Aoi House
Encyclopedia
Aoi House is a harem
original English-language (OEL) manga
series written by Adam Arnold
, with art by Shiei, and published by Seven Seas Entertainment
. The story follows the misadventures of two down-on-their-luck college guys named Alexis "Alex" Roberts and Sandy Grayson who are thrown out of their college dorm and join an anime club dominated by crazed yaoi
fangirls.
It first appeared as a 36-episode webcomic
written by Adam Arnold
and illustrated by Jim Jimenez. It initially ran from 24 January 2005 through 15 April 2005. Aoi House quickly established itself as a "fandom harem comedy."
Proving popular enough, Aoi House was re-launched by Seven Seas Entertainment
as part of its standard publishing line. For the re-launch, Shiei (artist of Amazing Agent Luna
) took over as the illustrator leading to changes in the art style, as well as additional changes to characters and alteration and expansion of the story. The re-launch began serialization on the Seven Seas Entertainment website in late May, around which time (27 May 2005) a Aoi House theme song, performed by the J Brothers entitled "Itsumo Futaride", was also released.
In January 2006, Aoi House 4-panel color koma began appearing in Newtype USA.
Aoi House made its print debut on 15 May 2006 with the release of the first volume.
New updates of Aoi House appeared every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at Gomanga.com and were accompanied by blog-style entries called "Aoi Notes" by Adam Arnold
.
anime
. Echiboo, Sandy's pet hamster
, does not help matters when he scares the Dean and exposes the fact the Dean is wearing a toupee
. Told they need to find new lodges by sundown, they start to search campus for a place to live. In their search for lodging, Sandy is shown to be an obsessive otaku
, while Alex is more focused on the reality of their situation. Seeing a flyer for "Aoi House," which promises anime
and manga
viewing, Sandy becomes very excited with the very idea of an anime club; Alex however is mostly happy to have found possible lodging. As they head over to housing, Maria is seen looking at the same flyer Sandy and Alex were just thoughtfully reading.
Excited about finding the lodging they need before sundown, Sandy and Alex hurry over to "AOI (Alpha-Omicron-Iota) House." Upon arrival Sandy knocks a few times on the door but gets no answer, so Alex takes the more direct approach and throws the door open. Once inside Alex and Sandy are startled to find a room full of beautiful girls watching anime. At this point Maria makes her own entrance and, not knowing anyone is in the doorway, bumps into Sandy, who stumbles into the room, landing against Elle's lap. Then with a hit from Elle he falls into Jessica's chest. After Maria enters and mentions her desire to join the lodge, Sandy and Alex express a similar desire to the shock of all the girls. The girls at first mistake Sandy and Alex as a gay otaku couple since they themselves are "yaoi
-crazed females."
Once the truth is revealed that Sandy and Alex are not truly gay anime fans but two straight males, the girls have some fun with Sandy and Alex in an attempt to turn them into yaoi-lovers, or at least make them the lodge's token gay couple. Sandy and Alex learn that Morgan, who made the flyer, left a few important details off the flyer - the most important being that "AOI House" was really "YAOI House," a college yaoi-otaku club turned sorority using Greek letters to covertly express their hobby - the "Y
" had fallen off the sign - and straight ("perverted") male roommates were not what the girls were looking for (at least at first). On top of all of this, Echiboo almost gets them into deep trouble (again) by escaping from his cage and crawling amongst a pile of Elle's panties. Elle was already dead-set against allowing two straight males to join "Aoi House." Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) for Sandy and Alex, Nina allows them to stay, while Jessica points out to an irate Elle that "Aoi House" needs members in order to keep their house as much as Sandy and Alex need lodging.
Aoi House In Love! Vol. 2 - "Happy Endings"
or college exams. Recent 4-koma from 2007 have involved spoofs of various anime series and video games.
Mason Blue - The de-facto leader of the club. While he does not actually have a definite ending in the epilogue, a man with his earrings greets Jessica at Seattle Grace Hospital with a stethoscope around his neck.
A hooded boy named Kevin Cardenas - In charge of their AMVs and has a thing for Morgan (calling her "McCutie") as well as any girl he sees. Moves to Tokyo in the epilogue just for the girls
A boy with glasses named Dale Stevens - The club's artist. He gets roped into moving to Tokyo along with Kevin in the epilogue.
A girl named Kimberly Ann and her pet pig named Luna-P (A reference of Chibiusa's Luna-P Ball). She goes on to win American Idol numerous time in the epilogue.
The open lesbian Sanae - Has a crush on Nina, as well as calling out that Maria's breasts were bigger than Kimberly Ann's. She kissed Nina at one point during the Con Caper, and somehow got both her and Elle into bed (much to their horror when they wake up the next morning) after the epilogue.
Aoi House Vol. 1 collecting Episodes 1 through 7 was released on 31 May 2006.
In the Aoi Notes on 04/21/06, Adam Arnold said the book has been given "special edition" treatment that includes, "minor dialogue and art changes to fix continuity errors," is displayed with screentone
whereas the web version presents only Shiei's black and white line art, and a new opening page for Episode 4 and an added scene, "with the guys singing Karaoke at the end of Episode 2." Other extras included are "Aoi Notes: Print Edition," "Student Records," "Fun Zone," and "Original Webmanga Designs."
Aoi House Vol. 2 collecting toned versions of Episodes 8 through 13, plus "Fruit Cake Fantasy" was released in December 2006. The volume carries the subtitle "Fun & Games" on the inside title page. Extras include "Aoi Notes: Print Edition 2," an eight-page super deformed character gallery called "Chibified!," a "Fan Art" gallery, and a two-page story called "Aoi House: The Lost Scene."
Aoi House In Love! Vol. 1 collecting the Episodes 1 through 9 of the 2nd Season of Aoi House was released July 2007. The volume is subtitled "The Great Con Caper!" on the inside title page. The volume also includes 8 color pages that collect the first twelve Aoi House 4-Koma that appeared in Newtype USA from January through December 2006. Other extras include a "Last Season on Aoi House" recap page, "Aoi Notes: Print Edition 3," and a new "Fan Art" gallery.
