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Princess Princess (manga)
Encyclopedia
is the title of a fictional series written and illustrated by Japanese
author Mikiyo Tsuda
about the lives of three high school boys and the school they attend. The series is contained within multiple media pieces which began as a manga
first serialized in the manga magazine Wings
starting in 2002. After the first manga series ended, a sequel entitled Princess Princess + started serialization in the same magazine in May 2006, and finished in January 2007. An anime
has since been adapted from the manga and began airing in Japan
on April 5, 2006, produced by the Japanese animation studio, Studio Deen
. A live action
adaptation called Princess Princess D aired in Japan from June 28, 2006 to September 13, 2006. Finally, a visual novel
video game for the PlayStation 2
based on the series was released on October 26, 2006 in Japan.
At the beginning of the story, there are already two such Princesses, Yuujiro Shihodani and Mikoto Yutaka, known as the Western Princess and Eastern Princess respectively, due to their room location. Toru is convinced into becoming a Princess soon after entering the school though once he accepted the job, he found it to be much more enjoyable than he thought.
When there is a conflict between a Princess' work and school classes, absence from class or leaving early can be considered as a school vacation, and the absence will not show up on his attendance record. Every month the Princesses receive thirty school luncheon vouchers each. Therefore, when they eat at school, they do not have to pay. All necessary school supplies (notebooks, school apparel, etc.) are covered by the Princess budget, which is the largest in the whole school. Also, the Princesses will receive partial profit they can use as pocket money from the photography club that takes pictures of the Princesses and sells them to other students. The school rules require the photography club to share profits with whoever serves as model for the photos they sell, and the photographs of the Princesses are the most sought-after.
Ryusaki
Toui C. Mitaka
, written and illustrated by Mikiyo Tsuda
, was first serialized in the manga magazine Wings
, with the first tankōbon
volume being released at August 2002. The series was published by Shinshokan
in five volumes. Once the first manga series ended, a sequel entitled Princess Princess + started serialization in the May 2006 issue of Wings. The first manga series has been licensed by Digital Manga Publishing
, with the first volume released in November 2006. Mikiyo has commented that Wings preferred her not to write it as a shōnen-ai series.
from April 5 to June 21, 2006 and had twelve episodes. The opening theme is by Atsushi Miyazawa, and the ending theme is by team-F.
from June 28, 2006 to September 13, 2006, for ten episodes. The D in the title is for drama. Mikoto is the protagonist of this series. The story deviates from the original manga in that a new character named Otoya Hanazono, who is dissatisfied with the half-hearted efforts of the current Princesses, creates his own team of Dark Princesses to rival for the students' attention. The drama also excludes Mikoto's girlfriend, Megumi, and like the anime series features shōnen-ai overtones that are not as present in the original manga.
based on the series named was released on October 26, 2006 for the PlayStation 2
in Japan.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
author Mikiyo Tsuda
Mikiyo Tsuda
is a manga writer and illustrator from Japan who has been writing manga since 1998. This name is one of her two pen names that she writes under when drawing manga, the other being . Under the name Taishi Zaō, she writes boys love and girls love manga while under Mikiyo Tsuda she writes comedy-shōjo...
about the lives of three high school boys and the school they attend. The series is contained within multiple media pieces which began as a 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...
first serialized in the manga magazine Wings
Wings (manga magazine)
is a shōjo manga magazine published by Shinshokan. The magazine is aimed at a female audience in the 16 to 20 year-old age range and tend to be action- or fantasy-oriented stories. Wings previously had a number of special editions such as Shinshokan South, or simply South, Phantom Club,...
starting in 2002. After the first manga series ended, a sequel entitled Princess Princess + started serialization in the same magazine in May 2006, and finished in January 2007. An anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
has since been adapted from the manga and began airing in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on April 5, 2006, produced by the Japanese animation studio, Studio Deen
Studio DEEN
is a Japanese company that produces anime. Three years after Sunrise was founded in 1972, Studio Deen was established by Sunrise's members in 1975. As a result of this, anime shows such as Cowboy Bebop that were produced by Sunrise may have had assistance from Studio Deen.-Produced anime:* Urusei...
