List of The Wallflower characters
This is a list of fictional characters, main characters as well as some supporting characters from The Wallflower, a Japanese manga that was also adapted into an anime series and a live-action drama. The manga's plot focuses on Sunako Nakahara, a girl who was called ugly by the first boy she had a crush on and isolated herself from life, sociality and care for her physical appearance. Four handsome boys, Kyouhei, Takenaga, Yuki and Ranmaru must try to turn her into a lady to please her aunt who is also their landlady, with the promise that they won't have to pay the rent if they succeed. However, their task is not made easy due to Sunako's depressive and gloomy nature.
Main characters
Sunako Nakahara
Voiced by: Yukiko Takaguchi (Japanese); Hannah Alcorn (English) Portrayed by Aya Ōmasa in live-action drama.
Sunako Nakahara (中原 スナコ Nakahara Sunako), the title character of the series, has an obsession with darkness and a morbid fascination with blood, horror movies, and similarly dark things but it wasn't until she was rejected by her first love that she openly expressed it and became even more isolated from the rest of the world. She hates excessive light exposure and also does poorly in hot weather, though the latter is because she grew up in northern Japan. She has three "friends"; a skeleton called Josephine (with husband, sergeant George) and two anatomical figures named Hiroshi-kun and Akira-kun. While she suffers from severely low self-esteem, she is actually quite beautiful (most of her physical imperfections are a result of her self-imposed isolation from the world) and a frighteningly tough fighter, being able to lift someone twice her size with one hand, she is also surprisingly wise for someone her age and will give good advice to her friends (even if she doesn't realize it). She is also shown to be quite blunt saying what is on her mind with no hesitation, unless she is asking the "radiant beings" for a favor. She is portrayed (mostly) throughout the manga in chibi form as a sort of visual metaphor for how she and others see herself; becoming beautiful when her mood becomes bold or confident. Somewhat surprisingly, she is a very good cook, very athletic, intelligent, and a good pianist. She refers to beautiful people as "creatures of light" and "ugly" people, such as herself, as "creatures of darkness", in the translation in America. Whenever she sees a "creature of light", she gets nosebleeds, and they're usually severe when she sees Kyohei. Despite her negative attitude, once she is driven to do something, Sunako is quite capable of doing things that no one expects her to complete. There is also a possibility that she may have supernatural abilities i.e. plants wilting near her and windows shattering. She is also the niece of Mine Nakahara; she is called " Auntie " by Kyohei, Yuki, Ranmaru, and Takenaga.
Her relationship with Kyohei is somewhat unclear, saying that she always wants to kill him, and even going to the extent of turning into a lady temporarily to get him back. Her reason is that "she's the only person who can kill him". She has not, however, thought of or mentioned killing him for many chapters, not even after he kissed her. Recent chapters have seen her forget her first crush, and she is now more open to other people, including her peers and teachers at school. She's also having less and less nosebleeds and though protests at first, doesn't greatly mind spending time with Kyohei. During chapter 100, Sunako's Curse, Sunako is seen kissing Kyohei (the first time she has initiated a kiss) after she put a curse on him, of living spirits. In the chapter A Present For You, she is seen giving Kyohei a hand-made present to remind him of the good memories with his mother. She also thinks of her housemates as more than just that, as stated in a previous chapter of the manga she thought that they were "Closest friends." She is also shown to be very protective of her friends even going to the point of trying to murder or kill the person who hurt them (even if she does try to kill Kyohei).
Kyohei Takano
- Kyouhei Takano (高野 恭平 Takano Kyohei)
Voiced by: Showtaro Morikubo (Japanese); Josh Grelle (English) Live-Action: Kazuya Kamenashi
The male protagonist of the series. While he says that all he cares about is getting free (or the lowest amount required to be paid) rent, he has a soft spot for Sunako and empathizes with her more so than the others. He is the most popular of the boys, and always has trouble keeping down a part-time job because his fans will chase after him, or his boss (male or female) will sexually harass him. Kyohei's personality in the series often shown to be a fighter and dangerous one.[1] Kyohei is cocky, short-tempered, and the only one tough enough to fight on the same level as Sunako. His hair is modeled after Tackey of Tackey & Tsubasa. He also tends to succumb to food and money. Since Sunako is the only girl who is able to understand his true personality regardless of his good looks, he gradually develops an obvious attraction towards her, even going as far as kissing her for no apparent reason. In latest chapters he seems to be aware of his feelings to at least a small degree, looking at a loss when it seems Sunako loves a guy (she doesn't) and when witnessing said guy hugging a girl he rushes to find Sunako after buying chocolates 'for himself' (to console her- he doesn't eat a single one). He seems to have softened towards her more in chapter 91, telling her she's fine just the way she is when she's upset, scolding her for lying on a dangerous place and telling the 'old man' who talked to her not to fill Sunako's head with too many strange ideas, that he and the others would be worried if she went to the underworld.
