Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!

Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!! (真剣で私に恋しなさい!, lit., "Love Me, Seriously!!"), often abbreviated Majikoi! (まじこい!), is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Minato Soft and released for the PC on August 28, 2009 (first press version) as a DVD and on October 30, 2009 (regular version) as two DVDs.

A sequel entitled Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai!! S was released in 2012, and a series of five fandiscs called Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai!! A were released throughout 2013.

A manga adaptation has been publishing in Comp Ace since May 2010, and an anime adaptation ran from October to December 2011. Sentai Filmworks licensed the anime series for North America under the title Majikoi ~ Oh! Samurai Girls for streaming, and for home video release in 2012.^[1] MVM films has licensed the series in the UK for release in 2013.^[2]

Plot

Kawakami City is famous for its strong dedication to its samurai ancestors. A healthy fighting spirit is always valued and it is even an important factor for success at school. Yamato, a second year student from Kawakami Academy is always with his close friends (three boys and three girls). They have all known each other since they were young and have done many things together. While they have many other friends, this group of seven is a close-knit, inseparable group. They even have a secret base where they meet. With the new semester, they welcome two girls into their group and shortly after things begin to change.

Characters

Yamato Naoe (直江 大和, Naoe Yamato)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya (Japanese), Josh Grelle (English)

The protagonist of video game and anime series. Yamato had a high degree of intelligence and understanding even from his young age. He is the tactician of the group and often makes schemes regarding how to make money or beat others with trickery. His tactics earn him the respect and admiration of many people, especially his friends. His relationship with Momoyo is of an underling as a result of a promise he made when they were younger. At one point while they were kids, Momoyo confessed that she really liked Yamato and even asked for him follow her forever. However, Yamato did not want to be on the sidelines and wanted to be on equal terms with Momoyo if he was going to be with her, saying that he would use his intelligence to match her strength by becoming something big like the prime minister. Momoyo agreed to these terms and the two have been close ever since, with Momoyo waiting for Yamato to make her acknowledge him so they can live up to the promise. While aware of Miyako's romantic feelings for him, he generally rejects her advances because he feels he doesn't have the right to respond to her feelings, and also because he lacks an interest and only considers her a 'friend'. It is shown that Yamato is much smarter than he actually acts out to be. He has an extreme love for his hermit crabs, Yadon and Karin, and gets extremely upset when people even joke about disturbing them to the point he scares them. Yamato has a huge social network of associates and contacts, but he only considers the members of the Kazama family to be his 'True friends'. As such, Yamato is usually on the phone responding to text messages in order to stay on good terms with them, as he views them as valuable resources. Yamato lives in the Shimazu dorm as both his parents live overseas with his father abandoning Japan due to no one being able to declare out loud what they love but instead, would be allowed to declare what they hated. This prompted Yamato to become the Prime minister in order to change Japan so that his father would return. Even though Yamato is perverted, he is sensible enough to keep his thoughts to himself. However, he has no problem talking freely about it to the right people. Even though Yamato uses his brains instead of his body to fight, Yamato has proved that he is capable of fighting by relying on his speed, mobility and reflexes to counter his opponent and then strike vital spots to bring them down. This is due to Yamato playing with the girls from the Kazama family, particularly Momoyo, throughout his childhood. However, Yamato is no martial artist and lacks stamina to continue fighting to a great degree but he will continue to push himself when he is completely serious. Yamato is shown to have strong kick and even able to injure Gakuto, who is durable enough to take hits from Momoyo. Yamato is also highly intelligent to the point that he is skilled enough to join S-class, the elite of Kawakami Academy. Yamato is described as having a sly personality, but despite this, he is extremely kind towards others which earns him both their friendship and affection. He is the target of affection from many of the girls in Kawakami City, Kawakami Academy, and the Kazama family, especially from Momoyo and Miyako.

