List of Marmalade Boy characters
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The following article is a list of fictional characters from the Japanese manga and anime Marmalade Boy.
Contents |
[edit] Major characters
[edit] Miki Koishikawa
小石川 光希 (Koishikawa Miki?)
- Voiced by: Mariko Kouda (Japanese), Michelle Ruff (English)
Miki is a lively high school student, who is on the Toryo High School tennis team. She is cheerful, friendly, supportive, outspoken, tomboyish and good-hearted. On the other hand, she can also be insecure, whiny, clingy, and very emotionally dependent on others. She had a part-time job working in an ice cream parlor, called Bobson's. Later, she works in a small decoration shop.
When she was in junior high, she confessed her love to a male friend of hers named Ginta, but it was a disaster and Miki ended up heartbroken. Eventually she got over it and became friends with him again.
While Miki was in high school, her parents went on a trip to Hawaii and decided to swap spouses with another couple. The other couple had a son the same age as Miki, and they all moved into a large house to live together. That boy was Yuu Matsuura, and Miki started to fall in love with him as they came to know each other better. However, Miki was very uncertain of herself and became jealous because Yuu was always surrounded by other girls, several of them being very beautiful while Miki believes herself to be only average-looking.
[edit] Yuu Matsuura
松浦 遊 (Matsuura Yū?)
- Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu (Japanese), Michael Lindsay (English)
The male protagonist of the series, Yuu is also the title character, as Miki gives him the "Marmalade Boy" moniker as she thinks that he is like marmalade - pretty looking, and sweet only on the surface, yet bitter.
Compared to Miki, Yuu's character is almost a complete opposite to hers, as he tends to be more detached, less emotional, and less open about his feelings. He admits to admiring Miki's ability to show her emotions clearly, and it being one of the reasons he fell in love with her. Numerous people comment throughout the series of how he has a good "poker face."[citation needed] It is shown that Yuu is smart and naturally athletic, being able to excel in almost every sport although he did not join any clubs in order to focus on his studies. Yuu's dream is to become an architect and he leaves to attend St. Andrews high school near New York City to study it there. Yuu teases Miki a lot, but this is his way of showing affection for her. His first kiss with Miki is a complete surprise for her because she had only met him a few days prior at an introductory dinner attended by both their families. The Marmalade Boy Movie, which is a prequel to the TV series and set a few days before this dinner, reveals that Yuu fell in love with Miki before they actually met. It shows that he saw Miki when she was out and followed her, witnessing her interactions with the Gastman Team, all without her knowledge.
[edit] Ginta Suou
須王 銀太 (Suō Ginta?)
- Voiced by: Junichi Kanemaru (Japanese), Yuri Lowenthal (English)
Miki's best male friend and a member of the Toryo tennis team. Miki has had a crush on him since junior high and confessed her feelings to Ginta in a note. However, the note was found by Ginta's classmates, and Ginta downplayed it, without knowing at the time that she was watching, although he felt the same way about Miki.
Although he did find out that Miki had witnessed his denial of any interest in her, he was unable to tell her how he really felt until high school. The romantic tension between them comes to a head with Yuu's appearance, which makes them realize that they still have feelings for each other. He decides to go along with Yuu's ex-girlfriend Arimi's proposal that they pose as a couple in order to drive a wedge between Miki and Yuu. In the process however, he starts to develop genuine feelings for Arimi, which she later reciprocates.
[edit] Meiko Akizuki
秋月 茗子 (Akizuki Meiko?)
- Voiced by: Wakana Yamazaki (Japanese), Kate Higgins (English)
Miki's best female friend Meiko is the only child of wealthy parents and is very mature and beautiful. However, her family life is troubled because her parents are unfaithful to each other and constantly argue. She falls in love with Shinichi Namura after realizing that he has the maturity that she craves, but their relationship as teacher/student proves to be a huge hindrance.
[edit] Arimi Suzuki
鈴木 亜梨実 (Suzuki Arimi?)
- Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (Japanese), Carrie Savage (English)
Arimi is a former classmate of Yuu's at his previous high school. She convinces Yuu to be her "boyfriend" for three months, during which they act as a couple on a trial basis. Arimi attempts to make Yuu to fall in love with her during this time, but fails. At the end of the three months, he still thought of her as a friend.
Miki's indecisiveness about Ginta and Yuu frustrates her, as she does not think that Yuu deserves someone who cannot commit to one person. Arimi teams up with Ginta in an attempt to drive Yuu and Miki apart from each other. However, she eventually realizes that Yuu's behavior around Miki indicates that he does like her, so she stops her pursuit of him. Some time later, she develops feelings for Ginta and they become a couple.
[edit] Supporting characters
[edit] Tsutomu Rokutanda
六反田 務 (Rokutanda Tsutomu?)
- Voiced by: Kazunari Tanaka (Japanese), Tom Gibis (English)
Tsutomu is Ginta's cousin and a classmate of Arimi's. He has had a crush on her for a very long time. Tsutomu sees himself as Ginta's rival, and Arimi teaming up with Ginta to split Yuu and Miki frustrates him even further. In the anime, after Arimi's definitive rejection Tsutomu befriends a girl named Yayoi and they start dating.
[edit] Satoshi Miwa
三輪 悟史 (Miwa Satoshi?)
- Voiced by: Shinichiro Ohta (Japanese), Jack Aubree (English)
Satoshi is the student body president and a third year student. Many girls are interested in him, but he is only interested in Meiko, and tries to get her to like him in place of Namura. However, his crude sense of humor does not impress Meiko, who thinks he is an irresponsible playboy. They go out for a time, but Meiko is unable to overcome her feelings for Namura. Satoshi tries several times to make her forget Namura, but following the "Hiroshima arc" he sees that he has no chance to win her over and stops his romantic pursuit of Meiko, staying friends with her instead.
Satoshi is the first person to notice Yuu's interest in architecture. His initially unusual behavior towards Yuu arouses Yuu and Miki's suspicions that he is gay and has a crush on him, which he uses to his advantage. Satoshi and Yuu eventually come to an understanding however, and Satoshi helps Yuu uncover the truth of who his biological father may be, as he suspects that his father Yoshimitsu is a potential candidate. Although it is later revealed that Yoshimitsu is not Yuu's true father, but Satoshi and Yuu stay best friends after this.
[edit] Suzu Sakuma
佐久間 すず (Sakuma Suzu?)
- Voiced by: Sakura Tange (Japanese), Mia Bradley (English)
Suzu is Satoshi's younger cousin who is a well-known teen model. Suzu fell in love with Yuu immediately when she saw his picture, which motivated her to do the cosmetics commercial that she was shooting when she found out that he would be in it. Through Satoshi's efforts, Yuu also became Suzu's math tutor. Suzu tried to express her feelings for Yuu, but he was not interested in her and only saw her as a kid sister. She also tries to tear Yuu and Miki apart after mistakenly believing that Miki is cheating on Yuu, but fails. She develops a love/hate relationship with Kei.
In the manga, Suzu doesn't want Yuu for herself; instead she attempts to hook Yuu and Meiko up, after mistakenly believing that Meiko is in love with Yuu. Nevertheless, she fails.
[edit] Kei Tsuchiya
土屋 蛍 (Tsuchiya Kei?)
- Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese), Henry Banks (English)
Kei is Miki's coworker at Bobson's ice cream parlor who is a talented but troubled pianist. He also falls in love with Miki, and his methods to get her away from Yuu almost bring him success after he uses Miki's lost medallion (which had a picture of Yuu) to fabricate a lie about Miki's true feelings for him. However, this also fails after Yuu makes a trip outside of Tokyo but cannot enjoy since he misses Miki too much, and Miki forces herself to see the worst side of herself. When they see each other again, they come back together. Nevertheless, Kei still confesses his love for Miki at Christmas; and after some convincing by Miki to regain his confidence in music, Kei quits his job at Bobson's ice cream parlor and says goodbye to Miki, promising to return soon.
