GOKUSEN NOTES

MK

This is a series of notes on each part of the Gokusen 30kisses theme for Shin x Kumiko. I've done my best to list references to anime/manga/drama, the character combinations, research I had to do, where certain things came from and also answer questions I wasn't able to answer because they were on, say, Hope this is helpful to some of you, at least.

Needless to say, this contains spoilers for the anime, manga, drama, and my fic.

But seriously. Thank you to Chibi, my beta-reader (Love you!), and Mikon, Seo… you know, the lovelies who were so helpful during everything. Sorry I pestered you so much!

This fic is being continued by Seo, you can read her ideas and such on her LJ at http: I'll probably write a few shorts for this later, too.

GENERAL REPLIES & INQUIRIES

Manga: Some of you asked who is going to be scanlating the Gokusen manga now that Ushi has closed. In an incredibly greedy twist of fate on my part, my group is! Impossibility ( http: ) has already started, and at the time I'm writing this has just started on volume 7.

Shinohara: Some of you were upset happy that I've set him as bi. I didn't actually do it to eliminate a love-triangle (though that was a side benefit). I just did it because I honestly see him that way in the drama. And in the manga/anime? Well, he's straight there, but he can't have Yankumi. He says so himself. Don't think I hate him! I actually really, really like him!

Format Aqua noticed (and I'm sure several others) that the formatting on is really crappy. Sometimes the paragraphs indent, usually they don't, and it gets all stretched out. I really can't help that. My word docs are nicely formatted, and the conversion to text with line breaks isn't bad (but not perfect), but when I upload it… Suffice to say the best format is on my LJ, http: and a good runner up is on my site, http:fics. . I actually had to re-upload chapter one on the formatting was sooooo bad, and it still is. ; Sorry.

Spelling: There are a few errors, but I've tried to catch as many as I could, and so has chibi! Some things are the Canadian spelling, some are…me screwing up. ; On the word "damnit", that's how I've always seen it spelled in books, not because I'm against swearing—'damn' 'damn it' 'damnit'.

Part – title – theme

01 – Oi. Look Over Here

When Yankumi yells about using calculators in a warehouse, this is a re-working of an actual line from the manga, early on, probably in volume one.

Writing 9-1 on the right and 0-9 on the left is a trick for the nine-times-table that my dad taught me when I was a kid, because I actually never learned the times tables. Math is my worst subject.

Tenkai-Kumi office, this happens before Shin fights Yankumi in volume one. (Also in the anime, but not the drama). Yankumi dresses up in full Yakuza-Ojou garb for a meeting while Ojii-san is in the hospital.

Staying over to escape family problems – In the manga and anime, Yankumi and Kyo rescue Shin from his house where he is being held captive, and he stays the night with them.

Tetsu in the drama is in love with Yankumi. Tetsu and Minoru are physically reversed from the animanga/drama. I generally work with Drama-Tetsu because he had a lot of fun things going on.

Loosing her cell phone – Yankumi accidentally drops her cell in the drama, which Shin finds and returns to her house, thus discovering her Yakuza background.

02 – Inconceivable! News, letter

The title is a reference to The Princess Bride. "Inconceivable!" the genius yells, but each time it really is quite conceivable.

Nakashima is from the drama, she is the school nurse. In some episodes I've seen her name written this way, but later it is written Wakashima or something like that. I stuck with the information on Emily's Gokusen Page.

Shinohara is mostly drama, a detective, not the Kuroda lawyer. I actually am convinced he is bisexual, even though at the end of the drama he says he is interested in Yankumi. He has grasped Tetsu's hand and actually shown interest in him. I didn't "make him gay" in order to avert a love triangle, far from it. I actually wanted other characters in this to have problems outside of Shin and Yankumi; Tetsu and Shinohara were my favourites, and since it had appeared plausible in the drama, I went with it. I'm glad I did.

