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 Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 12:21 pm
EXT. ROOFTOP OF A SCHOOL BUILDING, SUNSET
The hero (me, Junpei Manaka!) sneaks up to the roof to see the sunset. When he opens the door, he startles a mysterious beauty. She panics and runs away, but not before Junpei has caught sight of her adorable strawberry print panties...in EXTREME close-up. With that vision forever burned into his memory, Junpei embarks on a quest to find the girl, and the panties, of his dreams!
FADE OUT
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:42 pm
Ichigo 100% (いちご100%, Ichigo 100%?) (Strawberry 100% in the Viz English version) is a 167-chapter manga by Mizuki Kawashita (河下水希, Kawashita Mizuki?) that was serialized in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from 2002 volume 12 to 2005 volume 35, and collected in 19 tankōbon volumes between August 2002 and December 2005. The manga has been adapted into an audio drama, light novel, game, and anime. The manga has recently been licensed by Viz Media with volume 1 released in July.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:43 pm
Story
Ichigo 100% follows the story of Junpei Manaka and his numerous love interests from the third year of his middle school to the end of his high school years.
Junpei Manaka, sneaking away to the roof of his school one afternoon, witnesses a beautiful girl falling in front of him. Before the girl flees, he catches a glimpse of her strawberry-patterned panties, and it's love at first sight. He also believes that this scene would be perfect in a movie, as it is his dream to be a film director.
Inspecting the scene, he finds a notebook belonging to one Aya Toujo. He hopes that this is the mystery girl but he is crushed when he finds Toujo to be a homely girl with thick glasses and braided hair. However, he soon discovers that Toujo is a gifted writer, and confides his dream to her.
Manaka's friends Rikiya Komiyama and Okusa suggest the mystery girl could be Tsukasa Nishino, the prettiest girl in school. On Toujo's advice, Manaka confesses to Nishino while doing a pull-up, and Nishino mysteriously agrees to going out with him.
Manaka and Nishino together plan to attend Izumizaka High, the only high school with a film club. Toujo helps the two of them study for the entrance examinations, and the love triangle asserts itself.
In a twist of events, Toujo decides not to try for Sakai (an all-girl school and her first choice of high school) or Oumi Academy (another all-girl school), deciding to attend Izumizaka with the others. Even more surprising, Nishino decides to go to Oumi Academy instead, hoping to somehow maintain a long-distance relationship with Manaka. Nishino giving up her slot at Izumizaka gives Manaka the opening he needs to get in (he is one of three on the waiting list; the other is Komiyama, and it is later discovered that Satsuki Kitaoji is the third). It is during the entrance exams for Izumizaka that Manaka finally realizes that Toujo is the girl he saw on the roof, as she shows up for the exam wearing contact lenses and with her hair down (a look she mostly retains from that point onward).
Soon after getting his first video camera, Manaka sees a gorgeous girl and begins filming her. The encounter ends up less than pleasant and the girl, Kitaoji, throws his camera into a river. Little does he know that she will be in his school for the next three years. Finding out they are in the same class at their new high school, an argument immediately sparks between the two and they both receive clean-up duty for detention. Manaka's gentlemanly compassion after an accident, however, sparks love in Kitaoji's eye for him. It doesn't hurt that the two of them start spending all their time together while they both recover from that accident. It turns out that the two have a lot of interests in common.
Manaka soon discovers that the movie club at his high school has been converted to a computer-graphics club. As a requirement for starting a new club, Manaka finds four others to join the Film Studies Club: Kitaoji, Toujo, and two other good but perverted friends: Komiyama and Hiroshi Sotomura.
Because Nishino is unable to stand Manaka's hesitancy in furthering their relationship, she breaks up with him. Manaka's complex and comical love life continues as he finds his childhood friend Yui Minamito (who has a bad habit of sleeping naked) asleep in his bed. Minamito is not really considered a potential love interest for Manaka; Manaka thinks of her as a child, and their relationship stabilizes as an older brother/younger sister type. Manaka is told that she is testing at a high school in the city and that he must help her. The high school she chooses is none other than Nishino's high school. Once again, Nishino - who apparently retains some affection for Manaka - enters the stage.