Momoyo Kawakami (川神 百代, Kawakami Momoyo)

Voiced by: Kamiyo Misaki (visual novel), Yuu Asakawa (drama CD, anime) (Japanese), Carli Mosier (English)

As the oldest member of the Kawakami Family, Momoyo is seen as the older sister of the group. She gets challenged on almost a daily basis by fighters around the world and even students from other schools who seek recognition and fame. However she effortlessly defeats them all too easily to the point she gets frustrated which she takes out on Yamato by teasing him. She is the most beautiful girl in both Kawakami Academy and Kawakami City, but due to her fighting strength, every male is too intimidated to talk to her. Momoyo is also a regular guest on the Kawakami Academy radio show, as many people request her appearance on it. She is also terrible when it comes to money, which results in her borrowing it from other people. Sometimes though, she forgets to pay up by the deadline and she gets Yamato to extend it for her. In the end she is always able to pay back what she owes. Despite her strength, she hates to study and usually gets poor grades for it. Due to this she is unable to join S-class as the requirements include being in the top fifty of the exams ranking. It is shown though that she can get good grades when she tries, but she seldom does as she has no interest. She has an older sister-underling relationship with Yamato, although her interactions with him continually suggest a much closer connection. As such, she'll occasionally pick on him, but will also go out of her way to look out for him. She is bisexually flirtatious (reminiscent of Shinra from Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de) and will make a pass at girls as she considers no males to be men due to her high standards, although defeating her in a fight, even if just barely, will make her think otherwise. Many people consider hers and Yamato's relationship as something deeper and even describe it as interesting and special. As such, girl fans of Momoyo get envious of the time and affection she shows Yamato, while others prompt Yamato to take a chance and ask her out. She is deeply affectionate, in her own way, towards Yamato as she considers him someone very important to her and is extremely possessive of him to the point she gets jealous when other girls pay Yamato too much attention. She also consider Yamato the only person in the world who she can do certain things to in an intimate nature, as well as believing that he is the only one who can make her truly happy. She is also calm and refreshed while within Yamato's presence, which also calms her fighting lust and frustration just by being with him. She eventually realizes that she is in love with Yamato. Momoyo is considered to be the strongest fighter in the world, second only to her grandfather. However, despite all her so-powerful fists, she is terrified of ghosts and spirits, as she feels that nothing she can do will affect them. She is friends and rivals with Ageha Kuki from Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de.

Kazuko Kawakami (川神 一子, Kawakami Kazuko)

Voiced by: Yukari Aoyama (visual novel), Akane Tomonaga (drama CD, anime) (Japanese), Cynthia Martinez (English)

Second daughter of the Kawakami family, and Yamato's classmate. Kazuko is known for her cheerful demeanor and never-give-up attitude despite being known as a crybaby when she was younger. She is an orphan and was adopted by an old lady in her youth. However, the foster mother died and Kazuko was adopted by the Kawakami family at Momoyo's request. Since then, she has grown to love her new family, especially Momoyo and hardly considers finding her real parents as a result. She is always training and always looking for a good fight in order to become both a suitable opponent for Momoyo and also a training assistant at the Kawakami temple. She is the target of admiration and affection from both Hideo Kuki and Tadakatsu Minamoto, the latter of whom, she knows from the orphanage and also live in the Shimazu dorm with members of the Kazama family. She uses a naginata with her unquestionable speed and has developed a rivalry with Chris. She is nicknamed "Wanko" due to having dog like tendencies, such as responding to a whistle that each member of the Kazama family uses in order to call her. She is capable of studying harder than she exercises once she gets started, but due to her interests in being a training assistant, she hardly does so. She has a friendly relationship with Minamoto Tadakatsu, who she looks up to like an older brother and calls 'Taku-chan', although Tadakatsu has strong feelings for her but is yet to act on them.