. A live action
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
adaptation called Princess Princess D aired in Japan from June 28, 2006 to September 13, 2006. Finally, a visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
video game for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
based on the series was released on October 26, 2006 in Japan.
Plot
Princess Princess is a story revolving around the lives of three boys chosen to dress up as girls at the all-boy school they attend, which also just happens to be the most elite school in the area. The main protagonist, Toru Kouno, has just transferred to a new all-boys school, Fujimori, after living with his uncle for a time. He is one such boy chosen to be one of the or "Princesses", which is a tradition at the school in order to break up the monotony of life surrounded by nothing but males. Students (based on certain qualifications) are selected to be Princesses and are made to dress up as girls and attend school functions like this.At the beginning of the story, there are already two such Princesses, Yuujiro Shihodani and Mikoto Yutaka, known as the Western Princess and Eastern Princess respectively, due to their room location. Toru is convinced into becoming a Princess soon after entering the school though once he accepted the job, he found it to be much more enjoyable than he thought.
Princess system
A candidate for a Princess must be a first year student of the school since they: have more free time from school work, their bodies have not fully developed, and they can easily wear girls' outfits. From all the first years, those with the best looks and most-suited personalities are chosen to be Princesses. However, if one only has good looks but is not popular, that person will not be chosen. The Princesses' duties consist of: wearing girl's clothes to morning meetings or school events, encouraging others at school, and cheering at school events. Students who are required to be Princesses cannot refuse the position.When there is a conflict between a Princess' work and school classes, absence from class or leaving early can be considered as a school vacation, and the absence will not show up on his attendance record. Every month the Princesses receive thirty school luncheon vouchers each. Therefore, when they eat at school, they do not have to pay. All necessary school supplies (notebooks, school apparel, etc.) are covered by the Princess budget, which is the largest in the whole school. Also, the Princesses will receive partial profit they can use as pocket money from the photography club that takes pictures of the Princesses and sells them to other students. The school rules require the photography club to share profits with whoever serves as model for the photos they sell, and the photographs of the Princesses are the most sought-after.
Princesses
- , Takeru SatohTakeru Satohis a Japanese actor. His debut role was as the lead in Kamen Rider Den-O, and is known for his subsequent roles in the dramatizations of Q10 and Ryōmaden.- Career :...
(Live action actor) - He is the primary protagonist of the story who transfers to an all-boys school and becomes one of the Princesses. He seems enthusiastic about it since all the Princesses get a lot of free stuff and added luxuries. His parents died in an accident, which is when his uncle and aunt adopted him. He seems to be very reluctant about spending time with his family, which mainly has to do with his younger step-sister Sayaka, who has an unhealthy obsession with him. He mainly uses his job as a Princess as a distraction from the problems he has with his family and in effect usually gets very into acting like a Princess, much like Yuujiro. He often teams up with Yuujiro to tease Mikoto, much to Mikoto's chagrin. Yuujiro often jokingly says he and Toru are lovers—in fact when Toru's stepsister, Sayaka, comes looking for Toru, Yuujiro kisses him to scare her away; Toru was not amused by this. He reveals to Yuujiro on a day off of school that his ideal girl is the comforting type, which leads to the latter comically asking if Akira fit that type. When Toru answers yes, he seems get flustered when he realizes the actual question.
- , Ray FujitaRay Fujita' is a French-Japanese actor and musician from Tokyo. His most notable roles to date are as Kitazaki/Dragon Orphnoch in the 2003 series Kamen Rider 555 and Rei Suzumura/ZERO the Silver Fanged Knight in the 2006 series GARO...