Fujiyama is a tough combination of anime/manga/drama, but you'll see a lot of drama in her early on simply because I was watching a lot of it at the time.

Gifts on the way home – in the manga, Yankumi is given things like this by the locals on her way home, and they tease her about finally catching Shinohara.

List of reasons Sawada is different – all references mostly to manga. In manga, Kumiko also often goes up to the roof to ask Shin for advice or information. He will act cool and pretend to be unwilling, then say something really helpful and/or get involved. That or Yankumi will –make- him involved, IE, captain of boxing team.

Grandfather – Again a kind of combo of animanga/drama. I liked how grandfatherly he was in the drama, but again, he's the boss of the Yakuza, so I occasionally have him swear or do something more Boss-like.

The story about Yankumi's parents is almost entirely made up. In the manga, they discuss the history of the Kuroda family, and vaguely mention that her mother didn't like the Yakuza, but there isn't a lot of detail.

03 – Swiftly. Jolt!

Shin's actions here are primarily drama with bits and pieces of animanga. He actually does this acting cool when he's angry thing, and it's really, really cute. XD

Staff leaving—In the animanga, Head Teacher (They sometimes call him Vice Principal, since that's the Western equivalent) tells Yankumi and Fujiyama to travel in groups and wear good running shoes. The teachers walk in a line chanting like they have some kind of mantra to scare off students, and all make a run for it. Head Teacher wears a yellow safety helmet like you would see at a construction site.

In the drama, Tetsu and Minoru run a Takoyaki stand. Takoyaki is little pieces of octopus (tako) inside a cooked dough-ball. You can see a funny clip involving them at the end of one of the Cardcaptor Sakura movies involving Kero and Suppi. Taaaa-koooo-yaaaaa-kiiiii! 3

Some of you wondered why Yankumi starts calling him "Shin" here. You can see she starts trying to say "Sawada" but kind of gives up. I think of this as the first point where Yankumi fully realizes Shin is outside the bounds of everything else around her. He's completely different, and he's just going to keep on calling her Kumiko, so she might as well treat him the same way. This is from Shin's perspective though, of course. I tried to make the perspectives interesting like that. I just hope it didn't shaft things.

Kyo isn't in the drama as far as I can tell. There is one guy I think of as the Kyo-Equivalent, but essentially, he's missing. Kyo in the manga is my favourite—a big, tough guy who served as a father-figure for Kumiko growing up. He's kind of the epitome of the standard Yakuza in the Gokusen universe - he can kill, he drinks like there's no tomorrow, fights, etc, but will cry at little provocation and attempt Hara Kiri for pretending to hit his Ojou.

Grandfather asks Shin to call him "Oji-san", which means "Uncle". In Japan, many people will call an older man "Uncle" even if he's unrelated to them, but it's a friendly thing. Near the end of the series, Shin will call him "Ojii-san", or "Grandfather".

04 – Whammy Our Distance and That Person

In a later manga volume (I think it's 4 or 6), Shin saves Kyo's life in a knife fight on the street. Kyo promptly takes him out for a night on the town and gives him the Yakuza nickname "Young Master Red Lion". Shin wakes up hung-over at Yankumi's the next day.

Kyo, as the highest ranked of the Kumi, is called "Young Chief" by lower Kumi like Tetsu and Minoru.

Uma-no-O. In either 4 or 6 of the manga, Yankumi is approached by another clan for an Omiai (meeting to discuss a possible arranged marriage.). The man proposing is the Uma-no-O, and Yankumi, trying to find a way out of it, comes to the meeting prepared with fighting clothes and a bokken (wooden sword). She tells him, basically, that she cannot marry someone she cannot respect, and so they will decide whether or not to marry with a fight. The Uma-no-O is goofily foolish and head over heels in love and is convinced, like something out of Ranma, to go easy on her so she can play hard to get and eventually give in. Yankumi of course kicks his ass in about three seconds.

