jonadrian619
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~ Bincho-tan ~
"Kawaii Charcoal!"
"Kawaii Charcoal!"
Bincho-tan brings the spotlight on its titular character, Bincho-tan, the cute and adorable girl living in the mountains inside an old house. She is alone, but contented and happy with her life. Every morning, she gathers vegetables in the woods, do household chores and rest at night after the day's work is done. Each episode depicts a day in the life of Bincho-tan along with her bubbly friends who add color and happiness to Bincho's life. Try to take a little break from the fight scenes, drama and screwball comedy and watch this 'peaceful anime' series, Bincho-tan!
Created by mangaka Takahito Ekusa (江草天仁) and produced by game goods company, Alchemist. A 12 episode anime adaptation was produced by Studio Deen, and dubbed by Animax.
Note: Bincho-tan is actually a play on words of the Japanese word for white coal, used for cooking. All the other characters' names represent different types of coal. What's more, it's set in Minabe, Wakayama, a place that's the largest producer of binchotan charcoal in Japan.
The Characters
Binchō-tan (びんちょうタン)
Seiyuu: Ai Nonaka
She is the main protagonist of the series. She is an orphan girl who lives in an old house in the mountains, carrying up her easy and carefree life as she takes advantage of the bounties of the environment with her self-reliant nature. Each episode depicts a new day for Bincho-tan, who also travels to town and doing jobs in exchange for rice. She apparently has an uncanny ability to shrink herself, for instances like fitting in a shoe or riding in the back of a duck!
Kunugi-tan (クヌギたん)
Seiyuu: Sakura Nogawa
She is a rich girl who lives in a mansion with many servants and maids. Despite her life of splendor, she is still lonely despite being surrounded by her servants and schoolmates, yearning for freedom and adventure outside the walls. One day, she met Bincho-tan, and made a real effort to get acquainted with her. She has an aversion to bugs, but in some episodes, a stag beetle is seen clutching to her dress.
Her name comes from the charcoal made from the sawtooth oak tree.
Chiku-tan (ちくタン)
Seiyuu: Sakura Nogawa
Chiku-tan is a hyped-up character who's fond of inventing things and helping other people. Her hair is held up with a piece of charcoal, with the ends usually moving when she has a great idea. Similar to Bincho-tan, she lives in a house far away from town, but with friends and family. She is afraid of ghosts and spirits. When Chiku and Bincho first met, they started going to town together in search of jobs. They also began raising a dog together.
She is named after bamboo charcoal, which is the thing that holds her head. The ends of her hair move about whenever she has a great idea in mind!
Chiku-rin (ちくリン)
Seiyuu: Misato Fukuen
Chiku-tan's younger sister. Chiku-rin has a habit of imitating her sister, but she is not fluent in her speeches.
Aroe (あろえ)
Seiyuu: Momoko Saitō
She is a girl who is fond of swimming and immersing herself in water. Strangely enough, her hair is made up of Aloe which is why she requires water often. Aroe does not make much appearances in the series and those appearances are often a side story, except the final episode where Aloe finally encountered Bincho-tan and her friends.
Much to her dismay, her sharp hair spikes bursts many of her wading pools. She is often seen in the series in a dizzy condition due to lack of water and the need for it, and somedimes due to misfortune.
Ren-tan (れんタン)
Seiyuu: Rina Satō
She is a Miko (shrine maiden) who loves playing a mokugyo, especially during the night where she plays this instrument to communicate with spirits. Her 'spirits' often approach Chiku-tan much to her dismay. As a miko, she lives in a Buddhist temple with her family and enjoys eating dango. Ren is undeniably lucky and always wins in raffles. Her name Ren-tan means a charcoal briquette.
Saji (さじ)
Saji is a dog of the Japanese breed Kishu. When he was in town and saw Bincho-tan, he followed Bincho to her house in the woods after she game him some food from a shop in town, and decided to adopt him as a pet. He had no collar, so Chiku-tan made a collar with a large nut. He was also given a kennel made by Chiku-tan as one of her inventions after it broke. Bincho then decided to name the dog, Saji. She chose Saji as his name because he was an abandoned dog.
Complete List of Characters
Opening/Ending Themes
Opening Theme: Iroha (いろは) by CooRie
[YOUTUBE]yF8sXX-X9b4[/YOUTUBE]
Ending Theme: Bincho Ondo (びんちょう音頭) by Mai Kadowaki
[YOUTUBE]NmSAaEFkZTs[/YOUTUBE]
Episodes
- Spring Awakening
- Gets a Job
- Bin's Birthday
- Rainy Sunday
- Memories of Kimono
- Work in the Night
- Ramune and Candy Apples
- Close Your Hands, Open Your Hands
- A Stag Beetle is Following
- The Baked Sweet Potatoes Season
- First snow, First sledge, First flight
- A Letter to the Sky
Writer's Comment:
It's a decently animated series and I have to say the backgrounds have been made with attention to detail. The cute and adorable character designs are a plus. Despite all the icing on the cake, this anime is more suitable for a younger audience, as in young children! The calm and peaceful feeling that this anime interprets is great to the mood coupled by the harmonious background music. Kids might even learn plenty of Japanese from the simple script! Still, this would just bore adult viewers for its 'childish' nature. It could be sweet or sour, it could capture your hearts with it's cuteness (like me). Watch and find out!
All images used in this thread are copyright © TAKAHITO EXA ・Alchemist/"BINCHOTAN" Partnership