(Live action actor) - The Western Princess, he is a confident boy and doesn't have many problems with dressing up like a girl in front of other people. He constantly likes to tease Mikoto because he thinks it's fun how Mikoto reacts. He has distanced himself from the rest of his family because he thinks that his mother, step-father, and younger half-brother together are the "perfect family". As the series progress, Yuujiro become quite close to Toru. Toru is the first person he ever opened up to. He and Toru often team up against Mikoto when Mikoto is at odds with them concerning Princess duties. This gets Mikoto to end up agreeing with them, especially since they hold leverage over Mikoto who doesn't want his girlfriend to find out about him being a Princess. Apparently, Yuujiro's idea of a girl for him is one with a perfect figure.
- , Kenta KamakariKenta Kamakariis a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer, famous for his role as Ryo Shishido in the Prince of Tennis Musicals. He was hospitalized on April 21, 2007 and was unable to play the role of Minami Itsuki in Musical Air Gear vs. Bacchus Super Range Remix and appear in Dream Live 4 ~Extra~. As he...
(Live action actor) - The Eastern Princess, he is more reluctant than the other two Princesses to cross-dress because he does not want his girlfriend Megumi to find out about it. As such he is nonetheless a reliable character—he often stubbornly whines and complains about things the Princesses have to do but always ends up doing them anyway whether he's forced to or not. He is very self-conscious about being a Princess and is mortified whenever someone else outside of school finds out about it. He is the most animated of the three Princesses, always showing a lot of emotion and expression when yelling at Toru and Yuujiro. Mikoto is also tone deaf, having never sung before becoming a princess.
- He also cares a lot about the people close to him, though especially for his girlfriend. He has shown to change character and act different when around Megumi, which greatly amuses Toru and Yuujiro. Despite all the whining and complaining, however, he eventually becomes accustomed to his duty as a Princess such that he once had a brief fantasy of him and Megumi both dressed in Gothic Lolita Princess costumes. Princess Princess is not the first media series Mikoto has appeared in. Mikoto's first appearance was as a supporting character from one of Tsuda's earlier manga works, The Day of RevolutionThe Day of Revolutionis a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Mikiyo Tsuda. The series was serialized in Shinshokan's manga magazine South between April 1998 and February 2001. The manga is licensed in English by Digital Manga Publishing and has been released in North America in 2006. Two drama CDs based on the...
, which was about Mikoto's girlfriend, Megumi.
Student council
- , Takumi SaitoTakumi Saitois a Japanese actor, model and singer.-Movies:* Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - The Movie as Miles Edgeworth* Saijo no Meii as Saijo Mikoto* Space Battleship Yamato as Yamamoto...
(Live action actor) - The student council presidentPresidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
, he is a very confident person who was also a former Princess one year prior to the beginning of the story. He is a very good leader and often comes up with fool-proof plans which benefit him and the rest of the student council. He can also be very intimidating to talk with and in effect people often go along with his plans regardless. He was a Princess in his first year.
- , Shōta Minami (Live action actor)
- The student council vice presidentVice presidentA vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
who is very strong.
- , Haruhiko Satō (Live action actor)
- The student council treasurerTreasurerA treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
, who is very good with math and can solve equations in his head quickly.
- , Hiroshi Yoshihara (Live action actor)
- The student council secretarySecretaryA secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
, who has the impressive ability of speed and sleight of hand.
Other characters
- , Osamu AdachiOsamu Adachiis a Japanese actor and a member of the acting group D-BOYS. He is best known for his role as Eiji Kikumaru in The Prince of Tennis musical series, Tenimyu, and in the live film adaptation.- Career :...
(Live action actor) - The class president in Toru's class (1-D), he is a highly respected member of the school: due to his much-revered older brother and his own excellence in both academic performance and character, he is referred to as "Sakamoto-sama" by his peers regardless of their seniorities, and all students bow when they see him, though he feels somewhat intimidated by such reverence. For pretty much the same reasons, he has been hand-picked by Arisada as the next in line for the student council president and has on quite a number of occasions shown great leadership skills.