In the drama, Yankumi mentions that Hot Pot is her favourite food and they have it once-weekly. In the manga, when she first moves into the Ooedo household, she asks Kyo to make gratin, her favourite food, for her, and he gets beaten up by a higher-Kumi.

In the drama, Ojii-san makes it clear he approves of Shin. Same goes for Kyo and Ojii-san in the manga. In the anime, Ojii-san says Shin is truly a man.

"Everything is training but training isn't everything". Yankumi means that any daily activity (even eating) can be training to be stronger (this is a theme in the Ranma manga and maybe a reworking of a quote from an old Ranma fic I really liked), but that just training doesn't make someone strong. Shin's response implies that he has to train in order to beat her in a fight, but without her affection, it's useless. XD

05 – Brunch Ano sa…

I…am not super at cooking. I measure the water when I make Kraft Dinner. I have ruined instant brownie mixes. And yes, it took me a long time to learn to slice things in similar sizes so they would cook at the same time. ;

Yankumi is seen in the drama marking tests and papers in very casual clothing and/or pyjamas with her hair done up in a goofy way. This is pretty much how I am at home too, so I went with it.

Melon Juice. While Yankumi makes it clear in the drama that she loves bowling, I haven't seen her say anything about a favourite drink, so I just picked something commonly available in vending machines over there. Melon juice.

Training methods—mostly taken from the manga flashback to Kyo training Yankumi when she was young, partly taken from being a big geeky Ranma fan for a long time.

"Kindochi", not actually meaning anything or taken from anything, but a really random assembling of characters from various manga on my shelf.

In the drama, at a bar, Shinohara asks Kumiko what movies she likes and she replies without thinking, then changes her answer to romances at the look on his face. Shinohara proceeds to extol the virtues of his favourite movie, Romeo & Juliet. OO Come on, he's totally bi.

06 – Post Secondary The Space Between Dream and Reality

This theme is mostly taken to be…dream sequences, fevers, that kind of thing. I took it more as what could be, what should be, and what was.

Animanga/drama, Yankumi's scary expression (complete, often, with flames and a dragon behind her) is called her "Devil Face". Even Shin is scared of it.

When Yankumi gets upset, she slips into Yakuza-slang/tone/attitude.

07 – Sport of Kings Superstar

When I was a kid and managed to do something incredibly stupid, we would say I was a "pro-star". (Often a Mario reference.) This though? Well, throughout the drama, Yankumi shows little details of how much she loves bowling. (Especially the episode where Shin's sister visits, or Kuma's love episode.) So I went with it.

I've only been bowling twice. Once, for my 10th birthday party, and once on a school trip. It was fun, but I'm Canadian. I like hockey.

In the Drama, Yankumi meets Shin on the way home and he is preparing instant ramen for dinner. She says that's no way to eat, buys dinner and they have a kind of parent-teacher conference except his family isn't there. He asks if she can actually cook and she replies "Of course in preparation for married life I can't neglect my cooking!" but what comes out is a burnt, nasty...thing. They eat instant ramen instead, and Shin makes it.

The title of this part comes from a Yosuke Kobuzuka Kubozuka? movie called "Ping Pong", in which the virtues of Ping Pong are extolled and it is named "The Sport of Kings". Originally, I was going to use ping pong instead of bowling. But then they wouldn't be able to throw their wonky shoes at each other. XD

08 – Movie Night Our Own World

This theme sounds really romantic at first, but what I immediately thought about was the world Yankumi and the Yakuza exist in, the world normal people exist in, and the way Shin straddles the two and is slipping into the Yakuza world. I didn't want to get too dark this early though, so I had to show how the Yakuza world isn't exactly what you might expect.

The only "yakuza movies" I've seen are by Akira Kurosawa. So I did some research online, picked a popular director and went with it. All and any references to movies here are movies I have never seen, so I can't actually recommend them. They seem popular enough, though.

