Tono to Issho began its serialized run in the manga magazine Media Factory's Comic Flapper in 2006. The manga series parodies the exploits of several historical figures from Japan's Sengoku period (Warring States Era), such as Chousokabe Motochika, Date Masamune, Katakura Kagetsuna, Uesugi Kenshin, and Oda Nobunaga.1
In November 2009, an original video anime adaptation of Tono to Issho was announced.2 The anime adaptation was released on DVD on March 25, 2010. A second anime DVD was bundled with the fifth volume collection of the manga series released on August 23, 2010.3
After the release of the first original video anime DVD, an anime television adaptation was announced in the Mainichi Shimbun paper.4 The series, titled Tono to Issho: Ippunkan Gekijōu (殿といっしょ 1分間劇場, My Lord and Me: One Minute Theater), featured 12 episodes of 1.5 minutes in length and was broadcast from July 6, 2010, to September 21, 2010. A second television series, titled Tono to Issho: Gantai no Yabō (殿といっしょ ~眼帯の野望~, My Lord and Me: Eyepatch's Ambition), was announced in 2010.5 The second season also consists of 12 episodes, but the runtime was lengthened to 3.5 minutes and began its broadcast run on April 5, 2011. Both series are streamed by the media streaming website Crunchyroll to audiences in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Singapore, Brazil, and Portugal.67
During the Anime News Network's summer 2010 anime previews, Gia Manry commented that the first anime series would be a hard sell because of its focus on Japanese history, but that the comedy is largely based on famous historical figures saying silly things.21 Commenting on the second season, ANN reviewer Bamboo Dong states that it "break[s] up the monotony of the work day" and was good for a quick laugh. She also states that the writers of the second series have what it takes to translate the manga into a visual medium.22 In Otaku USA's preview of series being simulcast by Crunchyroll beginning in March 2011, it described Tono to Issho as a champion of the comedy genre.23
"Tono to Issho 4-Panel Gag Manga Gets Anime Green-Lit". Anime News Network. November 20, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2011. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-11-20/tono-to-issho-4-panel-gag-manga-gets-anime-green-lit ↩
"Tono to Issho Anime DVD Bundled with 5th Manga Volume". Anime News Network. May 6, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2011. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-05-06/tono-to-issho-anime-dvd-bundled-with-5th-manga-volume ↩
"Tono to Issho Samurai Comedy Manga Gets TV Anime Also". Anime News Network. May 5, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2011. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-05-05/tono-to-issho-samurai-comedy-manga-gets-tv-anime-also ↩
"Tono to Issho Gets New Sequel Green-Lit". Anime News Network. September 21, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2011. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-09-21/tono-to-issho-gets-new-work-green-lit ↩
"Crunchyroll to Simulcast Occult Academy, Tono to Issho". Anime News Network. July 5, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-07-05/crunchyroll-simulcasts-occult-academy-tono-to-issho ↩
"Crunchyroll to Simulcast Tono to Issho Second Season". Anime News Network. March 30, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-03-30/crunchyroll-to-simulcast-tono-to-issho-second-season ↩
殿といっしょ 1分間劇場. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved April 11, 2015. 殿といっしょ 1分間劇場 ↩
殿といっしょ ~眼帯の野望~ (in Japanese). Web Newtype. Archived from the original on March 15, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011. 殿といっしょ ~眼帯の野望~ ↩
殿といっしょ ~眼帯の野望~ (in Japanese). Web Newtype. Archived from the original on July 2, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011. 殿といっしょ ~眼帯の野望~ ↩
殿といっしょ ~眼帯の野望~ (in Japanese). Web Newtype. Archived from the original on July 2, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2011. 殿といっしょ ~眼帯の野望~ ↩
殿といっしょ ~眼帯の野望~ (in Japanese). Web Newtype. Archived from the original on July 2, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2011. 殿といっしょ ~眼帯の野望~ ↩
Manry, Gia. "Gia Manry - The Summer 2010 Anime Preview Guide". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 6, 2011. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2010-07-06/giam ↩
Dong, Bamboo. "Bamboo Dong - The Spring 2011 Anime Preview Guide". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 6, 2011. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2011-04-02/bamboo ↩
"Crunchyroll Spring 2011 Preview". Otaku USA Online. March 30, 2011. Retrieved May 6, 2011. http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/Anime/News1/CRUNCHYROLL_SPRING_2011_PREVIEW_4146.aspx ↩