This volume was designed to be a jumping-on point for new readers, and features a completely self-contained adventure following the Aoi House crew at the fictional anime convention Hatsu-Con.
Aoi House In Love! Vol. 2 collecting the Episodes 10 through the end of the series will be released in June 2008. The volume carries a subtitle of "Happy Endings." The final twelve Aoi House 4-Koma from Newtype USA that run from January to December 2007 will also be included with the volume.
On 23 November, an omnibus edition was announced and will include reprints of Aoi House Vol. 1 and Aoi House Vol. 2.
In 2009, Aoi House began publishing in Finland by Egmont
. Two volumes are released up to date.
and video games mostly in the form of the characters from Aoi House dressing up in various character's costumes from the referenced work. In Aoi House in love! Volume two, they also reference several American series as well. Below is a list of shows that are either referenced or parodied as well as the real-life celebrities that are mentioned:
In addition Adam Arnold has also admitted he is a huge DC Comics
fan. Two of the characters surnames are actually either taken directly from the DC character's surname or is parodied on a nickname. The two characters in question are:
's A. E. Sparrow ranked the first and second volumes of Aoi House as third in the list of the top ten manga of 2006.
(written by Arnold and illustrated by Aoi House artist Shiei) as Vampire Cheerleaders: Vol. 1.
Harem anime
Harem, , broadly speaking, is a loose subgenre of anime and manga characterized by a protagonist surrounded, usually amorously, by three or more members of the opposite sex. The most common and practically tantamount scenario is a male surrounded by a group of females; when this is reversed it is...
original English-language (OEL) manga
Original English-language manga
Original English-language manga or OEL manga is the term commonly used to describe comic books or graphic novels in the "international manga" genre of comics whose language of original publication is English...
series written by Adam Arnold
Adam Arnold
Adam Arnold is an American comic book creator. His works include the OEL manga/webcomic Aoi House and the upcoming supernatural comedy series Vampire Cheerleaders and Paranormal Mystery Squad.-Career:...
, with art by Shiei, and published by Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment is a publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original manga, but now publishes licensed manga and novels, as well as select webcomics...
. The story follows the misadventures of two down-on-their-luck college guys named Alexis "Alex" Roberts and Sandy Grayson who are thrown out of their college dorm and join an anime club dominated by crazed yaoi
Yaoi
In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by...
fangirls.
It first appeared as a 36-episode webcomic
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
written by Adam Arnold
Adam Arnold
Adam Arnold is an American comic book creator. His works include the OEL manga/webcomic Aoi House and the upcoming supernatural comedy series Vampire Cheerleaders and Paranormal Mystery Squad.-Career:...
and illustrated by Jim Jimenez. It initially ran from 24 January 2005 through 15 April 2005. Aoi House quickly established itself as a "fandom harem comedy."
Proving popular enough, Aoi House was re-launched by Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment is a publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original manga, but now publishes licensed manga and novels, as well as select webcomics...
as part of its standard publishing line. For the re-launch, Shiei (artist of Amazing Agent Luna
Amazing Agent Luna
Amazing Agent Luna is an original English-language manga series written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir , with art by Shiei. It is published by Seven Seas Entertainment. The first volume of Amazing Agent Luna was one of Seven Seas Entertainment's four initial releases...
) took over as the illustrator leading to changes in the art style, as well as additional changes to characters and alteration and expansion of the story. The re-launch began serialization on the Seven Seas Entertainment website in late May, around which time (27 May 2005) a Aoi House theme song, performed by the J Brothers entitled "Itsumo Futaride", was also released.
In January 2006, Aoi House 4-panel color koma began appearing in Newtype USA.
Aoi House made its print debut on 15 May 2006 with the release of the first volume.
New updates of Aoi House appeared every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at Gomanga.com and were accompanied by blog-style entries called "Aoi Notes" by Adam Arnold
Adam Arnold
Adam Arnold is an American comic book creator. His works include the OEL manga/webcomic Aoi House and the upcoming supernatural comedy series Vampire Cheerleaders and Paranormal Mystery Squad.-Career:...
.
Plot
Alexis "Alex" Roberts and Sandy Grayson are two college students who get evicted from their dorm lodging due to several infractions of the rules, including the showing of hentaiHentai
is a Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to sexually explicit or pornographic comics and animation, particularly those of Japanese origin such as anime, manga, and computer games. The word hentai is a kanji compound of 変 and 態...
anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
. Echiboo, Sandy's pet hamster
Hamster
Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 25 species, classified in six or seven genera....
, does not help matters when he scares the Dean and exposes the fact the Dean is wearing a toupee
Toupee
A toupée is a hairpiece or partial wig of natural or synthetic hair worn to cover partial baldness or for theatrical purposes. While toupées and hairpieces are typically associated with male wearers, some women also use hairpieces to lengthen existing hair, or cover partially exposed scalp...
. Told they need to find new lodges by sundown, they start to search campus for a place to live. In their search for lodging, Sandy is shown to be an obsessive otaku
Otaku
is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
, while Alex is more focused on the reality of their situation. Seeing a flyer for "Aoi House," which promises anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
viewing, Sandy becomes very excited with the very idea of an anime club; Alex however is mostly happy to have found possible lodging. As they head over to housing, Maria is seen looking at the same flyer Sandy and Alex were just thoughtfully reading.
Excited about finding the lodging they need before sundown, Sandy and Alex hurry over to "AOI (Alpha-Omicron-Iota) House." Upon arrival Sandy knocks a few times on the door but gets no answer, so Alex takes the more direct approach and throws the door open. Once inside Alex and Sandy are startled to find a room full of beautiful girls watching anime. At this point Maria makes her own entrance and, not knowing anyone is in the doorway, bumps into Sandy, who stumbles into the room, landing against Elle's lap. Then with a hit from Elle he falls into Jessica's chest. After Maria enters and mentions her desire to join the lodge, Sandy and Alex express a similar desire to the shock of all the girls. The girls at first mistake Sandy and Alex as a gay otaku couple since they themselves are "yaoi
Yaoi
In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by...