This is the first part where Fujiyama shows more of her animanga characteristics—wanting to sleep with students, a love of pretty boys, etc. Nakashima is, of course, of the three of them the most balanced and tricky, working with one and then the other but being a genuinely good-natured person.

The idea that Shin is slowly becoming a part of the Yakuza was something I didn't want to make very easy. Yankumi of course has trouble with it earlier than Shin, but both of them have to realize it's not something you just do like joining a club. It's joining the –underworld-, and it's not necessarily pretty.

Last episode of the anime (or maybe this happens in the manga, I forget) Yankumi tells either Shin or all of 3-D that whoever is late/last will have to clean the toilets.

Kikawa college is actually "Kikkawa College at ITC", a school where you learn massage in Toronto. I see ads for it a lot on the subway on my way to and from class, so...

09 – Between Men Dash

Masked RiderKamen Rider – Kind of like power rangers, it's another goofy kids show along the lines of Live Action Sailor Moon. Personally, I love LASM, but if Shin watched that kind of thing it would be incredibly embarrassing. (He doesn't.) Basically, it's a joke.

The return of Uma-no-O! This refers again to v 4 and 6 of the manga, and in the fic, part 4.

In the last episode of the anime, Shin exhausts himself fighting this guy to save Yankumi, then heaves her up on his back and starts to carry her away and she murmurs "Shinohara-senseiiiii" in a pervy voice in her sleep, and he gets mad. Then he has to join in a big Yakuza-fight against the Nekomata, even though he's already way past his reserves. When the fight is over, Yankumi wakes up and sees Shinohara arriving and oohs and ahhs over him. Shin gives Shinohara a dirty look and says "You're late". Oooh, the tension, the jealousy!

"stop sticking your nose in Yakuza business". When they investigate drug sales by the Nekomata at their school, Yankumi drops Shin off on the way home (he is injured) and tells him to never stick his nose in her business again just because he thinks it's interesting. Shin is clearly involved for more than just "interest", but Yankumi has no idea and is very upset that one of her students was injured for her.

10 – Avoidance Reaction The Number 10

People asked where the #10 was in this. I would feel really, reaaaally awkward actually putting it in (too obvious!) so instead I thought of it as a general math reference. "Let's all work on number 10", or "the answer is ten", that kind of thing. It's not actually stated.

Fujiyama here is more drama. Yankumi had to teach her English class for awhile, (and it turned out she sucks at English and Shin happens to be amazing at it).

Iwamoto-sensei is the gym teacher.

Taiyaki is a pastry with sweet filling, often in the shape of a fish. It's really, really cute, and though I've never had one, I really want to try one.

"Avoidance Reaction" is the method by which paramecium travel. They move forward, bump into something, turn slightly to avoid it, move forward, bump into something… It seemed to fit the way Yankumi deals with Shin very well. Paramecium can't see.

11 – Presentation Gardenia

One of my favourite parts of this. Gardenia is a feminine scent that reminds me of mothers with large, overflowing gardens in the backyard. Shin's family has something like this, but his household is the last place you'd expect such scenery.

Kuroda Ryuuichirou- Ojii-san's full name, he is often called a Dragon.

Shin deliberately speaks more like a punk around his father. In volume 6 of the manga, we flashback to just after he dyed his hair red, and he says it's one more reason his father will have to let him live on his own—the son of a senator can't look like that.

Again, the story Ojii-san tells was totally made up by me and has little to do with the actual series. But hopefully it fits.

12 – Test of Strength In a Good Mood

This doesn't seem to happen in the animanga, but in the drama, Yankumi psyches herself and others up for things by facing the same direction as them, throwing her fist into the air and yelling "FAITO!" (Fight!) and then all together they do the same and say "O!"

English/etc marks refer back to Drama episode where Yankumi has to teach English so Fujiyama can stay on as a teacher.

13 – Yankumi the Spy Excessive Chain

Aaand we return to Tetsu and Shinohara!