After many heartwarming, complex, and extended volumes, Nishino finally breaks the web of affection for Manaka by confessing her desire to become his girlfriend again in the same way Manaka confessed to her long ago (by doing a pull-up). Although Manaka cannot bring himself to respond immediately, he accepts by the following evening as he now genuinely loves Nishino. After a last-ditch attempt by Kitaoji to force herself upon him, Manaka reveals that he has already gotten back together with Nishino and cannot acknowledge her advances any longer. Toujo, after learning that Manaka and Nishino are going out again, gathers her courage and then desperately confesses that she has loved him since the day they shared their dream with one another in middle school. Though he admits that Toujo was actually his first love, Manaka decides to stay with Nishino because she has become truly important to him.
Nishino's dream of studying in France to be a great pastry chef makes their separation inevitable. Manaka suggests that they should break up and rely on their own strengths to reach their respective dreams. Nishino reluctantly agrees, and declares that when the time comes, she will re-evaluate Manaka to see if he will still make her heart flutter. When they bid their final farewell in the airport, they promise to meet again when Nishino returns to Japan.
In the epilogue, four years later, the members of the Film Studies Club gather together in Kyoto at the restaurant Kitaoji now runs. Everyone compares their accomplishments over the years - Toujo's writing career has flourished and Manaka turns out to be a rising star in the film directing world (winning a small award and being invited to join the company of an established director). After talking with Toujo, he reminisces about how he could not have been able to come so far and develop his dream without the help of his friends and especially Toujo's support. He asks her to wait until he is able to make her first novel into a movie. In the final scene, he meets Nishino again for the first time since she left for France and asks if she wants to start their relationship again. She agrees (and is shown wearing the ring Manaka gave her the Christmas before they separated), and they embrace in the last frame of the manga.
An extra chapter has been added, a side story about Misuzu Sotomura during her first year in Kyoto as a student at Doushigaya University (this was referred to in the last chapter of the main story) and how she finds her first romantic relationship with Uchiba, a schoolmate and aspiring manga artist.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:48 pm
Characters
Izumizaka High
Junpei Manaka (真中淳平, Manaka Junpei?)
Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura
Birthday: May 10th (Taurus)
The main character in the story. An overall nice guy attending middle (and later high) school who gets caught up in many embarrassing but endearing romantic situations. Although his thoughts on girls can get quite perverted on occasion, his gentleness and kindness, as well as his selflessness at times, is what attracts girls to him. His dream is to make films as a director. While not academically gifted, he has great talent with cinematography that gradually develops as the story progresses.
Okusa (大草, Ōkusa?)
Voiced by: Takashi Kondo
One of Manaka's friends from middle school who is the star player of the soccer team. His athletic abilities and good looks make him a magnet to girls. Because of his perceived experience with girls, Manaka goes to him for advice on his girl problems early in the manga. Okusa's latent infatuation for Nishino, however, sometimes puts him - and his offered advice - at odds with Manaka.
Rikiya Komiyama (小宮山 力也, Komiyama Rikiya?)
Voiced by: Wataru Takagi
Close friend of Manaka since middle school, frequently made fun of because of his peculiar, octopus-like looks and his desperation in finding a girlfriend. Quite the pervert, he is able to entertain any girl (if only for a little while) with his gorilla and octopus impressions. Komiyama's dare in the third year of middle school caused Manaka to confess to Nishino. He joins Sotomura Productions after graduating.
Hiroshi Sotomura (外村 ヒロシ, Sotomura Hiroshi?)
Voiced by: Yuji Ueda
Close friend of Manaka, whose sole obsession in life is taking photos of pretty girls for his website, Melon100%. To this end, he initiated the re-establishment of the Film Studies Club in order to make use of school funding and facilities to expand his website. Despite his perversions, Sotomura is the number-one student in school, with grades even better than those of Toujo. He also becomes the sounding board for Manaka's various relationship problems, offering surprisingly good advice. After graduation, he is accepted into Tokyo University and later starts his own production company.
Amachi (天地, Amachi?)