-crazed females."
Once the truth is revealed that Sandy and Alex are not truly gay anime fans but two straight males, the girls have some fun with Sandy and Alex in an attempt to turn them into yaoi-lovers, or at least make them the lodge's token gay couple. Sandy and Alex learn that Morgan, who made the flyer, left a few important details off the flyer - the most important being that "AOI House" was really "YAOI House," a college yaoi-otaku club turned sorority using Greek letters to covertly express their hobby - the "Y
Upsilon
Upsilon is the 20th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 400. It is derived from the Phoenician waw. The name of the letter is pronounced in Modern Greek, and in English , , or...
" had fallen off the sign - and straight ("perverted") male roommates were not what the girls were looking for (at least at first). On top of all of this, Echiboo almost gets them into deep trouble (again) by escaping from his cage and crawling amongst a pile of Elle's panties. Elle was already dead-set against allowing two straight males to join "Aoi House." Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) for Sandy and Alex, Nina allows them to stay, while Jessica points out to an irate Elle that "Aoi House" needs members in order to keep their house as much as Sandy and Alex need lodging.
Chapters
Aoi House In Love! Vol. 1 - "The Great Con Caper"- Episode 1 - "Aoi House Hits the Road"; 1 - 15
- Episode 2 - "Check-In Time"; 1 - 12
- Episode 3 - "Rival Schools"; 1 - 24
- Episode 4 - "D for Drama"; 1 - 21
- Episode 5 - "Mr. Wonderful"; 1 - 10
- Episode 6 - "Midnight Rebirth"; 1 - 23
- Episode 7 - "Yaoi 801"; 1 - 16
- Episode 8 - "Cosplay Complex"; 1 - 20
- Episode 9 - "Twilight"; 1 - 9
Aoi House In Love! Vol. 2 - "Happy Endings"
- Episode 10 - "Many Happy Returns"; 1 - 9
- Episode 11 - "Lost and Lonely Souls"; 1 - 23
- Episode 12 - "This is Not Happening"; 1 - 18
- Episode 13 - "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"; 1 - 29
- Episode 14 - "Series Finale"; 1 - 33
- Side Story - "Bond, Echibond"; 1 - 22
- Epilogue - "Where Are They Now?"; 1 - 16
4-Koma
Starting in the January 2006 issue of Newtype USA, Aoi House began appearing as a series of full-color, 4-panel gag strips. The 4-koma are drawn vertically and read right-to-left. The actual stories are all stand-alone and tend to be themed for the holiday's or events in a given month, such as Valentine's DayValentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
or college exams. Recent 4-koma from 2007 have involved spoofs of various anime series and video games.
Music Video
On 4 December 2006, Seven Seas' first-ever flash anime music video was released dedicated to http://www.gomanga.com/flashanime/aoi_index.phpAoi House. Aoi House: The Music Video was animated by Jonathan Talas and set to the Aoi House Theme Song - "Itsumo Futaride" by The J Brothers. Within its first week of release, the music video received over 150,000 views on Newgrounds.com, was awarded with Newground's Daily Second Place award for 12/05/06, and earned a spot on YouTube.com's "Top Favorites (This Week) in Arts & Animation" list.Major characters
- Alexis "Alex" Roberts
- Morgan's "yaoi-pet", and perhaps the more level-headed between himself and Sandy. He is Sandy's friend and roommate. Along with Sandy, he was kicked out of his dorm because of Sandy's viewing of hentai anime, and the serving of RamuneRamuneis a carbonated soft drink originally sold in Japan which was introduced in Kobe by Alexander Cameron Sim.-Bottle design:Ramune is widely known for the distinctive design of its bottle, often called Codd-neck bottles after the inventor, Hiram Codd. They are made of glass and sealed with a marble;...
which Dean Perkins mistook for an alcoholic beverage. It seems that Sandy is in fact Alex's best friend as Alex continues to stand beside Sandy in spite of all the adventures he has faced as a result of just being near Sandy. It also seems he has the exclusive attention of Morgan McKnight, who obviously has a crush on him. At one point in the story the removal of his ponytail makes him look sufficiently like a bishonen to cast a "fangirl" effect over the female cast. But as soon as a snippet of hair was cut, the effect was broken. Becomes stepbrother to Sandy and half-brother to Angela after his father marries Sandy's mother halfway through the series. Marries Morgan in the epilogue and has three kids with her.
- Morgan's "yaoi-pet", and perhaps the more level-headed between himself and Sandy. He is Sandy's friend and roommate. Along with Sandy, he was kicked out of his dorm because of Sandy's viewing of hentai anime, and the serving of Ramune
- Sandy Grayson
- Sandy is the owner of Echiboo the hamster, and is also Alex's friend and roommate. Between himself and Alex, Sandy seems the larger otakuOtakuis a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
and is much more immature. Sandy is also the one that Jessica seems the most interested in, as she calls him "tiger" and teasingly flirts with him. Sandy appears to be a fan of almost all aspects of Japanese culture, or at least the otaku culture as is seen by his drinking of Ramune while viewing anime(he has a Sailor MoonSailor MoonSailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
shrine in his room), and likes to imagine different anime scenarios happening in real life. Has a strong dislike of corn after viewing Boku no Sexual Harassment's infamous porn scene involving corn. Becomes stepbrother to Alex and half-brother to Angela due his mother marrying Alex's father. In the epilogue he winds up marrying Maria and has two kids named Helena and Victor.
- Sandy is the owner of Echiboo the hamster, and is also Alex's friend and roommate. Between himself and Alex, Sandy seems the larger otaku
- Echiboo
- Echiboo is Sandy's pet hamsterHamsterHamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 25 species, classified in six or seven genera....
