From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I"s (アイズ, Aizu
?) is a Japanese teenage romance manga by Masakazu Katsura. Originally
serialized in Shueisha's
Weekly Shōnen Jump in Japan from 1997 to 1999, the series
was collected into 15 bound volumes, the first of which was
released in the United States by Viz Media in March 2005.
The story's main character is 16-year-old high school student
Ichitaka Seto who is in love with his classmate Iori Yoshizuki, but
too shy to tell her. Again and again he plans to tell her his true
feelings, but each time something (usually a misunderstanding of
some kind) gets in the way. Things become even more complicated
when Itsuki Akiba, a girl Ichitaka was friends with in their
childhood before she moved to the United States and who had a huge
crush on him, returns to Japan.
There was also a two-episode OVA,
From I"s (most frequently referred to as just I"s
OVA), based on the manga released in 2002, and a new six-part
OVA, called I"s Pure, was released in 2005 and 2006. Both
I"s and I"s Pure were licensed in the United
Stated by Viz Media, and
they were released as a box-set on March 24, 2009.[1]
Characters
The focal characters of I"s; Itsuki (left), Ichitaka (top), and
Iori (bottom).
- Ichitaka Seto (瀬戸 一貴, Seto
Ichitaka
?)
- Ichitaka Seto was born October 3, 1980 has a generally shy and
reserved nature, and, due to misfortunes with girls when he was
younger, he has acquired a reflexively defensive posture when
dealing with women. Thus, he's prone to rude comments when it seems
some people are just trying to help, and can place an emotional
wall in front of himself when people ask about his feelings. Many
complications get in the way of Ichitaka's goal of being with Iori,
such as amorous pursuits made towards him by other girls (notably
Izumi, who can be seen as being the most assertive in showing her
feelings). Regardless, he constantly thinks about Iori and it would
seem he'd want nothing more than for her to be his girlfriend.
Throughout the series he finds himself lost in daydreaming or
imagination, and several times, he even drifts off right in front
of Iori.
- Iori Yoshizuki (葦月 伊織, Yoshizuki
Iori
?)
- Iori Yoshizuki was born March 21, 1981 (she is 16 years old as
the series begins). Iori is prim, proper, and friendly, not to
mention gorgeous. She's a young lady who's easy to like and get
along with. This generally positive outlook is put to the test from
the beginning of the series, which opens on a magazine article
featuring Iori in a swimsuit spread. Suddenly, Iori's the center of
attention, and she finds it difficult to differentiate whether
people (particularly men) like her for herself or her beauty.
- Itsuki Akiba (秋葉 いつき, Akiba
Itsuki
?)
- Itsuki Akiba was born October 20 ,loud, reckless, and
shameless, and seems to be a complete opposite of Iori, including
her affinity towards wearing boyish clothing and having a short
haircut. Itsuki and Ichitaka had been friends since grade school,
with Itsuki (although a year younger) often being an emotional
coach to Ichitaka, particularly with women. The two seemed to
become closer than friends in their young life, a relationship that
was suddenly interrupted when Itsuki moved away to America years
before the series begins. Itsuki just as abruptly returns to
Ichitaka's life soon after the series starts, now a fully grown
young lady, but still with real feelings for Ichitaka. But halfway
through the series, she goes back to America to work with a
world-renowned sculptor and is further unseen. After she's gone
though, she occasionally appears in Ichitaka's mind to scold him
during his bouts of self-pity, though these manifestations are
really Ichitaka's subconscious trying to tell him something
important.
- Izumi Isozaki (磯崎 泉, Isozaki
Izumi
?)
- Izumi Isozaki Virgo is two years younger than the
other characters and is very much like Itsuki Akiba. However, she
isn't as shy in expressing her emotions, especially her love for
Ichitaka Seto. In fact, she announces her love to pretty much
everyone she knows. Also, she's more daring and is quite
superstitious when it comes to love. She constantly tails Seto, and
on more than one occasion, had tried to seduce Seto to go to bed
with her in order to prove her love. Izumi persists in attempting
to obtain Seto's love and says that she will try whatever it takes
to get him to be with her. She is introduced half-way through the
manga, where she meets Seto on the beach on their summer vacation,
and after that, she discovers that they go to the same school. She
falls for Seto after he defends her from her overly-aggressive
boyfriend, and tricks him into going on dates throughout the
series. She is determined that he is her soulmate, and she wants
him to be her boyfriend.
