No-Rin (のうりん Nōrin) is a Japanese light novel series written by Shirow Shiratori with illustrations by Kippu, which was published from 2011 to 2016 for 13 volumes. An anime adaptation by SILVER LINK. started in January 2014.
When nationally-renowned Idol Singer Yuka Kusakabe suddenly announced her retirement, it was understandably a cause for shock, but none took the news the hardest than her number-one fan: Kousaku Hata, a boy her age from Tamo, Gifu Prefecture. It shook him to such extents that he locked himself away in his dorm room for days, and his classmates at the Tamo Agricultural School only barely managed to force him to get out of his dorm room and move on with his life.
One day, however, to everyone's amazement and confusion, a New Transfer Student comes into Kosaku's class — and it's none other than "Yuka-tan" herself, transferring under her real name, Ringo Kinoshita. Kousaku realizes that perhaps her retirement is a blessing in disguise, and so jumps at a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get to know his idol up close and, together with his friends Minori Nakazawa and Kei Kamatori, try to find out what is she doing in the countryside... and maybe become more than just classmates.
Tropes appearing in this series:
- All Just a Dream: Yuka Kasukabe is singing a song in front of an audience at the beginning of the first episode, and after the song is done, she then introduces Kousaku. She says that he's brought her happiness, and they proceed to kiss, only to then have him wake up.
- Art Shift: Done frequently in the anime. Played for Laughs.
- Babies Ever After: Minori's family planned to use this for their mixer. While she wasn't actually pregnant, she appeared to be due to being fat at the time when Kousaku accidentally texts that picture to her parents. Minori, for her part, wouldn't mind having his children for real...
- Balloon Belly: Happens to Kousaku, Kinoshita, and Minori in episode 7.
- Beach Episode: Defied in episode 9. They had every intention of going, but then a typhoon hits. Minori, who's never been to the beach, is rather upset about it. They decide to go play in the mud and floodwaters outside their dorms instead. Then when they're on the road after the storm passes at the end of the episode, another storm rolls up...
- Betty and Veronica: The tomboyish Girl Next Door Minori and the aloof former Idol Singer Ringo respectively, with Kousaku as Archie.
- BFG: Kousaku pulls one out during episode 4 as a suggestion for dealing with a monkey wrecking their crops, although it only shoots fireworks.
- Blatant Lies: Kosaku writes about "another typical day where nothing interesting happened." Then as he recalls the events of the day, some rather unusual stuff takes place, all of it involving Bekki-sensei, such as her rampage towards happy girls due to being an Old Maid, or stripping naked in front of her class.
- Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: Kousaku and Bekki-sensei do a variation of this in episode 8 with a cooking show/home ec class. She often ends up telling him to do sexual things, and he ends up having to slap some sense into her. Or break up fights between her and Ringo when she teases the latter about her flat chest.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall:
- In Episode 3, after the henhouse cleaning contest, Kosaku exasperatedly announces the commercial break.
- In Episode 5, Kousaku voices his annoyance at the cliffhanger ending.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: The otaku that Kei hires to deal with the stray monkey eating the crops at their school. He doesn't look like much of a hunter, but he does manage to tranquilize the monkey. He also makes another appearance in episode 13, this time to knock out another "wild creature", Bekki-sensei.
- Camera Abuse: In Episode 8, during an outburst, Bekki-sensei sprayed condensed milk from her mouth to the screen.
- Cat Fight: A rice-planting competition between Minori and Ringo turns into an all-out brawl between those two in the rice field, with the former in a PE T-shirt and bloomers, and the latter in a School Swimsuit. Kei promptly lampshades this:Kei: "THIS IS A CRUEL DEATH DIRTY WRESTLING MATCH! CAT FIGHT!!
- Covers Always Lie: The poster above gives the impression that the lively idol Yuka Kusakabe will be something like a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, liven up a rural agricultural school with her energy instead of becoming an Emotionless Girl as it actually happens.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: The guys in the Forestry Department, who are extremely upset that the ones in the Agricultural Department like Kousaku get to spend time with a lot of girls, none of whom seem to like being in the Forestry one. Kousaku saying things like taking baths with Minori and her sisters all at once only adds fuel to the fire. Which then triggers Clingy Jealous Girl in Ringo when she asks to verify they did take a bath together before.
- Creator Cameo: Illustrator Kippu is mentioned by Kanegami and Kousaku's gang in Episode 6.
- Credits Running Sequence: Several of the characters do a brief one during the opening.