A true ladies' man, Amachi is the perfect gentleman, with a face to match. Manaka's rival for Toujo, though he doesn't pose too much of a threat. Just like Okusa, Amachi has herds of girls flocking to him, and he seems to have a compulsive necessity in helping women in need. After meeting staunch resistance to his approaches on Toujo, Amachi gives up his horde of girls as a sign of devotion to Toujo, but later returns to them after news breaks out that Toujo is not going with Manaka or him to the final school festival. Amachi managed to recognize Toujo even with her hair braided and glasses on.
Aya Toujou (東城 綾, Tōjō Aya?)
Voiced by: Mamiko Noto
Birthday: January 14th (Capricorn)
Reserved and timid almost to a fault, Toujo is the mystery girl Manaka has been seeking out (the girl with the strawberry panties). She excels in studies but is not very noticed at her middle school because of her large glasses and unattractive hairstyle. Her beauty was only brought out after she started wearing contact lenses and letting her hair down. Her career goal is to become a novelist. A gifted writer, she manages to win several prestigious awards for her compositions despite her youth. She is also the script writer for the movies of the Film Studies Club, and was the first person Manaka shared his dreams with. During the final school festival, she was considered by the Astrological Research Club's "Love Sanctuary" attraction to be the best person suited for Manaka. Associated with the East ("Tou").
Satsuki Kitaoji (北大路さつき, Kitaōji Satsuki?)
Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi
Birthday: May 3rd (Taurus)
Athletic and energetic, she loves to be seen with Manaka and is the most confident in her love for him. Completely open with her feelings and not afraid to show her thoughts (or her body for that matter), Kitaoji stands out because of her alluring body. She is a G-cup (the running joke is that her breasts are so big, they weigh her down) and her blouses occasionally pop open when she is emotional. Manaka and Kitaoji have a lot in common (including their tastes in TV shows and manga and their academic records) to the point that Manaka even said that if she were a guy, she would be the boss and he would be her most loyal friend. If any of the girls could be labeled as a tragic figure, it would be Kitaoji; despite her total devotion and physical, almost forceful, advances, Manaka constantly rejects her. His rejections crush her to a moving degree. At the end of the manga, she becomes the hostess of a relation's restaurant. Associated with the North ("Kita").
Misuzu Sotomura (外村 美鈴, Sotomura Misuzu?)
Voiced by: Eriko Kawasaki
Birthday: May 25th (Gemini)
Tough and pretty younger sister of Hiroshi. A no-nonsense person, Misuzu installs herself as vice-president and assistant director of the Film Studies Club. One of the few female characters in the story who doesn't fall for Manaka; she can't stand his indecisiveness with women. When they first met she found Manaka interesting because he was critical about movies. She plays down Manaka's role in the club, but later admits (to herself) that Manaka's accomplishment in building the club from scratch is truly remarkable whereas she is just "all-talk". Idolizes Toujo for her writing ability. When Toujo confesses that she loves Manaka in a scene in their last movie, Misuzu is the only one that realizes that she wasn't acting, but actually expressing her true feelings. In extra chapter at the end of the manga, Misuzu falls in love with an aspiring mangaka. Misuzu and Kitaoji argue with each other often, but after graduation they both live in Kyoto and always keep in touch.
Chinami Hashimoto (端本 ちなみ, Hashimoto Chinami?)
Voiced by: Ai Shimizu
Birthday: October 16th (Libra)
Childish, impulsive, and fickle girl in the same year as Misuzu. A gold-digger through and through, she's very used to getting whatever she wants. She initially used Manaka as an excuse for dumping one of her previous "boyfriends" and eventually ended up joining the Film Studies Club. While she doesn't hold any genuine feelings for Manaka, she's bothered by how unremarkable she is to him. In a surprising twist, she ends up with Komiyama, the least likely person imaginable, for a short while (she later dumps him, as expected). After graduation, Hashimoto joins Sotomura Productions as a model, with Komiyama as her manager.
Oumi Academy
Tsukasa Nishino (西野つかさ, Nishino Tsukasa?)
Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi
Birthday: September 16th (Virgo)
Her idol-caliber face, fair hair, and straightforward personality make her very popular at school. With her looks, she attracts literally dozens of admirers but turns down each and every one. Flighty and hot-tempered at the start of the manga, she develops a far more mature attitude after entering Oumi Academy. She works part-time in a French pastry shop. Her dream is to study pastry-making further in France after high school. While she is Manaka's first (and only) official girlfriend, she is forced to break up with him a couple of times. She initiates the first breakup because she can't stand Manaka's apparent lack of interest in their relationship. Towards the end of the manga, she and Manaka get back together, only to break up again to pursue their respective dreams. The two reunite four years later, after her return from France. Associated with the West ("Nishi").