. Morgan calls him a "panty hamster" because of the critter's obsession with panties. Echiboo seems to have taken a strong liking to Elle, or at least her panties. He is also one of the causes (by taking the Deans toupee) of Sandy and Alex's need to find new lodging, which eventually led them to Aoi House. Morgan likes to put a tiny camera on his head and let him run amuk, getting footage "of the ecchiEcchiis an often used slang term in the Japanese language for erotic fantasy and sexual innuendoes. As an adjective it is used with the meaning of "dirty", "naughty", "frivolous"; as a verb , with the meaning to do something dirty, naughty, frivolous or to sleep together; or as a noun, to describe...
kind." Echiboo's name is a pun of Ebichu, the hamster from the GainaxGainaxis a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as Gunbuster, The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which have gone on to critical acclaim and commercial success, as well as for their association with...
anime series Oruchuban Ebichu. His name also means "Perverted Fart" in Japanese, which is appropriate considering his obsession with panties. Has an attraction to Luna-P (who spurns him at first) and defies all laws of science by having a half pig-half hamster offspring with her called Diana. In the epilogue, he becomes a famous movie star thanks to his role in "Echibond".
- Echiboo is Sandy's pet hamster
- Elle Mathers
- The most mature of all the girls and very ill tempered. She comes from a wealthy family and continually acts upset about having Sandy and Alex as a part of Aoi House. She does wear a very interesting costume shortly after their first arrival however and seems to (barely) mellow down toward them as they become part of daily Aoi House life. She even began to develop a crush on Alex, but those feelings ended when he and Morgan became an item. Elle is on the tennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
team. In the epilogue, she becomes an "Echi-Bond" girl and a successful actress.
- The most mature of all the girls and very ill tempered. She comes from a wealthy family and continually acts upset about having Sandy and Alex as a part of Aoi House. She does wear a very interesting costume shortly after their first arrival however and seems to (barely) mellow down toward them as they become part of daily Aoi House life. She even began to develop a crush on Alex, but those feelings ended when he and Morgan became an item. Elle is on the tennis
- Nina Parker
- Nina is the most nonchalant member of Aoi House. She is also seemingly the least concerned about having two straight male housemates, as she at times continues to walk around without her shirt on regardless of the fact that she now has two straight male housemates. She also makes a habit of smoking where she is not supposed to. She is also a member of the swim team and practices synchronized swimmingSynchronized swimmingSynchronized swImming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music....
. Adam Arnold stated that Nina is the most "macho" of the Aoi House girls, and she also has the smallest bust. http://gomanga.com/webmanga/index.php?series=aoi&page=8 Nina apparently works at Sandy's and Maria's bookstore in the epilogue, but since she is still a slacker, Helena and Victor seem to do her job for her. This attitude is most likely why they let Sanae drag off Nina from time to time.
- Nina is the most nonchalant member of Aoi House. She is also seemingly the least concerned about having two straight male housemates, as she at times continues to walk around without her shirt on regardless of the fact that she now has two straight male housemates. She also makes a habit of smoking where she is not supposed to. She is also a member of the swim team and practices synchronized swimming
- Morgan McKnight
- The most energetic of the group, Morgan is a very hyper girl who seems to be on a continual sugar high and loves candy. Morgan has a playful, childlike innocence about her and how she interacts with Sandy and Alex. In her first meeting with them she claims Alex as her "yaoi pet" and later uses something of Elle's to lead Sandy and Alex on a wild chase that ends in the girl's locker room. Her closest friend who is not an Aoi House member seems to be the mysterious "Oniisan" who she doesn't seem to hesitate in telling her secrets, almost as she would to a diary. Morgan also continues to demonstrate, both in her actions and what she tells her "Oniisan", a very strong attraction to Alex. She is much less energetic when talking to her confidant. She and Alex ultimately start dating in the finale, and they get married in the epilogue with three kids named Timothy, Harley and Ivy. However, married life doesn't entirely take away her mischievous side, as she buys her young son yaoi manga, much to Alex's chagrin.
- Jessica Kim
- Jessica is a Korean-American medical student often found wearing her nurse outfit, the subject of Sandy's fetishesNurse stereotypesThe profession of nursing is stereotyped. Nurses are commonly expected to be female and so male nurses are stereotyped as effeminate and homosexual. In forms of low humour such as get-well cards, nurses are commonly portrayed as bimbos and, in medical drama and novels, nurses are commonly...
. She, along with Morgan, accepts Sandy and Alex joining Aoi House. Jessica is almost as playful as Morgan and joins in on one of hers schemes while helping to defend the ever hyper Morgan's desire for candy; both of these might be why she seems to be one of the few that can "control" Morgan. She is very motherly and also teases Sandy, which causes him many a nosebleed. However, she allows Maria and Sandy to hook up during the Con Caper. At this point, she also seems to develop a crush on Mason Blue. She has three little brothers. She achieves her goal of becoming a nurse at Seattle Grace Hospital in the epilogue, where her co-workers and child patients are very fond of her.
- Jessica is a Korean-American medical student often found wearing her nurse outfit, the subject of Sandy's fetishes
- Maria Ortega
- Along with Sandy and Alex, Maria is one of the newest members of Aoi House. Of LatinoLatinoThe demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
descent, she is a little self-conscious about her uncommonly large bust. She is happy to be in Aoi House, and is friendly toward Sandy and Alex, who once helped her shortly after they all joined. Her parents own a local Mexican restaurantRestaurantA restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
which is a place she uses along with the other members of Aoi House to celebrate the new members. She eventually develops feelings for Sandy, whom she marries and has kids with in the epilogue. They run a bookstore called "The Bookcave".