- A Day in the Limelight: Episode 8 focuses a lot on Bekki-sensei, and the very depressing life she leads due to being an Old Maid.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The spraying of yogurt via a water gun "experiment" between Kousaku and Kei in episode 5. The latter in particular seems to be enjoying it a bit too much, which the former points out. Akari taking lots of pictures of them being covered in yogurt doesn't help either.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: The opening and endings are sung by Yuka/Ringo (Yukari Tamura) and Minori (Kana Hanazawa). Bekki-sensei (Chiwa Saitō) sings Episode 8's ending song. Kouchou sings the ending in episode 10.
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Interestingly inverted example in episode 8. Kousaku throws things at and smacks Bekki-sensei a couple of times due to some rather inappropriate things the latter mentions, usually sexual.
- Everyone Can See It: All of Kouchou's friends notice her crush on Kei except Kei himself.
- Everyone Has Standards: In episode 8, Bekki-sensei's meal consists of rice, and a lot of side-dishes on her nude body. She invites the class to "eat" her up, and several of the boys approach her. However, they pick her up and toss her out the window after having had enough of her shenanigans.
- Fan Disservice:
- Kei and his swim trunks.
- Also used In-universe with Bekki-sensei and her antics, especially in episode 8.
- Several of the guys dress up in female attire in episode 10, such as Kei in a playboy bunny suit.
- Fanservice: Used quite a bit throughout the show.
- Fire-Forged Friends: After their Cat Fight, Minori and Ringo immediately befriend each other.
- Friendly Tickle Torture: In an attempt to make Ringo laugh and smile, Minori tries this method on her. Unfortunately, not only did Ringo No-Sell the attempt, she immediately turns the tables on Minori.
- Genre Savvy: Bekki-sensei's entire class by episode 8 has seen through her Genki Girl facade when she comes into the class, knowing she's going to become The Eeyore shortly afterwards by telling them a depressing tale of growing older without getting married.
- Get-Rich-Quick Scheme: Subverted in episode 6. Torao "Money" Kanegami seems this way at first using eggs the school produces. But she later tells him that making money isn't the real point of selling the eggs, and that making connections and contacts is more important.
- Got Volunteered: Minori volunteers Kousaku in episode 6 in Torao "Money" Kanegami's plans to use a famous artist to help sell the farm products their school produces. She then nonchalantly mentions he'll be the fall guy if something bad happens. He later gets a 3-day suspension, when they try to sell mushrooms utilzing Yaoi elements on it. However, he got off fairly easy compared to Kanegami who got three weeks, and class F who got reprimanded by their homeroom teacher.
- Green Aesop: Episode 4 ends with a lecture about how heavily industrialized, unsustainable farming have caused various problems for nature, and the students of Tamo Agricutural School's efforts in making their local soil arable again.
- Groin Attack: Kousaku suffers one from Minori in the first episode.
- Hard Work Hardly Works:
- In episode 7, after some crop failures, Ringo asks Kousaku why even farm in the first place, since it's backbreaking work and the pay usually isn't that great, if it comes at all. He later tells her about how their ancestors worked hard at farming and built up things around them in the hopes of that what they build and the knowledge they pass on to younger generations becomes useful. He then tells her he feels the same way, gaining some satisfaction watching the crops grow despite all the hardships.
- During episode 11, while visiting Kousaku and Minori's hometown, Ringo is told by Kousaku about how the farming community there is getting smaller. On the other hand, she thinks that it's a wonderful place to be due to the clean air and fresh foods available to them, and feels that maybe they just need to make farming seem appealing again so more people would come back.
- Kousaku tries to talk some people out of farming in episode 13, but they all give fairly convincing reasons as to why they want to do it, such as the woman who tells him of her dull life and job in the city as an Office Lady. She tells him she wouldn't mind working out in the country by comparison for a change of pace.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: The picture Kousaku took of a chubby Minori in episode 7, and accidentally sent to her parents, ends up coming back to haunt him in episode 11. After he visits his hometown with Minori, her parents are expecting them to get married, and thought she was already pregnant based on that picture he sent. He tries to weasel his way out of the mixer event that her older sister planned, but after she tells him they'd be deeply in debt if the engagement was called off, he seems to back off on it, at least for now. Ringo meanwhile, is not pleased at all about hearing all of this.
- Hypocritical Humor:
- Yoshida says that Kousaku's class is being rude by being entirely too loud, while ignoring the fact that she brought a cow into the classroom.
- In episode 8, Kousaku tries to stop Ringo from attacking Bekki-sensei, only to do it himself a few seconds later.
- Insane Troll Logic: Minori uses this in episode 9 after they're unable to go to the beach due to a typhoon. So she runs outside and plays in the mud and floodwaters instead. Kousaku, Kei, and Ringo all go join her.
- I Want Grandkids: Minori's parents, particularly her mother, wants Minori and Kousaku to give her one in episode 11. She even locks them in the same room, and Minori seems very willing to make it happen. Fortunately for Kousaku, her two younger sisters decide they want to have a sleepover, and they just go to bed instead.
