Comic Party - DVD

Kazuki Sendou is a high school student with genuine artistic talent who has been happily minding his own business — until his outrageous best friend Taishi Kuhonbutsu drags him to Comiket, the world's largest doujinshi convention, and Kazuki experiences something he wasn't expecting: the sight of independent creators selling their own work to thousands of enthusiastic fans, all operating outside the mainstream publishing industry. Taishi, who is both a passionate champion of doujinshi culture and deeply strange in every possible way, immediately declares that Kazuki must become a doujin artist himself. Kazuki has no interest in this. He is going to be dragged into it anyway. What follows is a series of connected episodes tracking Kazuki's reluctant entry into the doujinshi world — learning to draw, meeting fellow creators, dealing with deadlines, navigating Comiket's chaotic floor — while the women in his life react to his new hobby with varying degrees of support, bafflement, and competitive indignation.

Comic Party is a 13-episode comedy series plus four 10-minute specials produced by Oriental Light and Magic (OLM — the Pokémon studio) and KSS, directed by Norihiko Sudo, and based on Aquaplus's dating sim visual novel — adapted specifically to focus on the doujinshi creation aspects of the game rather than its romance routes. It aired on UHF stations in Japan from April to June 2001. The series is a warm, affectionate tribute to doujin culture and Comiket in the tradition of Otaku no Video. The English dub made significant cultural changes, including converting yen to dollars and renaming traditional Japanese clothing. Licensed by The Right Stuf International and released on four DVD volumes between March 30 and July 27, 2004. Discotek Media re-licensed the series in 2014 and reissued it on DVD in January 2015.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Norihiko Sudo
Series Composition: Hiroshi Yamaguchi (Gate Keepers original game)
Original Game: Aquaplus / Leaf (Comic Party visual novel, 1999)
Studio: OLM Team Iguchi / KSS (Pokémon studio, Angelic Layer)
Music: Kazuo Nobuta
Opening Theme: "Kimi no Mama de" by Emi Motoda

Japanese Cast:
- Masami Kikuchi as Kazuki Sendou (Oh My Goddess! OVA, Tenchi films, Moldiver)
- Koichi Tochika as Taishi Kuhonbutsu (Pilot Candidate, Demon Fighter Kocho, Labyrinth of Flames)
- Riko Sayama as Mizuki Takase
- Shizuka Ishikawa as Eimi Ohba
- Kaoru Morota as Yuu Inagawa
- Mie Sonozaki as Aya Hasebe

English Dub Cast (Right Stuf / NYAV Post — New York):
- Jack Lingo as Kazuki Sendou
- Liam O'Brien as Taishi Kuhonbutsu (Night on the Galactic Railroad, RG Veda, Descendants of Darkness, Captain Tylor OVA, DNA²)
- Rachael Lillis as Mizuki Takase (Pokémon, Night on the Galactic Railroad, Maetel Legend, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Captain Tylor OVA)
- Lisa Ortiz as Chisa Tsukamoto / Minami Makimura (Night on the Galactic Railroad, Maetel Legend, Gestalt, Alien Nine, Captain Tylor OVA)
- Jessica Calvello as Eimi Ohba (Demon Fighter Kocho)
- Georgette Rose as Yuu Inagawa (Ninja Cadets, Puppet Princess)

DVD Features (Right Stuf International, 4-Volume Release)

- All 13 Episodes + 4 Specials across 4 Volumes
- Right Stuf International Previews
- Note: Discotek Media reissue (January 2015) also available; Thinpak complete collection box also available

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: こみっくパーティー (Komikku Pātī / Comic Party)
Runtime: ~352 Minutes (13 Episodes + 4 Specials)
Director: Norihiko Sudo
DVD Release Year: 2004 (U.S. Release, March 30 – July 27 — Right Stuf International, 4 volumes); Discotek Media reissue January 2015
Original Broadcast Date (Japan): April 2 – June 25, 2001 (UHF)
Publisher: The Right Stuf International
Rating: 13+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life
Themes: Doujinshi Culture, Comiket, Otaku Creator Life, Visual Novel Adaptation, Aquaplus Game

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.