Miyako Shiina (椎名 京, Shiina Miyako)

Voiced by: Erena Kaibara (visual novel), Hyosei (drama CD, anime) (Japanese), Brittney Karbowski (English)

Another girl of Yamato's childhood friends. She is cute but shy, and in the same class of Yamato. A first rate archer who is seen to be unmatched her accuracy is always seen to be 100%. She has feelings for Yamato since they were kids due to him defending her from bullies. Despite her advances, Yamato shows little interest in her as any more than a friend and tends to find her advances annoying at times and disturbing at others. She hardly ever talks to anyone outside the Kazama family due to her childhood, as she was constantly picked on for being too skinny. Many members of the Kazama family have grown to regret this as Miyako's parents were going through a divorce at the time, making the harassment that much harder for her to deal with. However, she deeply cares for the Kazama family and puts in extra effort to keep the hideout tidy. She is considered a beautiful girl at Kawakami Academy, but due to her affection for Yamato, many people figure that she is already his woman, despite Yamato constantly rejecting her. She also acknowledges Yamato's and Momoyo's close relationship but still refuses to give up. She is also shown to be intelligent enough to join S-Class, the elite of Kawakami Academy.

Yukie Mayuzumi (黛 由紀江, Mayuzumi Yukie)

Voiced by: Shino Kujo (visual novel), Yuko Goto (drama CD, anime) (Japanese), Emily Neves (English)

Yukie is a first-year transfer student that has tasked herself with making one hundred friends. Her extreme shyness and strange reactions around people have done more harm than good in her goal. She regularly talks to a small horse-shaped phone strap named Matsukaze which responds to her and other people using ventriloquism. She is an extremely strong swordswoman as she is the daughter of the 11th sword saint Mayuzumi. She describes her father as "tough but respectful" but due to her constant training, she failed to make any friends growing up. She moved to the Shimazu dorm in Kawakami City with the intent of making friends and growing as a person. She eventually summons her courage and requests that she be friends with the Kazama family which Shoichi agrees to (but before rejecting her in a joking manner, causing her to faint). Through her efforts and with Yamato's help, she is able to make friends with Iyo Oowada, a student of Kawakami Academy in her same class. Mayuzumi is also skilled enough to enter Class-S of her year. She has a liking to Gakuto as he reminds her of her father. She also has a younger sister.

Christiane Friedrich (クリスティアーネ・フリードリヒ, Kurisutiāne Furīdorihi)

Voiced by: Rina Misaki (visual novel), Shizuka Ito (drama CD, anime) (Japanese), Tiffany Grant (English)

Christiane is a transfer student from Germany who knows little about Japan outside of what she had seen in jidaigeki dramas. She tends not to read the atmosphere when problems arise but follows Yamato's orders to exactly what he says. She wields a unique fencing blade which she uses with great speed. She acts flustered around Yamato as these two tend to end up in unusual situations. She has a strong sense of justice which served to put her and Yamato at odds as Yamato uses dirty tricks and any means necessary to win. However, she eventually understands that Yamato uses such tactics in order to protect his friends above all else and she approves of it. She has a sister type relationship with her father's lieutenant Margit and they even sleep in the same bed. She is extremely loving towards her father, who in turn is extremely protective of Christiane to the point of threatening any boy who tries to flirt with her. She also has an extreme passion for teddy bear collecting, with her room being full of them. Christiane also has a rivalry with Kazuko and they compete in all sorts of areas such as running and squatting, with Christiane being the victor more often.

Gakuto Shimazu (島津 岳人, Shimazu Gakuto)

Voiced by: Bob Matsunuma (visual novel), Takeshi Kusao (drama CD, anime) (Japanese), Kalob Martinez (English)

Gakuto is the muscle of the Kazama family (from the male's side) and is both tall and muscular. He has a strong desire to have a girlfriend but he only considers girls who are the same age or older than him. However, he has little to no luck with girls and is a source of comedy due to his failures. Despite this he never gives up and he believes that muscles are what attract women. Though he is not as strong as the girls of the Kazama family (because he never learned any fighting style and only focused on building his muscle body), he is a capable fighter in his own right and is able to endure attacks from Christiane, Momoyo and Kazuko, albeit not to a high degree. He is best friends with Moro and the two are constantly seen together, with people making boys love jokes about them which only serves to disgust them both. Both Gakuto and Moro refuse to lose to each other as men, but get along best regardless. Easily the most openly perverted of the group, he feels like he can only talk to Yamato about girls as Shoichi has no interest and Moro is too shy. His family owns both the Shimazu dorm where Yamato and other members of the Kazama family reside and the building where the Kazama family's hideout is located.

