Bunny Drop

Bunny Drop (うさぎドロップ), also known as Usagi Drop, is an ongoing Japanese josei manga series by Yumi Unita. It has been serialized by Shodensha in the manga magazine Feel Young since October 2005, and collected in seven wide-ban volumes. It depicts the struggles of a bachelor, named Daikichi, commited to raise a young orphan, Rin, who is the illegitimate daughter of his grandfather. Part one takes place when Rin is six years old, while part two begins ten years later. It has been licensed in English by Yen Press.

Plot
When 30-year-old Daikichi returns to his home for his grandfather's funeral, he meets an unfamiliar child in the garden. His mother explains to him 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 his family's attitude, Daikichi decides to take care of Rin himself, even though he is single and has no experience raising a child.

The manga series is divided into two plots. The manga jumps forward in time with volume 5, shifting its focus from Daikichi's struggles to Rin's own adolescence.

Development
In an interview, Yumi Unita stated that while some of Rin and Daikichi's experiences are based on her own, most of the story is her own invention, inspired sometimes by her reading or discussions with friends.

Manga
Usagi Drop is written and illustrated by Yumi Unita. It has been serialized by Shodensha in the monthly josei (aimed at younger adult women) manga magazine Feel Young since October 2005. Part one, which is collected in the first four volumes, concluded in the April 2008 issue, with part two (which skips ahead ten years) beginning in the next issue. Serial chapters have been collected in seven wide-ban volumes.

The series has been licensed in English by Yen Press and in French by Delcourt.

Anime
The anime series has 11 episodes and 4 specials. All take place during the early years of Daikichi's and Rin's life together. The anime covers the same information as the first 4 manga volumes.

Characters
Daikichi Kawachi (河地 大吉 Kawachi Daikichi?) Daikichi is a 30-year-old, single man and the adoptive guardian of Rin.[2] With Rin living in his home, Daikichi quits smoking, cleans his house, and reluctantly cuts back on work hours. Despite his irresponsible life style, Daikichi is a very hard working man and considered the best in his department.[3] He is insecure about his style on raising Rin, always asking his co-workers or Yukari for guidance.[4] Yumi Unita stated some events Daikichi faced when raising Rin were based on her personal experiences. He appears to like Yukari.[5] He is voiced by Hiroshi Tsuchida in the anime and portrayed by Kenichi Matsuyama in the live action film.[6][7]

Rin Kaga (鹿賀 りん Kaga Rin?) Rin is a six-year-old girl and is thought to be the illegitimate daughter of Daikichi's grandfather, Souichi Kaga (鹿賀 宋一 Kaga Sōichi?), and a manga artist named Masako Yoshii (吉井 正子 Yoshii Masako?).[2] Rin was abandoned by Masako for the sake of her career.[8] She is strongly independent and mature, often dealing with issues on her own.[9] Living with Daikichi, she develops a fondness for cooking for him.[10] Rin begins to wrestle with her feelings when Kouki starts wanting to have a deeper relationship with her. Rin comes to realize that she likes Daikichi but is hesitant to pursue a relationship because they are related to each other. Near the end of the series, however, Rin learns that Souichi was not her biological father and only adopted her. After this, she opts to stay with Daikichi for life and marry him. Her child self is voiced by Ayu Matsuura in the anime and portrayed by Mana Ashida in the live-action film.[7][11]