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"In short, if we go through this 'entrance ceremony', that means we can go to school!"

Bottle Fairy is a 2003-2005 manga project serialized in the manga anthology Magi-cu, based on a community-sourced storyline and drawn by Yuiko Tokumi. It received an anime adaptation in 2003, directed by Yoshiaki Iwasaki and produced by Studio Orphee and Xebec.

Kururu, Sarara, Hororo and Chiriri are little season fairies living in bottles in the bedroom of a college student they call "Senseisan" (literally "Mr. Teacher"). The series focuses on their learning about the human world, letting their imaginations get away with them, and experiencing all the months of the year. All the while, the four fairies (especially Kururu) develop crushes on Senseisan and decide that they absolutely must become human. Or, condensed: Cuteness galore.

Not to be confused with the trope formerly known as Bottle Fairy (Now Hard-Drinking Party Girl).


This anime provides examples of:

  • And the Adventure Continues: After the merged-human mishap the fairies decide to stay with Sensei-San and keep learning about the world.
  • Big Eater: Hororo loves to eat.
  • The Cameo: Stellvia of the Universe's main character, Katase Shima, is the girl in the Dating Sim Tama-chan was playing during episode 7.
  • Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Hororo tends to be very out-there compared to the others.
  • Crossdresser: They all wind up filling opposite gender roles at some point in their various fantasies, often leading to situations taking somewhat unexpected and confusing turns, especially when the fairy so-changed gets the others fantasies inflicted on them. For instance, Kururu, on deciding to become a boy, was imagined by Chiriri, Sarara, and Hororo as a 'Prince Charming', a Samurai, and a Mafia-esque gangster respectively.
  • Cute Little Fangs: Tama-chan has fangs to emphasize her young age.
  • Edutainment Show: The show teaches the fairies about the seasons, Japan's way of life, and holidays.
  • Establishing Character Moment: The first time the fairies appear, Chiriri and Sarara are quick to climb out of their bottles and wish Sensei-san a good day, while Kururu falls off the lip of the bottle while she climbs out and Hororo doesn't even want to leave hers at first.
  • Fairy in a Bottle: The fairies live in bottles and come out to play and learn.
  • Genki Girl: Kururu sure is energetic. As is Tama-chan.
  • Idiot Hair: Both Hororo and Kururu have an ahoge, though only Kururu's stands up.
  • Imagine Spot: A very frequent occurrence is the fairies imagining things about humans, like what a school entrance ceremony is like.
  • In Medias Res: The story begins in April, with Sensei-san and Tama-chan already friends with the fairies.
  • In-Series Nickname: Kururu tends to add 'rin' to the ends of her friends' names.
  • Lost in Translation: The anime relies on very specific stuff about Japanese culture. As a result, it's difficult to adapt entirely, especially in English.
  • Minimalist Cast: For a majority of the series there's only the four fairies, Sensai-san, and Tama-chan.
  • Mr. Imagination: All four fairies frequently and comically imagine what human life is like, with more than one Imagine Spot per episode.
  • Never Bareheaded: Chiriri is never caught without a hat. In one episode, she writes a poem about it, ending in "let's all protect our precious skulls."
  • Nice Guy: Sensei-san is patient and understanding even when the fairies' imaginations run away with them.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: We never find out Sensei-san's real name.
  • Puni Plush: Everyone but Senseisan, but even on him a little, though less so to emphasize his maturity.
  • Sixth Ranger: The Bottle Fairy Funbook added a purple fairy, Rere, who was serious but energetic and not associated with a season.
  • Team Pet: Oboro-chan, a capsule toy given life due to the fairies taking his capsule's background caption literally.
  • To Become Human: For the entire series the fairies want to become human. They manage it, with an unexpected result—the four fairies fuse into one human being.
  • Very Special Episode: The fairies learn about the cycle of life through a flower they helped raise, Hananan, and while they initially want to have it live forever, they realize if it does it won't be able to sprout seeds to help new flowers grow next year.


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