Flunk Punk Rumble, known in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 as is a 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...

 series written and illustrated by Miki Yoshikawa

Miki Yoshikawa

is a Japanese manga artist. She was an assistant of Hiro Mashima.-References:...

. The series began as a three-part short story that was later developed into a full series and serialized in Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

's Weekly Shōnen Magazine

Weekly Shonen Magazine

, also known as Shōnen Magazine, is a shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha, first published on 17 March 1959. Despite some unusual censorship policies , it's mainly read by an older audience, with a large portion of its readership falling under the male high school or college...

starting October 18, 2006. It ended on May 18, 2011, with a total of 211 chapters. The manga is collected into tankōbon

Tankobon

, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

volumes by Kodansha, which has released 22 volumes and an official guidebook as of April 15, 2011. Reviews of the series have been very positive. The series has been licensed in Chinese

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

 and English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 by the Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

an publishing company Chuang Yi

Chuang Yi

Chuang Yi Publishing Pte Ltd. is a publishing company based in Singapore that specializes in producing domestic and imported comics and comics-related merchandise, in English and simplified Chinese. Chuang Yi distributes all or some of its products in Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines...

 under the title Flunk Punk Rumble. As of February 24, 2010, they have released nine volumes in Chinese and three in English.

Plot

Daichi Shinagawa was just a Yankee (Japanese term for delinquent) who wanted nothing to do with his high school life. Hana Adachi, the dedicated class representative, however would not allow it and constantly bothers him to be involved in school life. Shinagawa is first confused on why she keeps pestering him until he discovers her secret. While she may look like a typical class representative stereotype, Adachi is actually not very smart and lacks common sense, and Shinagawa eventually learns that Adachi is a former delinquent. Regretting being a yankee during her middle school years, Adachi decides to change her ways to achieve her dream of becoming the best class representative. She decides to help Shinagawa so he will not continue to make the same mistake that she did. Thus begins the adventures of these two unlikely friends and their classmates at Mon Shiro High School.

Main characters

The male protagonist of the story. Also known as "Yankee-kun," Shinagawa is a short-tempered delinquent who does not like to be bothered and has no plans for his high school life. That is until he meets Adachi, a former delinquent who convinces him to change his path else he might regret it like she did. At first he is merely pestered by Adachi into becoming more active in school, but gradually changes throughout the series: from small things such as not smoking and avoiding class to even becoming the student council's co-vice president. He hates to study but is pretty good in math. He is also an honorable person who will try everything to protect others, becoming an integral member in his newfound group of friends.

His mother is a lawyer while his father, whose personality is similar to his, is a renowned doctor. Later in the series, it is revealed that he was one of the top students in a reputable private middle school. He was kicked out of the school after fighting the delinquents who were bothering his number one rival in studies, . Although he made a promise with Shizuku to meet again in university, his grades had already begun to slip, eventually losing interest in studies entirely and subsequently becoming a student with poor grades. This event marks his becoming a delinquent and his changed look (he previously had black hair and wore glasses).

He initially has a love-hate relationship with Hana Adachi, liking her due to her nature to help others no matter what, but becoming annoyed with her due to her idiocy, lack of common sense, and forcing him to help with her bizarre plans and antics. In a bonus chapter, it is shown that Shinagawa decided to attend Mon Shiro only after seeing a beautiful girl, who was actually Adachi without glasses and with loose hair (something he didn't realize until much later), at his entrance exam. Although he always bicker with Adachi, he would do anything so that he won't hurt or upset her. He later admits to liking her and even gets jealous when her former middle school classmate tells Shinagawa his intentions to ask her out, but Adachi remains oblivious to Shinagawa's feelings.

He gets accepted into a prestigious university and four years after their high school graduation, he is shown to be teaching at Mon Shiro.

