Tag: Harem

If I was to saw Shizuka Marikawa, would you know who I was talking about? Yeah, I thought so. Well, let’s take a closer look at what makes her so memorable!

What are you doing now? All right! This is probably the one you’ve all been waiting for. So, sit back and join me as I delve into another of the characters from Highschool of the Dead.

Yesterday, we looked at the gun loving otaku Kohta Hirano. Today subject for our admiration is the artist favourite Shizuka Marikawa. She’s a bit of an enigma in that there isn’t too much information about her, but she has the most gifs! Make of that what you will.

Age 27 / Height 5’9” / Weight 128 LBS

Bust 43″ (J) / Waist 24″ / Hips 37″

Empathy: Marikawa is the school nurse and it’s apparent that she knows what she’s doing, even though she may come across as a bit of a ditz.

That said, she is likeable and funny, especially when she’s going over the symptoms of the recently infected as a student bludgeons the zombie to death behind the screen.

She also loves her designer clothes and even loses her temper when Saeko rips her skirt so that she can move more freely.

Character Arcs: I think Marikawa has the least growth out of all of the characters. She is the only adult in the group and takes on the role of the mother figure. Her knowledge and life skills are invaluable, but she’s definitely not a fighter.

It would have been interesting to see how her role would have changed once Rei’s mother joined the group, or if they ever caught up with Rika.

Goals: Marikawa seems to be in it for the ride. She’s joined up with the group of students and seems determined to stay with them. She seems to enjoy the company of the girls and even has a soft spot for Takashi.

Outside of surviving, her main goal is to find her friend, Rika, although it’ll probably be best to wait for Rika to find them. It’s a shame that it ended before Rika really got involved.

Obstacles: Being a ditz hasn’t hampered Marikawa at all. Mostly due to the group that she has around her, but she more than pulls her weight, driving the cars and offering medical and life advice.

She also took them to Rika’s house where they were able to relax, even if only for a short while, plus they got the Humvee and the guns.

Traits: Marikawa doesn’t take herself too seriously. She likes to enjoy herself and probably feels rejuvenated by being with the students. She can be a little clumsy and often knocks things with her enormous boobs. The funniest moment was when she knocked Hirano over as she ran to console Takagi.

Motivations: Her motivations seem to be focused around keeping everyone alive and searching for Rika, but she’s such an airhead she seems to forget what she’s doing a lot of the time. She tends to focus on the here and now and doesn’t worry to much about the future.

Flaws: Marikawa’s main flaw is probably how relaxed she is. Maybe it’s a by-product of her being such a ditz, but she seems to take everything in her stride, which sometimes leaves her exposed…

Vulnerabilities: She’s a sucker for designer clothes, preferring not to damage her designer skirt even if it would slow her down.

Attitude: Marikawa doesn’t seem too self-obsessed, which wouldn’t be hard to imagine for someone so attractive. Again this could be down to her carefree attitude towards life. She does have a lot of respect for the students and knows that she would have been in trouble had they not found her.

Past Influences: We don’t know a great deal about Marikawa’s past. I think they alluded that she used to work in research before taking the post as the school nurse. There seems to be more to the relationship with Rika but I think that won’t get explored now.

Kohta Hirano… you remember him. He’s the gun crazed otaku from Highschool of the Dead and not one to be taken lightly.

What are you doing now? It’s another look into what makes the characters in Highschool of the Dead tick. Yesterday, I got yelled at by Saya Takagi. Well, today I’m going to spend my time breaking down Kohta Hirano. He’s the gun-loving sharpshooter with a serious crush on Takagi.

Age 16 / Height 5’2” / Weight 196 LBS

Empathy: Hirano starts out as just some geeky otaku who happens to be in the right place at the right time, although he wouldn’t have known it at the time. In the absence of Takashi, Takagi grabs Hirano and uses him as her shield while the other students attempt to escape from the school.

