Otomen
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese romantic comedy
manga
by manga artist
Aya Kanno
, which has been running in Bessatsu Hana to Yume
since late 2006. The series has been adapted into a live action TV drama. The series has been one of the best-selling shōjo properties in America, since being licensed by Viz Media
. The series is also licensed in France by Delcourt and in Spain by Planeta DeAgostini.
and karate
, and as captain of the kendo
team he reached the national championship tournament. However, he has a secret: the things he really loves are sweets, cute things, cooking, shōjo manga and sewing. He hides this part of his life from everyone else until he meets a girl named Ryo Miyakozuka, the daughter of a martial artist and heir to his dojo
.
word , meaning "young lady" or "mistress", and the English word "men". The characters in the series refer to Asuka as an "otomen" and even he himself has done so.
). Juta Tachibana bases its story on the relationship between Asuka and Ryo, with the lead characters even sharing names pronounced the same but applied to the opposite genders. However, Asuka's name in Love Chick is written in katakana
rather than the kanji
used for Asuka's name in Otomen, and Ryo's name is written in kanji
rather than in hiragana
name in Otomen.
Note: Querbeet's fansub of the live-action calls this fictional manga "Love-Tic", which is what the actors sound like they are saying.
Asuka's Aunt on Dad's side
Introduced in volume 6, she is a photographer. She knows the whereabouts of her brother.
Asuka's Mom
Traumatized by her husband's announcement that he always dreamed of being a woman, she takes many measures to ensure Asuka is very manly.
and has been serialized in the shōjo manga magazine Bessatsu Hana to Yume
since 2006. Serial chapters have been collected in ten tankōbon
volumes by Hakusensha
as of February 2010. Viz Media licensed the series for its Shojo Beat imprint. French publisher Delcourt
licensed Otomen and released its first volume in September 2008. As of January 2010, eight volumes have been released. In Spain, the publisher Planeta DeAgostini
has licensed the series as Otomen with its first volume released in December 2008. As of April 2011, nine volumes have been released.
had been green-lit, and would premier on Japanese television
on August 1, 2009. Kaho
portrays Ryo, and Masaki Okada
plays Asuka. The ending theme song is "ラバソー〜lover soul〜" sung by Kou Shibasaki
. A photobook for the live action series by Hakusensha in September 2009 for 1000 yen, entitled (ISBN 978-4-594-06045-9).
Cast
's weekly comic charts. The seven volumes available in Japan as of May 2009 have sold over 2.5 million copies. The series was listed as being the 3rd best-selling shōjo property, along with the 13th over-all manga property, in America for the first quarter of 2009.
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
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...
by manga artist
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
Aya Kanno
Aya Kanno
is a Japanese shōjo manga artist. She is the former assistant of manga artist Masashi Asaki of Psychometrer Eiji fame. Her debut was in the January 2001 issue of Hana to Yume with Soul Rescue...
, which has been running in Bessatsu Hana to Yume
Bessatsu Hana to Yume
is a Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Hakusensha.-Background:Bessatsu Hana to Yume is a sister magazine to Hana to Yume. It was launched in July 1977 as a quarterly priced at 300 yen...
since late 2006. The series has been adapted into a live action TV drama. The series has been one of the best-selling shōjo properties in America, since being licensed by Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
. The series is also licensed in France by Delcourt and in Spain by Planeta DeAgostini.
Plot
Asuka Masamune is the coolest, manliest guy in his whole school. He excels in judoJudo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
and karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, and as captain of the kendo
Kendo
, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
team he reached the national championship tournament. However, he has a secret: the things he really loves are sweets, cute things, cooking, shōjo manga and sewing. He hides this part of his life from everyone else until he meets a girl named Ryo Miyakozuka, the daughter of a martial artist and heir to his dojo
Dojo
A is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way". Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to...
.
Title
The title, "Otomen" is a pun made of the JapaneseJapanese writing system
The modern Japanese writing system uses three main scripts:*Kanji, adopted Chinese characters*Kana, a pair of syllabaries , consisting of:...
word , meaning "young lady" or "mistress", and the English word "men". The characters in the series refer to Asuka as an "otomen" and even he himself has done so.
Love Chick
is a fictional shōjo manga by Jewel Sachihana that runs in the fictional manga magazine Hana to Mame (a parody of Hana to YumeHana to Yume
is a semi-monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Hakusensha.The magazine is published on the 4th and 22nd of every month. It is often nicknamed as among the readers...
). Juta Tachibana bases its story on the relationship between Asuka and Ryo, with the lead characters even sharing names pronounced the same but applied to the opposite genders. However, Asuka's name in Love Chick is written in katakana
Katakana
is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...
rather than the kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
used for Asuka's name in Otomen, and Ryo's name is written in kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
rather than in hiragana
Hiragana
is a Japanese syllabary, one basic component of the Japanese writing system, along with katakana, kanji, and the Latin alphabet . Hiragana and katakana are both kana systems, in which each character represents one mora...
name in Otomen.
Note: Querbeet's fansub of the live-action calls this fictional manga "Love-Tic", which is what the actors sound like they are saying.
