Princess Princess (manga)
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| Princess Princess | |
|---|---|
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| プリンセス・プリンセス (Purinsesu Purinsesu) |
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| Genre | Comedy, Shōjo |
| Manga: Princess Princess | |
| Authored by | Mikiyo Tsuda |
| Publisher |  Shinshokan, Digital Manga Publishing Egmont Manga & Anime |
| Serialized in | Wings |
| Original run | August 2002 – April 2006 |
| No. of volumes | 5 |
| Manga: Princess Princess + | |
| Authored by | Mikiyo Tsuda |
| Publisher | Shinshokan |
| Serialized in | Wings |
| Original run | May 2006 – January 2007 |
| No. of volumes | |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Keitaro Motonaga |
| Studio | Studio Deen |
| Network | TV Asahi |
| Original run | April 5, 2006 – June 21, 2006 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| TV drama : Princess Princess D | |
| Directed by | |
| Studio | |
| Network | |
| Original run | June 28, 2006 – |
| No. of episodes | |
| Game | |
| Developer | |
| Publisher | Marvelous Interactive |
| Genre | Visual novel |
| Platform | PlayStation 2 |
| Released | October 26, 2006 |
Princess Princess (プリンセス・プリンセス Purinsesu Purinsesu?) is the title of a fictional series written and illustrated by Japanese author Mikiyo Tsuda about the lives of three high school boys and the school they attend.
The series is contained within multiple media pieces which began as a manga first serialized in the manga magazine Wings starting in 2002. After the first manga series ended, a sequel entitled Princess Princess + started serialization in the same magazine in May 2006, and finished in January 2007. An anime has since been adapted from the manga and began airing in Japan on April 5, 2006, produced by the Japanese animation studio, Studio Deen. Also, this series had been chosen to become a live action drama called Princess Princess D which started airing in Japan on June 28, 2006. Finally, a visual novel video game for the PS2 based on the series was released on October 26, 2006 in Japan.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Princess Princess is a story revolving around the lives of three boys chosen to dress up as girls at the all-boy school they attend, which also just happens to be the most elite school in the area. The main protagonist, Tohru Kouno, has just transferred to a new all-boys school, Fujimori, after living with his uncle for a time. He is one such boy chosen to be one of the Hime (姫?) or "Princesses", which is a tradition at the school in order to break up the monotony of life surrounded by nothing but males. Students (based on certain qualifications) are selected to be Princesses and are made to dress up as girls (usually in Lolita fashion) and attend school functions like this.
At the beginning of the story, there are already two such Princesses, Yujiro Shihodani and Mikoto Yutaka, known as the Western Princess and Eastern Princess respectively, due to their room location. Toru is convinced into becoming a Princess soon after entering the school though once he accepted the job, he found it to be much more enjoyable than he thought.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Princess Princess
[edit] Princesses
- Tohru Kouno (河野亨 Kōno Tōru)?, (Seiyū - Jun Fukuyama)
- He is the main character of the story who transfers to an all-boys school and becomes one of the Princesses. He seems enthusiastic about it since all the Princesses get a lot of free stuff and added luxuries. His parents died in an accident, which is when his uncle and aunt adopted him. He seems to be very reluctant about spending time with his family, which mainly has to do with his younger step-sister Sayaka.
- He mainly uses his job as a Princess as a distraction from the problems he has with his family and in effect usually gets very in to acting like a Princess, much like Yujiro.
- Yujiro Shihoudani (四方谷裕史郎 Shihōdani Yūjirō)?, (Seiyū - Romi Paku)
- The Western Princess, he is a confident boy and doesn't have many problems with dressing up like a girl in front of other people. He constantly likes to tease Mikoto because he thinks it's fun how Mikoto reacts. He has distanced himself from the rest of his family because he thinks that his mother, step-father, and younger half-brother together are the "perfect family".
- He and Tohru often team up against Mikoto when Mikoto is at odds with them concerning Princess duties. This gets Mikoto to end up agreeing with them, especially since they hold leverage over Mikoto who doesn't want his girlfriend to find out about him being a Princess.