- Aiko Asou (麻生 藍子, Asō
Aiko
?)
- Although her name does not begin with an "I," the "Ai" from
"Aiko" represents an "i" sound in Japanese, indirectly marking her
as an "i." She is Gemini quite ditzy, scatterbrained
and is prone to losing or misplacing her possessions, but she's
also very nice, kind, and unbelievably cheerful, even in bad
situations. Also, she looks almost exactly like Iori Yoshizuki,
save for a mole under her left eye. Her uncanny resemblance to Iori
causes Seto some complications when she is introduced
three-quarters of a way through the manga. She, as well as Seto,
falls in love with one another at a later point once they meet.
Asou realizes this is a potential problem for Seto and decides to
move away in order to keep Seto's and Iori's love intact.
One of the series' running gags is the odd similarities between
the women who get in the way of Ichitaka being with Iori. Not only
do they all have I names (or AI in the case of Aiko Asou) but they
all appear very similar in appearance. Izumi looks like Iori when
she has long hair and like Itsuki when she has cut it short. Aiko
also looks like Iori but this time more of a near perfect double
with the exception of a mole on her cheek.
- Yasumasa Teratani (寺谷 靖雅, Teratani
Yasumasa
?)
- Yasumasa Teratani is Ichitaka's best friend who seems to think
himself a pro with the opposite gender despite his somewhat nerdy
appearance and lack of success with girls. He is often found giving
Seto encouragement and good advice. Though sometimes his help is
unwarranted and sometimes ends up in a bad situation, it seems that
he means well with his actions and is bummed when Seto doesn't
succeed. Ichitaka spends a considerable amount of time through the
story continuing to ask for advice, but as the story progresses he
learns to not rely so heavily on him. He is generally interpreted
as well-meaning but also a jerk, a pervert, and not exactly the
smartest person in the series.
- Jun Koshinae (越苗 純, Koshinae
Jun
?)
- Jun Koshinae is a friend from Ichitaka's class. He is first
introduced in Volume 4, during a school trip to Kyoto, when he is paired with Iori. He first
seems a threat to Ichitaka, for he seems to be in love with Iori,
but eventually, he turns out to be homosexual and is in
love with Higemi-sensei, their teacher. Because Higemi-sensei is
paired with Ichitaka, Koshinae requests for a trade, bringing the
happy Ichitaka back to his crush. From that point on, Jun becomes
one of Ichitaka's best friends, and an important listener when he
isn't comforted with the advice he got from Teratani. Though he
hates physical aggression, he is a very adept martial artist when
need be.
- Nami Tachiba (Tachiba
Nami)
- Nami is a classmate of Ichitaka, Iori, Teratani, and others,
and is generally the mood-maker of the group whenever they are all
together on a trip, school project, etc. She is very energetic and
cheerful and loves to express herself, though her tomboyish and
carefree attitude can make others feel awkward at times. She comes
from a very rich family, as it is evident halfway through the manga
when the group comes over to her house to organize a group project.
Some interpret her as a slut and female pervert, since she has
tried to get people to sleep together and has shown off her body
numerous times.
- Yuka Morisaki (森崎 祐加, Morisaki
Yuka
?)
- Yuka is another classmate of Ichitaka/Iori's, and along with
Nami, is one of Iori's closest friends. Though she doesn't stand
out too much among the rest of the group, she seems to be the only
one that Iori can talk deeply to about her issues in life. She (to
everyone's surprise) develops a crush on Teratani halfway through
the manga, though when he ends up rejecting her those feelings
turns into that of contempt. She doesn't exactly hate Ichitaka, but
is put off by his timidness. In the end, she supports him all the
way.
- "Marionette King"
- A former senior in Ichitaka's high school, he is the main
recurring villain of the manga. A sexual deviant, he tries to take
advantage of Iori no less than three times throughout the manga
with various schemes, but is foiled by Ichitaka every single time.
After his unsuccessful first attempt he is expelled from the
school, after his second attempt he becomes a drug addict on the
verge of insanity, and plays a major role in the manga's final
story arc. "Marionette King" is his Internet handle, and his real name is never mentioned
in the manga (although in the I"s Pure OVA, his real name is
finally mentioned - Samejima).