The title is an obvious reference to Harriett the Spy.

Shinohara has one of those poker-faces. He always seems happy and slightly oblivious, but you know he catches way more than he appears to, otherwise he wouldn't be the amazing police officer that he is. With all the time he's spent with Yankumi, I'm pretty sure he knows she's Yakuza, even if few others do.

Er…unfortunately, I have this ideal in the back of my head where Shinohara is a seme not unlike the guy who runs the dojo in Bokura no Oukoku, or whatshisface's gay Uncle. Poor Tetsu.

14 – Visiting Hours Radio-Cassette Player

Any references to how you prepare to move are just from experience. And good advice, to boot!

I base Shin's apartment off of the drama—black walls, little lighting, one room. It's not bad though, he had an interesting style set up. I'm surprised the apartment manager let him paint it black.

Kyo calls Uchi "blondie". His persona is animanga (because that was too easy!) but his looks are drama because... I kind of have a crush on drama-Uchi. I'm going to have to re-watch the GTO drama again.

Remember, Kuma was with Shin in the animanga when they followed Yankumi home to a Yakuza household! She had to pretend she owed them money.

15 – The Best Perfect Blue

Okay, so Shin's speech here is a little OOC. I apologize, I really do. I'll go back sometime and re-write it. One of you suggested that if he reads it with a smirk and a bit of sarcasm it works, so you can try that.

The graduation scene is loosely based off the last episode of the drama. I watched it, but it didn't have subtitles at this time. Sorry.

Shin's hair is obviously red as in animanga. Household is based off drama (because it's in full colour and we get to see Yankumi's red room.)

16 – Antiphonal Invincible, Unrivaled

"Kampai!" is the equivalent of "Cheers!"

A karaoke box—you can rent a room with a karaoke machine, food, drinks, etc, and have a mini-party. They rent by the hour and aren't overly expensive because Karaoke (car-ah-oh-kay) is way more popular with asian people and overseas than it is in western culture. I can't imagine singing in front of my friends. OO At all.

Old Baldy/The Principal – From the animanga, primarily. He's too much fun to give up.

3-D-gumi clearly cheer Shin on for living with a woman, Minami implies they might have sex. Yankumi is clueless, this leads up to the next part.

17 – Trial and Error Kilohertz

Continues from the previous part. 3-D is way too much fun.

(By the way, they aren't "3-D" in the animanga. They have a different class number and are in second year of school, but they're 3-D in the drama. I had to have Shin graduate. I can't have them in a full relationship if she's still his teacher, sorry. I don't think Yankumi could do that, either, which is why she relaxes a lot more after he graduates.)

Oh yes. This part is the requested "Shin Shower Scene" SSS for Seo. If you'd like the live action equivalent, watch Kindaichi season 3 episode 2 of the drama. He's like 15 at the time, but it's worth it.

Baths – This is an old style house, so I generally work with a furo instead of a shower. By bath, they mean use the furo.

18 – Palatable say "ahh"

When I saw this theme, all I could think of was Akane trying to feed that bird the magic pill in the Ranma OVAs. I know, I know, I'm sorry, I keep going back to Ranma. ; At any rate, I went with illness. It seemed to make sense.

Shin speaks with a cold in this part, just like Yankumi speaks with a cold in the next one. I included translations at the end, but I think it's easy enough to understand as is.

Yankumi refers again to the last episode of the anime—the reason the Nekomata could capture her was because she was feverish and sick. This is, again, when she says Shinohara's name in her sleep and pisses off Shin, which is why he gets angry and won't talk about it.

The expression Shin makes is in the drama. Watch. 3

19 – Compress red

The title can refer to a cold compress (a wet towel to cool feverish skin) or to condense something.

Kamen Rider – the second reference to Masked Rider! Again, it's like Power Rangers.

Cards – I actually had to think hard to remember how to play Go Fish. That is –so- sad.