The female protagonist of the story. Adachi is the class representative and later, the student council president. Despite her appearance as the quiet and dutiful class rep, she lacks common sense and often has the worst grades in class. Having been a delinquent before attending high school (to the point that she was even held back a year), she initially does not know how to interact with normal students so she hangs around Shinagawa, forcing him to be more active in school. Since she desires to be a normal student, Adachi tries not to use her monstrous fighting abilities and had even changed her appearance; she ties her hair in pigtails and wears glasses despite having great eyesight. When she starts attending school without glasses and pigtails, her popularity among the student body skyrockets, but after Shinagawa's father did not take her seriously during an argument, she goes back to wearing them.

Not much is known about her past besides her status as a fearsome delinquent during middle school, with the mention of her name striking fear in anyone who knows her reputation. She is even shown to have influence over Yakuza gangsters. Also, it is mentioned that she left her main residence in order to live with her grandma. However, after being accepted into a high profile university, she decides to go back home despite the consequences that might befall her. According to her grandma, she did this for Shinagawa's sake. She reappears to Shinagawa four years later as a transfer student in Mon Shiro since she officially dropped out of school before she could graduate.

A tall, bespectacled, fearsome-looking student with a noticeable scar extending across his forehead and left eyebrow. His normal stare appears fearsome to most, which had led to him becoming a hikikomori

Hikikomori

is a Japanese term to refer to the phenomenon of reclusive people who have chosen to withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement because of various personal and social factors in their lives...

 a week after he got into trouble with a gang. Adachi and Shinagawa beat the gang (without knowing they themselves were the cause of his self-isolation) which allows him to overcome his fears. Adachi tries to get him to attend school and take the exams, but he refuses, saying he is afraid of sitting next to Shinagawa, when in reality he is merely looking for Adachi's attention. Shinagawa tells him to attend school and take the exams or she will never visit him again. He is very smart, almost always scoring a 100 on a test, and becomes the student council's treasurer. He has a crush on Makoto which seems obvious to everyone around him save Makoto herself. After the four year time skip, the two are shown to be a couple.

Adachi's kohai from middle school who transfers into Mon Shiro and becomes the student council's secretary. Known as "The Bloody Pantheress", she was a Yankee and Hana's right hand man back in middle school. She is still very devoted to Adachi, and has been ever since Adachi saved her and they became friends. While Adachi has reformed herself to become a good student, Himeji on the other hand still acts like a delinquent and initially believes that Chiba and Shinagawa are her subordinates. She has a bad relationship with her family because she is adopted, and when she told them that she wanted to transfer, they kicked her out of their home. She starts living with Adachi after the latter finds out about her situation. Though she is antagonistic towards Shinagawa at first, she eventually develops a crush for him. After the four year time skip, she is shown to be learning her family's business, the famous Himeji Corporation.

Surprisingly, she's interested in and is good at household chores, always shown to be cleaning around the group.

Izumi is an honor student who runs against Adachi for the student council president position. Like Adachi, he is a former delinquent who changed himself in order to focus more on his studies, with his grades ranking second in the entire grade. He was known as a legendary fighter during his biker gang days so Izumi considers himself number one in fighting already. Though he is the first person in the manga shown to be capable of blocking Adachi's kick (using all his might), he still lost to her swiftly. He decides to become the vice president instead after losing to her in a fight. He shares his position with Shinagawa resulting in the two often fighting over who is the better vice president. He gets really hyped up over the smallest things and still loves to wear his old gang outfit. He's shown to be sensitive about his short height, being the shortest male of the group, only barely taller than the girls. Four years later, he is shown to be studying law.

Other Mon Shiro students

A fellow classmate of Shinagawa and Adachi. She is one of the few girls that talks to Shinagawa without being afraid of him. She is dating Sagami, a student from another school.

