Marmalade Boy

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Marmalade Boy
Marmalade Boy Ultimate Scrapbook Vol3 (DVD cover)
ママレード・ボーイ
(Marmalade Boy)
Genre Shōjo
Manga
Authored by Wataru Yoshizumi
Publisher JapanShueisha
United StatesTOKYOPOP
GermanyEMA
Spain Planeta de Agostini
Serialized in Ribon Magazine
Original run May 1992 – October 1995
No. of volumes 8
TV anime
Directed by Akinori Yabe
Studio JapanToei Animation
United StatesTOKYOPOP
Network JapanFuji TV
United StatesAnime Selects
Spain La 2
Chile Etc...TV
Original run 13 March 1994 – 3 September 1995
No. of episodes 76
Movie: Marmalade Boy (Movie)
Directed by Akinori Yabe
Studio Toei Animation
Released 4 March 1995
Runtime 26 minutes
Game: Marmalade Boy
Developer Bandai
Publisher Bandai
Genre Dating simulation
Platform Super Famicom, Game Boy
Released 27 January 1995 (Game Boy), 21 April 1995 (Super Famicom)

Marmalade Boy (ママレード・ボーイ Mamarēdo Bōi) is a manga created by Wataru Yoshizumi and serialized in the monthly manga magazine Ribon. The manga was later adapted by Toei Animation into a 76-episode anime TV series which aired on Fuji Television. There was also a short animated movie (only slightly longer than a normal episode) produced in 1995, which was a sort of prequel to the series. Marmalade Boy was also made into a 30-episode live-action television series (Chinese: 橘子醬男孩; pinyin: Júzǐjiāng Nánhái) which aired in Taiwan. The manga is published in English by TOKYOPOP, which has also released the anime in four box-sets in co-operation with Studio E.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The storyline revolves around Miki Koishikawa (小石川光希 Koishikawa Miki), a tomboyish and flighty high-school girl whose parents go on vacation, meet another couple, and decide to swap partners. As Miki does not want to be separated from either parent, the two newly-formed couples decide to live together in the same house, despite Miki's objections to the new plan. The situation becomes even more complicated with the addition of her new (double) step-brother Yuu Matsuura (松浦遊 Matsuura Yū). She is initially attracted to him, but is put off by his indifferent and somewhat cold attitude toward their odd family situation. Yū also likes to tease Miki, which alternately turns her on and off depending on the situation.

Nevertheless, a love triangle develops between Miki, Yuu, and her old flame and childhood friend Ginta Suou (須王銀太 Suō Ginta), who once rejected her love for him due to a misunderstanding. It becomes a love rectangle with the inclusion of Arimi Suzuki (鈴木亜梨実 Suzuki Arimi), Yuu's beautiful ex-girlfriend. Arimi devises a plan to pose as Ginta's new girlfriend to make the new couple jealous, but Yū and Miki's bond becomes stronger under the tests, and Arimi and Ginta eventually develop real feelings for each other.

Even after Yuu and Miki begin dating (which itself is a situation full with complications), new obstacles pop up: in addition to many other potential lovers for both Miki and Yuu, there is also Yuu studying architecture in New York City and stumbling onto the possibility that he and Miki are, in fact, biological half-siblings.

Meanwhile, Miki's best friend Meiko Akizuki (秋月茗子 Akizuki Meiko) has a romantic relationship with Shinichi Namura (名村慎一 Namura Shin'ichi), the popular and handsome homeroom teacher for Miki, Yuu, Meiko, and Ginta's class, who is affectionately referred to as "Na-chan" by his students. A similar love rectangle is set up involving Satoshi Miwa (Yuu's best friend, who pursues Meiko) and Ryouko Momoi (桃井亮子 Momoi Ryōko) Namura's best friend who loved him since they were in high school together.

Relationships get more complicated as other characters Tsutomu Rokutanda (六反田務 Rokutanda Tsutomu) (crush on Arimi), Suzu Sakuma (佐久間すず Sakuma Suzu) (crush on Yuu), Kei Tsuchiya (土屋蛍 Tsuchiya Kei) (crush on Miki), Anju Kitahara (北原杏樹 Kitahara Anju) (crush on Yuu), Yayoi Takase (高瀨彌生Takase Yayoi) (becomes Tsutomu's girlfriend after he gives up on Arimi), Michael Grant, and subsequently Jinny Golding, Bill Matheson, Doris O'Conner, and Brian Grant are introduced, resulting in what anime fans call "the love dodecahedron" because of its ridiculous complexity. The manga is slightly less complex, since Anju, Ryouko, Yayoi and the American characters are introduced only in the anime.

Wataru Yoshizumi has joked about how many relationships there were in the anime compared to the manga. Another thing she disliked was how most of the characters were coupled up in the anime whereas in the manga not everyone had a happy ending and some characters were left single, which she has stated is more realistic.

Because of the highly emotional and whimsical female lead, the emphasis on the multitude of relationships, and the sometimes soap opera-like levels of melodrama, Marmalade Boy is sometimes offered as a defining example of shōjo manga. Some viewers feel that Miki is an unsympathetic character, and label her as fickle, indecisive or a "whiner", while others are attracted to the complexity of the emotions portrayed and how Miki gradually matures.