- Along with Sandy and Alex, Maria is one of the newest members of Aoi House. Of Latino
Minor characters
- Oniisan
- Somewhat of a mystery for most of the series. "Oniisan" seems to be the one that provides Morgan with an amazing amount of technological equipment including an "Ecchi-cam", a camera that can be strapped to Echiboo's head. "Oniisan" is also possibly Morgan's closest and only true confidant, and has counseled her, and Elle, on their respective attractions to Alex. At the beginning, it was not certain who or what Morgan's Oniisan was, though, Oniisan was eventually revealed in "Diary Room Antics" to be human. The previous theory was that he was some sort of computer (an obelisk labeled "Sound Only", a reference to the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion) with various sound and visual links throughout the house. Oniisan means "big brother" in Japanese, and all the members of Aoi House (and former member Carlo) address him as "oniisan." For the majority of the series, Alex and Sandy are unaware of Oniisan's existence, and the girls of Aoi House seem either unwilling or just have neglected to enlighten them. The top half of his face is always hidden; in Aoi House In Love! Vol. 1, he cosplayed as Tuxedo Kamen of Sailor MoonSailor MoonSailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
, so his eyes would be hidden; he later judges a cosplayCosplay, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
battle between Aoi and Uri Houses and the UASOS Brigade wearing sunglasses. It has recently been revealed that Oniisan is actually Elle's brother and that his real name is Jacob. As it turns out, he is the one behind Aoi House's creation, whereas Carlo just pitched the idea to him after reading one of his flyers. Jacob is apparently the owner of a production company that was looking to make a new reality series, and with Carlo's suggestion, Aoi House came to fruition. He continues his Aoi House series in the epilogue.
- Somewhat of a mystery for most of the series. "Oniisan" seems to be the one that provides Morgan with an amazing amount of technological equipment including an "Ecchi-cam", a camera that can be strapped to Echiboo's head. "Oniisan" is also possibly Morgan's closest and only true confidant, and has counseled her, and Elle, on their respective attractions to Alex. At the beginning, it was not certain who or what Morgan's Oniisan was, though, Oniisan was eventually revealed in "Diary Room Antics" to be human. The previous theory was that he was some sort of computer (an obelisk labeled "Sound Only", a reference to the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion) with various sound and visual links throughout the house. Oniisan means "big brother" in Japanese, and all the members of Aoi House (and former member Carlo) address him as "oniisan." For the majority of the series, Alex and Sandy are unaware of Oniisan's existence, and the girls of Aoi House seem either unwilling or just have neglected to enlighten them. The top half of his face is always hidden; in Aoi House In Love! Vol. 1, he cosplayed as Tuxedo Kamen of Sailor Moon
- Carlo
- Aoi Houses (Yaoi House's) homosexual transvestite founder. When Sandy and Alex first meet him/her s/he is dressed as a woman complete with wig and skirt. When the girls arrive and inform them of who Carlo is both Sandy and Alex shockingly learn that the one they thought was a "she" is in fact a "he". It is interesting that though they both have never met him/her, s/he clearly knows about them, indicating that the girls of Aoi House still keep close contact with their former founder. Carlo's face has stereotypical macho qualities. S/he also finds Alex very attractive and went on a date with him when Alex lost a bet. S/he winds up dating a silent boytoy named Rocky, whom s/he ultimately marries in the epilogue.
- Mr. Perkins
- Dean of the University. Echiboo stole Mr. Perkins's toupee, causing Sandy and Alex to search for new housing, which eventually lead them to finding Aoi House. He continues to be somewhat of a problem for Sandy and Alex; he keeps a close on eye them because of the trouble they caused in the past. Mr. Perkins can occasionally be found watching the synchronized swim team practice and talking to the swim coach, Ms. Addison. The epilogue just states that he's on the way to a coronary.
- Ms. Addison
- Coach of the women's synchronized swim team. Goes on to become an Olympic Swimming Coach in the epilogue.
- David, Daniel and Danny
- The little triplet brothers of Jessica. During the epilogue, it turns out that one of them becomes a "rebel" with black clothes and nail polish, along with a spiked collar and a mohawk, whereas the other two dress in prep school clothes.
- Uri House
- Aoi House's rival from Lawndale State University. Their name is based on YuriYuriYuri is a common first name in several languages, with alternately masculine and feminine denotations depending on the specific culture. In Russia, for example, Юрий is a common male given name meaning 'George', while in Japan it is a traditional female name meaning 'lily', and in Korea, it is also...
, Jessica earlier stating they heard of Aoi House and did a Yuri rip-off. Its current members are:
- Aoi House's rival from Lawndale State University. Their name is based on Yuri
Mason Blue - The de-facto leader of the club. While he does not actually have a definite ending in the epilogue, a man with his earrings greets Jessica at Seattle Grace Hospital with a stethoscope around his neck.
A hooded boy named Kevin Cardenas - In charge of their AMVs and has a thing for Morgan (calling her "McCutie") as well as any girl he sees. Moves to Tokyo in the epilogue just for the girls
A boy with glasses named Dale Stevens - The club's artist. He gets roped into moving to Tokyo along with Kevin in the epilogue.
A girl named Kimberly Ann and her pet pig named Luna-P (A reference of Chibiusa's Luna-P Ball). She goes on to win American Idol numerous time in the epilogue.
The open lesbian Sanae - Has a crush on Nina, as well as calling out that Maria's breasts were bigger than Kimberly Ann's. She kissed Nina at one point during the Con Caper, and somehow got both her and Elle into bed (much to their horror when they wake up the next morning) after the epilogue.
Volume list
- Aoi House Volume 1, 31 May 2006, ISBN 978-1-933164-12-0
- Aoi House Volume 2, 16 December 2006, ISBN 978-1-933164-30-4
- Aoi House Omnibus Collection I, April 2008, ISBN 978-1-933164-73-1 (Contains Aoi House Vol. 1 and 2)
- Aoi House In Love! Volume 1, 1 July 2007, ISBN 978-1-933164-51-9
- Aoi House In Love! Volume 2, June 2008, ISBN 978-1-933164-96-0
- Aoi House Omnibus Collection II, December 2008, ISBN 978-1-934876-26-8 (Contains Aoi House In Love! Vol. 1 and 2)
Aoi House Vol. 1 collecting Episodes 1 through 7 was released on 31 May 2006.
In the Aoi Notes on 04/21/06, Adam Arnold said the book has been given "special edition" treatment that includes, "minor dialogue and art changes to fix continuity errors," is displayed with screentone
Screentone
Screentone is a technique for applying textures and shades to drawings, used as an alternative to hatching. In the conventional process, patterns are transferred to paper from preprinted sheets, but the technique is also simulated in computer graphics...
whereas the web version presents only Shiei's black and white line art, and a new opening page for Episode 4 and an added scene, "with the guys singing Karaoke at the end of Episode 2." Other extras included are "Aoi Notes: Print Edition," "Student Records," "Fun Zone," and "Original Webmanga Designs."
