Bunny Drop is a Japanese joseimanga series by Yumi Unita. The plot follows thirty-year-old Daikichi as he becomes the guardian of Rin, the illegitimate six-year-old daughter of his grandfather. Bunny Drop was serialized in the monthly magazine Feel Young from October 2005 to April 2011. The chapters for this manga were also collected into nine wide-ban volumes, and released by Shodensha. The series has been licensed in English by Yen Press. An anime adaptation by Production I.G aired in Japan between July 7, 2011 and September 15, 2011. A live-action film adaptation of this manga premiered in Japan on August 20, 2011. A spin-off series of this manga by Unita, entitled Usagi Drop: Bangaihen was serialized in Feel Young from July 2011 to December 2011 and collected in one volume.
Plot
When 30-year-old Daikichi Kawachi returns home for his grandfather's funeral he learns about the existence of Rin Kaga, his grandfather's illegitimate six-year-old daughter by an unknown mother. The girl is an embarrassment to all his relatives and is treated like an outcast. Annoyed by their attitudes, Daikichi decides to take care of Rin himself, even though he is single and has no experience in raising a child. As Rin becomes part of his life, Daikichi experiences the hardships of being a single parent. He is befriended by the single mother of Kouki Nitani, a young boy that Rin meets in nursery school, who gives him advice on raising Rin. After a year has passed, Daikichi acknowledges his sacrifices for Rin have been worth it. The first half of the series focuses on Daikichi's perspective and struggles raising Rin. Ten years later, Rin is a high-school student and the remainder of the series focuses on her trying to figure out how to deal with her feelings for Kouki, and her decision for a career. Rin discovers that she is not actually related to Daikichi by blood, and the series ends with Rin wanting to have a child with Daikichi. The anime and live-action adaptations do not depict this revelation, and instead ends before the time-skip.
Bunny Drop was written and illustrated by Yumi Unita. The untitled chapters were serialized by Shodensha in the monthly josei magazine Feel Young between October 2005 and April 2011. Part one, which is collected in the first four volumes, concluded in the April 2008 issue, with part two beginning thereafter. The chapters were collected in nine wide-ban volumes, the final volume released on July 8, 2011. A spin-off series, also by Unita, entitled Usagi Drop: Bangaihen was serialized in Feel Young from July 2011 to December 2011 and collected in one volume. The series has been licensed in English by Yen Press and in French by Delcourt. Yen Press has published the nine volumes as of August 20, 2013, and the Usagi Drop: Bangaihen volume was released on April 22, 2014 as the tenth and final volume.
Live-action film
In June 2010, production on a live-action film adaption of the manga was announced. The film was directed by Sabu and was released in Japanese theaters on August 20, 2011.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation of the manga produced by Production I.G aired on the noitamina timeslot on Fuji TV between July 7, 2011 and September 15, 2011. Toho, Fuji TV, SMEJ, Dentsu and Shodensha were also involved in the production of the series. In addition, the series can be watched on Kansai TV, Tokai TV, TV Nishinippon, BS Fuji and Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting. The series was also simulcast by Crunchyroll and Anime News Network. The series was released on four Blu-ray Disc/DVD volumes between October 28, 2011 and January 27, 2012, each containing a bonus mini-episode. The opening theme is "Sweet Drop" by Puffy AmiYumi whilst the ending theme is "High High High" by Kasarinchu. The anime has been licensed by NIS America who released the series on Blu-ray and DVD combo pack including an artbook and extras on August 7, 2012.
Episode list
No.
Title
Director
Original airdate
;Bonus episodes
No.
Title
Release date
Appearances in other media
Rin and Daikichi appear in a DLC pack for the PlayStation Vita game, Touch My Katamari, which was released in Japan on May 24, 2012.
Reception
's Deb Aoki praised the first volume for its "heartfelt drama and slice-of-life comedy", uncluttered artwork, storytelling, and the relationship between Daikichi and Rin. She notes that the artwork is a bit plain and simple. Danielle Leigh's also praised the art and the parent and child pair, calling the relationship moving and amusing. Comicsworthreading.com's Johanna Carlson commended Daikichi's character to be realistic as if he were an actual Japanese single father. She rated the first volume as one of the best manga of 2010. Carlson expressed appreciation for the small moments where Daikichi learns what it is to be a parent and states the series is unique to the manga market. The manga was a candidate for the 2011 Eisner Award in the Best U.S. Edition of International Material-Asia category.
