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The Wallflower (manga)

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The Wallflower (manga)
Kyohei!
GenreComedy, Shoujo, Drama, Romance
Manga
The Wallflower, Perfect Girl Evolution
Written byTomoko Hayakawa
Published byJapan Kodansha
Anime
Directed byShinichi Watanabe
StudioJapanNippon Animation

The Wallflower (ヤマトナデシコ七変化, Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge) is a manga and anime series by Tomoko Hayakawa.[2] Alternative titles include Perfect Girl Evolution, and Sunako of Many Forms.[3] The anime series ended in March 2007 while the manga is still ongoing.

The series is serialized in Bessatsu Friend in Japan, and released in North America by Del Rey Manga, with English translation by David Ury. It is published in Singapore in English by Chuang Yi as My Fair Lady. The series is also published in Indonesia by Level Comics. On May 15 2007, ADV licensed the anime for distribution. [citation needed]

Plot

Template:Spoiler

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge is about Nakahara Sunako, a girl called "ugly" by a boy, who happened to be the first and only person to whom she confessed her love. This incident sparks a life change, and as a result Sunako shuns all forms of beauty, both in herself as well as in life. Concerned by her change for the worst, Sunako's aunt, the owner of a beautiful mansion where four very handsome students live, offers the guys free rent in her mansion if they can turn Sunako into a 'perfect lady'.

While the four of them manage to make Sunako physically beautiful enough to become a lady, the problem lies with her attitude and interests (which Sunako has no intention of changing). Up until the most recent release in the story, they've managed to convince Sunako's aunt that her niece is indeed a lady befitting the mansion in which they live (and prevent the rent from skyrocketing at most triple the required amount). However, in reality, Sunako has not changed considerably.

Main characters

Main article: List of The Wallflower characters

The plot is based on four gorgeous guys: Oda Takenaga, Touyama Yukinojou (usually referred to as 'Yuki' in the series), Morii Ranmaru, and Takano Kyouhei, who must transform the homely and reclusive Sunako into a beautiful lady in order to receive free rent. There are minor characters that appear, most notably Kasahara Noi (Takenaga's girlfriend) and the Landlady, Sunako's as yet formally named aunt.

Manga

File:YNDeutche.jpg
TokyoPop German release of Yamatonadeshiko Shichihenge.

Themes

Underneath the comedic demeanor Yamato Nadeshiko has many reoccurring themes that appear throughout the series.
Self-Acceptance
One such theme is that of self-acceptance, and can be witnessed often through the main character, Sunako. She often portrays both sides of the spectrum, with one side being her refusing to compromise her character (giving up her morbid lifestyle). On her flip side of self-acceptance, it is often shown that she doubts herself almost constantly, and usually refuses to see herself as a suitable companion for "those creatures of the light". As the series progresses you can see her confidence build up as she discovers that she can bridge both worlds.
Beauty
Another theme that seems to dominate the manga is beauty, or the pursuit of it. The boys are offered free rent if they can change Sunako into society's (as well as the landlady's) concept of a beautiful lady. However, Sunako often rebuffs the boys' attempts at changing her, since she had long since abandoned her feminity, as well as that becoming a lady would mean that she would have to give up her morbid hobbies. One of the facets of this theme is the cast's realization that being beautiful doesn't mean following society's standards. Another facet would be the "ugly" side of beauty, in that many of the boys are often stalked by both men and women alike because of their good looks. While many of his roommates will like, or be tolerant of this attention, Kyouhei often complains of this treatment (he complains in one episode of the anime that he can't even hold a job because of this). One other point to this theme is the idea of natural and artificial beauty. Sunako often complains that she wasn't born as a "creature of the light", while the boys were born beautiful.

Anime adaptation

The storyline of the anime has so far followed the manga plotline closely, with only minor changes (most notably the order of events).

File:YNSep1.jpg
Kyohei leads Sunako through a mocking crowd.

Anime episodes

Main article: List of Yamatonadeshiko Shichihenge episodes

Anime cast

Seiyū listed in parenthesis

Music

Because the manga's creator, Tomoko Hayakawa, is an avid admirer of J-Pop singer Kiyoharu, it was decided that Kiyoharu would perform the theme music for Yamatonadeshiko Shichihenge. His songs, "slow" and "Carnation" play over the opening and ending themes, respectively. The songs were a collaboration between Kiyoharu and Takeshi Miyo. The background orchestral music was written by two respectable Japanese composers, Hiromi Mizutani and Yasuharu Takanashi.

The opening theme "slow" plays over recycled footage from the first episode, and is more of a love ballad. Episode 14 onwards shows the second version of the opening sequence which potrays more original footages. Whether this change was made due to growing popularity or the initial reception is unknown.

The first closing theme, "Carnation", the more upbeat of the two, is set to a small computer animation of Hiroshi dancing in the corner as the credits scroll up the page.

∞Changing∞, the second ending theme by Bon-Bon Blanco, presents the viewers with an even faster rhythm while preserving the use of computer animation (Hiroshi, Josephine and Akira dancing to the song) in the sequence.

Trivia

  • In the "About the Author" pages, Hayakawa states that she is a big fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and shows a picture of her mantleplace that is similar in appearance to Sunako's.
  • Oda Takenaga's name bears similarity to the famous Japanese Sengoku Period Daimyo, Oda Nobunaga.
  • Morii Ranmaru's name bears similarity to the Oda Nobunaga's famous "o-kosho" (page), Mori Ranmaru, who was famous for his loyalty and devotion to his lord.
  • The Director, Shinichi Watanabe (渡邊 慎一, Watanabe Shin'ichi aka Nabeshin) is director of Excel Saga and other popular anime comedies. He also is the voice behind the "Road to become the Lady" section in the anime.

Differences between the Manga and Anime

File:Nakahara Sunako.jpg
An image of Sunako as she is commonly seen in the anime.
  • A romance between Kyouhei and Sunako is hinted at a lot sooner in the anime than in the manga.
  • Sequence of events in the anime is different from the original manga. Some of the events have also been combined into one episode during the anime while the original manga spans for a few chapters (at different timings sometimes).

Reception

Reception of the series has been mixed. Carlo Santos of Anime News Network, while giving the manga a good review, states that "All the detail goes into specific elements like the bishounen characters, Sunako's horror props, and elaborate period dresses. However, she gets lazy everywhere else—backgrounds are sparse or nonexistent, crowds get rendered as simplified cartoon figures, and Sunako is regularly seen as a faceless mass of black hair."[4]

References

  1. ^ The Wallflower ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia. Accessed 2006-12-14.
  2. ^ Official anime site (Japanese)
  3. ^ Yamato Nadesico Shichihenge ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia. Accessed 2006-11-30.
  4. ^ The Wallflower Volumes 1-3 reviewed at [1]; last accessed January 16, 2007.
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