A student in Shinagawa's year who stopped going to school after her childhood friend got a girlfriend. She remained at home and immersed herself in online gaming. When her childhood friend got worried and asked the student council to help her, they initially thought she was a boy because her game avatar was male. She becomes good friends with the student council members after convincing her to go back to school. It is mentioned that she still occasionally plays the online game with Shinagawa. She is shown to be a very outgoing type of girl and is unaware that Chiba has since developed a crush on her.

Kumagaya's childhood friend who is concerned about her playing games and not attending school. She was upset that she would lose him as he grew apart and started having interest in girls, leading to her behavior.

A third-year student and the former student council president who is always seen with a fan in his hand. A seemingly easy-going person, Akita is a former delinquent who will fly in a rage upon being called a girl. When he is in this state, even Shinagawa and Izumi fear him. It is shown that the only way to get him to calm down is for a girl to kick him in his private parts. Akita's girlfriend is Shinagawa's older sister and they both attend the same university.

A student who transfers into Mon Shiro solely to be in the student council, which he believes is a bōsōzoku

Bosozoku

is a Japanese subculture associated with motorcycle clubs and gangs.-Traits and history:The word bōsōzoku is also applied to motorcycle gangs, who share an interest in modifications for motorcycles, such as removing the mufflers so that more noise is produced...

 (biker gang) because his former boss Izumi is in it. He later runs for student council president hoping to make Mon Shiro the strongest. After becoming president he is surprised to find that, while the rest of the student council are under the impression that Adachi does nothing, she in fact keeps detailed records of every single student that attends Mon Shiro, keeping special tabs on those students who are in danger of expulsion so that she can help them to enjoy school life as she has. She entrusts him with these duties, telling him that he will be able to handle it because he has his friends there to help him, just like her friends have helped her.

A third-year delinquent who just wants to make friends, but is unable to come off friendly. Though he and Kagawa get into a fight on the first day of the year, they become good friends. He runs for student council vice president alongside Anna in hopes of making more friends. He and his group eventually win the election after their rival candidates concede. After the school's sports festival, he develops a crush on Anna. In an attempt to get to know her better he, Kagawa, and Anna begin a tradition of going to an ice cream shop together after school each day.

Nacchi and Macchi

First introduced as a part of Shinagawa's trash team during the festival. "Guy-gals" that are never apart, Nacchi and Macchi idolize Shinagawa. They later run for the secretary and treasurer positions in the student council believing they are Shinagawa's successors. After winning the election, they are shocked and dismayed to find that all the paper work for the student council is done solely by their positions, previously held by Chiba and Himeji.

She first appears as an air head who loves hair and makeup retaking a test alone with Shinagawa as the test proctor. Later on, they discover she won a medal for her cheerleading skills and eventually helps them practice for the sports festival. Though her teaching is effective in the long run, she is prone to kicking and punching if anyone is to interrupt her. She eventually becomes student council vice president along with Kitami.

A weak-bodied punk rocker girl selected as the class representative for the culture festival alongside Shinagawa. She rarely came to class due to her condition until Shinagawa convinced her to come to class regularly. She soon developed some feelings for him, but finds out about the girl he likes after meeting Subaru Mito. She is the one who sets up Shinagawa into seeing Adachi without her glasses and braids on, and tells him that the person he is looking for is Adachi.

A student who runs against Kagawa for the president position during the student council elections. His father is mentioned to be a famous politician. To most people he appears as a modest and charming student with good grades and influence, but in truth he is a former delinquent whose goal is to remove all other delinquents from Mon Shiro (except his team candidates). He and his fellow candidates fools the students into making them believe that they have nothing to with the dirty campaign against Kagawa's group and even manipulates Adachi and her group. After getting beaten by Adachi and realizing who she is, they stop their dirty tactics and concede to Kagawa's group. Since then, he has been on good terms with the other characters, even helping them out.

An entertainer and student who runs for vice president during the student council elections. She has the second best grades in her year. Like her fellow candidates, Kashiwa is a former delinquent. She reconciles with their opponents after being beaten by Adachi.