Shoichi Kazama (風間 翔一, Kazama Shōichi)

Voiced by: Bakuhatsu Fuji (visual novel), Katsuyuki Konishi (drama CD, anime) (Japanese), Greg Ayres (English)

The leader of the Kazama Family and Yamato's best friend, nicknamed "Capt." by his friends. He and Yamato met when the latter ran away from home on day and Shoichi was playing in a cardboard box in a field. While there was a bit of tension at first, the two became friends quickly and have been friends ever since. Shoichi is a boy that, unlike his peers, is more interested in adventure and having fun than chasing girls around. His tendency to take the helm in times of fun has earned him the respect of his friends, as well as his nickname. Shoichi respects Yamato and is always impressed by his strategies that he comes up with. Even though Yamato respects Shoichi back, Yamato has a deep feeling that he wants to surpass or defeat Shoichi as a man. Shoichi is constantly working or searching for fun and sometimes doesn't turn up at school. He is described as a man with the most luck in the Kazama family as it seems like he can do anything without even trying with the exception of studying and academics due to him not even trying. His trademark is a red bandana with a dragon on it which he is seen wearing almost all the time. He doesn't care for school or grades as his dream is to become an adventurer when he grows up. As a result, he never studies. He is also lucky when it comes to employment with him having several jobs as he constantly takes one and leaves as soon as he gets bored. His activities on his adventures though seem to be highly dangerous though, and leaves Yamato concerned for his safety at times. He has little ability to read the mood or sensitivity to certain topics which tends to disturb and embarrass others. Whenever he is left out of certain situations and arrives at the scene to find that Yamato has already taken care of it, he tends to throw a fit like a little kid. Shoichi is also extremely popular with girls, with him being ranked as one of the four most handsome males at Kawakami Academy. Momoyo also acknowledges Shoichi as a man, due to him not surrendering the leadership of the Kazama family to her while they were kids. Despite acknowledging him though, Momoyo has always been much closer to Yamato, who she is waiting for, and does not see any romantic potential in Shoichi, looking at him only as a fighter as he does not grab her interest. However, Shoichi states he has more fun with Yamato, which tends to leave Yamato disturbed as people exaggerate over what he meant.

Takuya Morooka (師岡 卓也, Morooka Takuya)

Voiced by: Senbei Makari (visual novel), Kenichi Suzumura (drama CD, anime) (Japanese), Blake Shepard (English)

The Kazama family's resident geek. Nicknamed 'Moro', he is a classic Otaku as he loves both anime and manga. He is also very skilled with computers and other I.T. equipment, and tends to talk too much about them without noticing. He is shy and awkward around girls but is comfortable with the girls in the Kazama family. He is best friends with Gakuto and is constantly seen with him, making people joke about their 'boys love' which only serves to disgust them both. Both he and Gakuto refuse to lose to each other as men, but get along best with each other regardless. It is shown he has a secret interest in Miyako despite Miyakos openness about her affection for Yamato. Moro is able to cross dress like a girl which he finds extremely embarrassing, especially as men such as Gakuto in particular, find him attractive this way. He is the least perverted of the males from the Kazama Family and keeps his desires too himself while scarcely being a bit more open about it at times. Like Miyako, he highly values the members of the Kazama family and found it unsettling to invite Christiane and Yukie into the group. Eventually though, Moro was able to welcome them both.

Tadakatsu Minamoto (源 忠勝, Minamoto Tadakatsu)

Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe (Japanese), Houston Hayes (English)

