Animanga/Manga Information
|
is a
Manga series by
Kaho Miyasaka . It is published in
Japan by
Shogakukan and in
North America in
English by
VIZ Media .
The main character, Karin Karino, is a
Bespectacled and shy girl who happens to meet two boys on a bus. The boys, from Takashiro (a local boys' high school), are named Tohru Ebihara and Aoi Kiriya. The boys, who are taking pictures of girls on the bus, initially make snide remarks (such as "four eyes") at Karin for her wearing glasses. Then Kiriya approaches her when he realizes that she reads a book called ''Blue'', a book by a photographer named Yuuji. Karin is uneasy about the advances and starts to leave when the bus stops at the stop for Seika Girls' Academy, which is Karin's high school. Karin drops her book, and Kiriya inadvertently lifts Karin's skirt when he tries to give her book back. The skirt-lifting, combined with the fact that Kiriya still has his camera in his hand, causes Karin to think that Kiriya is "
Upskirt ing" her. Karin hits Kiriya and leaves without her book.
At school it is revealed that Karin has low
Self-esteem , and her "friend", Yuka Ishikawa, exploits Karin for free answers to homework. Karin and Yuka later meet the Takashiro boys, and the two begin to fight over Kiriya. Later volumes focus on the romantic exploits of Karin and Kiriya.
;
:A supposedly plain-looking girl who is a student at Seika Girls' School. In actuallity, she's quite pretty. Karin only looks plain because she wears glasses and doesn't use make-up like other girls. Karin is often called "Four Eyes" ("Glasses-chan" in the Japanese version) because she wears glasses. She has low self-esteem at first; unable to stand up to her so-called friend Yuka and say the things she really wants to say. Her lack of confidence partly stems from her parents' emotional neglect. Karin once wondered if her mother even noticed the minor changes in her appearance (from wearing glasses to contact lens). Everyone she meets, except Kiriya, calls her plain and makes fun of her, causing her to doubt Kiriya and questions his intentions whenever he calls her cute or compliments her. Like Kiriya, she also has a love for photography. She becomes friends with Nanri.
;
:A student at Takashiro High School who falls in love with Karin. He first encounters her on the bus. After Karin dropped her book on the bus, he came to her school with his friends to return it, and consequently was pulled into a "Goukon" (group date) which includes Karin, Yuka and his friend Tooru. He works many part-time jobs and has a love for photography. Despite Yuka's repeated attempts to get his attention, he remains immune to her advances, often leaving her behind with Tooru while he goes off with Karin. At the end of chapter one he kissed Karin for the first time. Afterwards, much to Karin's dismay, he often embraces and kisses her. He continually shows up around her, offering to take her to dinner and walk her home. It makes him angry and annoys him when Karin -out of habit- shows disregard for her own well being (ex. walking home alone in the dark). Karin initially rejects him because she didn't want Yuka to be angry at her. Believing Yuka to be her friend, Karin told Kiriya that she didn't like him.
;
:One of Karin's classmates who pretends to be Karin's friend. She takes advantage of Karin's shyness and low self-esteem. When she finds out Karin and Aoi are together, she becomes enraged and does things to push Karin away from him. After Aoi rescues Karin when Yuka locks her on the school's roof in the rain, she fades out of the storyline.
; and
:Kiyira's classmates.
;
:Nanri is the confident girl who helps Karin in a nonchalant manner. When Yuka picks on karin, she defends Karin or often seeks her out afterwards to see to her. She dislike Yuka and her buddies, referring to them as "low class people." She's not afraid to speak up to Yuka or call her out when she's being spiteful. She becomes bestfriends with Karin. She always assists Karin when it comes to problems about her relationship with Kiriya.
;
:Kiriya's widowed sister-in-law, and Karin's confidante and advisor.
;
:Aoi's late older brother, a famous
Photographer , died in an accident.
;
:A photographer, who was friend and rival to Kiriya's older brother.