Takenaga Oda
- Takenaga Oda (織田 武長 Oda Takenaga)
Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (Japanese); Vic Mignogna (English) Live-Action: Hiroki Uchi
The most intellectual of the four, Takenaga is called the "Boss" (a pun on his personal name in Japanese, which can be read as buchou, meaning "boss") by his friends and is the least fazed by Sunako's morbid habits. When the quartet dress Sunako up, Takenaga is usually responsible for doing Sunako's hair. Takenaga was originally from a wealthy family descended from flower masters (ikebana), but when the pressure of being the family heir was too much, he became completely withdrawn and ignored everyone. He was sent to live at the Landlady's mansion in hopes of becoming more "normal". He is described as a caring feminist and is rather shy. He is currently going out with Noi, whom he affectionately calls "Noi-chi", it is also quite possible that he has a jealous personality. Shown in the manga where he thought he might lose Naie to another guy. His name is derived from Oda Nobunaga (in fact it was once suggested in the anime that Takenaga was a direct descendant of Nobunaga) and his reference to Noi as "Noi-chi" is probably a reference to Oichi, a sister of Nobunaga.
Yukinojo "Yuki" Toyama
- Yukinojo Toyama (遠山 雪之丞 Tōyama Yukinojo)
Voiced by: Yamauchi Yuuya (Japanese); Greg Ayres (English) Live-Action: Yuya Tegoshi
The most androgynous of the four, "Yuki" is gentle and is initially the most frightened of Sunako. He's the most "normal" of the four boys; before coming to live at the mansion he had a normal school life with a middle-class family. His mother and the Landlady are old friends and the Landlady, and Sunako at times, has a soft spot for Yuki, which is shown in "A Girl's Bravo" when Sunako kicked out all the boys and only gave Yuki food. He's also the shortest and shyest, with a "cute" face, and has been called on (very reluctantly) to dress up as a girl on more than one occasion. He is usually responsible for choosing what sort of clothes Sunako wears when she is forced to dress up and has a good sense of fashion.
Ranmaru Morii
- Ranmaru Morii (森井 蘭丸 Morii Ranmaru)
Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima (Japanese); Chris Patton (English) Live-Action: Shuntaro Miyao
A ladies' man, Ranmaru is often going out with various beautiful older (and often married) women. The very sight of Sunako initially has him breaking out in hives, but when her true beauty is revealed, he decides that she has "potential" to become a real lady. Like Takenaga, he comes from a wealthy family (who own a series of hotel chains), but was sent to live with the Landlady because he exploited his wealth and his parents wanted him to become normal. Surprisingly, Ranmaru is actually better at kendo than Takenaga, who comes from a traditional family. He apparently is the strongest advocate of making Sunako into a lady and is usually responsible for doing her make-up whenever she has to dress up; however, his attempts are rarely successful in the long run and he is convinced the it is Kyohei's attitude towards Sunako that is the primary problem. In hopes of changing his womanizing habits, his parents engage him to reserved and conservative girl of their liking, named Tamao Kikunoi. Even though he rejects Kikunoi's love for him, he begins to develop feelings for her. He is named after the real life Mori Ranmaru, the partner of Oda Nobunaga.
Noi Kasahara
Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (Japanese); Jessica Boone (English) Live-Action: Ranko Kobe
Noi Kasahara (笠原 乃依 Kasahara Noi) is a very pretty and exceedingly popular girl who becomes Sunako's closest female friend at school. She loves being called beautiful by the others, especially Sunako. She admires Sunako's tough attitude and is often very protective of her when someone insults her. She believes that Sunako and Kyohei are compatible as a couple. Noi is in love with Takenaga, though she tends to be insecure about their relationship because Takenaga is too shy to openly admit that he likes her. She is called "Noi" in both the North American and Singaporean English-language translation. As stated in recent chapters, she's a fan of shoujo manga.
Supporting characters
Aunt Nakahara
Voiced by: Yuka Komatsu (Japanese); Tiffany Grant (English) Live-Action: Reiko Takashima
- Sunako's aunt (addressed as Oba-san or "Auntie"), who expects Kyohei, Takenaga, Yuki, and Ranmaru to make Sunako into a lady. Called the "infamous Marie Antoinette of the East", Miss Nakahara is extremely wealthy and usually travels in unconventional fashion, such as in a fleet of helicopters. The Landlady is rarely around (usually in France with her latest boyfriend or fiancé) and the four males have managed to convince her that Sunako is on the fast track to becoming a lady when really her niece is not. However, the Landlady has also been known to make unexpected visits, which often leads to the boys putting on an act of some sort with Sunako to make her appear more ladylike and, occasionally, resulting in raised rent when all does not go as planned.