Characters
- The main character of the story. He's very tall, masculine and cool but secretly, he loves all things cute, sweet, and lovely. This, however, does not stop him from being necessarily tough on occasion- he can defend himself and his friends. When Asuka was young his father left his family because he wanted to become a woman. This affected Asuka's mother severely and when she saw that her son was starting to like girly things she forced him to be masculine. Asuka also clearly states that while he likes girly things, he does not want to become a woman. When a new girl in school, Ryo Miyakozuka, is being bullied he defends her and later falls in love with her. Among his talents, besides sports, are cooking and sewing. He also enjoys reading the fictional shōjo manga Love Chick.
- Ryo is a new transfer student at Asuka's school. She lives with her father who is a very tough police officer. Even though she is a girl, she cannot sew, cook, bake, make bentoBentois a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware...
or do any other "girly" things with which Asuka helps her. She also likes action movies.
- A playboy who befriends Asuka and Ryo, and helps Asuka with his relationship with Ryo. Under the penname Jewel Sachihana, Tachibana is actually the authorMangakais the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
of Asuka's favorite manga, Love Chick, which he bases on Asuka and Ryo's relationship. Because of this, he tries to further their relationship when his story bogs down. Juta is the only son and eldest in a family of 11 children. Juta was inspired to become a manga artist after meeting a girl who let him borrow a shōjo manga. He ended up falling in love with her, but only to find out that she was moving away. He promised to see her off, but by the time he got to her house, she was already gone, leaving him heart broken. He returned home to find the manga she loaned him, unread. He had forgotten about it and never gave it back. So he reads it and falls in love with shōjo manga. Juta also doesn't want anyone to find out that he is actually Jewel Sachihana.
- The captain of Kinbara High School's kendo team, he sees Asuka as his lifelong rival. He is the strong and silent type but is actually an otomen who is good with makeup. Similar to Asuka, Tonomine's father told him to give up his girly habits, fearing it would interfere with his Kendo. He is a Tsun-sama-a word Juta came up with combining the words tsundereTsundereis a Japanese character development process that describes a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time. The word is derived from the terms , meaning to turn away in disgust, and meaning to become 'lovey dovey'...
and ore-sama.
- An Underclassman at Asuka's school. He has a very girly appearance which he hates. He loves martial arts and trains hard to become good. He admires manliness and has long delusional fantasies about being manly. He believes Asuka to be the ideal man and is oblivious to the fact that Asuka is an otomen.
- Asuka's classmate. He has a mysterious somewhat threatening appearance thanks to his tall stature and his covered eyes. He is obsessed with the beauty of flowers and covers everything from buildings to people with them. He is an otomen who refers to himself as the flower evangelist. (He knows Juta's alter-ego, but protects it)
Asuka's Aunt on Dad's side
Introduced in volume 6, she is a photographer. She knows the whereabouts of her brother.
Asuka's Mom
Traumatized by her husband's announcement that he always dreamed of being a woman, she takes many measures to ensure Asuka is very manly.
Manga
The manga is written and illustrated by Aya KannoAya Kanno
is a Japanese shōjo manga artist. She is the former assistant of manga artist Masashi Asaki of Psychometrer Eiji fame. Her debut was in the January 2001 issue of Hana to Yume with Soul Rescue...
and has been serialized in the shōjo manga magazine Bessatsu Hana to Yume
Bessatsu Hana to Yume
is a Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Hakusensha.-Background:Bessatsu Hana to Yume is a sister magazine to Hana to Yume. It was launched in July 1977 as a quarterly priced at 300 yen...
since 2006. Serial chapters have been collected in ten tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes by Hakusensha
Hakusensha
is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.The company mainly publishes manga magazines of various genres and is involved in certain series' productions in their games, original video animation, musical and their animated TV series....
as of February 2010. Viz Media licensed the series for its Shojo Beat imprint. French publisher Delcourt
Delcourt
-People:* Frédéric Delcourt, French backstroke swimmer* Marie Delcourt, Belgian philologist* Tom Delcourt, English Legend-Companies:* Delcourt , French publishing house, specializes in comics and manga....
licensed Otomen and released its first volume in September 2008. As of January 2010, eight volumes have been released. In Spain, the publisher Planeta DeAgostini
Planeta DeAgostini
Planeta DeAgostini is a Spanish-Italian publisher and a subsidiary of Grupo Planeta specializing in collectable books, sold in pieces, periodically through newsstands. It has its headquarters in Barcelona....
has licensed the series as Otomen with its first volume released in December 2008. As of April 2011, nine volumes have been released.