Aoi House Vol. 2 collecting toned versions of Episodes 8 through 13, plus "Fruit Cake Fantasy" was released in December 2006. The volume carries the subtitle "Fun & Games" on the inside title page. Extras include "Aoi Notes: Print Edition 2," an eight-page super deformed character gallery called "Chibified!," a "Fan Art" gallery, and a two-page story called "Aoi House: The Lost Scene."
Aoi House In Love! Vol. 1 collecting the Episodes 1 through 9 of the 2nd Season of Aoi House was released July 2007. The volume is subtitled "The Great Con Caper!" on the inside title page. The volume also includes 8 color pages that collect the first twelve Aoi House 4-Koma that appeared in Newtype USA from January through December 2006. Other extras include a "Last Season on Aoi House" recap page, "Aoi Notes: Print Edition 3," and a new "Fan Art" gallery.
This volume was designed to be a jumping-on point for new readers, and features a completely self-contained adventure following the Aoi House crew at the fictional anime convention Hatsu-Con.
Aoi House In Love! Vol. 2 collecting the Episodes 10 through the end of the series will be released in June 2008. The volume carries a subtitle of "Happy Endings." The final twelve Aoi House 4-Koma from Newtype USA that run from January to December 2007 will also be included with the volume.
On 23 November, an omnibus edition was announced and will include reprints of Aoi House Vol. 1 and Aoi House Vol. 2.
In 2009, Aoi House began publishing in Finland by Egmont
Egmont Publishing
The Egmont Group is a media corporation founded and rooted in Copenhagen, Denmark. The business area of Egmont has traditionally been magazine publishing but has over the years evolved to comprise media generally....
. Two volumes are released up to date.
Tributes to other media
There are many references to various other real-life celebrities as well as animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and video games mostly in the form of the characters from Aoi House dressing up in various character's costumes from the referenced work. In Aoi House in love! Volume two, they also reference several American series as well. Below is a list of shows that are either referenced or parodied as well as the real-life celebrities that are mentioned:
- Adam and Joe Go TokyoAdam and Joe Go TokyoAdam and Joe Go Tokyo was a series of eight episodes created for BBC Three . It starred Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish of The Adam and Joe Show and aired from 30 May 2003 to 25 July 2003...
- American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
- Andrew W.K.Andrew W.K.Andrew W.K. is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, entertainer, and motivational speaker. He is the host of the television series Destroy Build Destroy.-Early life & career:Andrew Wilkes-Krier was born in Stanford, California, and grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
- Azumanga DaiohAzumanga Daiohis a Japanese comedy manga by Kiyohiko Azuma. It was serialized by MediaWorks in the shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh from 1999 to 2002 and collected in four bound volumes...
- Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
- Bleach (manga)Bleach (manga)is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Noriaki "Tite" Kubo. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a —a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki...
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Cardcaptor SakuraCardcaptor Sakura, abbreviated as CCS and also known as Cardcaptors, is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by the manga artist group Clamp. The manga was originally serialized monthly in Nakayoshi from the May 1996 until the June 2000 issue, and later published in 12 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha...
- ChobitsChobitsis a Japanese manga created by the Japanese manga collective Clamp. It was published by Kodansha in Young Magazine from February 2001 to November 2002 and collected in eight bound volumes....
- Chrono CrusadeChrono Crusade, also known as Chrno Crusade due to a typo in the original logo, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Daisuke Moriyama. It was originally published by Kadokawa Shoten in Dragon Magazine which began serialization in November 1998. A 24-episode anime television series based on the...
- Citizen KaneCitizen KaneCitizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
- Cutie HoneyCutie Honeyis a Japanese media franchise created by Go Nagai. Cutie Honey first appears on volume 41 of the 1973 edition of Shōnen Champion. According to Nagai, she is the first female to be the protagonist of a shōnen manga series....
- Cthulhu mythosCthulhu MythosThe Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
- Dance Dance RevolutionDance Dance RevolutionDance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...
- Death NoteDeath Noteis a manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a god of death, or a shinigami, named Ryuk...
- Densha OtokoDensha Otokois a Japanese movie, television series, manga, novel, and other media, all based on the purportedly true story of a 23-year-old otaku who intervened when a drunk man started to harass several women on a train...
- Di Gi CharatDi Gi Charatis a Japanese anime and manga series created by Koge-Donbo. The series follows a catgirl named Di Gi Charat "Dejiko" who was adopted as the mascot of Broccoli's retail chain store, Gamers. The original anime series and its original video animations are set in a Gamers store. There are twenty ...
- DisgaeaDisgaeais a video game series of tactical role-playing games created and developed by Nippon Ichi. The series debuted in Japan on January 30, , with Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, later re-released as Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness and Disgaea DS. One of Nippon Ichi's most popular franchises, it has branched...
- Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
- Dragon Ball Z
- Elite Beat AgentsElite Beat AgentsElite Beat Agents is a music video game developed by iNiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It was first released in North America, and has since been released in Europe and South Korea . It is the spiritual sequel to Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, a Japanese rhythm game...
- Evil Dead
- Final Fantasy VIFinal Fantasy VIis a role-playing video game developed and published by Square , released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Final Fantasy series. Set in a fantasy world with a technology level equivalent to that of the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story focuses on a...
- Final Fantasy VIIFinal Fantasy VIIis a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
- Final Fantasy VIIIFinal Fantasy VIIIis a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically...
- Final Fantasy IXFinal Fantasy IXis a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet' and a unique equipment and skill system.Final Fantasy IXs...
- Final Fantasy XFinal Fantasy Xis a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth title in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, and will be re-released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012...
- Final Fantasy X-2Final Fantasy X-2is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in 2003 and is the sequel to the best-selling 2001 game Final Fantasy X...
- Final Fantasy XIIFinal Fantasy XIIis a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
- FLCLFLCLis an original video animation series written by Yōji Enokido, directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which included Gainax, Production I.G, and Starchild Records....
