Aishiteruze Baby

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Aishiteru ze Baby ★★
愛してるぜ ベイベ★★
(I Love You, Baby ★★)
Genre Slice of life, Romance
Manga
Author Yoko Maki
Publisher Flag of Japan Shueisha
Demographic Shōjo
Serialized in Ribon
Original run November 15, 2002 – January 2005
Volumes 7 [1]
TV anime
Director Masaharu Okuwaki
Studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha
Network Flag of Japan Flag of South Korea Animax
Original run April 3, 2004 – October 9, 2004
Episodes 26 [2]

Aishiteru ze Baby ★★ (愛してるぜ ベイベ★★ Aishiteruze Beibe ★★?, also known as I Love Ya, Baby) is a Japanese anime series based on the manga originally created by Yoko Maki, which was serialized in Ribon. The anime series was produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS Entertainment) and Animax, who have exclusively aired the series across Japan, the series premiering across the network from April 3, 2004 to October 9, 2004.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Aishiteru ze Baby (aishiteru ze is a casual, masculine way of saying "I love you") is a shōjo series that revolves around the life of Kippei Katakura, a popular high school playboy who would flirt with any girl he sees. His life was flipped turned upside down when one day, his 5-year old cousin Yuzuyu shows up at his house after her mother had seemingly abandoned her. And now, Kippei has been handed the task of taking care of Yuzuyu for the time being, and he must learn how to become the "mother" that Yuzuyu needs.

[edit] Characters

Kippei Katakura (片倉 結平 Katakura Kippei?)
  • Voiced by: Daisuke Fujita
Kippei is quite the easygoing type and had no idea what hit him when he was told to start taking care of Yuzuyu. At his first attempt to make Yuzuyu's lunch he only made an onigiri; an extra-large one. On top of that, the food he gives her is unremarkable, but Yuzuyu eats it because Kippei is the one who cooked it. Over the series his cooking and personality change for the better. He becomes more responsible and becomes Kokoro's boyfriend. At the end of Volume 7, he receives a letter from Yuzuyu.
Yuzuyu Sakashita (坂下 ゆずゆ Sakashita Yuzuyu?)
Yuzuyu ("Yuzu" for short) is a bubbly little girl. She tries her best to live without her mother. She is easy to get along with. In the beginning, she tells Satsuki she wants to marry Kippei when she grows up. She is very protective of Kippei but truly only wants him to be happy. During the whole series, Yuzuyu struggles with the absence of her mother and her wish to be with her. This conflicts with her wish to be with Kippei. At the very end of volume 7 we see her as a teenager who had written to Kippei a letter. She loves to draw, and likes corn and shellfish.
Kokoro Tokunaga (徳永 心 Tokunaga Kokoro?)
Kokoro is the soon-to-be girlfriend of Kippei. She is quiet, and rather lonesome as she lost her mother at an early age. This makes it easy for her to sympathize with Yuzuyu. Her father married another woman and thinking Kokoro could fend on her own, rents her a luxurious apartment to live in. The truth is, that is not the case. At the end of Volume 6 she tells her friends that she might be pregnant. Later, she finds out she's not. Kokoro is understanding of Kippei's responsibility to spend most of his time with Yuzuyu. Despite her popularity and Kippei's moron-ness, Kokoro's heart remains loyal to Kippei. Her name means "heart".
Misako Katakura (片倉 三沙子 Katakura Misako?)
Kippei's mother. She is a school crossing guard, among other things. She taught Kippei how to make onigiri (rice-balls). She is the older sister of Aunt Miyako.
Reiko Katakura (片倉 鈴子 Katakura Reiko?)
  • Voiced by: Kumiko Endou
Nee-chan (or "Sis" in the English version) is the bold and controlling sister of Kippei. She is a cosmetologist and everyone in Kippei's family follows her orders. Yet there is a secret nee-chan has been keeping to herself: that she can not have any children. She is known for her stylish outfits and nails.
Miyako Sakashita (坂下 都 Sakashita Miyako?)
Yuzuyu's mother. Her husband had died recently and taking care of Yuzuyu by herself was more than she could handle. She is the younger sister of Misako.
Satsuki Katakura (片倉 皐 Katakura Satsuki?)
Satsuki is Kippei's 12-year-old brother. He is 156cm tall. He seems quite emotionless and very smart, as well as weird in a way. He doesn't really like children, but gets along great with Yuzuyu. Satsuki also bears a strong resemblance to his mother. He gets a girlfriend, Ayumi, near the end of the story.
Aki Kagami (鏡 亜希 Kagami Aki?) and Mai Motoki (元木 舞 Motoki Mai?)
Kokoro's friends. They usually show a bitter attitude towards Kippei and don't approve much of Kokoro and Kippei's relationship. Especially Aki. But in reality they just really want what is best for Kokoro. Aki is in love with Shin.
Miki Sakashita (坂下 ミキ Sakashita Miki?)
Miki is Yuzuyu's cousin from her father's side. Volume 4 of the manga is mostly Miki's story. Miki attended a prestigious school. She witnessed her teacher beating up a boy. When she told on her teacher, everything backfired. She was harassed by her peers and teacher but refused to tell her parents. She tried to take Yuzuyu away from the Katakura residence in order to replace herself. In the end, everything is resolved with her and her parents. She appears again in Volume 6.
Marika (まりか?) and Ken (健?)
  • Voiced by:Aoi Yabusaki (Marika) and Yuutaro Motoshiro (Ken)
Yuzuyu's friends from kindergarten. Marika can be quite stuck-up for a five-year-old, but they are all good friends.
Shin Tabata (田端 芯 Tabata Shin?)
  • Voiced by: Makoto Ueki
Kippei's friend and classmate. He and Aki have feelings for each other.
Nattsu (ナッツ Nattsu?)
A former "girlfriend" (more a "friends with benefits") of Kippei. Nattsu has strong feelings for Kippei and misses the way he was before he became responsible.
Aya Oga (大賀 綾 Ōga Aya?) and Akari Oga (大賀 あかり Ōga Akari?)
  • Voiced by: Koumi Yoshida (Aya)
Akari and Aya are more or less in the same position as Kippei and Yuzuyu -- Aya and Akari's parents work all day forcing Akari to take care of her sister, who is Yuzuyu's classmate and friend. Akari is Kippei's classmate. Akari confiding in Kippei, among other things, results in trouble.
Ayumi Kubota (久保田 あゆみ Kubota Ayumi?)
Ayumi is a girl who is in love with Satsuki. She is a model.

