Gravitation (manga)

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Gravitation
グラビテーション (Gurabitēshon)
Genre	Boy's Love, Romance
Manga
Authored by	Maki Murakami
Publisher	Gentosha Glénat Mangismo Tokyopop
Serialized in
Original run	1996 – 2002
No. of volumes	12
TV anime
Directed by	Bob Shirohata
Studio	Studio DEEN
Network	WOWOW Anime Network A+
Original run	October 4, 2000 – January 10, 2001
No. of episodes	13
OVA
Directed by	Shinichi Watanabe
Studio	Plum
No. of episodes	2
Released	July 23, 1999 - September 22, 1999
Runtime

Gravitation (グラビテーション, Gurabitēshon^?) is a BL (Boys Love) manga series written by Maki Murakami and an anime series derived from it, directed by Bob Shirohata. The story follows the attempts of Shuichi Shindou and his band, Bad Luck, to become Japan's next musical sensation. Fitting for the subject, the anime features a large amount of music, a diverse set of characters, plenty of comedy and touches of drama and violence.

The manga originally ended in 2002 after 12 volumes, but new chapters are being serialized in an online manga anthology. The manga has been licensed and is published in English by TOKYOPOP.^[1] The Gravitation novel was released in English by TOKYOPOP on March 7, 2006. ^[2]

The two episode OVA series was released in 1999. The thirteen-episode TV series aired in Japan from October 4, 2000 to January 10, 2001, on WOWOW satellite channel. The original manga series is written by Maki Murakami and continues the story further than either of the animated series. The anime goes to roughly volume 8 of the manga. The Gravitation TV and OVA series have been licensed for North American release and is available from Right Stuf International on four DVDs. The OVA series is licensed by the same company and is now available. Also, a second novel of Gravitation called Gravitation: Voice of Temptation which is written by Maki Murakami is being published by TOKYOPOP. It is currently in stores.

Contents 1 Story 2 Cast of Main Characters 3 Other media 3.1 Print 3.2 Audio 4 References 5 Trivia 6 External links

[edit] Story

The story surrounds the aspiring and energetic singer Shuuichi Shindou who, with his band, Bad Luck (formed with his best friend Hiro), wants to become Japan's next big thing, like his famous idol Ryuuichi Sakuma, lead singer of the disbanded legendary group Nittle Grasper. One evening, Shuuichi is writing lyrics for a song when his paper is blown away by the wind and picked up by a tall blond man. The man dismisses Shuuichi's hard work, which hurts Shuuichi deeply, although he is intrigued by the stranger. This will be only their first encounter, as Shuuichi will become fascinated by the stranger, who turns out to be a famous romance novelist, Eiri Yuki(Uesugi), and they will begin a relationship.

The story expands to include the beginnings of Bad Luck and their rise to fame, as well as their rivalry with the band ASK; the reformation of Shuuichi's idol's band, Nittle Grasper; a long suffering fiancée of Eiri's who wants to finally marry him and serves as an enemy then an ally for Shuuichi; the public scandal surrounding Eiri's and Shuichi's relationship; attempts by Eiri's inner circle to keep Shuuichi away from Eiri in "Eiri's best interests"; and the secret of Eiri's painful past that he has trouble remembering and which is keeping him from giving in to his feelings for Shuuichi.

As is typical in Japanese shonen-ai and yaoi, one character does all the chasing while the other keeps refusing or pushing them aside. However, in this case the tables are turned as it is the innocent Shuuichi who is in pursuit of the reticent Eiri, as opposed to the usual setting of the more masculine character pursuing the more naive character.

[edit] Cast of Main Characters

Shuichi Shindou (新堂愁一, Shindō Shūichi^?) 

Innocent and ambitious, Shuichi wants to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Ryuichi Sakuma and be a great success in the Japanese pop music scene. However, after meeting mysterious novelist Eiri Yuki, Shuichi Shindou falls so hard for him that Eiri becomes his number one priority, which is a difficult situation because Eiri is reluctant about their relationship and keeps pushing Shuichi away. Meanwhile, Shuichi's band is climbing the charts and Shuichi's relationship with Eiri is getting in the way. Shuichi's energetic and childish personality tends to ruin serious scenes; a running gag throughout the series is his penchant for dressing up in strange costumes, including those of a dog, a battery, and a banana.