Originally, all the main characters' genders were reversed, with Miki and Meiko being boys and Yuu and Ginta being girls. The title referred to the original Miki's personality. However, early in production Yoshizumi's editor made her change the genders of the characters. Having no desire to change the name, she justified it by making a scene between Miki and Yuu early on in the series: Miki calls Yuu a "marmalade boy" because he has both a bitter side and a sweet side, but his appearance fools people into overlooking that. Yuu retaliates by describing Miki as a "mustard girl," who is "very hot and spicy." The lyrics of the opening theme song play off Miki's simile, equating love with the bittersweet taste of marmalade on burnt toast.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Characters

The following characters appear only in the anime:

Secondary-role characters:

  • Takuji Kijima

The owner of 'Junk Jungle' where Yuu works part-time.

  • Rei Kijima(anime)

Takuji Kijima's wife.

  • Akira(anime)

Rei Kijima's brother, he has a crush on Ryouko.

  • Chigusa, Keiko & Mari

The friends of Miki, and Meiko in Toryo High School.

Minor Characters

  • Principal

The principal of Toryo High School.

  • Kyoto-sensei(anime)

The Assistant principal of Toryo High School.

  • Mr. Rainy(anime)

The teacher of Yuu and the American characters in Yuu's boarding school.

  • Eddy & Chris(anime)

A pair of siblings Miki meets in New York City.

[edit] Manga

A page from the Marmalade Boy manga, volume 1 (Japanese version)
Enlarge
A page from the Marmalade Boy manga, volume 1 (Japanese version)
Manga
  Japan Kanzenban North America
Volume 1 ISBN 4-08-853641-X ISBN 4-08-855107-9 ISBN 1-931514-54-2
Volume 2 ISBN 4-08-853668-1 ISBN 4-08-855108-7 ISBN 1-931514-55-0
Volume 3 ISBN 4-08-853692-4 ISBN 4-08-855109-5 ISBN 1-931514-56-9
Volume 4 ISBN 4-08-853726-2 ISBN 4-08-855110-9 ISBN 1-931514-57-7
Volume 5 ISBN 4-08-853752-1 ISBN 4-08-855111-7 ISBN 1-59182-071-5
Volume 6 ISBN 4-08-853780-7 ISBN 4-08-855112-5 ISBN 1-59182-190-8
Volume 7 ISBN 4-08-853809-9   ISBN 1-59182-191-6
Volume 8 ISBN 4-08-853839-0   ISBN 1-59182-192-4
Novels
The novels are written by Yumi Kageyama, and illustrated by Wataru Yoshizumi.
Japan
Art books
  • Marmalade Boy: Koi no Style Book, ISBN
  • Marmalade Boy: Yoshizumi Wataru Illust-shuu, ISBN 4-08-855091-9

[edit] Anime

This cell shows one of the many eyecatches that appears in the Marmalade Boy anime
Enlarge
This cell shows one of the many eyecatches that appears in the Marmalade Boy anime

[edit] Theme songs

Opening
笑顔に会いたい (Egao ni Aitai) by Rie Hamada
Ending
素敵な小夜曲[セレナーデ] (Suteki na Serenade) by Miho Fujiwara (Episodes 01-31)
枯れ葉色のクレッシェンド (Kareha Iro no Crescendo) by Yasuhiro Mizushima (Episodes 32-53)
夜明けのエチュード (Yoake no Etude) by Yoko Ichikawa (Episodes 54-76)

[edit] Production

Staff
  • Original Story: Wataru Yoshizumi
  • Planning Producers: Kōichirō Fujita (ABC), Yasuo Kameyama (Asatsu), Hiromi Seki (Toei Animation)
  • Production Chief: Atsunori Kazama
  • Series Composition: Ami Matsui
  • Script: Ami Matsui, Yumi Kageyama, Motoki Yoshimura, Atsushi Norō
  • Character Designer: Yoshihiko Magoshi
  • Scenery Design: Kunihiro Senda
  • Music: Keiichi Oku
  • Producers: Toshio Ōno (ABC), Kanako Arai (Asatsu), Munehisa Higuchi (Toei Animation)
  • Series Director: Akinori Yabe
  • Produced by ABC, Asatsu, Toei Animation

[edit] Live-action television series

In Taiwan, Marmalade Boy was made into a 30-episode live-action television series called 橘子醬男孩 (pinyin: Júzǐjiāng Nánhái). The series starred pop star Stella as Miki and F4 member Ken Zhu as Yuu; Stella also sang the theme song, "溫室的花 Wēnshì de Huā (Greenhouse Flower)". Although the basic premise was the same, it did not feature many of the characters of the anime, and the love triangles were considerably simplified.

[edit] Games

A Super Famicom game based on the anime was released in Japan in 1995. In the game you play the role of Miki trying to win the heart of one of the three major male characters in the series (Yuu, Ginta and Kei). This game has been highly criticised as being a poor imitation copy of the famous Tokimeki Memorial series by Konami. A Game Boy title based on the series also exists.

[edit] Trivia

  • Sana and Akito from Kodomo no Omocha look somewhat similar to Miki and Yuu (albeit younger versions of them). A fansub website has even compared the two series and calls Kodocha "Marmalade Boy on crack" [1]
  • It has been known to many old fans of Marmalade Boy that the anime staff had originally intended for Anju Kitahara and Namura Shinichi to die in the series. However Wataru Yoshizumi objected to it, believing that it will make the series too close to a tragedy. Eventually, the anime staff gave in and allowed the two characters to live: Namura married Meiko as she graduated high school and Anju was left alone.
  • This series marked the debut of voice actress Sakura Tange, who would later become famous for her role as Sakura Kinomoto in Cardcaptor Sakura.
  • Some of the characters that apppear in the third season are taken from Handsome na Konojo, another Wataru Yoshizumi manga that ran from the late 1980s to early 1990s. An OVA based on the series was released in 1991.

[edit] External links

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