The "damnit."'s interspersing Yankumi during the game are in Shin's head. It's not the kind of thing he'd get excessively upset over, but it is frustrating. They all have the same tone.

My hot water bottle looks like this. Originally the only red in this piece was going to be from Yankumi's perspective looking around the room, but I realized this had to be Shin's POV, so…

Actually, it's a little heavy-handed. I'm not fond of it.

20 – All In the Family The Road Home

The re-appearance of Sawada Natsumi! She appears in the drama with some family issues (the same ones as Shin). In the animanga, Shin has an older brother who was the model child but left home and gave up his spot as successor. In the drama, Shin leaves because he can't stand how suffocating it is, and leaves his sister there.

Kyo tries to do things like spike Shin's drink in the manga. It's the kind of thing Yankumi takes offence to, but it's also a kind of game between the three of them. Ah, family.

Tetsu is awkward around girls. It's a fact.

Important Person – kind of a CLAMP reference. Basically, the person Shin is in love with.

The college is loosely based on my campus at the University of Toronto, except that U of T basically takes over huge chunks of Toronto. It can literally take me an hour on foot to get from one side of campus to the other, even if I skip across Queen's Park by the parliament buildings.

Melon juice for Yankumi again, Pink Lemonade for Natsumi. It's a girly drink but has a sour taste—she's tough, like Shin.

21 – Ojou Violence, Pillage & Plunder

No mater how many goofy things happen in the Gokusen universe, it's still dealing with the Yakuza, and the Yakuza do things like kill people, act as loan sharks, sell drugs, take protection money, etc, etc, etc. Just because they are good people doesn't mean they don't do things like this. And they do. This part had a violence warning for a good reason, and I didn't want people to take the violence lightly.'

Tenkai-Kouchou calls Yankumi "Kumi-chan" when he visits to ask her help with the Nekomata early in the animanga.

The territory of Shirokin Gakuen belongs to the Tenkai-Kumi, not the Nekomata. The Nekomata infringe on it in the animanga.

Yankumi visits a salon to be made up, just like in the animanga. It has been a year though, and staff change and many people come through, so they don't remember her if it's the same salon.

22 – Flowers for Yamaguchi cradle

The flowers aren't for Yankumi, but for her parents. I wanted to deal with two kinds of death, the deaths the Yakuza deal in on a regular basis (a fight for your life) and the deaths of close family members, or people unrelated to the Yakuza. Both are important, and both have an affect on them.

The funeral scene is made up.

23 – Ides of March candy

I have no idea how to make chocolate. I looked it up on the internet and watched the episode of How It's Made where they make them, and this was as close as I could get. Yankumi's name on the choco would be flat in the end, completely smooth with the surface of the choco.

Shin writes in Japanese (of course) and simply, so Kumiko would be three characters, easier to write.

Having more than one bathroom is very expensive, and they already have a furo. The bathroom is shared.

Tetsu, of course—because Shinohara is there.

White Day etc explained in end notes.

24 – Poison Taster Goodnight

The poison tasting references refers to 20 (all in the family) when she says Kyo tries to spike Shin's drink and Yankumi is forced to serve as "Poison Taster". Basically, she's been drinking.

Like I said, I don't drink, so all this is based on my roommate's behaviour when she drinks. One night she came back to the room and I was watching my Sailor Moon DVDs, and her boyfriend actually had to carry her because she couldn't walk. So I'm watching the opening, and trying to sing along, and all of a sudden, there she is, singing as well, only she can't see the screen. And her Japanese was better than mine, and I had romanji subtitles.

Pariyu. I need a title for a late night entertainment program, and uh… it's YuRiPa (Yuna, Riku, Paine) backwards (FFX-2). Because I have a wallscroll of them.

Bath vs Dinner – the kind of thing a housewife offers her husband when he arrives home after work.

Smile! I can't. Straight out of the drama.

Blue Shift – when something goes faster, the light shifts blue. Blue is hot, fast. Oh god, I was in astronomy, I'm sorry.

