The Rolling Girls (ローリング☆ガールズ, Rōringu Gāruzu) is a 2015 Japanese anime television series produced by Wit Studio. The logo of this title contains the text, "Rolling, Falling, Scrambling Girls. For others. For themselves. Even if they're destined to be a 'mob'". Two manga adaptations began serialization in Japan on October 4, 2014.
Ten years after the end of the "Great Tokyo War" that rocked Japan, most of the country's political and economic elites mysteriously vanished. As a result, the country split up into the original 10 prefectures that soon became independent city-states that competed with each other. Many vigilantes who fought in the aforementioned war became hired as the "Best" (mosa), representing their prefectures in territorial disputes. Their supporters, the "Rest" (mob), work to support them while maintaining the peace within their respective prefectures.
After a prolonged battle with Kuniko leads her friend, Masami to become seriously injured, a rookie Rest named Nozomi decides to travel around Japan on her motorcycle with her new friends, fulfilling requests for Maccha Green while they seek to grow stronger and search for special heart-shaped jewels, the moonlight stones. It is said that the moonlight stone can make a person possesses unlimited power when it is worn, especially by Bests of different regions when combat or fight happens in order to protect themselves, but may lead to serious consequences such as injury of people and damage of properties because of the force emitted by the battle or the people who used it.
Main characters
Nozomi Moritomo (森友 望未, Moritomo Nozomi)
Voiced by: Ari Ozawa (Japanese); Felecia Angelle (English)
Sole daughter of the Moritomo family and a normal girl whose family runs the Moritomo Restaurant in Tokorozawa. The protagonist and a new recruit of the Hiroshi Town Propellers. A childhood friend of Masami who seeks to grow stronger on her own and loves her as her sister. Her favourite food is the Melonpan. She admires Masami so much and later becomes the Hiyoshi Town Propellers trainee.
Yukina Kosaka (小坂 結季奈, Kosaka Yukina)
Voiced by: Rina Hidaka (Japanese); Monica Rial (English)
A tone-deaf runaway from the same town as Nozomi. Due to her shy personality, she is quite polite when speaking with others. She was once protected by the Suzumoto family.
Ai Hibiki (響 逢衣, Hibiki Ai)
Voiced by: Risa Taneda (Japanese); Jād Saxton (English)
An upbeat girl who was kicked out of the Rest of Higashi Murayama Dangers after trying to save the Hiroshi Town Propellers who were taken hostage. She is quick to resort to brute force when things go wrong. Ends up joining Nozomi's group.
Chiaya Misono (御園 千綾, Misono Chiaya)
Voiced by: Yumiri Hanamori (Japanese); Leah Clark (English)
A small girl who seeks out the heart-shaped power stones carried by the Best. Somehow knows the childhood nicknames of Nozomi, Yukina and Ai. She is the adopted daughter of Haruka Misono, the president of Tokorozawa, but had never reveal her identity to Nozomi and her friends. She is actually an alien from the future and her true form is a small, yellow octopus-like creature.
Tokorozawa and Higashimurayama
Masami Utoku (宇徳 真茶未, Utoku Masami)
Voiced by: Ayumi Fujimura (Japanese); Colleen Clinkenbeard (English)
A Best who fights for Tokorozawa as the green-suited superhero "Maccha Green
(マッチャグリーン, Matcha Gurīn)," though everyone but Nozomi has correctly guessed that they are the same person. Heavily injured after fighting with Kuniko.
Kuniko Shigyo (執行 玖仁子, Shigyō Kuniko)
Voiced by: Fuyuka Ōura (Japanese); Jamie Marchi (English)
A "legendary executioner" from the Great Tokyo War who wields a giant safety pin in combat. A rival from Masami's past who fights her as a Best of Higashi Murayama until their last battle ends with them both in a hospital.
Yukari Otonashi (音無 ゆかり, Otonashi Yukari)
Voiced by: Nozomi Furuki (Japanese); Trina Nishimura (English)
Kuniko's top subordinate.
Haruka Misono (御園 ハルカ, Misono Haruka)
Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (Japanese); Rachel Robinson (English)
President of Tokorozawa and Chiaya's adopted mother. Much like Chiaya, she is also an alien, but from a different species. She is gathering heart stones so that when the time comes, she can return Chiaya home to her real family. She is overprotective of Chiaya keeping her confined to her home with Momiyama, worried that she would get in trouble if she had revealed her true form to others. Her true form is a squid-like alien.
Kuranosuke Momiyama (籾山 蔵之介, Momiyama Kuranosuke)
Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese); Tyson Rinehart (English)
Chiaya's caretaker back at home. He secretly follows the girls on their journey under orders by Haruka to bring Chiaya back home.
Hinayo Moritomo (森友 日向代, Moritomo Hinayo)
Voiced by: Yuki Masuda (Japanese); Morgan Garrett (English)
Nozomi's mother and Tomomori's wife.
Tomomori Moritomo (森友 友守, Moritomo Tomomori)
Voiced by: Hiroki Tōchi (Japanese); Eric Vale (English)
Nozomi's father and Hinayo's husband.
