Chibi Devi!(ちび☆デビ!,Chibi Debi!) is a Japaneseshōjo comedy manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Shinozuka about a middle school girl who discovers a devil baby on her bed one day. It was adapted into an anime television series by SynergySP which aired in Japan from October 10, 2011 to February 17, 2014.
Honoka Sawada is a lonely girl who is often picked on by others. One night, a strange baby named Mao appears before her, and she soon learns that this baby is none other than a baby devil.
Characters
Honoka Sawada (沢田 ほのか,Sawada Honoka)
Voiced by: Yuka IguchiHonoka is a 14-year-old girl in middle school who lost her parents at a young age and now lives with her aunt Rikako. She is a shy girl who lacks self-confidence and her classmates take advantage of her. The show begins with her wishing she wasn't so lonely and this wish is granted when she becomes Mao's substitute mother. As the series progresses she develops feelings for Shin.
Mao (まお)
Voiced by: Noriko ShitayaThe baby devil that is given to be raised by Honoka. His main costume is based on a dinosaur and it gives him the ability to breathe fire. Overall Mao is a happy child, but he scares easily and often bursts into tears over the smallest of things – though he is always quick to recover. As the story progresses he becomes aware of this and often tries to overcome his fears and flaws in an attempt to impress Honoka.
Shin Sugisaki (杉崎 真,Sugisaki Shin)
Voiced by: Hiroyuki YoshinoShin is a boy in his second year of high school and is Mao's substitute father. He was introduced to Honoka by Kyou and agreed to help Honoka raise Mao at his suggestion. It is revealed in Episode 28 that he has a fear of needles but overcomes this phobia to help the devil children get inoculated.
Karin (かりん)
Voiced by: Ryō HirohashiA baby devil who goes to the same nursery as Mao. Her main costume is based on a penguin and it gives her the ability to project icy blasts from her mouth. She has a short temper and will quickly resort to violence. Likes to eat food, especially meats and currys. Since Itsuki taught her some childish jokes based on aubergines she's had an obsession with them.
Natsuki Takayama (高山 夏季,Takayama Natsuki)
Voiced by: Rie YamaguchiNatsuki is a girl in her second year of high school. She is Karin's substitute mother.
Itsuki Takayama (高山 樹,Takayama Itsuki)
Voiced by: Yoshitsugu MatsuokaItsuki is Natsuki's younger brother and is in the same year and school as Honoka. He is Karin's substitute father.
Rai (ライ)
Voiced by: Mikako TakahashiA baby devil who goes to the same nursery as Mao. His main costume consists of a pink wig with a small hat on it, and matching animal print shorts and this gives him the power to throw electricity. He is a well behaved child who usually acts mature for his age, although he can be quite mischievous at times. While learning to speak he spent a lot of time watching Manzai comedy with Shiori which is the reason he speaks with a Kansai dialect.
Shiori Nakagawa (中川 しおり,Nakagawa Shiori)
Voiced by: Asuka NishiShiori is a girl in her first year of middle school and is Rai's substitute mother. She is quite outspoken and to begin with didn't get on well with the other parents. At one point she considered abandoning Rai but after an intervention by Honoka she became more approachable.
Principal (園長先生,Enchō-sensei)
Voiced by: Sōichirō HoshiThe principal of the Chibi Devi Nursery. He is always seen wearing thick glasses and has a grey moustache, although it's unclear if these are false. He is an apparent expert on baby devils and has written an encyclopaedia on them which he gives a copy of to Honoka when Mao first starts at the nursery. The devil children love to practice their magic on him.
Ms. Itō (伊藤先生,Itō-sensei)
Voiced by: Ayumi FujimuraThe teacher at the nursery. She often berates the Principal for being as silly as the children.
Pepe (ペペ)
Voiced by: Ayumi FujimuraPepe is an animal from the Devil World that came to be the nursery's pet. Mao gave him the name Pepe after the sound his tail makes as it beats the floor while he walks. However, it is later revealed that his real name is Torakichi (トラキチ). He is able to understand the human language but only speaks in a series of squawks which are usually then translated by one of the human-language speaking characters present.
Chiyo (ちよ)
Voiced by: Iguchi YukaA baby devil from a neighbouring nursery that comes to visit. She is the same age as Mao, Karin and Rai.
Ryū (リュウ)
Voiced by: Ayumi FujimuraA baby devil from a neighbouring nursery that comes to visit. He is Chiyo's younger brother.
Ghost of the Toilet (トイレの幽霊のお姉さん,Toire no Yūrei no Onēsan)
Voiced by: Noriko ShitayaA young ghost who haunts the toilet at Pepe's house in the Devil World. She starts off as a very aggressive character until Mao learns to get along with her and gradually becomes very fond of her - although she doesn't return his affection.
Kyō Tōno (遠野 京,Tōno Kyō)
Voiced by: Kōichi BandōKyou is a boy in his second year of high school and is in the same class as Shin. He is Honoka's childhood friend and was the person she always turned to before Mao arrived. He is an anime otaku and on multiple occasions leaves abruptly to watch anime.
Aunt Rikako (理香子おばさん,Rikako-obasan)
Voiced by: Ayumi FujimuraHonoka's aunt and current guardian. Her work keeps her busy and is the reason she stays away from home for extended periods.
Manga
The original manga by Hiromu Shinozuka began serialization in Shogakukan's Ciao magazine from May 2008 to October 2014. In Europe it has been released in German by Egmont from December 2010 as Chibi Devil and in French by Soleil from September 2013 as Chibi Devi.
Eleven tankōbon volumes were released, with volume 6.5 being a special fan book to coincide with the start of the anime. Volumes 7, 8 and 9 all had limited edition versions in addition to the normal versions which included a DVD containing episodes from the anime.
Anime
An anime television series based on the manga was announced in the October 2011 issue of Ciao. The series began airing on Japan's NHK Educational TV, NHK-E, as part of the Dai! Tensai Terebi-kun program block, airing from October 10, 2011 to February 17, 2014. Each episode is exactly 5 minutes long. It began airing in Korea on November 19, 2013 on Tooniverse as Baby Devil! (Hangul: 베베데빌!; RR: Bebe Debil).
A costume design competition was announced on May 28, 2012 during the Dai! Tensai Terebi-kun program on NHK-E, immediately after episode 23 aired. This announcement was repeated again right after episode 25 (originally broadcast June 18, 2012) and a notification was put on the anime's homepage. The winning designs were featured in episode 39 as part of a "Magic Testing Room" which was a room where the children could use the magic from costumes not made by their parents.