A model and student who runs for vice president alongside Kashiwa during the student council elections. He has the third best grades in his year. Like his fellow candidates, Aizu is a former delinquent. He reconciles with their opponents after being beaten by Adachi.

Computer Club Boys

Two geek students in the computer club who first appeared during the student council's attempt to get Makoto out of the gaming world. They depend on Shinagawa guarding from delinquents when they walk outside of school. Shinagawa trains them to be more confident so that they no longer have to depend on him. However, even though they shock the entire school with their cool and confident looks, they are beaten back to their wimpy selves by a delinquent who was not phased by their new looks, forcing Shinagawa to help them yet again. Izumi then tells Shinagawa that to them Shinagawa is not a bodyguard but a friend.

Other characters

A delinquent from the all boys Ageha Technical High School. He first appears when he and his gang try to find Shinagawa at his high school after having a fight with him. Adachi helps Shinagawa escape but were soon found by Sagami's gang. Adachi attacks him when he harasses her, and when the gang realizes who she is, they flee in terror. He is dating Kasukabe thanks to Adachi helping him confess his feeling for Kasukabe, on the condition that he cleans up his act in the future.

Shinagawa's childhood friend who attends the same school as Sagami. He finds ugly girls attractive and gets into trouble with the yakuza after unknowingly dating a gangster's wife online. He is secretly saved from this situation by Adachi. He is revealed to be the strongest of the Big Four.

A hotheaded but honest teenage girl whose attitude is reminiscent of Shinagawa. Adachi and Shinagawa meet her when her father asks them take money to her at the Shibuya District so that she can come home to celebrate New Year's with her family. She instead prefers to stay with her friend Misora who is only hanging with her for her money. Oomiya did not mind this since Misora made her "cool". When the money given by Oomiya's father is no longer enough for Misora, and Misora fails to use Adachi for more money, she has Oomiya kidnapped and sold into a prostitution ring at a Love hotel

Love hotel

A love hotel is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world operated primarily for the purpose of allowing couples privacy for sexual activities...

. Oomiya is saved by Adachi and agrees to go home to her father with Adachi and Shinagawa.

Shinagawa's older sister. She and her brother share the same lazy, stubborn, and brutally honest attitude, but Kairi tends to be a bit nicer than her brother. Her boyfriend is Akita, the former student council president. After finding out about the university that Shinagawa plans to enter, Kairi decides to take the exam to transfer into the same university since she does not want to be the odd one out in the family as their parents are also graduates of said university.

Adachi's delinquent younger brother and boss of the Big Four in Ageha Technical High School. Like Adachi, You has excellent fighting abilities and is capable of taking on the boys of Mon Shiro's Student Council on his own. However, unlike his sister, You is an all-around genius. He both fears and admires his sister, and his goal was to conquer the nation with her, but she had left the main house and put her delinquent days behind her. He too leaves home and attempts to live with Adachi, but after she refuses, he starts living with Shinagawa, whose family comes to accept him as their own. He still lives with them even after the four year time skip.

The Student Council Secretary at whose appearance and strength is strikingly similar to Adachi's. Shinigawa mistakes her for the girl that he met during his entrance exams at Mon Shiro. Subaru comes to like him and tells him that she knows the identity of that girl, eventually telling Miyagi Sakura that that girl has always been by his side. In order for her to not be mistaken as Adachi again, she cuts her hair short.

Manga

Chapters 203 to 211 (the finale chapter) have yet to be published in volume format.

There is also a one-shot called Fairy Megane containing some of the characters from this manga as well as some Fairy Tail

Fairy Tail

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine since August 23, 2006, and has been published by Kodansha in 29 tankōbon volumes . An ongoing anime produced by A-1 Pictures and Satelight was released in Japan on October 12, 2009,...

characters as part of a crossover. The title is derived from combining Yankee-kun to Megane-chan and Fairy Tail.

