Rose Hip Rose
Encyclopedia
is a seinen manga created by Tooru Fujisawa
serialized in Kodansha
's Young Magazine Uppers
from 2002 until the discontinuation of the magazine in October 2004. The story continue with the new name Magnum Rose Hip on the page of Shōnen Magazine. A prequel to the series, Rose Hip Zero
, was published in 2005–2006. Rose Hip Rose is scheduled to be released in English by Tokyopop
on March 12, 2008, possibly after Rose Hip Zero has been published.
The series primarily deals with Kasumi Asakura, a.k.a. Rose Hip. An amnesia
c teenage high school
girl, she blends in with the local high school population while fighting off criminals and terrorists with her amazing skills in both martial arts
and firearms.
kid named Shouhei Aiba, who mysteriously bumped into a nerd
y high school
female named Kasumi Asakura. At first, Shouhei thinks that Kasumi was being strange for her acrobatic skills and her ability to tell different people from the crowd.
Later on, Shouhei discovers that Kasumi is actually an anti-terrorist specialist named Rose Hip. Rose Hip, lately, was ordered to engage a right-wing terrorist group led by a man whose codename is Goat
. The two soon get wind of his plot to overthrow the elected Japanese government by taking hostage
s at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
and destroy it with explosives.
Shouhei Aiba
Natsuki Toutera
Maruyama
Goat
Kirito
and most of Southeast Asia, Manga Reviewer had reviewed it and commented on how the comic had tried to explore Kasumi and Shouhei, most especially their past. It had said that the manga
was rushed, with the words TO BE CONTINUED found on the ending of the 2nd volume since their backgrounds were not fully explored. The review
also commented that Kasumi and Shouhei were undeveloped, mostly trying to focus on Kasumi's past without going into the subject any further.
Tooru Fujisawa
is a Japanese manga author. His name is romanized as Tohru Fujisawa on the Tokyopop English-language Great Teacher Onizuka books and as Toru Fujisawa on the Kodansha bilingual releases. His first serialized work was Adesugata Junjou Boy, published from 1989 in Weekly Shonen Magazine...
serialized in Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
's Young Magazine Uppers
Young Magazine Uppers
was a semimonthly seinen manga magazine, published in Japan from April 1, 1998 until October 19, 2004 by Kodansha.-List of serialized manga:* Rose Hip Rose by Tooru Fujisawa* Garōden by Keisuke Itagaki and Baku Yumemakura...
from 2002 until the discontinuation of the magazine in October 2004. The story continue with the new name Magnum Rose Hip on the page of Shōnen Magazine. A prequel to the series, Rose Hip Zero
Rose Hip Zero
is a seinen manga created by Tohru Fujisawa in 2005-2006, serving as the prequel to Rose Hip Rose. It was also formerly serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine....
, was published in 2005–2006. Rose Hip Rose is scheduled to be released in English by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
on March 12, 2008, possibly after Rose Hip Zero has been published.
The series primarily deals with Kasumi Asakura, a.k.a. Rose Hip. An amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
c teenage high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
girl, she blends in with the local high school population while fighting off criminals and terrorists with her amazing skills in both martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
and firearms.
Plot
The manga tells the story of a high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
kid named Shouhei Aiba, who mysteriously bumped into a nerd
Nerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
y high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
female named Kasumi Asakura. At first, Shouhei thinks that Kasumi was being strange for her acrobatic skills and her ability to tell different people from the crowd.
Later on, Shouhei discovers that Kasumi is actually an anti-terrorist specialist named Rose Hip. Rose Hip, lately, was ordered to engage a right-wing terrorist group led by a man whose codename is Goat
Goat (disambiguation)
Goat most commonly refers to the domestic goat.Goat may also refer to:-Animals:*Wild Goat, Capra aegagrus, Species from which the domestic goat was bred...