Even though Takagi constantly berates him, he continues to follow her every move. However, once they are locked up in a room and assessing the tools that Takagi has gathered, Hirano shows a new light. He quickly customizes a nail gun to become a ranged weapon. He may be a geek, but he’s also deadly and things are about to get interesting.

Character Arcs: Hirano possibly showed the most growth of all of the characters. I say possibly because it’s possible that he was always that way, but only surpressing his true side. He tells Takashi later in the story that he trained with a former Black Ops agent in the States. It’s obvious he has a real love of guns and knows how to use one.

His biggest growth comes at the Takagi house when a group of adults attempt to take the guns from him. It’s then that he realised that without the guns he would go back to being another geeky otaku.

He has a darker side, like Saeko, and that gets pushed to its limits when he is forced to kill Asami, rather than see her become a zombie.

Goals: Hirano’s parents and extended family are all abroad on business so he has little chance of finding them at present. He focuses on keeping Takagi safe since she told him too and as he’s got a soft spot for her anyhow, it’s no big deal.

There are a couple of times that he butts heads with Takashi, but I don’t think he has any real desire to break away from the group. After everything they’ve been through together, they’re more of a family than a group of students.

Obstacles: Without his guns, Hirano would struggle, sure, he could fashion a weapon out of a nailgun or something similar, but it wouldn’t be as good. It also affects his confidence, which could potentially see him spiral back to shutting himself in and hoping it all passes him by.

Traits: Hirano isn’t physically gifted, but is an ace shot and know a lot about weapons. He’s calm under pressure and good at giving instructions. His love of guns have given him a unique insight, but also prepared him for dealing with the aftermath of such events.

Usually, Hirano lacks confidence in himself, but with a weapon in his hands, he turns into someone else entirely. The group don’t appear to judge him as you would expect, with the exception of Takagi, who we already know doesn’t know how to talk to people.

Motivations: Like Takashi, Hirano is driven to do what he thinks is right. He is quick to assess the situation and act appropriately, guessing what his friends are going to do before they even do it. He knew that Takashi would try to save the girl when he took that first shot with the sniper rifle.

Flaws: Hirano’s weakness is his physical strength and stamina. He’s an amazing fighter with a gun, but without one he would struggle. His fitness could use some improving, and the way things are going, it’s only a matter of time before that happens. There’s only so many days you can run from zombies without losing weight or improving stamina.

Vulnerabilities: Girls are Hirano’s Achilles’ heel. After all, he’s sixteen years old and surrounded by beautiful women. He will do whatever they ask of him and it can make him blind to certain situations, for example at the mall.

Attitude: Hirano is determined and focused, for the most part. He has realised that he changed when the dead started getting up and attacking the living. Like the others, I think he would struggle if the world returned to normal.

At times he gets frustrated with Takashi, especially when it comes to the attention he gets from Takagi, but they are becoming close friends who can discuss the serious issue when they need to.

Past Influences: Hirano’s parents live colourful lives with jobs that require them to travel a lot. I think Hirano has benefited from this with his trip to the States where he trained with former military veterans and learnt about guns. Without that training, it would be hard to say if he would have even survived the first day.

Often misunderstood, Saya Takagi is integral to the group’s survival. If only she wasn’t so blunt about everything!

What are you doing now? I imagine you’re probably full of turkey, alcohol, and goodwill, so why not sit back and join me for another dive into the characters of Highschool of the Dead.

Yesterday, I spent the day with Saeko Busujima. For today, Saya Takagi is going to be the subject of my scrutiny. Saya is often misunderstood and rubs people the wrong way but without her the group wouldn’t have been nearly as successful.

Age 16 / Height 5’1” / Weight 115 LBS

Bust 36″ (F) / Waist 23″ / Hips 34″

Empathy: Takagi is introduced as the unlikable character. Our first interaction with her is her telling Takashi off for hiding on the stairwell. From this interaction, it becomes clear that they have known each other for quite some time.