- Kida Mokichi (Mokichi
Kida)
- A classmate of Ichitaka and Iori, and he looks very much like a
frog. He is totally perverted and when he sees Iori in the Fuwarin
commercial, he becomes what can best be described as a "total
psycho", believing that he and Iori are destined to be together. He
has tried numerous times to sleep with Iori. After high school, he
plays a minor part in the entire plot. He appears once or twice
afterwards, but beyond that, he could be considered a minor
character.
- Myoko
- Ichitaka's first crush. When she found out about his feelings
back in sixth grade, she promptly told him to leave her alone, and
she thought he was gross. This started Ichitaka's
"bad-luck-with-the-ladies-itis", and made him promise with Itsuki
that they would get married someday. Myoko often comes back to
haunt Ichitaka in the first half of the series through wild
daydreams and hallucinations, but this has stopped as Ichitaka's
confidence grew.
- An interesting note: there is a girl in Ichitaka's graduating
class named Myoko, though whether she is the Myoko referred to here
is highly questionable.
Manga
Volumes
- Volume 1 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872411-9; American
edition: ISBN 1-59116-952-6)
- Volume 2 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872412-7; American
edition: ISBN 1-59116-953-4)
- Volume 3 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872506-9; American
edition: ISBN 1-59116-969-0)
- Volume 4 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872531-X; American
edition: ISBN 1-4215-0054-X)
- Volume 5 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872553-0; American
edition: ISBN 1-4215-0188-0)
- Volume 6 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872592-1; American
edition: ISBN 1-4215-0333-6)
- Volume 7 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872617-0; American
edition: ISBN 1-4215-0648-3)
- Volume 8 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872639-1; American
edition: ISBN 1-4215-0649-1)
- Volume 9 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872681-2; American
edition: ISBN 1-4215-0650-5)
- Volume 10 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872727-4; American
edition: ISBN 1-4215-0651-3)
- Volume 11 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872747-9; American
edition: ISBN 1-4215-0652-1)
- Volume 12 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872791-6; American
edition: ISBN 1-4215-1074-X)
- Volume 13 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872821-1; American
edition: ISBN 1-4215-1075-8)
- Volume 14 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872846-7; American
edition: ISBN 1-4215-1076-6)
- Volume 15 (Japanese edition: ISBN 4-08-872887-4; American
edition: ISBN 1-4215-1077-4)
Edits in the English
editions
Several of the English volumes of I"s include editing,
covering nipples to tone down
the series' nudity, as VIZ
stated "to fit the criteria of audiences in the U.S.". These edits
were done with the approval of Katsura.[1] However, as of the 13th through 15th
volumes, the censorship of nudity has ceased.
- In Volume 1 on page 65, In the picture of Iori's head put onto
a nude model, Iori's nipples were covered by stars.
- In Volume 2 on page 116, when Ichitaka accidentally walks in on
Itsuki coming out of the shower, Itsuki's nipple was replaced with
a water droplet.
- In Volume 3 on page 51, Kyoko's exposed breasts are covered
with water bubbles.
- In Volume 7 on page 8, Nami's nipple is covered by the sound
effect "sloop"
- In Volume 8 Nami's and Iori's nipples are covered by wisps of
steam on pages 70 and 80, Izumi's nipples are erased on pages 77
and 82, and Izumi's nipples are covered in water bubbles on page
90.
- In Volume 12 on page 15 Iori's nipples are erased, and her
lower area is covered by a wisp of steam.
From I"s
OVA
From I"s (フロムアイズ, Furomu Aizu
?) is the first OVA based on I"s,
consisting of two 30-minute episodes, released December 9, 2002 and
March 19, 2003, respectively. A box set containing both episodes as well as a
making
of documentary on a third DVD, was released on March 25, 2004.
The story of From I"s is not an adaptation of a story from
the manga, but a new story set during the characters' summer
holidays.
Plot
summary
Iori spends her holidays working as an actress, shooting a movie
at the waterside of a lake, which has a mysterious small island
called Lover's Island at its center. Ichitaka, on a biking trip,
coincidentally makes a stop at the location where Iori is shooting.