- He has five immediate family members, all of whom are amazingly beautiful (and, in his sisters' case, androgynous as well). In the past, Akira had often been pointed out as the only "average" looking person in his family by both himself and strangers. For a while, Akira felt out of place or "unworthy" of belonging to his family. When his family found out about his worries, they quickly reassured him and dismissed such ideas. His siblings (especially his older brother and older sister) usually fight for his attention, since their brother is such a kind-hearted and good-natured boy. Akira and his family are the main characters of one of Tsuda's earlier manga works, Family ComplexFamily Complexis a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Mikiyo Tsuda. Family Complex was first serialized in the manga magazine South published by Shinshokan, with the only bound volume released in May 2000.-Plot:...
.
- , Kōhei Yamamoto (Live action actor)
- A third-year student majoring in home economicsHome EconomicsHome economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
, he designs all of the clothes that the Princesses wear. He's fairly obsessed about this and always shows a lot of enthusiasm about it. However, he holds a lot of fashion awards for all the costumes he's designed and made himself. When it comes to the Princesses, he's easily struck by inspiration for new costumes.
- He's Akira's older brother and a former student at Fujimori who was known by all who knew him as "Sakamoto-sama" because of his amazing beauty. He comes back during the cultural festival to help the student council raise money. Harumi is usually very cool and smiles constantly. However, in the presence of his younger brother, he becomes completely emotional and is easily moved to tears (something which Toru and Yuujiro accidentally notice when visiting Akira, as seen in a manga filler chapter).
- Known as Megumi-san by Mikoto due to her being older than he is, she is Mikoto's girlfriend. She has a caring heart and would do things asked of her by Mikoto so as not to upset him. Also, she is not entirely sure of Mikoto's feelings towards her and once even suspected something was going on between Mikoto and the other two Princesses. Megumi and Mikoto seem to have a very good, understanding relationship between them. For instance, even when Megumi finds out Mikoto is a Princess, she says she doesn't care and Mikoto's the same person she loves either way.
- She has a very prominent effect on Mikoto's personality, being able to elevate his spirits when he's feeling depressed. Similarly, when around Mikoto she is very happy and it's obvious that they enjoy each other's company. As noted by Mikoto in episode five of the anime, Megumi does not seem to like using makeup because she thinks it's cuter. Mikoto seems to have no complaints over this as he thinks she's cute regardless. Megumi is the main character of Tsuda's earlier series, The Day of RevolutionThe Day of Revolutionis a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Mikiyo Tsuda. The series was serialized in Shinshokan's manga magazine South between April 1998 and February 2001. The manga is licensed in English by Digital Manga Publishing and has been released in North America in 2006. Two drama CDs based on the...
, with Makoto and Mikoto as supporting characters.
- She is Mikoto's older sister and has a different personality when compared to her brother. She is very forceful and never seems to back down, especially when the scenario involves Mikoto. Ironically, while Mikoto looks more feminineFemininityFemininity is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with girls and women. Though socially constructed, femininity is made up of both socially defined and biologically created factors...
in appearance, Makoto looks more masculineMasculinityMasculinity is possessing qualities or characteristics considered typical of or appropriate to a man. The term can be used to describe any human, animal or object that has the quality of being masculine...
.
- The daughter of Toru's aunt and uncle that adopted him, making her Toru's younger step-sister and cousin. She is in love with Toru and is very adamant (to the point of psychosis) about them getting married one day, against the wishes of Toru himself (as his feelings for her never evolved beyond that for a sister). She is overly obsessive with him and has hurt one of Toru's previous girlfriends by shoving her down a set of steps out of jealously. Her fragile grip on reality was wounded by Yuujiro's claim that he and Toru are lovers- and that Toru is not interested in girls because of this. In vol. 3 of the manga, Sayaka is encountered again by Yuujiro and Toru when they are out shopping, leading to Sayaka apologising, then declaring that in her mind only Yuujiro is worthy of dating Toru and he'd better hurry up and make her "brother" his.