- Mikoto Yutaka (豊実琴 Yutaka Mikoto)?, (Seiyū - Tetsuya Kakihara)
- The Eastern Princess, he is more reluctant than the other two Princesses to crossdress because he has a girlfriend named Megumi who he doesn't want to find out about it. He whines and complains constantly on things the Princesses have to do, due to him being stubborn, but ends up doing them anyway whether he's forced to do them or not. He is very self-conscious about being a Princess and is mortified whenever someone else outside of school finds out about it. He is the most animated of the three Princesses, always showing a lot of emotion and expression when yelling at Tohru and Yujiro. Mikoto also is tone deaf and can't sing at all.
- He also cares a lot about the people close to him, though especially for his girlfriend. He has shown to change character and act different when around Megumi, which greatly amuses Tohru and Yujiro.
- Once, in Episode 10, he had a brief fantasy of him and Megumi both dressed in Gothic Lolita Princess costumes, though he was unsure why.
- Princess Princess is not the first media series Mikoto has appeared in. Mikoto's first appearance was as a supporting character from one of Tsuda's earlier manga works, The Day of Revolution, which was about Mikoto's girlfriend, Megumi.
[edit] Student council
Everyone in the student council is very good looking, but they also are very good at their work.
- Shuya Arisada (有定修也 Arisada Shūya)?, (Seiyū - Hiroshi Kamiya)
- The student council president, he is a very confident person who was also a former Princess one year prior to the beginning of the story. He is a very good leader and often comes up with fool-proof plans which benefit him and the rest of the student council. He can also be very intimidating to talk with and in effect people often go along with his plans regardless.
- Masayuki Koshino (越廼将行 Koshino Masayuki)?, (Seiyū - Kousuke Toriumi)
- The student council vice president who is very physically strong.
- Wataru Harue (春江渉 Harue Wataru)?, (Seiyū - Takuma Terashima)
- The student council treasurer, who is very good with math and can solve equations in his head quickly.
- Takahiro Tadasu (糺孝弘 Tadasu Takahiro)?, (Seiyū - Eiji Miyashita)
- The student council secretary, who has the impressive ability of speed and sleight of hand.
[edit] Other characters
- Akira Sakamoto (坂本秋良 Sakamoto Akira)?, (Seiyū - Soichiro Hoshi)
- The class president in Toru's class (1-D), he is a highly respected member of the school: He is called "Sakamoto-sama" by his peers whether they be older than him or not and all the students bow when they see him. His family consists of six people, including himself, who are all amazingly beautiful.
- Also, he's next in line for the student council president. He has shown that he has the skills to be a good leader and can direct people to follow his suggestions.
- In the past, Akira had often been pointed out as the only "average" looking person in his family by both himself and strangers. For awhile Akira felt out of place or "unworthy" of belonging to his family. When his family found out about his worries, they quickly reassured him and dismissed such ideas. His siblings, (especially his older brother and older sister) usually fight for his attention, since their brother is such a kind-hearted and good-natured boy.
- Akira and his family are the main characters of one of Tsuda's earlier manga works, Family Complex.
- Kaoru Natasho (名田庄薫 Natashō Kaoru)?, (Seiyū - Anri Katsu)
- A third-year student majoring in home economics, he designs all of the clothes that the Princesses wear. He's fairly obsessed about this and always shows a lot of enthusiasm about it. However, he holds a lot of fashion awards for all the costumes he's designed and made himself. When it comes to the Princesses, he's easily struck by inspiration for new costumes.
- Harumi Sakamoto (坂本春海 Sakamoto Harumi)?, (Seiyū - Kenji Nojima)
- He's Akira's older brother and a former student at Fujimori who was known by all who knew him as "Sakamoto-sama" because of his amazing beauty. He comes back during the cultural festival to help the student council raise money.
- Harumi is usually very cool though he smiles constantly. However, in the presence of his younger brother, he becomes completely emotional and is easily moved to tears.
- Megumi Yoshikawa (吉川恵 Yoshikawa Megumi)?, (Seiyū - Junko Takeuchi)
- Known as Megumi-san by Mikoto due to her being older than him, she is Mikoto's girlfriend. She has a caring heart and would do things asked of her by Mikoto so as not to upset him. Also, she is not entirely sure of Mikoto's feelings towards her and once even suspected something was going on between Mikoto and the other two Princesses.