- Love Bubbles: In Episode 9, between Kousaku and Ringo as he saves her from falling out of a speeding bus.
- Love Triangle: One between Kousaku, Minori, and Ringo. Hilariously, this trope helps them defeat the guys in the Forestry department, as the leader is so overwhelmed by the fact that Kousaku's got two girls going after him that he's defeated without a fight ever taking place.
- Male Gaze: Used throughout the show, and especially during the endings.
- Mistaken for Gay: Used several times in episode 5, largely towards Kousaku.
- Mood Dissonance: The ending song for episode 8 has Bekki-sensei sing a somewhat upbeat sounding song, but the lyrics reek of her Old Maid status and wanting to get married to anyone due to getting older.
- Mundane Made Awesome:
- Kei and his explanation concerning the importance of panties.
- Kei stopping Bekki-sensei's rampage after accidentally being summoned due to Yoshida being happy and in love during episode 8.
- In the same episode, Bekki-sensei shares another depressing tale of her life, and it hits her class rather hard, with several of them going through a Heroic BSoD. However, she provides them with a Hope Spot prior to crushing their esteem later on.
- Kei again, in episode 9 when taking off the rear drain on the rice field to drain excess water. ** The principal in episode 10, who after eating Kei's eggplant, blasts off into space past several planets, figuratively speaking while going on a Toriko-esque monologue on how delicious it is.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Minori's little sisters ruin her wedding to Kousaku in episode 13 when they get a little jealous of her marrying him. They also expose Minori's "pregnancy" by revealing she was just holding Wakadanna in a pouch near her belly to resemble a pregnancy. Fortunately Kousaku manages the damage control fairly well and explains the reasoning behind his actions to the audience when they begin to question the event.
- Non-Indicative Name/One Extra Member: "Shitennou" means "four kings of farming", yet there are five of them in total. Ringo points this out immediately, but Kousaku also dismisses it right away.
- Nose Bleed: Kousaku suffers one at the beginning of episode 2 after Bekki-sensei confirms that he'll spend time with Yuka Kasukabe at school and in the dorms. He has another one in episode 8 when he has an Imagine Spot with Ringo making food for him in Naked Apron.
- The Plan: In episode 5, Kousaku faces off against Kaoru "Rose" Hanazono. The latter claims he's going to do stuff with Ringo the same way he did with Minori the year before, prompting Kousaku to clarify that he kept acting like a gentleman, and having Minori talk his ear off about it. So Hanazono proposes a contest with both of them eating Pocky from either end, and whoever moves away or breaks the Pocky stick first loses. Kei attempts to stop them, but is too late. Hanazono kisses Kousaku rather passionately, then reveals to him that using the two girls was just part of his plan to take Kousaku's First Kiss. Several characters misunderstand the situation completely, with the Forestry guys getting ecstatic over Kousaku being gay, and Minori pleading for him not to bat for the other team.
- Punny Name:
- "Hana" in "Hanazono" means "flower".
- "Kane" in "Kanegami" means "money".
- One classmate of Kousaku's is called "Roriita", which tells a lot about that guy's preference.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Kousaku receives one from Rintarou "Woodman" Miyamoto in episode 5, when they're discussing why they hate him. They point out all of the good qualities Minori has that would make her an ideal wife, yet he seems to ignore her in favor of Ringo. Kousaku being Kousaku, this flies completely over his head.
- Serious Business:
- The value of panties, as discussed by several of the characters in episode 2.
- The argument for big breasts vs flat chests between the boys in episode 8. Kousaku decides to Take a Third Option, and chooses to focus on feet instead.
- Sex Sells:
- Torao "Money" Kanegami utilizes this in episode 6 to convince people to buy otherwise ordinary products, such as eggs and mushrooms. While the eggs sell very well, the mushrooms gets shut down rather quickly, largely due to the use of Yaoi to sell it.
- She goes into full force again, this time to help Kei and their school defeat his father's agricultural farming in a vegetable selling contest. Ultimately they lose, due to his father's superior resources and research into growing crops.
- Shipper on Deck: Minori's entire family pretty much expects Kousaku to marry Minori in episode 11. They even have an event planned that would involve them being a happily engaged couple who's also expecting a child on the way. They also guilt trip him into it as well, warning him of going deeply into debt if the mixer they planned is called off.
- Shout-Out:
- Episode 2:
- Bekki-sensei parodies the leg crossing scene from Basic Instinct.
- During the King's Game's second round, Kousaku utters Light Yagami's infamous line "Just as planned" word-for-word, while sporting demonic red eyes and an evil smirk just like that character.
- Episode 3: Ringo is forced to wear a Dragon Quest-style bikini armor.
