Imadoki!

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Nowadays

イマドキ! (Imadoki!)
Genre	drama, romance, shōjo
Manga
Authored by	Yuu Watase
Publisher	Shogakukan Productions Co, Ltd Viz Media Editions Tonkam Play Press EMA
Serialized in	Shojo Comic
Original run	May 5, 2000 –
No. of volumes	5

Imadoki! (イマドキ!: Nowadays) is a manga by Yuu Watase. The manga is five volumes long. It has been licenced in North America by VIZ Media.

[edit] Summary

Imadoki! is the story about Tanpopo Yamazaki, a girl who chooses to move from Hokkaido to Tokyo in order to begin high school in an entirely new environment. When she goes to see her new school, Meio Academy, she meets a young man who is planting a Tanpopo (dandelion) seed flower.

At school the next day, Tanpopo is not only amazed by the modern facilities but also that she is in the same class as the young man she met the day before. He is Kugyou Kouki and he is the son of the owner of Meio. When she greets him, Kugyou pretends not to know her and she is shocked that he would act so differently from their previous meeting.

Meanwhile, the students at the school discover Tanpopo is a poor girl from the country side and begin to bully her. In an effort to change the social hierarchy of the school and also find some new friends, Tanpopo cheerfully starts a gardening club. Soon, she attracts the attention of students like the insincerely kind Saionji Tsukiko and Kugyou, who begins to show his kinder side. However, just as Tanpopo and Kugyou's friendship develops and their gardening club grows, secrets of Kugyou's family life are revealed. Increasing tensions result as Tanpopo begins to fall in love with Kugyou and he reciprocates, though is held back as he is engaged to another girl of the same status.

[edit] Characters

Tanpopo Yamazaki (山崎たんぽぽ) - Tanpopo is the main character of the manga, and the majority of the story focuses on her ventures and relationships. Tanpopo, a "country girl", moved from a small town in Hokkaido to Tokyo to attend the Meio Academy. Although initially rejected by her peers for her lack of money and familial connections, Tanpopo is determined to make her mark on the school. She starts up the Gardening Club (despite the fact that live plants are illegal on school grounds) with fellow students in order to bring life back into the school. Tanpopo is claustrophobic, as she was trapped in her parents' car after a crash that killed them both. She also has a pet fox named Poplar.

Kouki Kugyou (九卿公暉) - Kouki is the main male lead in the manga, and Tanpopo's main love interest in the beginning. He is a serious young man, and somewhat burdened by his family responsibilities. As he is the richest of all of the students in his school, Kouki feels obligated to live up to the standards that others place on him. He is engaged to a young high class woman, Erika Yanahara, who was previously engaged to Kouki's brother, Youji. It is because of his engagement to Erika that Kouki harbors extreme dislike for his brother. Kouki is in the Gardening Club with Tanpopo and fellow students, and stands up for Tanpopo when others won't, and even goes so far as to deliberately change the school rules for her so that she can have her way. Kouki's favorite hobby is gardening, and when he is around plants, his personality changes from a cold and serious person to a happy, carefree, and somewhat obsessive individual (who even has a Kansai accent). He also carries a gardening scoop with him at all times.

Aoi Kyougoku (京極　葵) - Aoi is a computer genius who is quite the prankster. He has a very interesting sense of humor which gives the manga a comical touch. After one attempt, for instance, he traps Kouki and Tanpopo in an elevator at their school. He is good hearted, however, and becomes close friends with Tanpopo and Kouki. Also, Aoi's mother is the architect that designed Meio High School.

Tsukiko Saionji (西園寺月子) - Tsukiko is Tanpopo's first friend at Meio Academy. Though she appears rather innocent, Tsukiko originally is not very sweet at all, but she changes for the better toward the end of the manga. She has her heart set on marrying into the Kugyou family, and has her eyes on Kouki. Tsukiko does eventually get over her longing for Kouki and lets Tanpopo have him all to herself, and afterwards appears to develop some feelings for Aoi, although this is never stated in canon.

Arisa Uchimura (内村有佐) - Arisa is what is called a Ganguro or Kogal. She wears heavy white makeup and has very tanned skin, earning her the nickname "raccoon". She is not a particularly good student when it comes to grades, and can be found sleeping the majority of the time, if she is even at school. She gets herself into hot water with Ogata, but the experience changes her for the better.

Erika Yanahara (柳原江里花)- Erika was originally supposed to marry Youji Kugyou, but after he ran away to become a photographer, she was left as Kouki's responsibility. She loves Kouki as she once loved Youji, but is probably more intent on marrying for wealth and power than she is for love. She and Tanpopo get into some heated exchanges over Kouki throughout the manga.

Youji Kugyou (九卿耀司) - Youji is Kouki's older brother. He is a free spirit, and runs away from the pressures of his high-status family to become a photographer. Upon his return, he finds himself falling for Tanpopo, and they even end up going out together for a short time. Youji is a genuine soul who can be trusted, and Tanpopo and he soon became close friends.

Ogata - Ogata is one of the most popular, and powerful, students at Meio Academy. He is extremely jealous of Kouki due to his family's wealth and status. Ogata, an infamous ladies' man, is said to have impregnated several female students, including one of the main characters, at Meio Academy. He even makes a pass at Tanpopo and tries to get her to go out with him. He continually fails to win Tanpopo's heart, however, and is left with the lesser girls of the school.

Poplar (ポプラ) - Poplar is Tanpopo's pet fox. Named after a type of tree, Poplar is a trusty companion to Tanpopo, and is always there for her in times of need. Poplar makes a sound that is written as "kon".