In the anime, a much more mature Kei reappears later, offering Miki his sincere and unconditional support after Yuu goes to study abroad. He says he does not need to have Miki forgetting Yuu completely, since he's happy to help her through her ordeal. Miki appreciates his company and even dates him briefly, but he cannot compete with Yuu. It is hinted at the end that he may or may not get together with Suzu Sakuma.
[edit] Shin'ichi Namura
名村 慎一 (Namura Shin'ichi?)
- Voiced by: Tōru Furuya (Japanese), Jack Aubree (English)
Namura, affectionately known as "Na-chan" by his students, is a former Toryo student who returned to his alma mater as tennis coach and English teacher. He develops feelings for the student Meiko Akizuki, which are reciprocated. However, because she is a student they must keep their relationship secret. The relationship is eventually discovered, embroiling Namura in a big scandal.
Finding his position at Toryo untenable and fearing he'll be a hindrance for Meiko, he resigns and returns to his hometown of Hiroshima in order to study real estate and take over the family business. Namura tries to push Meiko away from him no matter how much he loves her, thinking that he cannot allow her future to be tainted. Ultimately, Meiko proves him wrong, and they reach an agreement: as soon as Meiko graduates and turns 17 (the age at which she can marry Namura without her parents' approval), she will come with him to Hiroshima not only marry him, but also to study literature and become a writer. At the end of the series, the agreement is filled and they marry.
[edit] Jin Koishikawa
- Voiced by: Hideyuki Tanaka (Japanese), Will Barret (English)
Miki's father and an accountant who works at a bank. He married Miki's mother Rumi after breaking up with his old girlfriend Chiyako and helping Rumi over her own break up with her boyfriend Youji. They moved to England and had Miki there, then returned to Japan. Later, he and Rumi reencounter Chiyako and Youji, reach an agreement, and swap spouses.
[edit] Rumi Matsuura
- Voiced by: Yoko Kawanami (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)
Miki's mother, infamous for her bad cooking. She is cheerful and sweet, and like her ex-husband, a little child-like as well. She works as an executive in an alcoholic beverage company. She was married to her old friend Jin Koishikawa, later divorced him on good terms, and married Youji Matsuura, her old flame.
[edit] Youji Matsuura
- Voiced by: Bin Shimada (Japanese), Conner Holly (English)
Yuu's father, who works at a trading company. He is mature and quick-witted, like his ex-wife and now best friend Chiyako. He is also good at math, yet horrible at video games. After divorcing Chiyako, he married Rumi.
[edit] Chiyako Koishikawa
- Voiced by: Hiroko Emori (Japanese), Cindy Robinson (English)
Yuu's mother, who is a very good cook. She works at a cosmetics company. She also gets along well with Miki, yet tries to not be pushy on her, which Miki appreciates a lot. She had a short-lived affair with her former boss, Yoshimitsu Miwa, and lost the baby that she and Jin were expecting during college. This lead Yuu to think that Youji is not his true father.
[edit] Minor characters
[edit] Yoshimitsu Miwa
- Voiced by: Kouji Totani (Japanese), Michael McConnohie (English)
Satoshi's father and a renowned architect. Yuu suspects that Yoshimitsu may be his actual biological father based on a letter his grandmother had written to Youji Matsura when he was engaged to Chiyako while she was working for Yoshimitsu. Satoshi suspects this as well based on the mention of Chiyako in his mother's diary as the woman his father was having an affair with.
When confronted with the accusations by both Yuu and Satoshi however, Yoshimitsu denies that he is Yuu's father. He explains that he was interested in Chiyako, but she was in love with another man and continually rebuffed him. He did not attempt to dissuade his wife that he was seeing her because it served as a cover for him to see other women. His son Satoshi is exasperated by his admissions of his past misbehavior.
[edit] Takuji Kijima
- Voiced by: Ken Yamaguchi (Japanese), Doug Erholtz (English)
The owner of "Junk Jungle", a clothing store where Yuu works part-time. He has known Ryoko and Namura since college and dated Ryoko during that time. However, when he realized that she was falling in love with Namura, he distanced himself. Ryoko comes to confide more in him as she attempts to reconcile her feelings about Namura.