- Megumi and Mikoto seem to have a very good, understanding relationship between them. For instance, even when Megumi finds out Mikoto is a Princess, she says she doesn't care and Mikoto's the same person she loves either way.
- She has a very prominent effect on Mikoto's personality, being able to elevate his spirits when he's feeling depressed. Similarly, when around Mikoto she is very happy and it's obvious that they enjoy each other's company.
- As noted by Mikoto in episode 5, Megumi doesn't seem to like using makeup because she thinks it's cuter. Mikoto seems to have no complaints over this as he thinks she's cute regardless. Megumi is the main character of Tsuda's earlier series, The Day of Revolution, with Makoto and Mikoto as supporting characters.
- Makoto Yutaka (豊麻琴 Yukata Makato)?, (Seiyū - Risa Hayamizu)
- She is Mikoto's older sister and has a different personality when compared to her brother. She is very forceful and never seems to back down, especially when the scenario involves Mikoto. Ironically, while Mikoto looks more feminine in appearance, Makoto looks more masculine.
- Sayaka Kouno (河野さやか Kōno Sayaka)?, (Seiyū - Chieko Higuchi)
- The daughter of Toru's aunt and uncle that adopted him, making her Toru's younger step-sister. She is in love with Toru and is very adamant about them getting married one day, against the wishes of Toru himself.
- Shinnosuke Shihoudani (四方谷慎之介 Shihoudani Shinnosuke)?, (Seiyū - Sayaka Aoki)
- He is Yujiro's younger half-brother who appears in episode 9 where he had come with his parents to see his brother at the school festival. He tends to be very shy and at first is especially reluctant to talk with Yujiro.
- Ryusaki
- The director of the board who is in charge of the school. He became the director after his father retired. At first, he disapproved of the Princess system and sought to abolish it.
[edit] Princess Princess +
[edit] Princesses
- Tomoe Izumi (和泉巴 Izumi Tomoe)?)
- He is one of the new Princesses chosen by Toru and others. His parents don't show him much love because they are often busy and on business.
- Kiriya Matsuoka (松岡桐也 Matsuoka Kiriya)?)
- He is also one of the new Princesses chosen by Toru and others. He lost his parents, and now lives with his elder brother and younger sister.
[edit] Princess system
[edit] Qualifications
- Must be a first year student of the school. This is equivalent to 10th grade in the US.
- They have more free time from school work.
- Their bodies have not fully developed.
- They easily wear girl's outfits.
- From all the first years, those with the best looks and most-suited personalities are chosen to be Princesses. However, if one only has good looks but is not popular, it won't work.
[edit] Duties
- Wearing girl's clothes to morning meetings or school events.
- Encouraging others at school.
- Cheering at school events.
[edit] Luxuries
- When there's a conflict between a Princess' work and school class, absence from class or leaving early can be considered as school vacation, the absence will not show up on his attendance record.
- Every month the Princesses receive thirty school luncheon vouchers each. Therefore, when they eat at school, they do not have to pay.
- All necessary school supplies (notebooks, school apparel, etc.) are all covered by the Princess budget, which is the largest in the whole school.
- The photography club takes pictures of the Princesses and sell them to other students. For being the model of the photographs, they receive partial profit for pocket money.
[edit] Media
Princess Princess is currently spanning across three different media types ranging from the manga released in August 2002 to a more recent live action drama which began airing on June 28, 2006. The last incarnation of the series will be a video game that will be released on October 26, 2006.
[edit] Manga
The Princess Princess manga, written and illustrated by Mikiyo Tsuda, was first serialized in the manga magazine Wings, with the first tankoubon being released at August 2002. The series was published by Shinshokan and has already finished at five volumes. Once the first manga series ended, a sequel entitled Princess Princess + started serialization in the May 2006 issue of Wings.
The first manga series has been licensed by Digital Manga Publishing, with the first volume released in November 2006.
Mikiyo has commented that Wings preferred her not to write it as a shonen ai series.
[edit] Anime
The anime series of Princess Princess based on the manga that preceded it aired in Japan from April 5, 2006 to June 21, 2006 and had a total of 12 episodes.
