Mizuki Ashiya
Encyclopedia
is the heroine in the shōjo
manga
Hana-Kimi
(Hanazakari no Kimitachi e), by Hisaya Nakajo
.
Mizuki Ashiya, who was born in California to Japanese-born parents, is the heroine of the story. She spontaneously moved from California to Japan and enrolled into an all boys school (Osaka Gakuen) because her idol, Sano Izumi, who’s a top high jumper and the same age as her, attends the school. To look like a boy, she keeps her hair short and ruffled and wears a tight demin vest to hide her chest. In many ways, it’s good that she has a pretty flat chest, but she wants more cleavage between them. She’s a very fast runner (due to her mother’s athleticism), but is very clumsy at times (due to her father’s clumsiness). She is fluent in English and spoken Japanese, but her knowledge of written Japanese is initially below that of native Japanese her age. Mizuki loves all kinds of food, especially sweet things, which is a strong contrast to Izumi's dislike of them. Also, she can be quite stingy when it comes to sharing her food. She’s also a lover of animals, as one can see when she’s with Yujirou, Sano’s dog.
While in Japan, she lives in the same dorm room as Sano. There, she meets Shuichi Nakatsu
, a talented soccer player who becomes her friend and later falls in love with her feminine side, leading him to think that he is gay. Other friends of hers are Senri Nakao, a "cute" boy (bishōnen
) with a crush on the dorm leader, Minami Nanba, Sekime and Noe, two girl-obsessed, but good-hearted boys, Kayashima, a yoga-practicing boy with extra-sensory perception
who can see ghosts and spirits, and Hokuto Umeda, the homosexual school doctor who helps her out. He knows that Mizuki is a girl but he helps her out on her love problems as well.
Even though Mizuki puts forth much effort to hide her female identity, Dr. Umeda and Sano separately discover her secret soon after she begins attending Osaka Gakuen. However, neither report her; Dr. Umeda judges her reasons as acceptable, and Sano conceals his knowledge for the sake of keeping Mizuki at the school. Although Nakatsu never gains the knowledge that Mizuki is female until the secret's out in the open, he perceives her femininity and becomes attracted to her, instead thinking that he himself is gay.
However, towards the end of her second year (and the series), the three student heads of the dormitories found out about her true identity. Although they tried to suppress the news themselves, in the end, Mizuki decided to leave Osaka. All was not lost though; during their university days, Sano finally proposed to her, and she accepted.
Mizuki's Mother, Eiko, is a dance instructor and shows slight grief over Mizuki's inability to dance.
Mizuki has an older brother, Shizuki Ashiya, from her father's previous marriage (Shizuki's mother died when he was young). He is overprotective of her, trying to force her to come home when he discovers she attends an all-boys school.
Her best friend, Julia, comes to Japan for a time as an exchange student. Finding all is well with Mizuki and Sano, she comes back after her month-long exchange.
Gilbert is another one of her friends and is possibly her first crush. He's about three years older than she is. She met him after running away from home due to peer pressure, staying in his home for a time. Gilbert tries to intimidate Sano by telling him that he was her first kiss.
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
Hana-Kimi
Hana-Kimi
Hana-Kimi or known originally as in Japan, is a shōjo manga series written by Hisaya Nakajo. The manga was serialized in Japan in Hakusensha's semi-monthly shōjo manga magazine, Hana to Yume...
(Hanazakari no Kimitachi e), by Hisaya Nakajo
Hisaya Nakajo
is a Japanese manga artist born in Osaka, Japan.Nakajo came in 39th in the 2007 Most Searched Mangaka Names by the Japanese search engine, goo.-About:...
.
Mizuki Ashiya, who was born in California to Japanese-born parents, is the heroine of the story. She spontaneously moved from California to Japan and enrolled into an all boys school (Osaka Gakuen) because her idol, Sano Izumi, who’s a top high jumper and the same age as her, attends the school. To look like a boy, she keeps her hair short and ruffled and wears a tight demin vest to hide her chest. In many ways, it’s good that she has a pretty flat chest, but she wants more cleavage between them. She’s a very fast runner (due to her mother’s athleticism), but is very clumsy at times (due to her father’s clumsiness). She is fluent in English and spoken Japanese, but her knowledge of written Japanese is initially below that of native Japanese her age. Mizuki loves all kinds of food, especially sweet things, which is a strong contrast to Izumi's dislike of them. Also, she can be quite stingy when it comes to sharing her food. She’s also a lover of animals, as one can see when she’s with Yujirou, Sano’s dog.
While in Japan, she lives in the same dorm room as Sano. There, she meets Shuichi Nakatsu
Shuichi Nakatsu
Shuichi Nakatsu is a character in the manga series Hana-Kimi by Hisaya Nakajo. He's considered to be an important secondary character in the series.-Character:...
, a talented soccer player who becomes her friend and later falls in love with her feminine side, leading him to think that he is gay. Other friends of hers are Senri Nakao, a "cute" boy (bishōnen
Bishonen
is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth ". The equivalent English concept is a "pretty boy".The term describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man whose beauty transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation...