That generally continues when she grabs Hirano and uses him to help her escape the school, ordering him around and belittling his ideas. To be fair, she was right with each rebuttal. Takagi may come across as harsh and abrasive, but she is very clever and quick to analyse the situation.

Character Arcs: You would think that Takagi would soften as the story goes on, but she doesn’t and I’m glad of that. What we do see is more and more examples of how she is understanding the new world and breaking down the problems. She is incredibly astute and doesn’t crack under pressure.

If anything, I think the rest of the group become more used to her harsh attitude. They appreciate what she brings to the group and doesn’t look down on her despite her being one of the younger members.

Goals: Takagi is an interesting one when it comes to goals. She’s very practical and doesn’t have the same emotional drive to find her family. It’s funny that she then gets mad at her parents for doing the same thing when they do finally meet up.

Her main goal is to survive, using whatever and whoever she has to to do so. She has feelings for Takashi too, having grown up together but I think he sees her more as a little sister and she knows it.

Obstacles: Takagi isn’t a fighter in the same way that Saeko, Rei, and Takashi are. She’s not even that good with a weapon like Hirano, but that doesn’t stop her from stepping up when she needs to. I’m referring to the drill incident in the school and the dark moment when all appeared lost and she got out of the Humvee to join the hopeless fight.

With regards to Takashi, while it still bothers her, I think she is developing a soft spot for Hirano as evidenced in the mall when Hirano appears to be smitten with Asami and she gets jealous, although she does show enhance maturity too.

Traits: Takagi is incredibly clever. It’s an interesting twist to have one of the younger members be the brains of the group. She does struggle with the social aspect, not in a sense of not being able to talk to people, but more that she doesn’t know how to talk to people. I think she gets this from her parents.

She is very blunt and harsh, even if what she is saying makes sense. I think that makes it hard for characters and sometimes readers to relate to her, but I think she’s fascinating.

Motivations: Takagi is very analytical. She assesses every situation to the fullest, even stopping to run some tests on the zombies as she was trying to escape the school. This came in incredibly handy more than once.

Flaws: It’s definitely Takagi’s social skills. There was a point once the group had made it to Takagi’s house where she was having a discussion with Saeko. It came off as almost confrontational when that was clearly not what she was trying to do, and if you’re going to accidentally pick a fight with anyone it wouldn’t be Saeko.

Vulnerabilities: She’s not as physically strong as the others, so while she is the brains of the group, she is reliant on others for protection. It’s something she is more than aware of hence why she attached herself to Hirano at the beginning.

Attitude: Takagi has a very high opinion of herself, and whilst it may be true, it can rub people the wrong way. She could definitely work on being a little more humble, but that said it has worked for her so far.

Past Influences: Takagi’s parents have played a pivotal role in her life, whether they tried to or not is a different story. Her mother is a successful stockbroker and her father is the head of a right-wing political organisation.

This has meant that they often weren’t there for her. She has had to make it on her own, which has obviously helped her out a the start of the zombie outbreak.

She grew up in the same neighbourhood as Takashi and Rei, although I think she’s much closer with Takashi. Despite being younger than him and long time friends, she get frustrated when he loses focus and wallows.

Saeko Busujima is my favourite anime character of all time. No questions about it at all. Read on and I’ll tell you why.

What are you doing now? Firstly, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and all that jazz. Now, with that out of the way, Highschool of the Dead December can continue.

Yesterday, I looked into the character analysis of Rei Miyamoto. Today, as it’s a special day, I’m going to focus all of my attention on Saeko Busujima. She’s the undoubted best girl in the series and one of my all-time favourite characters.

Age 17 / Height 5’9” / Weight 123 LBS

Bust 33″ (D) / Waist 22″ / Hips 34″

Empathy: We first meet Saeko as she rescues Marikawa from a horde of zombies. Then she thanks the boy that was with her and offers to give him an honourable death as he’d already been bitten.