- Fullmetal AlchemistFullmetal Alchemist, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution...
- Fushigi YūgiFushigi Yūgi, also known as Curious Play, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yu Watase. Shogakukan published Fushigi Yûgi in Shōjo Comic in its original serialized form from May 1992 through June 1996. Viz Media released the manga series in English in North America starting in 1999...
- Orochuban Ebichu
- Gaijin Invasion
- GravitationGravitation (manga)is a shōnen-ai manga series written by Maki Murakami.The story follows the attempts of Shuichi Shindo and his band, Bad Luck, to become Japan's next musical sensation and his struggles to capture Yuki's heart...
- Great Teacher OnizukaGreat Teacher Onizuka, officially abbreviated as GTO, is a Japanese shōnen manga written and illustrated by Tohru Fujisawa. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from May 1997 to April 2002. The story focuses on 22-year-old ex-bōsōzoku member Eikichi Onizuka, who becomes a teacher at a private high...
- Gundam Wing
- Gunslinger GirlGunslinger GirlGunslinger Girl is an ongoing manga by Yu Aida. It first premiered in the November 2002 issue of the monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The chapters are also being published in tankōbon volumes by ASCII Media Works. 13 volumes have been released in Japan as of April 2011...
- Hand Maid MayHand Maid Mayis an anime series directed by Shinichiro Kimura and produced by Pioneer Animation . The anime aired ten episodes on WOWOW between July 6 and September 22, 2000, and an OVA was bundled with a DVD box set released on February 21, 2001. It centers on the adventures of the main character, Kazuya...
- Happy DaysHappy DaysHappy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
- Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
- Hard Gay
- Honey and CloverHoney and Cloveris a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Chika Umino. It is also known as and H&C. It is published by Shueisha, initially serialized from June 2000 to July 2006 in the magazines CUTiEcomic, Young YOU, and Chorus, and collected in ten bound volumes...
- James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
- Jay and Silent BobJay and Silent BobJay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, a fictional universe created and used in most films, comics and television by Smith, which began in Clerks....
- Jurassic ParkJurassic Park (film)Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
- Katamari DamacyKatamari DamacyKatamari Damacy is a third-person puzzle-action video game that is published and developed by Namco for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was first released in Japan, and then later in South Korea and North America...
- Kingdom HeartsKingdom Heartsis an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
- KodochaKodochais a manga series by Miho Obana, helped periodically by her sister, Kaori Obana. The series is commonly known under the name Kodocha. The manga won the 1998 Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo. In the year 2007, At the American Anime Awards the anime was nominated for best comedy anime...
- La Blue GirlLa Blue Girlis an erotic anime and manga series.Based on the manga by Toshio Maeda, the La Blue Girl anime, like his other hentai series , features a large amount of tentacle rape...
- Love HinaLove Hinais a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine by Kodansha from October 21, 1998 to October 31, 2001 and was published in 14 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha. The series tells the story of Keitaro Urashima and his attempts to...
- Magical Girl Pretty SammyMagical Girl Pretty Sammyis an anime based on the magically transformed version of the Sasami character from the various Tenchi Muyo! series. The Pretty Sammy OVAs have been dubbed into English by Pioneer USA , while the television series is only available subtitled...
- Man-Faye
- MarioMariois a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
- MarsMars (manga)Mars is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fuyumi Soryo. Initially serialized in Bessatsu Friend from 1996 to 2000, the series spans 15 tankōbon volumes. It follows the disliked teenage romance between Kira Aso, an introverted artist, and Rei Kashino, a troubled playboy who is a...
- MegaMan.EXE
- My Sexual HarassmentMy Sexual Harassmentis a professional work, novel by Momo Sakura and anime, anime available in English, with character designs by Kazuma Kodaka. The critic Charles Solomon described it, "depicts the rise of a young executive who prostitutes himself to his corporate superiors...
- NarutoNarutois an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
- Negima!
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Night of the Living DeadNight of the Living DeadNight of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
- No Man's LandNo Man's Land (manga)No Man's Land is an shōnen Original English-language manga series written by Jason DeAngelis, with art by Jennyson Rosero. It is published by Seven Seas Entertainment....
- Nurse Witch KomugiNurse Witch Komugiis an original video animation anime series co-produced by Tatsunoko Production and Kyoto Animation. The series lasted for five episodes ,all of which were released on DVD in North America by ADV Films...
- Oh! My Goddess
- Only the Ring Finger KnowsOnly the Ring Finger Knowsis the title of a shōnen-ai light novel series written by Satoru Kannagi. It was made into a manga illustrated by Hotaru Odagiri, which has been licensed in the United States by Digital Manga Publishing.-Plot:...
- Osu! Tatakae! OuendanOsu! Tatakae! Ouendan, sometimes referred to as simply Ouendan, is a rhythm video game developed by iNiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console in 2005, for release only in Japan...
- Ouran High School Host ClubOuran High School Host Clubis a manga series by Bisco Hatori, serialized in Hakusensha's LaLa magazine since August 5, 2003. The series follows Haruhi Fujioka, a scholarship student at Ouran High School, and the other members of the popular host club. The romantic comedy focuses on the relationships within and without the...
- Paranoia AgentParanoia Agentis a Japanese anime television series created by director Satoshi Kon and produced by Madhouse about a social phenomenon in Musashino, Tokyo caused by a juvenile serial assailant named Lil' Slugger...
- Pita-Ten
- Phoenix Wright
- PokémonPokémonis a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
- Pop'n MusicPop'n Music, commonly abbreviated as Pop'n, PM or PNM, is a music video game in the Bemani series made by the Konami Corporation. This game is known for its bright colors, upbeat songs, and cartoon character graphics...
- Ragnarok OnlineRagnarok OnlineRagnarok Online , often referred to as RO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game or MMORPG created by GRAVITY Co., Ltd. based on the manhwa Ragnarok by Lee Myung-jin. It was first released in South Korea on 31 August 2002 for Microsoft Windows and has since been released in many other...
- Ranma ½Ranma ½is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi with an anime adaptation. The story revolves around a 16-year old boy named Ranma Saotome who was trained from early childhood in martial arts...