Live action

A live action drama began airing on April 23, 2010 and ran for a total of 10 episodes. The theme song "Loose Leaf" was sung by Hilcrhyme

Hilcrhyme

is a Japanese two member hip-hop group. They are best known for their 2009 hit song "Shunkashūtō," which has been certified for 1,000,000 cellphone digital downloads and 1,000,000 ringtone downloads separately...

.

Cast

• Shinagawa Daichi: Hiroki Narimiya
  Hiroki Narimiya
  , better known as , is a Japanese actor.-Early life:He was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. His parents are Okinawan, so he is of Okinawan descent. His parents divorced when he was young, and in his third year of junior high school, his mother died and he and his brother were raised by his...
  
  , Amon Kabe (young)
• Hana Adachi: Riisa Naka
  Riisa Naka
  is a Japanese actress. She was given a Best New Talent award at the 2009 Yokohama Film Festival. Naka became famous by appearing in Hachi One Diver .-Personal life:Naka has a Swedish grandfather, making her one-quarter Swedish and three-quarters Japanese...
  
  
• Gaku Izumi: Kanata Hongo
  Kanata Hongo
  is a Japanese actor and model. He is part of Stardust Talent agency and has appeared several times in music videos, movies, TV series, and magazines. His major breakthrough role was as the anime character Ryoma Echizen in the film adaptation of The Prince of Tennis, and became even more widely...
  
  
• Seiya Chiba: Yū Koyanagi
• Rinka Himeji: Haruna Kawaguchi
  Haruna Kawaguchi
  is a Japanese model and actress under the Ken-On agency.-TV serials:* Tokyo Dogs as Karin Takakura* Nakanai to Kimeta Hi as Ai Kakuta* Hatsukoi Chronicle as Misaki Satoura...
  
  
• Seiun Nerima: Ryōhei Suzuki
• Mr. Sakai: Sarutoki Minagawa
• Shinagawa Chūta: Arata Furuta
  Arata Furuta
  is a Japanese theatre and film character actor.-Biography:Furata has a broad range that goes from playing serious salary men, to bushi in period drama roles, and even women....
  
  
• Shinagawa Kiyo: Chiemi Hori
• Shinagawa Kairi: Miho Ōwada
• Tetsuo Adachi: Shirō Itō

Guests

• Sagami: Kazuki Namioka
  Kazuki Namioka
  is a Japanese actor from Osaka Prefecture. Some of his more prominent roles have been as Shirō Jin'no/Demon Knight in Genseishin Justirisers and Shishimaru/Lion-Maru in Lion-Maru G. He has also appeared in the Densha Otoko series, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and a guest appearance in...
  
   (ep1,2)
• Chiba Eriko: Mizuno Maki (ep2)
• Kobayashi: Shu Watanabe
  Shu Watanabe (actor)
  -TV series:*2010 : Flunk Punk Rumble *2010 : Kamen Rider OOO as Eiji Hino / Kamen Rider OOO-Films:*2010 : Kamen Rider W Forever: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate as Eiji Hino / Kamen Rider OOO...
  
   (渡部秀) (ep2)
• Tanaka: Nishi Yosuke (ep2)
• Saito: Osada Seiya (長田成哉) (ep2)
• Kagawa: Sometani Shota (染谷将太) (ep4,10)
• Miyagi Jun: Anna Ishibashi
  Anna Ishibashi
  is Japanese model and actress who plays Asami Tadokoro in Akai Ito. She was given a Best New Talent award at the 2009 Yokohama Film Festival. She recently played the lead role as the character Asuka in Toy Gun Film's 2011 short film, Paper Flower .-References:...
  
   (ep6)
• Nagasaki: Yūta Furukawa (ep9-10)

External links

• Kodansha's official Yankee-kun to Megane-chan manga website
• Chuang Yi's official Flunk Punk Rumble manga website (Singapore publisher)
• Yankee-kun to Megane-chan drama website