[edit] Media

[edit] Manga

The Aishiteruze Baby manga series, authored by Yoko Maki, has been serialized in Shueisha's Ribon magazine since November 15, 2002. It has been licensed for North American distribution by VIZ Media, whose first volume was released in April 2006.

[edit] Anime

Aishiteruze Baby was adapted into an anime series by TMS and Animax, which premiered across Japan on Animax from April 3, 2004 to October 9, 2004.

[edit] Episode List

# Episode Name Original air date
1 "She (Yuzu) is ★ 5 Years Old!"
"Kanojo (Yuzu) wa go sai" (彼女（ゆず）は★５歳！) 		 2004-04-03
Kippei Katakura is the handsomely known playboy of the school. After ditching school to play around with a girl on the roof, his friends ask him to go play around. However, he received a phone call, telling him to go home right away. It turns out his 5 year old cousin, Yuzuyu, is staying with him, and he is the one in charge of taking care of her. 
2 "Yuzu's Riceball!"
"Yuzu no Onigiri!" (ゆずのおにぎり！) 		 2004-04-10
 
3 "Where's Mama"
"Mama wa doko" (ママはどこ) 		 2004-04-17
 
4 "Yuzu's Crayon"
"Yuzu no Kureyon" (ゆずのクレヨン) 		 2004-04-24
 
5 "The Reason for Tears"
"Namida no Riyū" (ナミダの理由) 		 2004-05-08
 
6 "Bye-Bye, Yellow Hat"
"Baibai Kiiroi Bōshi" (バイバイ黄色い帽子) 		 2004-05-15
 
7 "One, Two! Pudding!"
"Oitchi ni! Purin!" (おいっちに！プリン！) 		 2004-05-22
 
8 "Mr. Bear and Carrots and Papa and Mama"
"Kuma-san to Ninjin to Papa to Mama" (クマさんとニンジンとパパとママ) 		 2004-05-29
 
9 "Kokoro All Alone"
"Hitoribotchi Kokoro" (ひとりぼっちの心) 		 2004-06-05
 
10 "Jealousy"
"Yakimochi" (やきもち) 		 2004-06-12
 
11 "Dumplings, Yuzu, and Kokoro"
"Odango to Yuzu to Kokoro" (おだんごとゆずと心) 		 2004-06-19
 
12 "Yuzu's Errand ♪"
"Yuzu no Otsukai ♪" (ゆずのおつかい♪) 		 2004-06-26
 
13 "Mama"
"Mama" (ママ) 		 2004-07-03
 
14 "Shōta-kun from Sakuragumi"
"Sakuragumi no Shōta-kun" (さくらぐみの翔太くん) 		 2004-07-10
 
15 "Big Sister goes to Parents' Day!"
"Onee-sama Tankanbi ni Iku!" (おねぇさま参観日に行く！) 		 2004-07-17
 
16 "Shō-chan, See You Later…"
"Shō-chan, Mata ne…" (しょーちゃん、またね…) 		 2004-07-24
 
17 "It's a Pool, it's a Bathing Suit, it's Scary"
"Pūru da, Mizugi da, Kowaimon" (プールだ、水着だ、こわいもん) 		 2004-08-07
 
18 "Miki-chan with the Red Hair"
"Akai Kami no Miki-chan" (赤い髪のミキちゃん) 		 2004-08-14
 
19 "Let's Walk in a Line"
"Narande Arukō" (並んで歩こう) 		 2004-08-21
 
20 "Let's Go Home"
"Ouchi e kaerō yo" (おウチへかえろうよ』) 		 2004-08-28
 
21 "At Summer's End…"
"Natsu no owari ni…" (夏のおわりに…) 		 2004-09-04
 
22 "When I Grow Up"
"Okkikunattara" (おっきくなったら) 		 2004-09-11
 
23 "Two ♥ box lunches"
"Obento ♥ futatsu" (おべんと♥ふたつ』) 		 2004-09-17
 
24 "A Letter to a Loved One"
"Daisuki na Hito e no Tegami" (大スキな人への手紙) 		 2004-09-25
 
25 "Mama's Pajamas"
"Mama no Pajama" (ママのパジャマ) 		 2004-10-02
 
26 "Everyone ★ Everyone ★ I Love You"
"Minna ★ Minna ★ Aishiteru" (みんな★みんな★愛してる) 		 2004-10-09
 

[edit] Theme songs

Opening theme
  • Sunny Side Up
Performed by Yo Hitoto
Ending theme
  • Nennensaisai (年年歳歳? literally "Years-Years-Old-Old")
Performed by Yo Hitoto

[edit] Reception

Source Reviewer Grade / Score Notes
THEM Anime Reviews Jennifer Berman 5 out of 5 Anime Review

[edit] References

  1. ^ Aishiteruze Baby (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia. Accessed 2007-02-18.
  2. ^ Aishiteruze Baby (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia. Accessed 2007-02-18.

[edit] External links