A fellow school student who resides in the Shimazu dorm. His nickname from everyone is 'Gen' or 'Gen-san' but he gets called 'Tacchan' from Kazuko. He has a very mean look but is a really nice person. Having grown up in the same orphanage was Kazuko, Tadakatsu and Kazuko have known each other since they were kids and have been friends since. Eventually both were adopted with Tadakatsu being taken in by Usami Kyojin, a teacher at Kawakami Academy and also the boss of a small 'odd jobs' company which Tadakatsu is also an employee and future successor of. Tadakatsu enjoys his job and sometimes considers leaving school to focus on it, but is persuaded not too by Kazuko. He is considered to have a tsundere personality as he helps people while claiming he did so just so he wouldn't be annoyed anymore. He is also a skilled chef. He tends to receive cake as a token of appreciation for his jobs, which he tends to share with Yamato. He has a secret affection towards Kazuko since they were kids, which is made evident by the way he looks out for her and the way he treats her nicely compared to everyone else. This puts him at odds with Hideo Kuki who also has feelings for Kazuko. Due to his work, he hardly studies, but always manages to get average grades. Despite him rather being alone, Tadakatsu is extremely popular and is even ranked as one of the four most handsome males in Kawakami Academy. Since he tends to scowl all time, many people are taken aback whenever he smiles or shares a kind word with people as it tends to lift their spirits.

Hideo Kuki (九鬼 英雄, Kuki Hideo)

Voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura (Japanese), Andrew Love (English)

The class representative of the S-class, and middle child of the Kuki family. He has a crush on Kazuko. He fell in love with Kazuko's attitude of always trying to surpass her previous self and her will to never give up. He is the one who created Cookie and gave it to Kazuko. Hideo believes he is going to be the future ruler of the world since he is superior to the rest of the people for being a member of the Kuki Family. Hideo has only recognized Aoi as his equal because his intellect is on an equal level with him. Because of this, he also considers him a friend and listens to what he has to say. He also tends to argue with the members of Kazama Family when they are too friendly with Kazuko, or when they interrupt his attempt to talk with Kazuko. He also has a bit of a rivalry with Shoichi.

Cookie (クッキー, Kukkī)　

Voiced by: Megumi Ogata [Form I] Jun Fukuyama [Form II], and Fumihiko Tachiki [Form V] (Japanese), Allison Keith [Form I] and George Manley [Forms II & V] (English)

An egg-shaped robot invented by the Kuki family and given to the Kazama family as a gift. Lives with the Kazama family and can make popcorn soda and other foods and drinks appear from inside itself. Cookie now refers to Shoichi as his master (Kazuko as his former master), but serves all the members of the Kazama family. Has a small favoritism, noticed by Yamato, toward Miyako. Cookie explains it's because she diligently polishes Cookie, while cleaning the secret base for the Kazama Family in return. Despite being a robot, Cookie has emotions and can act accordingly to them. He has three official transformations; his normal mode, his transformation mode, which carries an energy blade and is capable of matching superhuman skills, and also a brain mode.

Anime

An anime adaptation was announced on January 18, 2011. The series was produced at the studio LARC, directed by Keitaro Motonaga, and the scripts are by Katsuhiko Takayama.^[3] The anime premiered on AT-X on October 1, 2011.^[4] Sentai Filmworks licensed the series in North America. The series was simulcasted through the Anime Network as well as being streamed on Hulu, then released on home video in 2012.^[5]

Music

Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! has one opening theme and three ending themes. The opening, "It Doesn't Hurt to be Slashed by Love" is sung by Yuu Asakawa, Akane Tomonaga, Hyo-sei, Yuko Goto and Shizuka Ito, while the endings are "Akane Sora" (茜空) sung by Kotoko, "Fuyu Hanabi" (冬花火) sung by Hyo-sei, and "Bushi" (武士) sung by Hiroshi Kitadani.

The name of the anime's opening theme is "U-n-d-e-r--STANDING!" and the name of the ending theme is "Kimi no Maji o Chōdai"

Reception

Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! topped the Getchu Annual Sales Ranking for PC games in 2009,^[7] and was ranked highly by user votes, coming in 2nd place overall, 9th in System, 10th in Music, and 6th in Movie (referring to the opening and ending animations) among games from that year.^[8]

The sequel, Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! S, was awarded the Silver Grand Prize in the 2012 Moe Game Awards.^[9]

See also

• Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de

References

External links

• Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! official website (Japanese)
• Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! S official website (Japanese)
• Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! A official website (Japanese)
• Official anime website (Japanese)
• Majikoi ~ Oh! Samurai Girls! at Sentai Filmworks
• Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! at The Visual Novel Database
• Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! S at The Visual Novel Database
• Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! A at The Visual Novel Database