Hiroshi Nakano (中野浩司, Nakano Hiroshi^?) 

A big brother character to Shuichi, Hiroshi "Hiro" Nakano is his best friend and the other original member of Bad Luck. Quiet and far more wise than the impetuous Shuichi, Hiroshi tries to serve as the voice of reason for Shuichi as he falls head over heels for Eiri. Hiroshi himself is not immune to love (some fans push the existence of a proto-romantic relationship between Hiroshi and Shuichi, confirmed by a scene in the first episode of the anime, although nothing further is presented to suggest this). He eventually finds himself smitten with Eiri Yuki's supposed fiance from Kyoto; Ayaka. Hiroshi has been known to change his mind about being a full-time musician due partly to pressure from his parents that he not slack off like his older brother, Yuuji, and go to medical school.

Eiri Yuki (由貴瑛里, Yuki Eiri^?) 

Eiri Uesugi, who uses the pen name Eiri Yuki, is a popular romance novelist that met Shuichi Shindou in the park and mercilessly dismissed his song lyrics. Through coincidence, they keep bumping into each other, and eventually come together romantically. Despite having the media on them 24/7, Eiri struggles to deal with the guilt and confusion of murdering his tutor (from whom Eiri gets his pen name and frequently used nickname, "Yuki") for gang rape. This experience left him cold, but throughout the series, he is seen softening under Shuichi's influence, and finally confronts his memories of his late tutor. Eiri regularly sees a psychiatrist and is speculated by some fans to be bipolar on account of his sudden support of Shuichi's career and their relationship in later volumes of the manga.

Ryuichi Sakuma 

Lead singer of the popular band Nittle Grasper along with Seguchi Tohma and Ukai Noriko, and friend of Shuichi. He left the band three years ago to pursue a solo career in America but has returned to Japan, been inspired by Shuichi's live performance, and now wants to reform Nittle Grasper. Shuichi is excited at the news of Nittle Grasper's reunion, but that now makes Ryuichi his rival. Ryuichi is kind and has the mind of a seven-year-old but when he starts singing, he becomes a really cool, hip-swinging, sexy, mature, vocal god. Because of this drastic change which also comes about whenever discussing music, it has been speculated by fans that Ryuichi suffers from multiple personality disorder. Other characters have noticed that Ryuichi and Shuichi are quite similar in their child-like manner. His best friend is a pink bunny named Kumagorou. Not much is known about his past or why he even has the bunny.

Tohma Seguchi 

Keyboard player for Nittle Grasper and Mika Seguchi's husband. He is the head of N-G recording company, and demands the best from all his contractual bands. Often he makes choices that are more professional than emotional, but his knowledge surpasses that of most people. For instance, when he forced the band to accept a new member, he withstood Shuichi's outbursts about the subject. Touma is very protective of Eiri Yuki, and feels that it is his fault that Eiri murdered his tutor, because Touma was the one who took him to America in the first place to be taught. Often some people claim this is a more than brotherly relationship, because of one episode where he claimed to care for Yuki more than anything in the world. This is also supported by the fact that he almost had Taki Aizawa, a member of the N-G records band ASK, killed for hurting Eiri by having Shuichi gang-banged, and also because of Touma's fervor in trying to split Eiri and Shuichi up.

Claude 'K' Winchester 

Ryuichi's former manager who temporarily managed Bad Luck. As of the end of the Manga series K was managing Ryuichi once more. K is aggressive in promoting the band--he even carries around a big gun and hand grenades. His concern is first and foremost Bad Luck, but in his shaping of the band's career, he ends up involving himself in Eiri and Shuichi's relationship. He is American, and in the original Japanese version, they played on the stereotype that Americans always have guns and will pull them out any time, any place. K often speaks English mixed in with his Japanese. K's real name is Claude K. Winchester. Also in the manga it is shown that K has a family. He has a wife named Judy Winchester, and a son named Michael Winchester.

Judy Winchester 

She is the wife of K. She shows up in volume 8 of the manga, at the premiere for her new movie. Her career is as Hollywood's biggest actress. She is also the mother of Michael Winchester, K's only child. Good friend with Bad Luck's latest manager, Reiji.

Michael Winchester 

The only child of K and his wife Judy. He is only 5 years old. He is non-existent in both the anime and the OVAs although he makes a short appearance in late in the manga in a short story also involving Shuichi's sister.

