Super Cub (novel series)

Super Cub (スーパーカブ) is a Japanese light novel series written by Tone Kōken and illustrated by Hiro. Originally serialized online as a web novel on Kakuyomu from March 2016 to December 2021, Kadokawa Shoten have released eight volumes and one reserve volume from May 2017 to April 2022 under their Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko label. A manga adaptation with art by Kanitan has been serialized online since December 2017 via Kadokawa Shoten's Comic Newtype manga website. It has been collected in eleven volumes.

An anime television series adaptation by Studio Kai aired from April to June 2021 on multiple television networks across Japan and on Crunchyroll elsewhere. It has received generally positive reviews.

Premise

Super Cub is set in the Mukawa area of Hokuto in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The story follows Koguma, a lone wolf without hobbies or interests. After an encounter with a Honda Super Cub 50, she begins to grow and her world expands beyond herself. The novel promotional posters and the official novel site promote the commemoration of 100 million units sold for the Honda Super Cub.[2]

The series focuses on Koguma, an orphan lone wolf without hobbies and friends. While riding her city bike to school one day, Koguma decides she would like to get a motorized bike of some sort. She resolves to get a Honda Super Cub from a local dealer. Because of this, she eventually makes friends with Reiko and Eniwa.

Characters

• Koguma (小熊)
• The main character, Koguma is a high school student in Hokuto with average grades in school. Her father died when she was juvenile, and her mother disappeared when Koguma entered high school. As Koguma does not have any relatives, she relies on a stipend for living and school expenses. Koguma lives by herself in an apartment building in front of Hinoharu Station. She does not have any hobbies or friends in school. When Koguma buys a Super Cub to use to commute to school, her life begins to change slowly. Due to her isolation, she has a brusque way of speaking with others.
• Reiko (礼子)
• Reiko is a reserved and knowledgeable tall girl who is in the same class as Koguma. Her father is a city councilman, her mother manages a catering business in Hachiōji, and they both live in Tokyo. Reiko lives by herself in a log house the Mukawa area of Hokuto, an area with many vacation homes. She does perfectly at school, including sports. Although her favorite Cub is a restored MD90, it was wrecked during her second year summer vacation to Mount Fuji, and she subsequently acquired a CT110.
• Shii Eniwa (恵庭椎)
• A classmate of Koguma and Reiko, Shii was in charge of the annual cultural festival. She has medium-length hair that is depicted as pale bluish-gray in images from the novels and manga, but grayish in the anime. Although Hiro illustrates her with a mole under her right eye, Kanitan omits this in his illustrations for the manga. She is slightly shorter than Koguma, and has not changed in height since junior high school.

Media

Reception

The Asahi Shimbun described the first novel as a realistic story told with simple and honest language, showing the changes in the life of Koguma as she expands and explores the world opened up to her after she buys the Super Cub.[42]

The anime series received generally positive reviews. Briana Lawrence at The Mary Sue described the first five episodes as "a warm hug delivered at 20 MPH", praising the series for its celebrations of small victories in the life of Koguma and how those change the character's outlook on life.[43] At Anime News Network, Mercedez Clewis called it "the anime to watch this year", going on to call the first episode "a masterpiece of a premiere", full of "a lot of truly beautiful moments where...[the art and colors]...come together to make really striking, evocative scenes".[44]

Another Anime Review was mixed regarding the setup of the series. While praising the beautiful animation, they complained about possibly "lazy writing and/or sloppy production" due to Koguma's living situation. However, they praised the overarching plot of Koguma finding her world opening up due to her purchase of the Super Cub bike, ending with "There's a lot to love here, folks."[45] In his review for Motor Biscuit, a motorcycle enthusiast website, Matthew Skwarczek praised the details showing Koguma learning how to use and take care of her bike, stating the "show gets motorcycle riders".[46]

See also

• Akebi's Sailor Uniform, a manga written and illustrated by Hiro.
• Katana Maidens: Toji No Miko, an anime whose manga adaptation was written and illustrated by Sakae Saito.
• Touring After the Apocalypse, a manga written and illustrated by Sakae Saito.

External links