25 – Thank You Fence

This entire part is a reference to drama episode 8. You –must- get this episode. MUST. That's how amazing it is.

Sunday pj's – mentioned a few times before, seen something like this in the drama.

"Throw a strike". In the drama, Kuma falls for a girl who already has a boyfriend, but Yankumi cheers him on and tells him that "In love you have to be a real man and throw a strike!", a bowling reference, "going for it all the way". What's funny is that Shinohara is behind her when she says it. XD

26 – Bowling Time If Only I Could Make You Mine

Bowling Time is several things—a song, by my roommate's boyfriend's band, a metaphor, a general reference.. The song is basically about going for someone better and immediately having sex. (It's hard to explain, but it's full of bowling metaphors and bad jokes. It's a hilarious song.) The metaphor—when Yankumi gets down to business, she's serious, like when she bowls. Bowling is big for Yankumi in the drama. A general reference? I'm sure you caught it in the last part.

King of Bowlers Loque is not a real manga. The title is based off of King of Bandits Jing, and the Loque part was me deciding between Rogue in X-Men and Locke from FFVI.

The scene used is a combination of Naruto and Angelic Layer. ;

Spinning—Yuta's goal (in order that he could see his mother again) was to flip himself around a bar at the park. They called it twirling or spinning.

Teasing: There are a few times on and off when Yankumi says things to Shin like "Could it be that you're falling in love with me!"

27 – Dental Work Overflow

I've had a lot of dental work done in my life, and I'm only 21. Headgear, braces, several permanent appliances, retainers, and finally a new tooth. Seriously. But when Shin thinks dental work, he thinks he's smiling too much. He has appearances to maintain, after all.

The books – it's a common understanding that illegal businesses have two sets of books—the real books, and the books they give to the government. Yeah, it's tax Fraud. They're the –yakuza-.

Free Dinner—when you live near the yakuza, they keep your neighbourhood crime free. Intensely so. And the better you treat the Yakuza, the better they treat you. The relationship between the Ooedo clan and their neighbours is good, and they are often given free food in the canon. I just extrapolated on it.

Yamada and Ueda – this is a scene from the TricK drama, which stars Nakama Yukie (Yankumi) and Head-teacher Kyoto, and someone you won't recognize, Abe Hiroshi, whom I love.

Goofy/pervy/Weird Things – Like the last episode of season 1 drama, Kumiko has weird fantasies, like this one about Shinohara in a white tux. They're hilarious.

28 – Love Panic Wada Calcium CD3

Love Panic is a song from Ranma that I love. "It's love! Panic!" This calcium pill? Who knows? WHO HONESTLY KNOWS? It was insane.

Oji-san Uncle

Ojii-san Grandfather

We've seen Tetsu try to wake up Yankumi in the drama. She nearly killed him.

29 – Pink The Sound of Waves

The sound of waves is a rush, a roaring that subsumes other things. Go to the beach when no one else is around. Try it at night.

In spring, viewing the cherry blossoms is a common activity.

30 – Making it Final Kiss

All history referenced is made up. As usual.

The way Shin dresses refers to the part where he visits his father about moving into the Kuroda house.

In the drama, Yankumi slips into a very Yakuza accent while yelling at Shin's father, and while he suspects, it is never said if he found out. In the animanga, he knows, and works for the police.

TIME LINE

01 – day 1, approx. 2-3 months before exams, third semester. I think that makes this January, but I'm not sure. I'd look at a thing on Japanese schools, which uh…I didn't do. ; )

02 – one day later, Shinohara came out of the closet the previous night at dinner. Unresolved: How does cop-glasses feel about all this? I picture him being like the kumi—very emotional and gung-ho for love.

03 – one day after part 2

04 – One week after part 3. Shin asks Kyo for training. Shin probes to make sure Yankumi sees Kyo as father/brother rather than love interest (this is something he wants to know in the manga when Kyo is first introduced, his jealous expression is –great-.) Explanatory notes for ending in other notes file.