Ayaka Usami 

She was betrothed to Eiri and likes him very much, but wants what's best for him, so she lets Shuichi stay with Eiri and tries to give up on him. Hiro has a crush on her and later they go on a date together. She's sweet and polite, like the perfect wife, but more caring for Eiri than most would assume.

Noriko Ukai 

Noriko used to be the keyboard player for Nittle Grasper, but joins Bad Luck for a bit on Touma's request. Once Nittle Grapser gets back together, though, she leaves for good. Noriko is rude, loud, and talented. She won't take junk from any of her band members, and demands the best out of them. Oftentimes she acts like an older sister to Ryuichi. Noriko is married to Testuya Ukai who is several years older than her and is a university professor and a well-known food critic. Noriko and Tetusya have one child together, Saki who is 6 years old.

Sakano 

A very stressed worker, Sakano worships Tohma and tries to be the perfect business man for him no matter what. Sakano takes every opportunity, though he's not as conniving as K. He is often seen freaking out over little things and has to crash into things or jump out ground floor windows to return to normality.

Tatsuha Uesugi 

Tatsuha is Eiri's brother, who has the same voice (though not the same seiyū) and characteristics as his older brother, but with black hair and eyes. Tatsuha is obsessed with Ryūichi and watches his Nittle Grasper video repetitively. He's quite the perverted and obsessive fan, not to mention a 16-year-old monk.

Mika Seguchi 

Eiri's older sister and Touma's wife. She's beautiful, yet cold. She looks quite a bit like Eiri except with longer hair and makeup. In book one, she wanted to make Eiri see his dying father, bribing Shuichi with her own husband (Touma). Later in the manga series we find out she and Touma are going to have a child.

Suguru Fujisaki 

Suguru is hired as Bad Luck's keyboard player. Though he fakes very sweet politeness, young Suguru is quite manipulative and quite similar to his cousin, Touma. He's only sixteen, but he has incredible talent - and knows it. Suguru knows Eiri Yuki's past as well. But it seems that Yuki also knows a bit about Suguru as he comments in the 5th manga something about Suguru hiding his real identity-That he is indeed Tohma's cousin.

Reiji 

Originally works for the American record company XMR of which her father is the president. She tries to get Shuichi to sign with XMR when he leaves Japan after Eiri breaks up with him (again). Further continuing the Americans with guns stereotype, Reiji is often seen with some sort of projectile weapon which is more often than not a bazooka. Reiji's ultimate weapon however is her giant Panda mecha, in reference to the fact that she wears glasses, a common insult to meganekko (cute girls who wear glasses). She uses the panda to chase Shuichi around New York with when he escapes her. Reiji becomes Bad Luck's temporary manager while K is suspended and continues to hang around until she returns to the US with Ryuichi to be his new manager. She has a love for yaoi and whole-heartedly supports Shuichi and Eiri's relationship so long as it doesn't interfere with Bad Luck's career. She also has a fetish with dressing the band in odd clothing that sometimes includes cosplay, even to a more extreme extent than Shuichi. Reiji is also close friends with Judy Winchester.

Yoshiki Kitazawa 

Yuki Kitazawa's identical, younger transsexual brother. While Eiri is in New York looking for Shuichi he meets Yoshiki and is forced to confront his demons about his tutor once more. Yoshiki goes back to Japan with the rest of the cast to cause further havoc, including impersonating her brother and forcing Eiri to regain his memories of the night he killed Yuki.

Ark and Bill 

Ark is Judy and Micheal Winchester's bodyguard while Bill is Reiji's assistant. The two seem to show a rivalry with each other as well as with K.

Taki Aizawa 

The lead member of N-G recods' band ASK. At the beginning of the story, ASK was N-G's biggest band. When Bad Luck was signed with the company they opened for ASK's first concert. Jealous of Shuichi for stealing the spotlight away from him, Taki constantly plots to ruin the other singer. First, by threatening to expose Shuichi's relationship with Eiri and then by setting Shuichi up to be gang-banged. Upon find out of the incident from Hiro, Eiri confronts ASK and nearly beats Maa-kun to death before discovering that Taki was alone in the plot. Eiri would likely have severely injured if not killed Taki then if Shuichi and interrupted. For his attempts, Touma threatens him, and pushes him into oncoming traffic landing him in to hospital, stating that if Taki had simply drawn the line at hurting Shuichi he wouldn't have had a problem with it but because he hurt Eiri as well and plotted his downfall, then he must pay the price.