Now, if that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about Saeko, I don’t know what does. She’s strong and independent, like a ronin samurai. You may not instantly agree with her approach to life, but you better respect her commitment to the code of honour.

Saeko leads Marikawa through the school, fending off zombies and only killing when necessary, showing how calm and considered she is.

Character Arcs: At the beginning, Saeko comes off as being calm and collected. There are a couple of moments where you see the glint in her eyes or the sly smile as she rushes into combat, but that doesn’t seem too crazy, yet.

By the middle of the story, you can see that she has developed feelings for Takashi, asking him to use her first name when he addresses her. She also doesn’t seem too phased by Rei’s interest in him. Her maturity, despite her and Rei being the same age, is noticeable.

It’s not until later that we find out more of Saeko’s past, about how she was attacked on the way home from school and then defended herself, putting the attacker in hospital. The thing that upset her most was how much she enjoyed it. It’s because of that that she was not willing to allow herself to find love. She felt that she didn’t deserve it.

Goals: With her only family, her father away on business, staying alive appeared to be her only goal. Then she made a promise to Takashi and with her code of honour, her word is binding. Later, her interest in Takashi grows until she confides in him about her dark past. When he accepts her unconditionally, it seals their paths together.

Obstacles: Saeko is unusually confident and calm, most likely due to her training and code of honour. It makes it appear as if she has no problems that she can’t overcome, but her past haunts her. She watches others transforming to become more like her as a result of the zombie outbreak, but she was already like that. Her biggest roadblock was believing that anyone would accept her like that, forcing her to guard her feelings.

Traits: With her manner and serious approach to things, she commands respect and even a little bit of fear. Saeko comes across as being very formal and proper, but given the chance, she has a wild side. We don’t see too much of it in the anime and only little more in the manga. She’s confident about who she is and isn’t afraid of anything. Riding on top of a Humvee in a thong and apron is clear proof of that.

Motivations: Saeko acts like a samurai. If there is an opponent in front of her, she will face it. She doesn’t run from a fight. Her code of honour is a big driving factor in her decisions. After that, Takashi gives her a reason to continue, accepting her as she is.

Flaws: Sometimes Saeko can be a little too straightforward. She will point out stuff that others prefer not to directly address. She doesn’t always mean what she says and because of her serious nature, that often gets missed by the person she’s addressing.

Her past haunts her, leaving her to suppress her feelings. In one way it helps her fight without distractions, but then she sees something in Takashi that gives her hope for the future.

Vulnerabilities: Saeko appears to be invulnerable, but she is afraid that she’s a monster and the more she kills they further she’ll descend into the darkness. Takashi offers her hope and a reason to live when he accepts her for who she is.

Attitude: I think she causes friction with the girls because of how well she holds herself. Also, the attention from Takashi doesn’t help. That said she’s taken on the role of the older sister, rushing into combat and doing what she must to protect the group. She knows how strong she is and isn’t shy about showing it.

Past Influences: The time Saeko was attacked on the way home from school left a pretty deep scar on her personality. It forced her to shut off from others, not from fear of being attacked or having to open up about it, but she realized that she enjoyed having power over another person’s life and didn’t want to slip back into that.

It also goes against her teachings and training in Bushido, although from what I understand of her father, he would not see this as a flaw, but merely her showing her strength.

Rei Miyamoto is one tough cookie. She’s more than capable of looking after herself, but can she make amends with Komuro or are they doomed?

What are you doing now? Yesterday, I looked into the character analysis of Takashi Komuro. Keeping to the same format and style, today I’m going to be talking about Rei Miyamoto. She’s the lead female character and potential love interest of Takashi… at least that’s what they want you to think, but I’ll get into that later.