[edit] Chigusa, Keiko & Mari
- Chigusa voiced by:Yuko Nagashima (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)
- Keiko voiced by: Naoko Nakamura (Japanese), Cindy Robinson (English)
- Mari voiced by: Mariko Onodera (Japanese), Kate Davis (English)
The friends of Miki and Meiko in Toryo High School. Chigusa is the one with pigtails, Keiko wears glasses, while Mari has short hair. Chigusa and Mari are in the tennis club along with Miki and Ginta.
[edit] Furukawa
A reporter for Toryo High School.
[edit] Principal
- Voiced by: Shinji Nakae (Japanese), Richard Epcar (English)
The principal of Toryo High School. He is quite kind-hearted and understanding of the teachers and students. He likes Namura and is reluctant to see him go after his relationship with Meiko is exposed, but is forced to accept his resignation.
When Miki and Yuu's family backgrounds were exposed and the two were summoned to the Principal's office, the Principal tried to calm their nervousness by telling them that the school was only trying to understand the whole situation. After Miki and Yuu's parents arrived and explained their circumstances, the Principal gave Miki and Yuu his approval, telling them that they have wonderful parents. This approval finally relieved Miki of the pressure and uneasiness she had for her new family, allowing her to see them in a new light.
[edit] Vice Principal
- Voiced by: Nana Yamaguchi (Japanese), Debra Cunningham (English)
The Vice Principal of Toryo High School. Unlike the Principal, she is more cold, severe, and unsympathetic towards the teachers and students. She is surprised at the regard Namura's class holds for him, especially when Ginta firmly stands up to her for openly criticizing Namura in front of them.
When Miki and Yuu's family backgrounds were exposed and the two were summoned to the Principal's office, the Vice Principal openly criticized Miki and Yuu's parents, and was shocked when Yuu firmly talked back to her. However, she was forced to silence herself when the Principal gave his approval to Miki and Yuu.
While often referred to as "Kyoto", this is not actually a proper name; the term "kyouto-sensei" (教頭先生?) translates as Vice Principal. Like the Principal, the Vice Principal's name is never given throughout the course of the series.
[edit] Raihito Sakuma
- Voiced by: Ikuya Sawaki (Japanese), Michael Sorich (English)
Suzu Sakuma's father and the brother of Satoshi's deceased mother. He is also a famous architect, and helps Yuu with his dreams, telling him to transfer to the USA.
[edit] Anime-only characters
[edit] Ryoko Momoi
- Voiced by: Megumi Urawa (Japanese), Cindy Robinson (English)
A teacher at Toryo and friend of Namura since they were younger, Ryoko is in love with him, but the feeling is not mutual. In fact, Namura didn't know about Ryoko's love for years, until she confessed to him during Christmas. That surprises him so much that, in the end, he actually apologizes for all the hurt he inflicted into her without knowing it. Ryoko works hard to get over Namura and succeeds, later hooking up with Akira Mizutani, a young man who is the brother-in-law of her friend Takumi Kijima.
She is also a coach in the tennis club along with Namura, later becoming the homeroom teacher of Miki, Yuu, Ginta, and Meiko's class after Namura's resignation.
[edit] Anju Kitahara
- Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese), Kay Jensen (English)
Yuu's old childhood friend and first love. He calls her "Anne" because of her favorite book, "Anne of Green Gables". She suffers from a heart disease that she has had since childhood; in fact, they met in the hospital. Although she still harbors feelings for Yuu, she understands that Miki is his true love, and tries her best not to get into their relationship; in her own words, she only wants to be second in his heart.
Anju decides to go to the USA to both have an operation and take violin classes after she has a heart attack during Christmas and almost dies. In America, she reestablishes contact with Yuu and befriends Bill Matheson.