Maa-kun and Ken-kun 

The other two members of ASK.

Tetsuya and Saki Ukai 

Noriko's much older husband who is a University professor and well-known food critic. Saki is Noriko and Tetsuya's 6 year old daughter.

Yuuji Nakano 

Hiro's 23-year-old brother who is an out of work actor. His parent's disappointment in him puts more pressure on Hiro to make something of himself.

Yuki Kitazawa 

Eiri's former tutor in New York. One night, he tried to rape young Eiri. Eiri fought back, and Kitazawa soon grew tired and gave up. Eiri claims it wasn't this attempted forced intimacy that upset him. What upset him was that one of Kitazawa's friends was there, and offered Kitazawa ten dollars to have a shot at Eiri. Kitazawa agreed. Eiri lost his mind and went wild, fighting back until he had killed them both. Looking back, Eiri says he doesn't remember much of that moment, just that he woke up to find himself in Tohma's arms, crying. That was the moment that the sweet side of Eiri died, and he became a bully to protect himself from love, and from others hurting him. Yoshiki, pretending to be Yuki, simulates that night in one of the later manga volumes forcing Eiri to regain his memory. In the anime it is shown that Kitazawa's gravestone reads, 'Here lies the body of Yuki Kitazawa, I hope to heaven his soul is gone'.

Maiko Shindou 

Shuichi Shindou's sister that plays a large role in the first few volumes, but then almost disappears in the rest. She is obsessed with Eiri Yuki and is Shuichi's number one supporter aside from Hiroshi Nakano. A sophomore at the beginning of the series, she dates the student body president and organizes the talent show that Shuichi and Hiroshi crash.

[edit] Other media

[edit] Print

The precursor to Gravitation was a dōjinshi series titled Help!, which followed a similar story line but cast the characters in slightly different roles. Murakami penned a thirteen volume dōjinshi series called Gravitation Remix under the group Crocodile Ave. The Remix doujinshi are much more sexually explicit than the manga and deviate heavily from the manga storyline. (The Remix doujinshi contain an element of parody. For example, one volume features a female version of a male character.)

In addition to the Remixes, Murakami created three Megamix dōjinshi, dubbed Megamix, Megamix: Panda, and Megamix: Kumagorou. These are extremely explicit, even compared to the remixes, and can be shocking to readers at the magnitude of explicit imagery presented. (These also deviate from the storyline as the Remixes do, though Panda takes a step further to include Shota.) There is a further Megamix called Rimigra in the works.

A sequel to the original series is also in the works and available on-line. Its only major plotline thus far being the reappearance of Yoshiki Kitazawa with a small child in tow- Riku Kitazawa, Yuki Kitazawa's son- and Shuichi conducts an affair with a former Nittle Grasper member.

[edit] Audio

Eight audio dramas were produced for Gravitation, featuring most of the seiyū of the TV and OVA series. Five retell events from the manga series, while the remaining three cover new story material. The drama albums also contain musical tracks performed by the Japanese voice actors.

The opening and closing themes to the TV series were "SUPER DRIVE" and "Glaring Dream," performed respectively by Yousuke Sakanoue and Kinya Kotani. The latter also performed both themes for the OVA: "Blind Game again" (opening) and "Smashing Blue" (closing). Most other music in the Gravitation franchise (except songs that appeared on later drama albums) was written, performed or produced by Daisuke Asakura. Guitarist Kenichi Ito also appears on many of the tracks.

[edit] References

[edit] Trivia

• Songs from Gravitation are very popular in Stepmania.
• Telefe, an Argentina channel, owns the rights of the show to make a live-action version of it. It's still unknown when they will do it.

[edit] External links

Official sites

• Gravitation Official Homepage (Japanese)
• Gravitation Official Homepage (English)
• Gravitation Sequel English Genzo Track

Unofficial sites

• Nanoda a Gravitation obeisance informative with vector art and galleries (English - Italian)
• Series Review at Boys on Boys on Film
• yuki-eiriNET - longest-running Yuki Eiri shrine with a unique perspective