Meanwhile, Itsuki returned from her job as a molding artist in the
United States and plans to meet her childhood friend Yosuke to
fulfill a promise they made ten years ago. Walking along the
railroad track she, Yosuke and Ichitaka went along ten years ago,
Itsuki is confused when she sees the lake with the small island in
it at one side of the track, as she does not remember there being a
lake. Yosuke, along with three of his biker friends, is also on his way to meet
with Itsuki. However, the other bikers reveal to him that they are
planning to rape Itsuki. He drives
ahead to save Itsuki from them, but drops from his motorbike just
as he crosses her path. The other bikers close in on him, stab him
and let him drop into the lake (which he can not remember being
there when he was a child). As the bikers spot Itsuki, she runs
away.
Yasumasa and his friends want to pick up Iori at the Lake Side
Hotel, but she already left as her shooting finished early.
Meanwhile, she meets Ichitaka and they decide to take a boat and
row across the lake to the island. As they arrive, Ichitaka
recognizes the island as the place he, Yosuke and Itsuki visited as
children, although back then there was no lake around it. Just
then, Iori and Ichiitaka hear Itsuki on the other side of the lake
screaming for help as the bikers found her and now want to rape and
kill her. Ichitaka quickly rows over, leaving Iori alone on the
island. He manages to hold back two of the bikers, but their leader
knocks Itsuki out and abducts her on his motorbike. As it starts to
rain heavy, Ichitaka follows them, while Yasumasa and his friends,
who suddenly show up, take out the two bikers. Ichitaka takes a
shortcut across a fragile old plank bridge to catch up with them,
but the bridge collapses. Swinging down on one of the ropes that
hold the bridge, Ichitaka grabs Itsuki from the back of the
motorbike. Together, they drop into a stream and as they regain
consciousness, find themselves at the waterside of the lake with
the ghost of their childhood friend Yosuke standing nearby. Across
the lake, they spot Iori on Lover's Island, close to drowning as
the heavy rain threatens to flood the tiny island. As no boat is
around, Yosuke reminds Ichitaka of a secret cave they found nearby
when they were kids, that leads to the island. However, the cave is
flooded with rain, and Ichitaka has to dive through the last part
and manages to save Iori from drowning at the last second.
After saving Iori, everyone is playing beside the dock, and
Itsuki wonders where Yosuke went. The scene after shows the local
police searching for Yosuke's body in the water, but to no avail.
High above the dam, Yosuke appears on a cliff, smiling, and then
his spirit fades away. It is assumed that he died from the stabbing
wound inflicted on him earlier on in the OVA.
Voice
actors
I"s Pure
OVA
I"s Pure is the second OVA based on
I"s, a 6-episode OVA series animated by ARMS, produced by
Pierrot, and
released on DVD in Japan by Liverpool. There is also a DVD volume 0
containing promotional and background material.
Episodes
- "Au commencement" (French for the beginning;
released December 9, 2005)
- "Souvenir" (French for to remember; released January
27, 2006)
- "Adieu" (French for Good-bye; released February 24,
2006)
- "Vertige" (French for giddiness; released March 24,
2006)
- "Déclaration d'amour" (French for declaration of love;
released May 26, 2006)
- "Ensemble" (French for together; released June 23,
2006)
OVA/Manga Differences
The OVA generally follows the main plot of the manga, but due to
the shorter nature of the OVA, few of the main characters play a
less prominent role (for example, Itsuki only lasts two episodes
before her departure and Izumi only appears in the beach storyline
arc from manga volume 8) and others such as Jun and Aiko are
omitted altogether. Due to the missing characters, there are many
situations in the OVA that follow the plot in the manga but are
played out by different characters.
Voice
actors
Video
games
A video game based
on the I"s Pure OVA and also called I"s Pure was
released on November 9, 2006 for the PlayStation 2 in Japan.
Additionally, despite being a romantic dramedy,
four characters from I"s (Iori, Itsuki, Ichitaka and
Izumi) are featured in Jump Ultimate Stars, a
fighting game featuring many characters from popular Shōnen
Jump series. None of the I"s characters fight
directly, and simply serve a support role for other characters.
Notes and
references
- ^ "Viz Responds Regarding Manga
Edits". Anime News Network. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=6449. Retrieved February 1,
2006.
References
- ^
"Box Set with Viz's I"s, I"s
Pure Listed on Retail Site (Update 2)".
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-01-07/box-set-with-viz-i-s-i-s-pure-listed-on-retail-site. Retrieved
2009-01-17.
External
links
- Liverpool Publisher of I"s Pure OVA
(Japanese)
- [2] Masakazu
Katsura's offical website for I"s (Japanese)
Shueisha
Viz Media
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