Mamotte! Lollipop

Mamotte! Lollipop
Cover of the first volume by Del Rey Manga
まもって! ロリポップ
Genre	Romantic comedy, Fantasy
Manga
Written by	Michiyo Kikuta
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Shōjo
Magazine	Nakayoshi
Original run	February 2003 – July 2005
Volumes	7
TV anime
Directed by	Noriyoshi Nakamura
Studio	Sunshine Corporation
Licensed by	Funimation Entertainment
Network	KAB
Original run	July 6, 2006 – September 24, 2006
Episodes	13
Manga
Modotte! Mamotte! Lollipop!
Written by	Michiyo Kikuta
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Shōjo
Magazine	Nakayoshi
Original run	August 2006 – February 2008
Volumes	6 (with side story)

Mamotte! Lollipop (まもって! ロリポップ, Mamotte! Roripoppu) is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Michiyo Kikuta (菊田 みちよ, Kikuta Michiyo). It was serialized in the magazine Nakayoshi and published by Kodansha in Japan between February 2003 and July 2005.

The story revolves around female protagonist Nina Yamada, a seventh grader who accidentally swallows the Crystal Pearl thinking it was candy. The pearl is the goal of a sorcery examination where the students must retrieve it to pass. But since Nina has swallowed the pearl, she is now the target. Fortunately for Nina, two of the examinees decide to protect her from the other students while they work on a potion to extract the pearl from Nina.

In 2006, Mamotte! Lollipop was adapted into a thirteen episode anime television series by Marvelous Entertainment and Sunshine Corporation under the direction of Noriyoshi Nakamura (中村憲由, Nakamura Noriyoshi). The anime series aired between July 1, 2006 and September 2006 in Japan on KAB. In 2009, FUNimation Entertainment dubbed the anime under the name "Save Me! Lollipop".

Plot

Nina Yamada is a junior high 7th grader who dreams about a boy who is strong, handsome, and kind enough to always protect her no matter what. One day, Nina "accidentally" swallowed a Crystal Pearl that she assumed was candy that came with her cake. But the Crystal Pearl was the goal of a sorcery examination. Nina becomes the new target by many probationer sorcerers and goes on for half a year. During this whole mix up, she meets two wizard boys named Zero and Ichii and comes to a conclusion that they can protect her until a potion is made to remove the Crystal Pearl from her. However, this potion will take about 6 months to complete. Despite how long it took Zero and Ichii decided to protect Nina. Even at school and at home, Zero and Ichii protect Nina where ever she goes.

Main characters

Nina Yamada (山田二菜(ニナ), Yamada Nina)

Voiced by: Yui Shoji (Japanese), Brittany Karbowski (English)

Nina is a 7th grade girl with an aggressive character, though she is also a caring, child-like, sweet teenager most of the time. She doesn't take insults very well. This is shown when she is often clashing with Zero, who usually calls her "stupid" or "idiot".

She is targeted by many sorcerer examinees as she accidentally swallowed the Crystal Pearl which they need in order to pass their professional wizard exam. Zero and Ichii are her guardians. Her hobbies include shopping, and to stretch/do sit-ups. Nina is extremely bad at all forms of housework, but she does not seem to realize this. She wishes to have a boyfriend who is kind, strong, and protective. However, she is caught in a love triangle with Zero and Ichii because they fit the type of boy she would like.

In the end she decides that she loves Zero. In one of the chapters in the manga, Nina and Zero kiss when Heart attacked them (causing a smoke screen) but Nina was unaware until Zero confessed to it at the end of Volume 5. In volume 6 Nina realizes that she does love him. In volume 7 of Mamotte! Lollipop, when she is 22 years old, she is depicted with shorter hair and comes for a summer break in the magic world. She later on accepts Zero's marriage proposal.

In the sequel, Modotte! Mamotte! Lollipop!, she and Zero are married and have two children: a son named Rei and a daughter named Mina.

Zero (ゼロ)

Zero has aqua blue hair and is one year older than Nina.

Zero has a very rude and cocky personality, often shown clashing with Nina. He owns little tolerance and is highly rebellious towards those who get in his in way. Zero is a particularly an impatient person and has an extremely short temper.

He is often shown making fun of Nina, therefore, always getting himself into arguments with her. But despite the way he treats Nina, it soon becomes clear that he is in love with her and truly wishes to protect her from any harm. Their relationship gradually becomes better throughout the series, and in the manga, he even admits his love to her. At the end of volume 7, when he is 23 years old, he proposes to her and she accepts.

In the sequel of Modotte! Mamotte! Lollipop!, in a side-story, he and Nina are married and have two children named Rei and Mina. In the anime television series, Zero is voiced by Miki Ōtani in Japanese and Eric Vale in English.)

Ichii (イチイ)

Ichii is 2 years older than Nina and one year older than Zero. He is depicted as a kind and gentle-natured boy. Ichii is exceedingly polite and mature, thus making him a gentleman.

He had a rough past, but opened up more ever since that day he met Zero, approximately three years ago. He also falls in love with Nina and he later tells Nina that he loves her. He has a sister (not biologically) named Sarasa, whom he used be in love with until she married Zero's older brother. His specialty is "defense magic". It also show on the side story on the last volume, he married Rokka (who frequently chased Ichii in the start of the magical exam and so on). He has a daughter named Itsuki, who is the protagonist of the side story and in love with Rei, who is Nina and Zero's son. In the anime television series, Ichii is voiced by Daisuke Nakamura in Japanese and J. Michael Tatum in English.

Media

Manga

The pilot chapter of Mamotte! Lollipop first appear in the manga magazine Bessatsu Nakayoshi on October 2002. The series was then serialized in Nakayoshi beginning with the February 2003 edition and concluded two years later in the July 2005 edition. The individual chapters where republished into seven volume collections by Nakayoshi's publisher Kodansha.

At the 2006 Comic-Con, Del Rey announced that it had acquired the rights to Mamotte! Lollipop. Del Rey released the first volume on February 27, 2007.

Anime

Main article: List of Mamotte! Lollipop episodes

Mamotte! Lollipop was adapted into a thirteen episode anime television series in 2006. Produced by Marvelous Entertainment and Sunshine Corporation under the direction of Noriyoshi Nakamura (中村憲由, Nakamura Noriyoshi), the anime series was first broadcast on KAB in Japan between July 1, 2006 and September 2006. The episodes were rebroadcast by several other stations within a few days of the initial broadcast.

On May 12, 2008, Funimation Entertainment announced that it acquired Mamotte! Lollipop. Under the title Save Me! Lollipop, Funimation released the series as a single DVD box set on February 24, 2009.

External links

• Mamotte! Lollipop (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Modotte! Mamotte! Lollipop (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Santos, Carlo (March 12, 2007). "Mamotte! Lollipop GN 1 Review". Anime News Network. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/mamotte-lollipop/gn-1. 
• Santos, Carlo (May 1, 2009). "Save Me! Lollipop DVD Review". Anime News Network. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/save-me-lollipop/dvd-box-set.