Hiyoshi Town Propellers members
Crocodile (クロコダイル, Kurokodairu), Voiced by: Hiromichi Tezuka (Japanese); Aaron Dismuke (English),
Mii-tan (みいたん, Mii-tan), Voiced by: Shiho Kokido (Japanese); Apphia Yu (English)
Rikako (リカコ, Rikako), Voiced by: Ami Naitō (Japanese); Terri Doty (English)
Hitoshi (ひとし, Hitoshi), Voiced by: Daiki Yamashita (Japanese); Dallas Reid (English)
Mario (まり夫, Mario), Voiced by: Juri Kimura (Japanese); Ryan Reynolds (English)
Den-san (田さん, Den-san), Voiced by: Shinya Takahashi (Japanese); Christopher Bevins (English)
Noboru (のぼる, Noboru), Voiced by: Takuma Nagatsuka (Japanese); Orion Pitts (English)
Yumi (ユミ, Yumi), Voiced by: Saki Tokuhiro (Japanese); Kristi Kang (English)
Aki Habara (羽原 アキ, Habara Aki, Voiced by: Mika Kanai (Japanese); Lindsay Seidel (English)): Best of Always Comima and the leader of the Knights of the Twin Towers, the "cosplay security squad," who goes by the name "Thunderoad." An otaku obsessed with the anime "Fighting Buddies: Rick and Shaw".
Noriko Suzumoto (鈴本 のり子, Suzumoto Noriko, Voiced by: Kei Shindō (Japanese); Elizabeth Maxwell (English)): Member of the Knights of the Twin Towers.
Aya Suzumoto (鈴本 文, Suzumoto Aya, Voiced by: Yūko Mizutani (Japanese); Kristin Sutton (English)): Mother of Noriko Suzumoto.
Ryuunosuke Akutabi (芥火竜之介, Akutabi Ryuunosuke): Cameo appearances only character. An author who temporary resides at the Suzumoto Mansion.
Banko (ばん子, Banko), Voiced by: Ayuka (Japanese); Kara Edwards (English)
Sumire (すみれ, Sumire), Voiced by: Kanami Satō (Japanese); Tia Ballard (English)
Ken (ケン, Ken), Voiced by: Yoshiaki Hasegawa (Japanese); Kyle Phillips (English)
Tatsuhiko (たつ 彦, Tatsuhiko), Voiced by: Shinya Hamazoe (Japanese); Scott Freeman (English)
Aichi and Mie
Tomoki Suzuka (鈴鹿 友亀, Suzuka Tomoki, Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya (Japanese); Clifford Chapin (English)): Best of Mie Motors, operates a free bike taxi service and seeks peace with Aichi.
Himeko Uotora (魚虎 姫子, Uotora Himeko), Voiced by: Hiromi Igarashi (Japanese); Caitlin Glass (English)
Mamoru Uotora (魚虎 守, Uotora Mamoru), Voiced by: Shinpachi Tsuji (Japanese); John Swasey (English)
Dandy (ダンディ, Dandi), Voiced by: Akio Ohtsuka (Japanese); J. Michael Tatum (English)
Misa Ichijō (一条 美沙, Ichijō Misa), Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (Japanese); Brina Palencia (English)
Mamechiyo (豆千代), Voiced by: Saori Hayami (Japanese); Alexis Tipton (English)
Shutendōji (酒呑童子), Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese); David Matranga (English)
Hiroshima and Okayama
Kaguya Nayotake (名余竹 輝夜, Nayotake Kaguya), Voiced by: Shizuka Itō (Japanese); Jessica Cavanagh (English)
Shima Ishizukuri (石作 志麻, Ishizukuri Shima), Voiced by: Masako Katsuki (Japanese); Stephanie Young (English)
Kishō Ōtomo (大伴 貴将, Ōtomo Kishō), Voiced by: Tōru Ōkawa (Japanese); Robert McCollum (English)
Momo Fujiwara (藤原 桃, Fujiwara Momo), Voiced by: Reina Ueda (Japanese); Lara Woodhull (English): She is the adopted daughter of Haru Fujiwara.
Haru Fujiwara (藤原 春, Fujiwara Haru), Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese); Emily Neves (English)
Ura Kukino (九鬼 温羅, Kukino Ura, Voiced by: Chisa Yokoyama (Japanese); Bryn Apprill (English)): She is the real mother of Momo Fujiwara, she is also the leader of the Okayama Demons.
Fubito Kuramochi (車持 不比等, Kuramochi Fubito), Voiced by: Tomomichi Nishimura (Japanese); Brandon Potter (English)
A manga adaptation, which is backstory of anime series, written by Yōsuke Miyagi and with art by Bonkara began serialization in Mag Garden's Monthly Comic Garden from October 4, 2014. It also began online serialization in Mag Garden's seinen manga magazine ONLINE MAGAZINE comic BLADE from October 30, 2014. A 4-panel manga adaptation titled Ro~lling Gi~rls Inspiration x Traveler, with art by Sheepbox, also began serialization in Mag Garden's ONLINE MAGAZINE comic BLADE from October 27, 2014.
An anime television series produced by Wit Studio was announced by Pony Canyon to begin airing in 2015. The series premiered in Japan on MBS and other stations.
The opening and closing songs are covers of tracks from the punk rock band The Blue Hearts. They are "Tsuki no Bakugekiki" and "Hito ni Yasashiku". Several of the episode titles are also named from tracks by The Blue Hearts including "Kitai Hazure no Hito", "Hoshi o Kudasai" and "Yoru no Tōzokudan".