) with a crush on the dorm leader, Minami Nanba, Sekime and Noe, two girl-obsessed, but good-hearted boys, Kayashima, a yoga-practicing boy with extra-sensory perception
Extra-sensory perception
Extrasensory perception involves reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind. The term was coined by Frederic Myers, and adopted by Duke University psychologist J. B. Rhine to denote psychic abilities such as telepathy, clairaudience, and...
who can see ghosts and spirits, and Hokuto Umeda, the homosexual school doctor who helps her out. He knows that Mizuki is a girl but he helps her out on her love problems as well.
Even though Mizuki puts forth much effort to hide her female identity, Dr. Umeda and Sano separately discover her secret soon after she begins attending Osaka Gakuen. However, neither report her; Dr. Umeda judges her reasons as acceptable, and Sano conceals his knowledge for the sake of keeping Mizuki at the school. Although Nakatsu never gains the knowledge that Mizuki is female until the secret's out in the open, he perceives her femininity and becomes attracted to her, instead thinking that he himself is gay.
However, towards the end of her second year (and the series), the three student heads of the dormitories found out about her true identity. Although they tried to suppress the news themselves, in the end, Mizuki decided to leave Osaka. All was not lost though; during their university days, Sano finally proposed to her, and she accepted.
Family and Friends in America
Mizuki's Father, Ashiya Takumi, is a vet with his own clinic. He is first introduced in the story when Mizuki goes home for new years and is greeted by a runaway patient of her fathers.Mizuki's Mother, Eiko, is a dance instructor and shows slight grief over Mizuki's inability to dance.
Mizuki has an older brother, Shizuki Ashiya, from her father's previous marriage (Shizuki's mother died when he was young). He is overprotective of her, trying to force her to come home when he discovers she attends an all-boys school.
Her best friend, Julia, comes to Japan for a time as an exchange student. Finding all is well with Mizuki and Sano, she comes back after her month-long exchange.
Gilbert is another one of her friends and is possibly her first crush. He's about three years older than she is. She met him after running away from home due to peer pressure, staying in his home for a time. Gilbert tries to intimidate Sano by telling him that he was her first kiss.
Characters who discovered Mizuki's true gender
This list is arranged according to order and occasion.- Taiki Kayashima - Through his ESP powers, he knew that Mizuki was a girl right away. However, this is not revealed until much later.
- Izumi Sano - He found out early in the story when he carried Mizuki after she fell unconscious after playing soccer with Nakatsu.
- Hokuto Umeda - Being gay and a doctor, he knew her identity straight away.
- Io Nanba - Umeda's sister realized that Mizuki was a girl during her time at her summer jobwhen she walked in her when she was getting changed.
- Akiha Hara - He figured it out by looking at Mizuki's pictures and watching Sano's reactions to her.
- Megumi Tennoji - Saw Mizuki change clothes after karate practice.
- Minami Nanba, Masao Himejima - along with Tennoji, the other two dormitory heads learn of the secret, although Minami claims that he had his suspicions for a long time.
- Shuichi Nakatsu - He figured it out when Mizuki fell off the ladder during the photo book making project, when he loosened up her clothes and saw her vest.
Actresses and voice actress
| Media | Voice actress / Actress |
|---|---|
| Hana-Kimi drama CDs | Houko Kuwashima Houko Kuwashima is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is capable of playing a variety of roles, ranging from young boys to feminine women. Kuwashima is currently affiliated with Aoni Production. Her given name, , is sometimes misread as Noriko, even in Japan... |
| Taiwanese drama series | Ella Chen Ella Chen Chen Chia-Hwa , more commonly credited as Ella, is the oldest member of the Taiwanese girl group S.H.E. Her name 'Ella', which means courage, was given after the personality test given by HIM Management Co.... of S.H.E S.H.E S.H.E is a Taiwanese girl group whose members are Selina Jen, Hebe Tien, and Ella Chen. The name of the group is an alphabetism derived from the first letter of each member's name. Since releasing their first album Girls Dorm , S.H.E has recorded 12 albums with sales totalling over 15 million, and... |
| Japanese drama series | Horikita Maki (2007) / Atsuko Maeda (2011) |
Trivia
- Being a firm fan of Izumi, Mizuki has a photo album on him. She also has a picture of him as Yang GuifeiYang GuifeiConsort Yang Yuhuan , often known as Yáng Guìfēi , known briefly by the Taoist nun name Taizhen , was known as one of the Four Beauties of ancient China...
(Youkihi). - In the series, Mizuki was disturbed by spirits twice.
- In the manga, the spirit of a young boy mistook her for a boy he loved, and possessed Nakatsu in order to express his love.
- In the first drama CD, the ghost of a young man, Yamato, mistook her for his sweetheart and possessed Sano in order to express his love.
- When Mizuki was in America her name was "Mickey". But she took on a Japanese name instead.
- Just as a side note, many people that come from Asia will take on an American name for public use, or vice versa for Americans in Asia. Their real name is usually only used by family.