- In one of the cut scenes, Kousaku is using Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear.
- Episode 4:
- During the "monkey prevention" meeting, Kouchou repeatedly does the famous finger-pointing pose from Ace Attorney, shouting "No Objection!", accompanied by the franchise's iconic speech bubbles.
- The otaku hired by Kei unrolls a poster of Nyaruko: Crawling with Love!.
- At one point, Kei does a near-perfect impersonation of Takakazu Abe.
- Episode 8:
- The episode name "Cooking Baba" (Cooking Granny) is based on Cooking Mama.
- Bekki-sensei's first rampage on a moped is reminiscent of the first boar attack in Princess Mononoke. She even "curses" the students after Kei "defeats" her in a similar fashion.
- When one of the students in Kousaku's homeroom goes into a monologue on why young girls are superior to boobs, he pulls out a figurine of a grade schooler with twintails, a backpack and a recorder.
- After Bekki-sensei reveals that the reason she does not get fired is that her father is a local official, Kousaku's reaction is turning into Hajime Kindaichi.
- The ending song has one scene where Bekki-sensei sings, which resembles a scene from Haruhi Suzumiya singing "God knows".
- Episode 9:
- The episode name "Gakkou no Kaipan" (School Swimming Trunks) is based on Gakkou no Kaidan.
- Episode 11:
- Minori's elder sister Tsukasa organizes a PR campaign for her hometown called "Turn-A".
- Episode 2:
- Silent Snarker: Wakadanna facepalms after hearing Kousaku Comically Missing the Point about why Minori and Ringo were fighting before the rice planting contest.
- Smashing Watermelons: Attempted in episode 9, but they're doing it outside during a typhoon, so the watermelon and the stick gets blown away by the wind.
- Sneeze Cut: Happens in episode 9 to Minori, after Ringo explains the former sent her to go with Kousaku to help him out.
- Spit Take: Kousaku, Yoshida, and Minori all do this simultaneously in episode 8, after Ringo explains what her secret ingredient was in her miso soup. She says she chopped up some rubber soles taken from shoes.
- Super-Deformed: Happens often.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial:
- In episode 2, when visiting Yoshida, she gives them some chicken to make for dinner. After Kei thanks her, she blushes and starts acting like a Tsundere towards him, causing Ringo to comment that she sounds weird. Yoshida then stutters and says that she doesn't care about Kei, and claims that he's just a rival.
- In episode 7, the Shitennou show up while Kousaku and Kei are having a relaxing moment. They give Kousaku something, then when he asks what it's for, Rintarou says, in a funny high-pitched tone, that the stuff isn't for Ringo to cheer her up or anything like that, and that they're not too embarrassed to give it to her themselves, then runs off.
- In episode 9, one of the beach volleyball guys introduces himself as Ken Butter. Kousaku wonders if it's "the Ken Butter", prompting a question if he knows that guy. He goes about mentioning some very specific stuff about him, while denying he knows anything about him.
- Take a Third Option: At the end of episode 13, both Ringo and Minori ask Kousaku which girl he likes. He tries to give a rather heartwarming reply by stating that the country heals the city with its produce, while the city enriches the country with its entertainment. He then says that he loves both. However, neither girl is happy with the reply, and with Dull Eyes of Unhappiness, they both give him a well deserved punch.
- Team Pet: Wakadanna, Kousaku's pet wallaby.
- Transformation Sequence: Bekki-sensei goes through one in episode 13. She looks rather old and decrepit at first, then when Kousaku offers her a tomato, she reverts to her usual design and attitude.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Minori does various things she'd do at the beach in the background such as playing with sand in episode 9 while the characters are talking. It wouldn't be unusual except that they're stuck in the dorms due to a typhoon.
- We Need a Distraction: Bekki-sensei in the first episode. The class was divided between the ones who grow crops vs the ones who raise animals. She then goes to tell them a story of what she did last night, and to remind them of her unmarried status. The mood suddenly sours, but it gets the students to stop bickering with each other.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- Kousaku calls Minori out in episode 7. Ringo found out about their school because Minori wrote letters and sent a picture to her under the guise of Kousaku sending it along with the vegetables. Surprisingly, Ringo isn't upset by it, because Minori was telling the truth in those letters, and she wanted to meet them all.
- He does it again in episode 11, this time after she brings him back home mostly so that their parents can get their wedding planned and all. See Hoist by His Own Petard for further details.
- World of Ham: While it's subtle than most examples, there are plenty of Large Hams in this series.
- You Are Not My Father: Kei disowned his father, a businessman dealing in agriculture. In episode 10, he reveals that his mother died because of the chemicals his father insisted on using on their crops. As a result, he ran away and had his aunt adopt him so he could take her last name instead of his father's.