- The Landlady is actually the younger sister of Sunako's father and, like her niece, requires very little effort to frighten the boys. It is known that her husband is dead and the apparent reason why she keeps getting a new boyfriend is that she is lonely, but she loves none of these men in the same way she loved her husband. While their interaction is relatively limited, Sunako actually admires her aunt a great deal and considers her the most beautiful woman she knows; the Landlady, in turn, simply wants Sunako to be happy and believes that helping her niece become a lady will do so, especially since as a child Sunako always wanted to be like her aunt. She gradually turns her focus away from trying to shape Sunako into an elegant lady, believing that Sunako is perfectly capable of acting as such, and attempting to change Kyohei into a suitable partner for her niece. She has been shown to be fluent in various languages like French, Russian, and Tagalog.
- In the live-action series, her name is Mine Nakahara and she has a son.
Takeru Nakahara
Live-Action: Seishiro Kato Takeru Nakahara (中原 タケル Nakahara Takeru) is the Landlady's son and Sunako's cousin. Unlike most children his age, Takeru has a courageous personality (although he can be frightened as well). He only appears in the drama.
Hiroshi-kun
Voiced by: Norihisa Mori (Japanese); Matt Greenfield (English)
- Hiroshi-kun is an anatomical figure, Sunako's most precious possession and best friend. Sunako often confides in him regarding her feelings about the boys and situations, although she does not get a reply. Despite not being alive, Hiroshi-kun is treated like a living person, narrating the opening of each anime episode, and dancing during in the anime's end credits. Hiroshi-kun was found by Sunako in a pile of rubbish shortly after she was described as being ugly by her first crush, and she formed a bond with Hiroshi-kun, both being "discarded" from the world.
- Sunako takes good care of Hiroshi-kun, along with her other anatomical friends (Josephine, Akira-kun, and Sergeant George). His fake organs have a habit of falling out or being removed by Sunako. The boys at first are dismissive of Sunako's relationship with Hiroshi-kun, but eventually come to accept it over the course of the manga and anime, treating him the same way Sunako does but remembering that he is not alive. Kyouhei often threatens to destroy Hiroshi-kun when Sunako irritates him, but in one episode, he actually confides in him like Sunako. On several occasions, Hiroshi-kun is kidnapped by other characters and held to ransom. These characters include The Boss so he could meet Sunako, and a trio of obsessive fan girls of Kyouhei, which results in Sunako risking life and limb to save Hiroshi-kun.
Goth-Loli Sisters
- Goth-Loli Sisters (ゴスロリ シスターズ Gosu-Rori Shisutāzu)
Yvonne: Voiced by: Niina Kumagaya (Japanese); Kira Vincent-Davis (Epi. 1-9), Allison Sumrall (Epi. 10-25) (English)
Laseine: Voiced by: Hiromi Konno (Japanese); Brittney Karbowski (English)
Madeleine: Voiced by: Kimiko Koyama (Japanese); Tiffany Terrell (English)
Roxane: Voiced by: Erika (Japanese); Monica Passley (English)
- Lassine (ラセーヌ Rasēnu), Madeline (マドレーヌ Madorēnu), Roxanne (ロクサーヌ Rokusānu), and Yvonne (イヴォンヌ Ivonnu) are four girls who are completely obsessed with the main boys of the series. Initially their roles in the storyline were much smaller, but were expanded within the anime to provide comic relief. They usually have a cameo appearance in each episode saying their catch phrase "Goth-Goth, Loli-Loli" while crossing their own fingers. Their first appearance in the manga was a one shot of them getting revenge on Sunako and Noi for being so close to the men they loved. A notable aspect to their characters is that instead of actively pursuing their crushes, they instead sat in the background and waited for them to notice them instead. In the manga they were responsible for a number of disturbances, such as replacing the boys' lunches with their (rather horrible) home-made lunches. Their attempts to get closer to their respective crushes culminated in them attempting to harm Noi for her close relationship to Takanaga and the others. This attempt was foiled after they were discovered by a rage-driven Sunako, only to be spared by the boys' arrival in restraining Sunako.
- They make a reappearance when they enlist Sunako's help in talking with the boys by bribing her with four extremely rare skeleton dolls. Each girl eventually chickens out of her respective encounter, becoming overwhelmed by the aura of the boys which ruin the respective romantic fantasies each goth-loli girl has. The fantasies come to a disturbing conclusion when each girl replaces the hero with an image of Sunako, who they've come to admire.
