Manami Kusunoki

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Manami Kusunoki
Image:ManamSml.jpg
Manami in Advanced V.G. 2
Game series Variable Geo series
First game Variable Geo
Voiced by Kae Araki (Games),
Ikue Otani (OVA)
Information
Birthplace Osaka, Japan
Blood type O
Height 143 cm (4'6)
Weight 34 kg (79 lbs)
Measurements 75/57/79 (30-22-31)
Birthday March 3 (Pisces)
Likes Mother's homemade cookies, Picture books
Dislikes Ghosts, pimentos
Restaurant Fujiya

Manami Kusunoki (楠真奈美 Kusunoki Manami?) is a fictional character from Variable Geo series, in which she is meant to play on the popularity of lolicon characters.

Contents

[edit] Background

At the beginning of the series, Manami is the youngest competitor in the VG Tournament at age 15 (16 in later games). Along with her relative youth, she is also woefully immature, often acting like a girl half her age. Despite this however, she is a surprisingly clever and capable fighter, incorporating the natural energeticness of a child, as well her own vivid imagination into her fighting style. Her reason for entering the competitions is solely to obtain the large cash prize awarded to the winner. She is often the most lighthearted competitor in any given tournament, treating the fights as if they were all a big game. She also has a habit of referring to any other fighter as "Nee-chan" (Literally "Sister").

[edit] Fictional character history

[edit] V.G.: Variable Geo / Advanced V.G.

Manami enters the tournament for the first time as the youngest competitor. She competes against Yuka Takeuchi, Jun Kubota, Chiho Masuda, Kaori Yanase, and Reimi Jahana (As well as Satomi Yajima, Ayako Yuuki, and Erina Goldsmith in Advanced V.G., the latter two of which she becomes good friends with as all three live in Osaka), in an attempt to win the cash prize. However, she is defeated by Yuka early in the competition.

[edit] Advanced V.G. 2

Manami, now 16, is shocked to find out that she is no longer the youngest V.G. competitor. She challenges 14-year old Tamao Mitsurugi and demands that the newcomer not use any of her special attacks during their battle. Despite having a clear advantage, Manami is defeated yet again.

[edit] V.G. Rebirth Dash

[edit] Other appearances

Manami is also a playable character in V.G. 2: Bout of Cabalistic Goddess, Super V.G., V.G. Custom, and V.G. Max, all of which occur outside the series canon.

[edit] Anime

Manami appears in the latter two-thirds of the three-part OVA series based on Super Variable Geo. She retains her playful and crafty personality and is voiced by Ikue Otani.

Manami is first seen delivering an anonymous phone call to protagnoist Yuka Takeuchi. However, her face is obscured and she only says "Osaka" before hanging up. She then fully appears to the viewer during an interval where she is seen buying ice cream from a train station kiosk. A close up of her lower-face reveals her to the viewer as the person who had called Yuka previously.

When Yuka and Jun Kubota arrive in Osaka, assuming that Manami's call was telling them the location of Yuka's next opponent in the VG tournament, Manami suddenly appears, and after groping Yuka's breasts, offers to take them to where they can find Yuka's opponent.

The three spend the next few hours at a roadside food stand before being accosted by a number of bunny suited women under the lead of Erina Goldsmith, a VG contestant, Manami displays her fighting ability by knocking a number of them out by throwing a pair of mittens shaped like the forelegs of a cat at them (Her "Neko Rocket Punch" attack). As Jun mocks the bunny girls by repeating an earlier statement they had made about there being no such thing as a "Fair fight", Manami attempts to retrieve one of her gloves by tugging it back with an elastic cord, which causes the glove to snap back and hit her in the head.

Following the ensuing fight between Yuka and Erina, Manami is revealed to have been Erina's actual tournament opponent. She then confesses that she had been the one to call Yuka to Osaka as she was afraid that Erina would be too much for her to handle. Following this, Manami joins Yuka and Jun in returning to Tokyo. During a stop at the karate dojo that Yuka trains at, all of the students are revealed to have been defeated and knocked out by an unknown assailant. Jun is attacked by a strange white-haired man who proceeds to knock out both her and Manami before engaging Yuka and eventually being driven off by a mysterious old man.

The next morning, Manami, along with Jun, report to Yuka that Daisuke Yajima, younger brother of Yuka's best friend Satomi, had survived an operation that has saved his life. After paying the boy a visit, Yuka decides to search for Satomi at the tournament finals. Jun and Manami go along with her to provide backup.

Arriving at the colisseum, the trio are attacked by a brainwashed Chiho Masuda, who attempts to kill them. After Jun urges Yuka to go on without them to find Satomi, she and Manami team up to fight the ninja. Manami shields Jun from a dagger that Chiho throws at her and Jun fears that she has been killed, however, Manami has slipped out of her uniform at the last second and distracts Chiho with a surprise attack, allowing Jun to finish her off. She proudly stands before Jun in a childish undershirt and panties, apparently attempting to show off her supposed figure, but Jun is not very impressed by her childlike proportions and also tells Manami that she "Has bad taste".

At the series' climax, Manami, along with Jun, Chiho, Reimi Jahana, and Kaori Yanase watch as Yuka and Satomi begin their final match for the VG championship among the now smoldering colisseum.

[edit] Trivia

  • Manami's attacks, some of which involve rolling herself into a ball and launching herself at an opponent, may be references to Blanka from Street Fighter series, Duck King from Fatal Fury series, or Felicia from Darkstalkers series. She also wears Cat-paw gloves, which could be a further nod to Felicia.
  • In addition, Kae Araki, who voices Manami in the Variable Geo series, also provides the voice for Felicia in every game she has been in.
  • Manami is noted for having an unusual obsession with groping and fondling other women's breasts. The exact reason is unknown, but it is speculated that this is because she has a fondness for round things, much like Cats are often said to have.

[edit] See also