. The two soon get wind of his plot to overthrow the elected Japanese government by taking hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
s at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
The , also referred to as Tokyo City Hall or Tochō for short, houses the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which governs not only the 23 wards, but also the cities, towns and villages that make up Tokyo as a whole....
and destroy it with explosives.
Main
Kasumi Asakura- A 17-year old high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
studentStudentA student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
with a severe case of amnesiaAmnesiaAmnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
, she was trained after a young age after going through surgerySurgerySurgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
as an assassin. She is known as No Murder Angel for using rubber bullets in her firearms.
Shouhei Aiba
- A local high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
studentStudentA student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
, he gets tangled up with recent attacks on civilianCivilianA civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
s in TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
by armed men and the later plot to bomb the Tokyo Metropolitan Government BuildingTokyo Metropolitan Government BuildingThe , also referred to as Tokyo City Hall or Tochō for short, houses the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which governs not only the 23 wards, but also the cities, towns and villages that make up Tokyo as a whole....
.
Natsuki Toutera
- Kasumi's old ASALLT friend when the two were being indoctrinated as child soldierMilitary use of childrenThe military use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities , or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, look outs, and sexual slaves; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in...
s. She had transferred to Shouhei's high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
to meet up with Kasumi and teams up with her to fight against Goat and his posse in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government BuildingTokyo Metropolitan Government BuildingThe , also referred to as Tokyo City Hall or Tochō for short, houses the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which governs not only the 23 wards, but also the cities, towns and villages that make up Tokyo as a whole....
crisis.
Secondary
Bob- He is Kasumi's ASALLT handlerHandler- People :* Animal handler, person who conducts animal training or is a wrangler * Handler, a coach, sports agent of a sports player, or entertainer promoter* Agent handler, person who manages a spy...
. Bob has links with the policePoliceThe police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force and uses the link to have Kasumi assist them in any way he can.
Maruyama
- Kasumi's comrade in ASALLT. He was earlier involved in an operation to arrestArrestAn arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
Goat during a sting operationSting operationIn law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
.
Goat
- Nothing is known about him. He is a right-wing criminal and terrorist, believed to be taking orders from a teenaged person named Kirito. Goat specializes in using involuntary hypnosisHypnosisHypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
to either assassinate certain people or use them to make himself heard. He is also an explosivesExplosive materialAn explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...
and close quarters combatClose quarters battleClose quarters combat or close quarters battle is a type of fighting in which small units engage the enemy with personal weapons at very short range, potentially to the point of hand-to-hand combat or fighting with hand weapons such as swords or knives...
expert as well.
- He died in an explosion that took him and Kasumi out after being tied up near some explosivesExplosive materialAn explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...
that he took to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government BuildingTokyo Metropolitan Government BuildingThe , also referred to as Tokyo City Hall or Tochō for short, houses the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which governs not only the 23 wards, but also the cities, towns and villages that make up Tokyo as a whole....
.
Kirito
- Nothing is also known about him. Aside from being Goat's handlerHandler- People :* Animal handler, person who conducts animal training or is a wrangler * Handler, a coach, sports agent of a sports player, or entertainer promoter* Agent handler, person who manages a spy...
, he has a rose tattooTattooA tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
on his left handHandA hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...
. Kirito also sports whiteWhiteWhite is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
hairHairHair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
. Like Goat, he is an expert in involuntary hypnosisHypnosisHypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
.
- Kasumi remembers meeting Kirito before, although she did not had the chance to speak with him. This indicates that she and Kirito had undergone the same assassinAssassinationTo carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
training that the two teenagers had undergone.
Reviews
Although Rose Hip Rose did not gain a significant audience outside of 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...
and most of Southeast Asia, Manga Reviewer had reviewed it and commented on how the comic had tried to explore Kasumi and Shouhei, most especially their past. It had said that the 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...
was rushed, with the words TO BE CONTINUED found on the ending of the 2nd volume since their backgrounds were not fully explored. The review
Review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...
also commented that Kasumi and Shouhei were undeveloped, mostly trying to focus on Kasumi's past without going into the subject any further.