Volume list
Live-action drama
The July 2009 issue of Hana to Yume magazine, in which Otomen runs, announced that a live-action dramaJapanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
had been green-lit, and would premier on Japanese television
Television in Japan
Television broadcasting in Japan started in 1939, making the country one of the first in the world with an experimental television service. In spite of that, because of the beginning of World War II in the Pacific region, this first experimentation lasted only a few months...
on August 1, 2009. Kaho
Kaho (actress)
is a Japanese actress and fashion model. Her real name is not disclosed.From 2004 to 2007, Kaho was the 11th Mitsui ReHouse Girl. She was given a Best New Talent award at the 2008 Yokohama Film Festival for her performance in the film A Gentle Breeze in the Village.- Filmography :* Joō no Kyōshitsu...
portrays Ryo, and Masaki Okada
Masaki Okada
is a Japanese actor, best known for his roles as Sekime Kyogo in the drama Hanazakari no Kimitachi e and as Takuma Kakinouchi in the 2009 film Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu.-Films:* Ahiru to Kamo no Coinlocker * Tennen Kokekkō...
plays Asuka. The ending theme song is "ラバソー〜lover soul〜" sung by Kou Shibasaki
Kou Shibasaki
, born Yukie Yamamura, on August 5, 1981 in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan is a Japanese singer and actress.-Music career:Shibasaki made her debut in the music industry in 2002 with her first single Trust My Feelings, but she became recognized for her second single Tsuki no shizuku which was used for the...
. A photobook for the live action series by Hakusensha in September 2009 for 1000 yen, entitled (ISBN 978-4-594-06045-9).
Cast
- Masaki OkadaMasaki Okadais a Japanese actor, best known for his roles as Sekime Kyogo in the drama Hanazakari no Kimitachi e and as Takuma Kakinouchi in the 2009 film Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu.-Films:* Ahiru to Kamo no Coinlocker * Tennen Kokekkō...
as Asuka Masamune - Sara Takatsuki as young Asuka
- KahoKaho (actress)is a Japanese actress and fashion model. Her real name is not disclosed.From 2004 to 2007, Kaho was the 11th Mitsui ReHouse Girl. She was given a Best New Talent award at the 2008 Yokohama Film Festival for her performance in the film A Gentle Breeze in the Village.- Filmography :* Joō no Kyōshitsu...
as Ryo Miyakozuka - Nanami Hinata as young Ryo
- Ryo KimuraRyo Kimurais a Japanese actor who debuted in 2002. His first movie was Moonlight Jellyfish, in which he co-starred with Tatsuya Fujiwara. He played the role of Michio, a mentally challenged 15-year-old boy diagnosed with an incurable skin disease called XP .-Dramas:*Water Boys 2 - Hideki Sano *Division 1...
as Hajime Tonomine - Koji SetoKoji Setois a Japanese actor and singer. His major works include lead roles as Wataru Kurenai in Kamen Rider Kiva and Hiro in Koizora; and supporting roles as Satoru Okura in Atashinchi no Danshi, Ariake Yamato in Otomen, and Eiji Kikumaru in Tenimyu...
as Yamato Ariake - Kazuma Sano as Juta Tachibana
- Mirei KiritaniMirei Kiritani-Filmography:*Hanazakari no Kimitachi e *Otomen *Kimi ni Todoke *Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac *Snow Flake *Usagi Drop *Gyakuten Saiban...
as Miyabi Oharida - Tomohiro Ichikawa as Kitora Kurokawa
- Emi TakeiEmi Takeiis a Japanese actress and model.-TV Dramas:*Otomen as Kuriko Tachibana*Liar Game 2 as Saeki Hiroka*GOLD as Saotome Akira*Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta as Hikari Saeki...
as Kuriko Tachibana - Kanako YanagiharaKanako Yanagiharais a Japanese actress, comedienne, and tarento, who has been featured in Cartoon KAT-TUN, the live-action drama Otomen, and collaborated on the music for Keroro Gunso the Super Movie 3: Keroro vs...
as Yumeko Hanazawa - Nobuhiko TakadaNobuhiko TakadaNobuhiko Takada is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter and professional wrestler. He is best known for helping to popularize shoot-style professional wrestling, as one of the biggest stars of the Universal Wrestling Federation and Union of Wrestling Force International in the '80s and '90s. He...
as Ryo's father - Shingo TsurumiShingo Tsurumi- TV :* Antoki no Inochi * Kamen Rider Fourze * Yakuza Weapon * Umechan Sensei * Ningen Konchuki * Brutus No Shinzo * LADY~Saigo no Hanzai Profile~...
as Asuka's father - Mirai YamamotoMirai YamamotoMirai Yamamoto is a Japanese actress. Her father is Kansai Yamamoto. She is a left hander...
as Asuka's mother - Tokimasa Tanabe as Nakajima
- Sawabe Yu from ハライチ as Isono Katsuo
Reception
Similar to Kanno's earlier works, the series has become quite popular, scoring high on both Tohan and OriconOricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
's weekly comic charts. The seven volumes available in Japan as of May 2009 have sold over 2.5 million copies. The series was listed as being the 3rd best-selling shōjo property, along with the 13th over-all manga property, in America for the first quarter of 2009.
External links
- Otomen official website
- Betsuhana official website
- Otomen Live-Action official website
- ICv2 vol. 1 review
- Anime News Network vol. 1 review
- Anime News Network vol. 2 review
- Mania.com vol. 1 review
- Comics Worth Reading vol. 1 review
- Comics Worth Reading vol. 2 review
- Comic Book Bin vol. 1 review
- Comic Book Bin vol. 3 review
- Manga-News.com vol. 1 review