Age 17 / Height 5’5” / Weight 110 LBS

Bust 34″ (E) / Waist 22″ / Hips 35″

Empathy: Rei starts off as the damsel in distress with Takashi running in and dragging her out of class. However, it soon becomes clear that she is much stronger than that, especially with her skills in spear martial arts.

Even with that though, she needs saving a couple times in the first episode, mostly from her judgement and unwillingness to accept the situation. It’s even harder when her boyfriend turns into a zombie before her eyes.

To make matter worse for Rei, she also recently dumped the hero for his best friend, which instantly puts her in a negative light. It makes for an interesting dynamic with their relationship. They’re long time friends and he appears to still have feelings for her, but it also seems to be too hard for him to completely get past what she did to him.

Character Arcs: As I said, Rei starts out looking like your typical damsel in distress, that was until Hisashi gives her the broken mop handle to use as a weapon. It’s pretty obvious from that point that she is more than capable of looking after herself. When Hisashi turned she struggled to come to terms with it, focusing her anger on Takashi who killed the zombie Hisashi.

For a while, Rei and Takashi butt heads, mostly because they both have feelings for each other but their past decision make it difficult. Even when they were separated from the group, they went back and forth. Rei slowly starts to realize that her anger has been misplaced and that Takashi isn’t the same guy he was before the outbreak.

However, later Rei realizes that she’s most likely missed her chance as Takashi and Saeko grow closer together. In a way, this seems to free her up to focus on fighting the zombies, similar to what drove Takashi from the start. She’s still not given up on him though, and struggles to hide her jealousy.

Goals: Rei’s main drive is to find her parents. After that, I think she’s determined not to be alone. In the first episode, after Takashi killed Hisashi, he threatened to leave but she begged him to stay. At that stage, I think it was less about it being Takashi and more about not being alone.

Sure, her feelings for him grew with every courageous act he performed, but by the time she came to act on it, it was too late. I also think, she still hopes that the world will return to normal. She has a more naive and hopeful outlook that most of the group.

Obstacles: The obvious obstacles are the zombies and other survivors slowing things down. As a group, they’ve already decided that they will look for each other’s family. With Rei’s father being a senior police officer, that will be harder as he’ll likely be involved in the survival operations.

Traits: Rei is the most hopeful member of the group. She finds it hard to come to terms that they will have to give up on saving or helping people. The only exception was with Shido, and given what he did to her that’s understandable.

She is obviously very clever, Takashi mentions how it’s impossible for a top student to get held back, but for whatever reason, she doesn’t confide in him at the time.

Motivations: It’s her desire to find her parents and somehow restore the world to the way it was. I think this what makes it harder for her to accept the zombie outbreak at first.

Flaws: I think Rei’s naivety is her biggest weakness, but I also think that she goes a long way towards addressing that as the story continues. It would be silly to say that dumping Takashi was a short coming, but it was obviously something she starts to regret as he proves his worth time and time again.

Vulnerabilities: Her anger towards Shido, whilst understandable does lead Rei to make some ill advised decisions. Again, she does work on it through the story, but I get the impression that not finishing him when she had the chance would have come back to haunt her had the story continued.

Attitude: Rei is confident in herself and also puts faith in those around her. She is respectful of others positions and observes all the correct addresses, often refering to Saeko as an elder, since she was forced to repeat the year even though they are the same age.

Others see her as dependable, although Saeko notices her insecurities.

Past Influences: One of Rei’s biggest influences on her life is her friendship with Takashi. They’ve known each other for a long time and even made future plans together, even if they didn’t quite go to plan.

She draws strength from her parents and doesn’t make a fuss when forced to retake the year even though it brought her father to tears. She has been quietly determined to make Shido pay but is prepared to wait for the right moment to do so.

The death of Hisashi in the first episode changed her outlook on life, making her realize that Takashi isn’t a bad guy and does have drive. Maybe it wasn’t visible before the outbreak, but it is now. Even so, she can’t help but compare him to Hisashi which hampers her attempts to reconcile with him.