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Template:Nihongo is a Japanese light novel series written by Sennendō Taguchi. It follows Kazumi Yoshinaga and his normal junior high school life, with younger sister Futaba Yoshinaga, who won a prize from a lottery of a wolf-like gargoyle nicknamed "Gar-kun".
The series was first published in 2004 by Famitsu Bunko (Enterbrain) in Japan. The series was adapted into an anime, which was broadcast on Chiba Television from April 4, 2006. It contained 13 episodes, with the last airing on June 24, 2006.
Plot
In the fictional and peaceful town of Goshikichō, there lives a strange family named the Yoshinagas.
One day, the eldest daughter Futaba wins the third prize in a lottery held in the shopping district. It turns out to be a talking dog-shaped statue whose appearance changes the lives of the Yoshinaga family. He positions himself at the entrance of the Yoshinaga residence, challenging anyone who approaches. The increasing notoriety of the statue, and by extension her family, angers Futaba, leading her to wanting him gone. But after some time being with the Yoshinaga family, Gar-kun corrects his ways and people begin to consider him as the guardian of the town.
For the sake of protecting his newfound family, along with the help of eldest brother Kazumi and his creator Iyo, Gar-kun must contend with the various foes and hardships that befall the town of Goshikichō.
Gargoyle Alternative
In the fairly peaceful city of Inosaki, in an unsafe business district, there is a multi-tenant building called Isshiki Building. On the third floor, there lives a runaway apprentice alchemist called Hikaru. She works as a detective from her home-turned-office called the Henhouse with her living mithril statue nicknamed "Gar-suke."
One day, Hikaru receives a case from a recently established flower shop on the first floor of Isshiki Building. However, this only begins an intense battle with a group of old scientists called Mizuchi who are after the Balance of Rā that Hikaru created using her alchemy.
Hikaru, with fellow residents of the same building, stand together to crush Mizuchi's ambitions before they get what they want.
Characters
Main characters
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- The title character of the series. A living dog-shaped sculpture built by highly skilled alchemists, he protects the entrance to the Yoshinaga household.
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- The only daughter and youngest member of the household. She is a boyish troublemaker who loves wrestling. In the beginning of the series, she dislikes Gargoyle.
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- The older brother of Futaba. Due to his lack of masculinity, he is very often mistaken as a girl by strangers. He often steps in to prevent Futaba from causing more trouble.
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- She is Futaba's friend. Her father is blind and led by a guide dog named Lieutenant Avery.
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- Futaba's friend. Her father had been performing alchemy on her which allowed her to read people's minds and understand their feelings. She now lives with Kaitō Hyakushiki, who she calls Uncle.
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- An extremely clever thief who can pull off several tricks and escape from tight situations. He is Lili's new guardian.
Secondary characters
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- The main protagonist of the spin-off series Gargoyle Alternative (ガーゴイルおるたなてぃぶ). Runs a detective office called the Henhouse on the third floor of a multi-tenant building.
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- Creator of Gar-kun and owner of an antique shop.
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- An Egyptian alchemist. Creator of Osiris.
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- A living gargoyle like Gar-kun. Unable to speak due to having no vocal cords so relies on speech synthesis or writing to communicate.
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- Scottish alchemist who experimented on his daughter Lili.
Media
Light novel
Yoshinaga-san Chi no Gargoyle is a Japanese light novel series written by Sennendō Taguchi and illustrated by Yuji Himukai. The main story consists of 15 volumes published between January 2004[2] and July 2008[3] by Famitsu Bunko.
Gargoyle Alternative
A spin-off series titled Gargoyle Alternative (ガーゴイルおるたなてぃぶ) was published from July 2006[4] to January 2009,[5] lasting 5 volumes.
Other
Short stories set in the Gargoyle universe have been published in various non-series books, including 3 collaborative short story anthologies.
Manga
The manga drawn by Kagari Tamaoka was serialized in the Magi-Cu ("Magical-Cute") magazine. The first tankōbon volume was released on March 31, 2006,[6] while the second was published on February 25, 2008.[7]
Anime
The anime was produced by Studio Hibari and began airing in April 2006, ending with a total of 13 episodes. Sentai Filmworks licensed the series in 2021.[8] The opening theme, Template:Nihongo and main ending theme Template:Nihongo are performed by Chiwa Saito, Nana Mizuki, and Yuuna Inamura. Episode 13 has its own unique ending theme titled Template:Nihongo which is sung by Chiwa Saito.
Reception
The first light novel won the Fifth Enterbrain Entertainment Award. Panelist and novelist Tōru Akitsu described the work as "exuding warmth" and written with a "high degree of perfection." Novelist Usagi Nakamura added that the novel "had soul" and was "heartwarming."[9]