- He is Yuujiro's younger half-brother who appears in episode nine of the anime and vol. 5 of the manga where he had come with his parents to see his brother at the school festival. He tends to be very shy and at first is especially reluctant to talk with Yuujiro. He has claimed that he wants Yuujiro home more often so he can marry "sister" (Yuujiro in his princess costume).
Ryusaki
- The director of the board who is in charge of the school. He became the director after his father retired. At first, he disapproved of the Princess system and sought to abolish it. Ryusaki only appears in the anime, and greatly resembles Mitaka in appearance and personality.
Toui C. Mitaka
- A transfer student who first appears in volume four of the manga. Upon returning from studies abroad and transferring to Fujimori, Mitaka learns of the student council elections and decides to run against Akira. At first he has a very low opinion of Akira, thinking of him as dull and not a worthy opponent, which causes Yuujiro and Toru to dislike him immensely. He eventually warms up to Akira, and by the end of the manga series he is so devoted to him that he is never more than a few feet away from him.
Princess Princess +
- He is one of the new Princesses chosen by Toru and others. His parents do not show him much attention because they are often busy and on business.
- He is also one of the new Princesses chosen by Toru and others. He lost his parents, and now lives with his elder brother and younger sister.
Manga
The Princess Princess mangaManga
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...
, written and illustrated by Mikiyo Tsuda
Mikiyo Tsuda
is a manga writer and illustrator from Japan who has been writing manga since 1998. This name is one of her two pen names that she writes under when drawing manga, the other being . Under the name Taishi Zaō, she writes boys love and girls love manga while under Mikiyo Tsuda she writes comedy-shōjo...
, was first serialized in the manga magazine Wings
Wings (manga magazine)
is a shōjo manga magazine published by Shinshokan. The magazine is aimed at a female audience in the 16 to 20 year-old age range and tend to be action- or fantasy-oriented stories. Wings previously had a number of special editions such as Shinshokan South, or simply South, Phantom Club,...
, with the first 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...
volume being released at August 2002. The series was published by Shinshokan
Shinshokan
is a Japanese publishing company. It was established on June 14, 1961. In April 2009, the US publisher Digital Manga Publishing announced a co-branding operation with Shinshokan, to license yaoi and shōjo manga from Shinshokan's Wings, Dear and Dear+ anthologies under the DokiDoki imprint .-Manga...
in five volumes. Once the first manga series ended, a sequel entitled Princess Princess + started serialization in the May 2006 issue of Wings. The first manga series has been licensed by Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga is a company that licenses and releases, in English, Japanese anime, manga, and related merchandise. The company has several subdivisions: Digital Manga Publishing, which publishes Japanese manga, novels and instructional and illustration books in North America with multiple imprints,...
, with the first volume released in November 2006. Mikiyo has commented that Wings preferred her not to write it as a shōnen-ai series.
Anime
The anime series of Princess Princess based on the manga that preceded it aired in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
from April 5 to June 21, 2006 and had twelve episodes. The opening theme is by Atsushi Miyazawa, and the ending theme is by team-F.
Episodes
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
Live action drama
A live action drama based loosely on the series, named , aired on TV AsahiTV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
from June 28, 2006 to September 13, 2006, for ten episodes. The D in the title is for drama. Mikoto is the protagonist of this series. The story deviates from the original manga in that a new character named Otoya Hanazono, who is dissatisfied with the half-hearted efforts of the current Princesses, creates his own team of Dark Princesses to rival for the students' attention. The drama also excludes Mikoto's girlfriend, Megumi, and like the anime series features shōnen-ai overtones that are not as present in the original manga.
Visual novel
A visual novelVisual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
based on the series named was released on October 26, 2006 for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
in Japan.
Reception
Casey Brienza described the anime as "phony" and disliked its premise of forced cross-dressing.Further reading
External links
- Princess Princess at Digital Manga PublishingDigital Manga PublishingDigital Manga is a company that licenses and releases, in English, Japanese anime, manga, and related merchandise. The company has several subdivisions: Digital Manga Publishing, which publishes Japanese manga, novels and instructional and illustration books in North America with multiple imprints,...