gustos exquisitos, es mejor buscar en otro lado.

English

Asu no Yoichi!: The Harem Formula Without Surprises
Asu no Yoichi! is a work that fits perfectly into the definition of a generic harem comedy anime. The premise follows Yoichi Karasuma, a young and skilled samurai who has lived his entire life in the mountains. To complete his training, his father sends him to the city to live with the Ikaruga family, who run a martial arts dojo. However, his new life becomes complicated when he finds himself living under the same roof with the four Ikaruga sisters, each with a very distinct personality.

The biggest problem with this anime lies in its script and characters. The story is extremely thin, serving only as a pretext to string together a series of predictable comedic and fanservice situations. The jokes are simple, repetitive, and based almost exclusively on absurd misunderstandings or the characters' exaggerated reactions. Yoichi is the classic dense protagonist who, despite his fighting skills, is socially inept. The sisters are archetypes without any real depth: the tsundere, the kuudere, the quiet one, and the loli. There is no real growth in their relationships or their personalities; they simply exist to fulfill a pre-established role.

The series relies excessively on fanservice, which is often gratuitous and lacks any narrative purpose. The embarrassing situations and suggestive camera angles are constant but do not contribute to the story or character development. In fact, in many cases, they interrupt the little narrative flow that might exist, making the work feel more like a collection of scenes than a cohesive story.

Verdict and Rating
Asu no Yoichi! is an anime that doesn't take any risks. It follows a formula so well-known that it becomes boring and predictable. It lacks the ambition to build a real story or the creativity to make its jokes memorable. It's not a terrible work in the sense that it's incomprehensible, but it is completely forgettable and a perfect example of a missed opportunity.

I give it a 4/10.

Do I recommend it?
No. I would only recommend it to those who are looking for a harem comedy without expecting a quality story or characters, and who enjoy its repetitive humor and fanservice. For a viewer with exquisite tastes, it's better to look elsewhere.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: Asu no Yoichi! Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) superman89 - Mar 26, 2009	130 replies	by Ash_XM_101 »» Sep 13, 2024 9:53 PM
	Poll: Asu no Yoichi! Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 ) kie_ - Mar 21, 2009	51 replies	by kirA_-_ »» Jul 4, 2024 1:21 PM
	Poll: Asu no Yoichi! Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 ) HawthorneKitty - Mar 14, 2009	50 replies	by kirA_-_ »» Jul 3, 2024 10:31 AM
	Poll: Asu no Yoichi! Episode 4 Discussion ( 1 2 ) sniW - Jan 30, 2009	65 replies	by AirMitsuki »» Dec 3, 2022 12:19 PM
	At what chapter of the manga does the anime ends ? daniel1919 - Mar 31, 2013	6 replies	by MaplesDay »» Nov 24, 2022 1:07 AM