Yui Minamito (南戸 唯, Minamito Yui?)
Voiced by: Nana Mizuki
A neighbor and childhood friend of Manaka until she moved away to the countryside. Only one year younger than Manaka, she is very much like a younger sister to him. She has a very strict father. She is fond of chocolates and cake, and has a bad habit of sleeping naked. As a fellow student of Oumi Academy, she looks up to Nishino as a role model, and is infatuated with Okusa. In her second year of high school, after an argument with her father over her living with Manaka and his family, she decides to live in an apartment on her own even though she still has trouble cooking for herself. She still prefers to sleep in Manaka's bed when given the chance. Associated with the South ("Minami"). Yui sometimes talks in third person.
Other
Kozue Mukai (向井 こずえ, Mukai Kozue?)
Voiced by: Kana Ueda
Birthday: July 6th (Cancer)
A student in the cram school Manaka and Toujo attend during their final year of high school. Although she has an attractive body, she has a chronic fear of males, freezing up and even cowering in terror in their presence. Ironically, she also tends to have very vivid romantic fantasies with those she fears. She quickly falls in love with Manaka, the first boy she feels comfortable enough to talk to. She appears to be an extreme version of Toujo; she is far more shy and reserved, and falls over just as often.
Mai Urazawa (浦沢 舞, Urazawa Mai?)
Birthday: November 29th (Sagittarius)
A friend of Toujo and Mukai at cram school. She is supportive of Mukai's infatuation with Manaka, and makes it her goal to get them together, to the extent of enlisting Toujo's help. Neither Urazawa nor Mukai are aware of Toujo's hidden affection for Manaka.
Migishima
A tall, fierce-looking, and short-tempered student in the same cram school class as Manaka. He has an X-shaped scar on his forehead. A former delinquent, he became a serious student after being inspired by his homeroom adviser. He wants to become a teacher.
Satake
Migishima's friend, also in Manaka's cram school class. His family owns a small but failing business, which he hopes to take over and rebuild. He wants to be a great CEO.
Ryuuichi Higure (日暮 龍一, Higure Ryūichi?)
Tall, dark, handsome, and also a world-famous pastry chef. His grandmother owns the shop where Nishino works. He's the main attraction whenever he returns to work from his travels abroad, and while he has fallen for Nishino, he understands that she'd rather be with Manaka. He's a genuinely nice guy, once going to great lengths to help Manaka in a minor situation even before they got to know each other.
The Old Man
The short, 72-year-old manager of the movie theater where Manaka works part-time. He is a pervert who gets passing girls wet by dousing them with water so they have little choice but to change into the clothes he offers. He especially likes Nishino, and orders cakes from the pastry shop she works at just to have her deliver them in person. He has a wealthy son who owns a mansion and a karaoke building.
Shotaro Toujou (東城正太郎, Tōjō Shōtarō?)
Toujo Aya's younger brother. Although they are actual siblings, Shotaro is much taller than Aya and there is little family resemblance between the two. He was Aya's date for the Ran-Sen Festival during the main cast's last year at Izumisaka, and because Aya kept this from everyone, it caused some misunderstanding with Manaka and Amachi. It is possible that Kawashita intentionally kept Shotaro from meeting the rest of the characters for this purpose.
Shiori Kurokawa (黒川 栞, Kurokawa Shiori?)
Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga
Manaka's math teacher and advisor to the Film Club. Beautiful, busty, and a frequent drinker, she is the classic irresponsible adult archetype, tending to bust the prize money of the Film Studies Club on frivolous pursuits like visits to the salon. Despite this, she is quite supportive of the club, being one of the original founding members and the main female protagonist in the club movie that inspired Manaka to push through with his directorial dreams.
Shuu Kadokura
A professional director and alumnus of Izumisaka interested in Manaka's films. To improve Manaka's cinematography he acts as Manaka's senpai. He has messy black hair and thick-framed glasses.