[edit] Yayoi Takase
- Voiced by: Mariko Onodera and Miki Inoue (Japanese), Jennifer Sekiguchi (English)
A girl whom Tsutomu meets at the temple on New Year's Day while he is walking around cursing the bad luck fortune that he received. The two hit it off, but Tsutomu forgets to get any more information from her other than her name and that she is about the same age as him. He does not run into her again until Valentine's Day, while he is bemoaning not receiving any Valentine's chocolate while in the park. Tsutomu overhears Yayoi get turned down by a boy she is interested in, and encountering her again, cheers her up and shares her chocolate with her. Yayoi then officially became Tsutomu's girlfriend, often appearing with him later on as a couple.
[edit] Michael Grant
- Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese), Sam Regal (English)
An American exchange student from Toryo's sister school in New York City who stays with the Matsuras and Koishikawas. He is a year younger than Yuu and Miki. Michael develops a crush on Miki and tries to come between her and Yuu when Yuu is in New York, due to some information that he misinterpreted, thinking that Yuu is a two-timer and cheated on Miki with Jinny.
[edit] Brian Grant
- Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese), Anthony Robert (English)
Michael's older brother, good-hearted yet with a horrible temper. He thinks of Jinny as his girl, but her flightiness and flirtation with Yuu frustrate him. Brian eventually challenges Yuu to a basketball game over Jinny that he ends up losing, but the two end up as best friends as a result.
[edit] William "Bill" Matheson
- Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama (Japanese), Tony Oliver (English)
Brian's friend and Yuu's roommate. His behavior leads his friends to think that he is gay, but this just an act on Will's part to get closer to Jinny. He is witty, intuitive, and supportive, and gets along well with everyone.
[edit] Doris O'Conner
- Voiced by: Shiho Niiyama (Japanese), Julie Ann Taylor (English)
A voice of reason and counterpoint to Jinny, Doris likes Brian but has not made her feelings known to him, since she thinks men will only see her as a best friend but not date material. She finally declares her love for Brian when Jinny gets together with Bill.
[edit] Jinny Golding
- Voiced by: Yuka Koyama (Japanese), Tara Platt (English)
Highly attractive, childlike and well-intentioned yet very impulsive, Jinny develops a crush on Yuu as soon as she sees him and tries very hard to make him forget about Miki, even playing a bad prank on Miki by leading her to think that she had a one-night stand with Yuu, who in fact was not even in the dorms. Unbeknownst to her, this triggers Yuu and Miki's break up. Bill and Doris make Jinny take conscience of what she had done and sincerely repentant, she apologizes to Yuu. After Yuu finally rejects her, she starts to become anxious of the attention Bill gives to Anju. When she confronts him about this, Bill tells her he has been in love with her from the beginning.
[edit] Rei Kijima
- Voiced by: Sanae Takagi (Japanese), Kristy Pape (English)
Takuji Kijima's wife. She helps Miki overcome her doubts over Yuu's behavior in relation to her while he is in New York, since she went through a similar experience with Takuji when they were younger.
[edit] Akira Mizutani
- Voiced by: Wataru Takagi (Japanese), Liam O'Brien (English)
- Rei Kijima's brother and Takumi's assistant. He has a crush on Ryoko, and she slowly comes to reciprocate his feelings.
[edit] Mr. Rainy
- Voiced by: Yasuhiko Kawazu (Japanese), Sam Regal (English)
The teacher of Yuu and the American characters in Yuu's boarding school.
[edit] Eddy and Chris
- Eddy voiced by: Mami Matsui (Japaneses), Doug Erholtz (English)
- Chris voiced by: Naoko Watanabe (Japaneses), Jennifer Sekiguchi (English)
A pair of siblings Miki meets in New York City who help her escape from some thugs who target her, and help Miki reconcile the feelings she has for Yuu with knowledge of their possible blood ties.
[edit] The Gastman Team
- A group of five boys who are costumed and act as the super sentai team Gastman. They come across Miki when she is out one day and force her to play along with their games, but unexpectedly, Miki wholeheartedly jumps in. Unbeknown to Miki, her interaction with the boys is witnessed by Yuu, who falls in love with her before they actually meet. The Gastman Team only appears in the Marmalade Boy Movie.