05 – One day after part 4

06 – Probably two, maybe three days after part 5.

07 – day after part 6.

08 – maybe a few days later? They've had some further time to adjust. Approx one month has passed since 01. I think.

09 – Refers back to 06, which was a Tuesday a week ago. So 7 days have passed since 6.

10 – Annnd I made a mistake somewhere, because now it's 3 weeks to graduation. Anytime I say it's been longer than a few days, I'd stretch that a bit—approx 2.4 months have passed since 01.

11 – A few days/2 days later? About that.

12 – 2.6 weeks-ish have passed of exam prep. Exam day. (late March)

13 – Maybe a week later? Teachers have 2 weeks to mark exams, but they did theirs early, so Yankumi spends her time spying on Tetsu and Shinohara. ;; Approx last week of March.

14 – roughly a week later, Shin must move out. (One year's rent beginning and ending in March to coincide with the school year.)

15 – end of that week, graduation.

16 – maybe three, four days later? Shin hasn't had much time to settle in, but has officially moved

17 – maybe two days and then one day after. (This part covers two days.)

18 – one day later. Early april.

19 – one day later again.

20 – Two weeks later ish? Refers to a stretch of time I really can't fit in anywhere—Shin needs to have been getting mail from school(s), but uh..has only been living there a short time.

21 – A few days later.

22 – A week later, maybe.

23 – A few days later. Which uh… let's say Shin's calendar shows two months at a time. I've seen calendars like that.

24 – same day

25 – A few days later. Mid-early April. Maybe a week and a half in.

26 – two days later?

27 – one day later.

28 – Maybe two weeks later, the 2nd last week of April let's say.

29 – spanning the next day to about a week later. The last week of April, early.

30 – The last week of April, mid. School starts at the end of April (Shin will enter college).

CHARACTERS

YANKUMI: All three. Her persona is more from the drama, but a lot of the events I refer to for her are from the anime and manga. She still has stuff from the animanga though, like those characteristics she shares with the rest of the Ooedo group, such as crying at a man's "true strength" and then singing really old songs in a terribly off-key voice. She likes bowling. That was in the drama.

SHIN: Probably the most combined character of all three universes. He refers back to a lot of manga/anime events, but he has some of that cuteness from the drama, as well as his open persual of Yankumi. (Last drama episode of all.) This also happens in the manga though (differently) so I'm reading ahead to get things to work with. (Volume 8 especially; thanks Youko!)

SHINOHARA: 95 drama. I had to choose between him as the Kuroda lawyer who knew he could never be with Yankumi (manga), the Kuroda lawyer who got in the way of her and Shin (anime) or the incredibly two-faced (in a good way!) police officer (drama). In the drama he'll act completely oblivious one moment and then do something very shrewd the nextI thought that was perfect if he was going after Tetsu. In the drama, Shinohara also seems interested in Tetsu but joins in a group challenge with the others about chasing Yankumi.

FUJIYAMA: 50/50. This is the hardestIn the animanga, she thinks about which students she would date, loves a pretty face and does goofy things like start up a choir group of only the cute boys. In the drama she's darker, colder, throws away a love trinket from a student without thought and slowly has to learn to appreciate not only Yankumi as a friend, but her students for who they are. Combining the two is very, very hard, so if she seems strange to you, this might be why. Or it might just be that I'm failing miserably.

UCHI: 75/25. I can't help but lean towards Uchi in the animanga simply because he's -ridiculous-. I mean honestly, if someone could possibly do something stupid, it's going to be Uchi, even if it's very clear even to the other punk kids that it's a dumb idea. In the drama, he's much cooler and detached, with very cool hair and serious problems. Mostly I like how he looks. ; No, that's not true! As a character I like him better, but as a plot-device? It's animanga all the way.

THE END