- Their appearance is an exaggeration of the Gothic Lolita phenomenon, and are very unattractive. Their names are given as Ierie, Machapi, Maririn and Mintan in the Singaporean English-language translation.
Tamao Kikunoi
Voiced by: Erika (Japanese); Luci Christian (English) Tamao Kikunoi (菊之井 玉绪 Kikunoi Tamao) is the fiancée of Ranmaru because of an arranged marriage by both their parents. She is extremely wealthy and studies at an all-girls school. Aside from hoping Tamao's calm demeanor will change Ranmaru's womanizing habits, both Ranmaru's parents are extremely fond of her and would like her to become their daughter-in-law. Her character is a perfect example of a "lady" as she foils Noi's loud mouth and Sunako's un-ladylike nature. In her first meeting with the boys, she is unfazed by any of their attempts to portray Ranmaru as a ladies' man or someone undesirable. Despite Ranmaru's playboy qualities, she has fallen in love with him, to the extent of admitting her feelings. His rejection of her does not faze her, hoping that eventually he would come to feel the same way.
Other characters
Sunako's parents
- Sunako's parents live abroad, supposedly in Africa, and have left Sunako under the care of her aunt. The boys are not surprised to discover that Sunako's father is physically huge and not particularly attractive and are more worried about his protective streak towards his daughter, who became increasingly distant towards him and refused to let him into her room. He later discovers that his daughter still loves him; she just did not want him to see the inside of her room because it was filled with things that would horrify him. He has a bad back as a result of saving Sunako from a bear as a child.
- Sunako's mother is a very attractive and petite woman, something that the boys did not expect from their knowledge of Sunako and her father's appearances. She is surprisingly strong and is able to lift her husband off the ground effortlessly. She thinks nothing of Sunako's morbid habits as long as they make her happy and she scolds Sunako's father for pleading for Kyohei to change Sunako into a normal girl. A flashback reveals that Sunako's mother is actually younger than most women with daughters of Sunako's age.
Sunako's Classmates
- Sunako's classmates initially both fear her terrifying demeanor and scorn her association with the four boys. However, after she wins an athletic competition for their class, they come to respect and admire her, though they remain somewhat frightened of her more morbid habits. In addition, Sunako becomes popular with the cooking club for her domestic abilities and they frequently ask her to join them when they are trying new recipes. Her classmates include a trio of girls named Nana, Nene, and Nono who are friendliest with her.
The Prince of Grimel
- He first appeared in chapter 79. The prince's parents, the king and queen of Grimel (a fictional European country), invites Sunako to their country, who brings the four guys along with her. There, it was discovered that the king and queen hoped to marry their son, the prince, to Sunako. The prince shares a love of horror and darkness with Sunako, and falls in love with her. Sunako was enchanted with the purportedly haunted forests and crypts of Grimel and unknowingly accepted the proposal. However, on the day of the wedding, Kyohei took Sunako away as he was sick of European food and wanted to eat Japanese food. Sunako has since not reinstated the proposal, but the prince has continued to pursue Sunako, studying Japanese horror stories such as the famous Yotsuya Kaidan.
The "Boss"
Voiced by: Tsuyoshi Koyama (Japanese); John Swasey (English)
- The self-proclaimed "head of the National Boss Association", a street gangster from Kumagoroshi who falls for the SD Sunako, much to the surprise of everyone surrounding him. Originally, he wanted to challenge Kyohei to a fight to see who was stronger, but later changed it to a fight for Sunako's affections, believing that Kyohei was Sunako's boyfriend. He can be seen in both the manga and the anime version. In the anime, his name is given as Hiromi Hanayashiki.
Yuki
- appears as a one-time character in chapter 24. Yuki is Sunako's friend in Hokkaido, who is revealed early on to be a descendent of Yuki-onna. Due to her heritage, Yuki has powers over ice and snow, as shown when she accidentally freezes Yukinojo (who is also coincidentally nicknamed "Yuki") with a handshake. Her powers also seem to be connected to her emotions, as a blizzard almost formed when she started crying. Despite Yuki's selfish reasons for inviting Sunako (which was to take pictures of her male companions and sell them to get a gift for her boyfriend), it is shown that the two do care for one another as Yuki considers Sunako her only friend and Sunako doesn't want to see Yuki get hurt and cry.
Works cited
^ "Ch." and "Vol." are shortened forms for chapter and volume and refer to the appropriate sections in the The Wallflower manga by Tomoko Hayawaka.
^ "Ep." is short for episode and refers to The Wallflower anime.
^ "Drama Ep. " is short for episode and refers to Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge drama series.