Uchiba
A student at Doushigaya University who wants to become a mangaka. He is quite tall (185 cm.) and wears glasses. Impressed with his art and stories, Misuzu quickly becomes attracted to him. They begin living together three years after becoming a couple.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:49 pm
Manga
The Ichigo 100% manga consists of 19 volumes, with a total of 167 chapters and one extra chapter involving Misuzu Sotomura. It follows the storyline described above. The anime version follows the manga storyline to a large degree, but modifies some scenes and changes some events to allow all the female leads to appear together in the same episode. The OVAs also include an extra scenario not included in the original manga version. The genres of the manga and anime differ slightly as well; the manga version highlights the romance/drama aspects, while the anime gives more emphasis to comedic events.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:52 pm
Anime
TV Series
Ichigo 100% was adapted into a 12-episode anime TV series by Madhouse. It aired across Japan on Animax and TV Asahi (13 episodes were created, 13th being the special). Each episode roughly covers two chapters from the manga, which makes each episode contain two scenarios or chapters. The timeframe that the anime spans is much shorter than that of the manga.
Anime Episode/ Corresponding manga chapters
01. "The Illusionary Strawberry Underwear" 1
02. "Misunderstanding or a Wrong Guess?" 2
03. "Shaky Love in the Study Group" 3,7,8
04. "The Illusionary Beautiful Girl Again!" 13,14,17
05. "Second Button of Memories" 18
06. "Childhood Friend is a Spring Storm" 40,41
07. "Troublesome High School Life" 19,20,21,23
08. "The Wrong Heart and Mind" 24,25
09. "Panic IN MY ROOM" 27,28,29
10. "Raging Waves of the Summer Camp" 30,31,32
11. "Present of All One's Might" 34
12. "Unknown Destination of Feelings" 35,36
13. "A Sudden Outburst! The Civil War" 38,44
14. "Christmas of Past Loneliness" 39,42
15. "The Dream Continues Once More" 43
16. "A Hug in the Middle of the Snow!" 45
17. "Valentine's Chance Encounter" 48
18. "Sweet Bitter Chocolate" 49,50
19. "The Gratitude of Levelling Up" 54,55
20. "Heart-pounding First Date!?" 56
21. "The Dangeous New Member" 57
22. "Determination! Birthday" 62,63
23. "Another meeting in the rain" 61
24. "A True Heroine" 65,66
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:54 pm
OVAs
The OVAs of Ichigo 100% were all released at different times compared to the TV series. The first OVA was released before the TV series aired (and was made solely by Madhouse). They are not a continuation of the TV series, but are rather separate episodes based on certain chapters from the Ichigo 100% manga.
Episode Titles (Translated):
1. "Stormy Spring Festival of the Night Mist" (selections from manga chapters 22,82)
2. "Oumi Academy Exodus" (corresponds to manga chapters 58,59,60)
3. "Fresh Pension Crisis ~ Be Careful of the Owner!" (Original story. The three guys and seven girls of the series take a weekend job at a mountain lodge. But the owners turn out to be perverts who want to harass the girls and make them wear revealing outfits. It's up to Manaka to protect them.)
4. "Sudden change of Heart!?" (Extension of the v17 Omake. Aya and Satsuki mysteriously swap personalities.)
In terms of the anime, OVA 1 would logically go between episodes 12 and 13, OVA 2 would go between episodes 21 and 22, and the specials would go immediately after episode 24. OVAs 3 and 4 stand alone.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:56 pm
Notes
*Each broadcast of the show contains two segments which seem to be referred to as individual episodes on the Japanese website.
*The first kanji on the last names of the four lead female characters represents a specific cardinal direction. Tou in Toujo Aya's name has the same kanji as East, Nishi in Nishino Tsukasa's name means West, Kita in Kitaoji Satsuki's name means North, and Minami in Minamito Yui's name means South. Also, Naka in Manaka Junpei's name means "center" or "inside". This can be used as a figurative diagram indicating the direction - or girl - the "compass" of Manaka's heart points to at any given time. In the first OVA, Manaka has a nightmare where all four girls stand around him at their respective cardinal directions.
*Some of the characters were in the two video games Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars as Support and Help Koma
*In Episode 05, if you watch closely, Sotomura Is actually reading Shonen Jump.
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