[edit] Episodes
| Screenshot | Title | Original airdate | # |
|---|---|---|---|
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"The All Boys School's Princesses" "Danshikō no Princess" (男子校のプリンセス) |
April 5, 2006 | 1 |
| Shortly after being transferred to an all boy's school, Toru Kouno is nominated as a Princess candidate. | |||
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"A Princess is Born" "Hime Tanjō" (姫誕生) |
April 12, 2006 | 2 |
| Toru accepts his role as a Princess, Yujiro gives him (Toru) & Mikoto some Princess advice. | |||
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"The First Job, Princess Cheerleader" "Hatsu Shigoto, Hime-sama Ouendan" (初仕事、姫様応援団) |
April 19, 2006 | 3 |
| The three Princesses are to cheer for the sports teams, but one of them is nowhere to be found... If they don't cheer together, their Princess benefits will be stripped! | |||
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"Yujiro's Past" "Yūjirō no Kako" (裕次郎の過去) |
April 26, 2006 | 4 |
| Summer vacation has arrived, Yujiro & Toru stay behind in the dorms to talk about their pasts as Mikoto leaves to spend time with his girlfriend, Megumi. | |||
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"Stalked Princesses" "Nera Wareta Hime" (狙われた姫) |
May 3, 2006 | 5 |
| Even though it's summer, the Princesses still have to cheer for sports teams and other clubs. Toru has the creepy feeling that the Princesses are being watched... | |||
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"Sakamoto's Family Secret!" "Sakamoto ke no Himitsu!" (坂本家のヒミツ!) |
May 10, 2006 | 6 |
| Toru and Yujiro are invited to go to Akira's house to meet his unique family. | |||
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"A Chorus Concert with Sweat and Tears" "Ase to Namida no Kashou Konkuuru" (汗と涙の合唱コンクール) |
May 17, 2006 | 7 |
| The Princesses have to put on a sing & dance opening act for the choir group at their school, but there's one small problem: Mikoto can't sing! | |||
 |
"The Princesses' Existence Endangered!?" "Hime Sonzoku no Kiki!?" (姫存続の危機!?) |
May 24, 2006 | 8 |
| The director of the board who is in charge of the school comes to visit after inheriting the position from his father and is shocked to find out about the Princess system. So shocked, that he seeks to remove the system entirely. | |||
 |
"The School Festival Starts!" "Gakuensai Kaishi!" (学園祭開始!) |
May 31, 2006 | 9 |
| The school's cultural festival has finally started and the Princesses are hard at work once again. During the festival, Yujiro's family comes to visit. | |||
 |
"Lovers' Time" "Koibitotachi no jikan" (恋人たちの時間) |
June 7, 2006 | 10 |
| Mikoto's girlfriend, Megumi, and his sister, Makoto, come to visit him at school during the cultural festival, and things don't go exactly as planned. | |||
 |
"Secret Past" "Himerareta Kako" (秘められた過去) |
June 14, 2006 | 11 |
| With the school festival over, things are supposed to get back to normal, but then strange things start happening to Yujiro. | |||
 |
"The Path a Princess Chooses" "Hime no erabu michi" (姫の選ぶ道) |
June 21, 2006 | 12 |
| The chase continues to find out what Sayaka is doing at Toru's school and later Toru has to decide if he wants to stay at the school or go back home. | |||
[edit] Theme songs
- Opening
- Because I Met You (キミと出逢ってから Kimi to Deatte Kara?) by Atsushi Miyazawa
- Ending
- I Want to Give You a Smile (微笑みをあげたい Hohoemi wo Agetai?) by team-F
[edit] Live action drama
A live action drama based loosely on the series, entitled Princess Princess D (プリンセス・プリンセスD Purinsesu Purinsesu D?) has started production in Japan. It first aired on June 28, 2006. The D in the title is for drama. Mikoto is the main character of the drama series.
[edit] Video game
A visual novel type video game based on the series, with the Japanese title set as プリンセス・プリンセス 姫たちのアブナい放課後, was released on October 26, 2006 for the Playstation 2 in Japan.
[edit] Trivia
- The family name of some characters from Princess Princess are named from the name of a place of Fukui Prefecture, especially Sabae.
[edit] External links
- (Japanese) Mikiyo Tsuda's website
- (Japanese) Official site for the Princess Princess anime
- (Japanese) Official Live Action Drama Site
- (Japanese) Official site for the Princess Princess video game
- Princess Princess at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
