Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight!

Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! (がくえんゆーとぴあ まなびストレート！) is the title of the a Japanese manga created by ufotable and illustrated by Tartan Check which was first serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Dengeki Daioh, published by MediaWorks in December 1 2005. It was planned that it would be made into an anime series which broadcasts in Japan starting on January 7 2007 on TV Tokyo. A Playstation 2 video game based on the series will be released in Japan in March 2007, developed by Marvelous Interactive.

Plot
Manabi Straight! follows the lives of a group of young girls living in 2035. Due to the fact that birth rate has dropped dramatically, many schools are being closed down due to the sheer lack of students available to teach. One day, a young, active girl named Manami Amamiya transfers to one such school called Seiō Private High School (私立聖桜学園) and begins to heat things up.

Characters

 * Manami Amamiya (天宮 学美)
 * Manami, also known as "Manabi" (まなび), has a very active personality and gives everything a lot of effort. It was mainly due to her uplifting personality that gives other students more vigor in their lives. Before long after transferring to Seiō Private High School, she becomes the student council president. Her motto in life is Massugu Go! (まっすぐ GOー!).


 * Mika Inamori (稲森 光香)
 * Mika, also known as "Mikan" (みかん), is a clumsy girl who is constantly falling down and bumping into things. As an only child, she has taken advantage of her position and has been spoiled by her parents. After meeting Manami, Mika becomes very attached to her which in a way could be seen as romantic attachment.


 * Mutsuki Uehara (上原 むつき)
 * Mutsuki, also known as "Mucchii" (むっちー), is an exceptional athlete whose reputation often precedes her. In effect, many of the sports clubs at school have invited her to participate in several club activities as an honorary member.


 * Mei Etoh (衛藤 芽生)
 * Mei, also known as "Mee-chan" (めぇちゃん), usually comes off as a stubborn girl who tends to be industrious and competitive despite her standoffish nature.


 * Momoha Odori (小鳥 桃葉)
 * Momoha, also known as "Momo" (もも), is a quiet girl from a rich family who may seem lazy since she tends to sleep during classtime. Her hobby is videotaping the events of the student council surrounding Manami and her friends.


 * Shimojima (下嶋)
 * Shimojima is the teacher of Minami's class.

Media
The series began as a manga which was later adapted into an anime and even a video game.

Manga
The Manabi Straight! manga, with story by ufotable and illustrated by Tartan Check was first serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Dengeki Daioh published by MediaWorks on December 1 2005. Currently, two volumes been released, the first of which came out on May 27 2006.

Anime
The Manabi Straight! anime airs in Japan starting from January 7 2007 on the TV Tokyo television network.

Direction
The production staff of Manabi Straight! is taking a new path in terms of direction, effectively removing the traditional "director" position. Instead, a team of studio producers and episode directors called Team Manabibeya (チームまなび部屋) share the burden together, a first for an animation production. Team Manabibeya includes:


 * Story director: Ryunosuke Kingetsu
 * Animation director/Character design: Atsushi Ogasawara
 * Layout director: Takurowo Takahashi
 * Technical director: Takayuki Hirao

Theme songs
Note: According to Megumi Hayashibara, she was scheduled to voice Manami Amamiya, but she chose to sing the opening and ending songs instead. So Yui Horie took Manami's role.
 * Opening theme: "A Happy Life" by Megumi Hayashibara
 * Ending theme: "Lucky & Happy" by Megumi Hayashibara
 * Character CDs

Three character mini albums have been released featuring the characters of Manami Amamiya, Mika Inamori and Mutsuki Uehara. Two more which have yet to be released will be for the characters Mei Etoh and Momoha Odori.

Video game
A video game developed by Marvelous Interactive for the Playstation 2 entitled Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! Kira Kira ☆ Happy Festa! (がくえんゆーとぴあ まなびストレート! キラキラ☆Happy Festa!) will be released in March 2007.

The gameplay will be that of a dating simulation where the player interacts with the game by making choices at key times in the story. While the game will consist of several different scenarios, the main one takes place during the summer festival. In that scenario, Manami will need the cooperation and comprehension of the town people in order to ensure the success of the event. Therefore, Manami and her friends will go through various missions in the game while they will work and help the town people get ready for the festival. As an original system built into the game, Manami has the power to give her friends "Hustle Points" that she uses to cheer her friends up during their various missions.