- Read or DieRead or Dieis a series of light novels authored by Hideyuki Kurata, published under Shueisha's Super Dash Bunko imprint. Read or Die follows Yomiko Readman, codename "The Paper", an agent for the Special Operations Division of the British Library. There are currently 11 Read or Die novels. In volume 11, a...
- Revolutionary Girl UtenaRevolutionary Girl Utenais a manga by Chiho Saito and anime directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. The manga serial began in the June 1996 issue of Ciao and the anime was first broadcast in 1997. The anime and manga were created simultaneously, but, despite some similarities, they progressed in different directions. A movie, was...
- Rock Band
- Rocky Horror Picture Show
- Sailor MoonSailor MoonSailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
- Scooby Doo
- Silent HillSilent Hillis a survival horror video game series consisting of seven installments published by Konami and its subsidiary Konami Digital Entertainment. The first four games in the series, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, 3 and 4, have been developed by an internal factor, Team Silent...
- Sonny & CherSonny & CherSonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector....
- Space Channel 5Space Channel 5Space Channel 5 is a music video game developed by United Game Artists under the direction of Tetsuya Mizuguchi and published by Sega. The gameplay features a system where the player must copy sequences of dance steps performed by the computer...
- Spider-ManSpider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
- Sorcerer HuntersSorcerer Huntersis a 13-volume manga series, written by Satoru Akahori and illustrated by Rei Omishi. Akahori and Omishi also published Sorcerer Hunters Special, a one-volume story set sometime after the series' conclusion....
- Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
- Super Mario Bros.Super Mario Bros.is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
- Teen Titans
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight PrincessThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princessis an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development, and published by Nintendo for the GameCube and Wii video game consoles. It is the thirteenth installment in The Legend of Zelda series...
- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
- The White StripesThe White StripesThe White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
- Tsubasa: Reservoir ChronicleTsubasa: Reservoir Chronicleis a shōnen manga series written and illustrated by the manga artist group Clamp. It takes place in the same fictional universe as many of Clamp's other manga series, most notably xxxHolic. The plot follows how Sakura, the princess of the Kingdom of Clow, loses her soul and how Syaoran, a young...
- Uniform fetish/Nurse stereotypesNurse stereotypesThe profession of nursing is stereotyped. Nurses are commonly expected to be female and so male nurses are stereotyped as effeminate and homosexual. In forms of low humour such as get-well cards, nurses are commonly portrayed as bimbos and, in medical drama and novels, nurses are commonly...
- Urusei YatsuraUrusei Yatsurais a comedic manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi that premiered in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in 1978 and ran until its conclusion in 1987. Its 374 individual chapters were collected and published in 34 tankōbon volumes. The series tells the story of Ataru Moroboshi, and the alien...
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- Village PeopleVillage PeopleVillage People is a concept disco group that formed in the United States in 1977, well known for their on-stage costumes depicting American cultural stereotypes, as well as their catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics....
- VoltronVoltronVoltron is the titular super robot of an anime series that features a team of young pilots, known as the Voltron Force. The team’s individual vehicles join together to form the giant super robot, with which they defend the galaxy from evil...
- WickedWicked (musical)Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate FactoryWilly Wonka & the Chocolate FactoryWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 musical film adaptation of the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, directed by Mel Stuart, and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket as he receives a golden ticket and visits Willy...
- YuYu HakushoYuYu Hakushois a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The name of the series is spelled YuYu Hakusho in the Viz Media manga and Yu Yu Hakusho in other English distributions of the franchise. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and...
In addition Adam Arnold has also admitted he is a huge DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
fan. Two of the characters surnames are actually either taken directly from the DC character's surname or is parodied on a nickname. The two characters in question are:
- "Sandy Grayson" who's surname is taken from Dick GraysonDick GraysonDick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....
, the original RobinRobin (comics)Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
. - "Morgan McKnight" who's surname is actually taken from the nickname for BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
who is known as The Dark Knight. - Alex and Morgan's children, "Harley", "Ivy", and "Timothy" are named after Pamela Isely a.k.a. Poison Ivy, Harley QuinnHarley QuinnHarley Quinn was first introduced as a villain on September 11, 1992, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name , she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester...
, and Tim DrakeTim DrakeTimothy "Tim" Drake is a superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media. The character was created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick. From 1989 to 2009, he was known as Robin in the Batman comics, becoming the third character to take up the identity...
a.k.a. the third Robin. - Sandy and Maria's children, "Victor" and "Helena," are named after Mister Freeze and Helena Bertinelli a.k.a. the Huntress.
- Sandy and Maria's bookstore, Bookcave, is a reference to the Bat Cave.
- New Aoi House member "Stephanie Kane" is named after Stephanie Brown (a.k.a. The Spoiler) and Bob KaneBob KaneBob Kane was an American comic book artist and writer, credited as the creator of the DC Comics superhero Batman...
, the creator of Batman. Her last name may also be a reference to the second Batgirl Cassandra CainCassandra CainCassandra Cain is a fictional character in the , one of several who has served as Batgirl, an important character in the Batman comic book franchise. Cassandra's backstory presents her as the daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva, she was deprived of speech and human contact during her...
. Stephanie also has a pet bat named Babs, which is a common nickname for Barbara GordonBarbara GordonBarbara Gordon is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino...
.
Reception
IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's A. E. Sparrow ranked the first and second volumes of Aoi House as third in the list of the top ten manga of 2006.
Spin-off
On March 17, 2010, Seven Seas announced the creation of the comedy manga Paranormal Mystery Squad, an Aoi House spin-off featuring Stephanie and Katie Kane, which will be written by Arnold Arnold and illustrated by Comipa, and will appear as a double-feature with the comedy Vampire CheerleadersVampire Cheerleaders
Vampire Cheerleaders is an original English-language manga series written by Adam Arnold, with art by Shiei, and published by Seven Seas Entertainment...
(written by Arnold and illustrated by Aoi House artist Shiei) as Vampire Cheerleaders: Vol. 1.