Asobi Asobase - workshop of fun -

At a quiet school recess, a foreign transfer student named Olivia, who doesn't speak much English, and the loud, high-energy Hanako spark a chaotic game of mischief that draws in the stoic Kasumi Nomura. Kasumi usually keeps to herself and is teased at home for losing games, so she refuses at first. When she does join, her dry deadpan and unpredictable sabotage make the trio's antics even wilder. The three declare themselves the Pastime Club and treat school hours like an open playground, inventing bizarre games, staging petty competitions, and frequently ending up in ridiculous trouble with teachers, and chaotic small-scale schemes.

Released in 2018, Asobi Asobase was created by Yuko Kakihara and produced as an animated television series. The main cast includes Konomi Kohara as Kasumi, Rika Nagae as Olivia, Hina Kino as Hanako, with Maki Izawa narrating in Japanese voicework.

As a television series, Asobi Asobase had no theatrical box office. Its distribution focused on TV broadcast and streaming, with revenue tracked through home video sales and licensing rather than a cinematic gross, typical for anime television releases in worldwide markets.

Viewers and online communities often noticed the show's deliberate contrast between cute character designs and sudden, grotesque facial gags, which made many scenes widely shared on social platforms. That tonal swing, paired with surreal sketches and physical comedy, helped it stand out among school comedies and build a vocal fanbase.

On fan sites the series scores highly, showing an 8.493 out of 10 average from 151 votes, reflecting strong viewer approval. Critics and fans praise its absurdist humor, tight trio dynamics, and willingness to upend slice-of-school-life expectations, while recurring themes include friendship, social awkwardness, playful rivalry, and satire often present.